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How to Pitch: SelfThis national health glossy's 'always looking for ideas'
Circulation: 1.45 million with a total audience of 6.1 million Background: Self's tagline is "You at Your Best," and, for the most part, articles are concerned with how a woman can reach her full potential -- both for herself, and ultimately, so she can give back to the people and causes she cares about. Unlike many women's magazines, Self doesn't define women by their relationship to their spouses or their children -- in fact, the magazine focuses on self-confidence that comes from within. Articles director Paula Derrow emphasizes that Self is not just a fitness and health magazine, but a lifestyle publication that focuses on everything from a woman's finances to her fashion sense. "Unlike Shape or Fitness, we spend a lot of time addressing a woman's emotional health and happiness outside of the gym," says Derrow. "There is a strong fitness and health component, but it's broader than that." She adds that Self isn't "trying to fix women," but rather tries to offer them "motivation to be the best they can be." The magazine is divided into six main categories ("Beauty," "Health," "Fitness," "Happiness," "Style," and "Nutrition") and also features personal, literary essays and strong investigative reporting. Derrow says that top-notch writing and smart authoritative service, much of it from freelancers, links the sections.What to pitch: Self is an excellent target for freelancers. "I'm always looking for ideas," Derrow says. Editors seek "smart, sophisticated service and investigative sex stories, features, and articles that pertain to 20- and 30-something women's health, fitness, diet and happiness." An especially great section for freelancers to pitch is the magazine's "Love Your Month" column, which features fun, smart and time-sensitive trends of interest to the Self reader, but all front-of-book departments in the six main sections are pitchable, as are middle-of-book features about wellness, mental health, beauty, staying in shape and ideas that pertain to living a better, more meaningful life. If you have minimal experience doing reported features, stick to shorter, front-of-book pieces. Each department leads with two to four pages of 150-word news based items to 1500-word reported short features. Look at the masthead to determine the correct editor for each department. If you're an established journalist with clips from national magazines and other news media but have never worked with Self before, you may be able to start with a feature -- "stories that have both a good news and service angle as well as a real life, real woman element," says Derrow. It's also worth it for experienced journalists to pitch public-interest investigative stories, such as the 2004 Ellie-nominated piece on how prescription drugs get waylaid and tampered with before they reach pharmacies. Features need to have a takeaway beyond the story itself, be timely, and feel essential to readers' everyday lives. "Pitch us investigative stories or great new studies based on cutting-edge research," says Derrow. "Ask yourself 'Why does this fit into Self?' If it's new, based on a study or new trend, it appeals to women in their early 30s and helps to make their life better, then send it in." What not to pitch: Dating and parenting features aren't usually accepted; Self is also less likely to cover sex. Style pieces are primarily written in-house. "We don't cover parenting or items that aren't pertinent to our age-group," says Derrow. Online opportunities: Online content is typically generated from within, not pitches. Percentage of freelance-written content: Nearly all of the magazine's features are written by freelancers –- about 95 percent. As for front of book pieces, about 50 percent are freelance-written. Recent freelance stories pitched and published: A middle-of-book piece by Marjorie Ingall about authenticity: how to find and express your true self and why it's so important, an investigative piece on tick-borne diseases, and a nutrition story on flexible vegetarianism. What publicists should pitch -- and when: Publicists can pitch with at least a three-month lead time, though four is better. Etiquette: An ideal query is a few paragraphs that makes the news angle clear and states why the piece is right for Self. If it's a first-person essay, send the entire piece. Include any links to clips or mention publications you've written for in the past. Editors generally prefer pitches to be submitted via email. Derrow oversees the "Self Expression" column and larger mental health features. She works more with voice-driven, literary narratives, rather than with straight service-oriented health features. For other editors, check the masthead. If you don't hear a response to your query, follow up by phone or email. Lead time: Three months Contact info: Direct pitches to the appropriate editor: NEXT >> This article was originally written by Jill Singer and published on April 15, 2004. It was updated by Donya Blaze on February 11, 2011. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Though we've updated this article recently, the speed at which things move in media means things may have already changed since then. If you notice any outdated info, email us, and we'll fix it a.s.a.p.] |
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