Writing for Money: Tips for Planning Your Next Article Pitch

Want to earn a considerable income from writing? Technical article writing for online publications such as SitePoint is a good choice! Even if you are not a good writer, you can do it as long as you have the expertise and passion for the subject.

As a editor at SitePoint, I have compiled a list of the most important things to consider when planning and recommending article ideas.

Summary of key points

• Get deep into your topic and choose a topic that is widely followed, not over-explored, and meets the needs of the target audience.
• Include an outline in your recommendations to help editors evaluate the feasibility of topics and ensure that your writing has a clear purpose.
• Don't skip the outline stage, because modifying an outline is much easier than writing completed.
• Keep open and flexible, remember that paid writing is a business activity; adjustments may be required to serve readers and justify rewards.

Determine the writing topic

Not all topics are suitable as articles, so start with some planning and research. Here are some things to pay attention to.

Learn your topic

Think about what you are best at writing. Of course, you can do some research on topics you don’t understand and write an article. But it is best to write topics that you are very familiar with because it can add depth and authority to your writing. Select the right theme

The internet is filled with great blog posts on a variety of topics, some of which are very niche – this is great, and hopefully this will continue! But when writing for the sake of making money, it is important to remember that your publisher cannot afford to pay for content that is almost unread.

You can increase your chances of publishing by ensuring your topic is gaining widespread attention. As an expert in a specific field, you should have some understanding of current trends and the types of information people are looking for.

For programming languages, there will always be new specifications, libraries, modules and APIs to be explained, new technologies to be explored, better methods to be completed, and new solutions to common problems. And there is always a need for new insights into design and user experience, accessibility, entrepreneurship, content and marketing.

A good way to measure the current attention of a topic is to see what is happening on news groups, social media, forums and other platforms. I often receive recommendations from topics that have caused sensation but are now basically old news. Ask yourself if the article you proposed could be written a year ago or earlier. If so, it's better to pay attention to what has changed since then—especially how fast network technology and practice have evolved. (Of course, a new interpretation of the old topic is an exception, but it takes skill to make a stir with these contents.)

Have it been written by others?

Ideally, choose a topic that requires more coverage in general. If a topic has been over-reported on the web recently, it may not be the best option, even if your publisher has not covered it yet. At least try to provide some new content or different angles on this topic and highlight this in your recommendations.

Checking if your publisher has already covered your topic is also a very good idea. Search their website via their internal search tools or Google, as shown below:

<code>site:sitepoint.com 我的主题创意</code>

If the topic has been reported, everything is not over yet. You can argue that previous articles are outdated, or that you have different opinions on the topic worth publishing. This is very helpful for the editor.

Consider your audience

In order to communicate effectively, it is very important to clarify who you write for. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What do readers need to know in advance to keep up with the progress of the article?
2. What skills or knowledge should readers master after reading?

You are not ready to write your article until you can answer these questions. A clear understanding of your audience is essential to selecting topics and how to deal with them. A successful article will cater to readers and clarify where you will take them.

The more you can prove that you have considered the above points when recommending a topic to your editor, the higher your chances of your topic being approved.

Writing an outline

In addition to your topic recommendations, I strongly recommend that you include your article outline. This does help editors evaluate the feasibility of topics. It also helps you plan your writing and ensures that it has clear purpose and purpose.

The outline is like a skeleton, showing the limbs and bones of the article. It's similar to the information you get when you quickly browse a finished article: the title and main title give you an idea of ​​what the article covers, while the first line of each paragraph provides more details.

Try to write an outline without referring to the notes. If you can't do it, it may mean that you haven't fully grasped the topic yet and you need to think, plan or research more.

So let's look at the elements of an effective outline. At the end of this section, I will include the outline I used for this article as an example.

Title

Editors will help you determine the title, but it is still a good idea to think about it yourself. A title can make or ruin an article. Try to capture the essence of a subject in a way that attracts readers and maximizes their SEO potential. Longer titles of about 50 to 60 characters are preferable to shorter titles.

Introduction

A good introduction is crucial. It gives readers a clear understanding of what the article is, its importance, whether it is relevant to them and what they can learn from it.

Your outline should contain a short list that clearly covers these key points.

Title

The main titles of the article are very important, and when recommending topics, you should be able to list them in the outline. Readers often browse the title to outline the article, so they should clearly indicate what the article covers.

As with the main titles, word carefully so that they clearly summarize what is to be introduced next.

List the key points of discussion

Under each title, list the key points you will make. These list items may or may not represent actual paragraphs, but it is useful to treat them as paragraphs. Readers usually browse the title, followed by the first sentence of each paragraph, which should give them an idea of ​​what these paragraphs contain.

Conclusion

It is always a good idea to end an article with some summary ideas – for example, help clarify, clarify or reiterate the points raised in the article and guide the reader what can be done next.

Your outline should contain a simple list of these concluding opinions.

Example outline

As an example, this is the outline I have compiled for this article. I don't want to start writing until I have a clear overview of the article.

<code>site:sitepoint.com 我的主题创意</code>

Other things to consider

The two main contents I want to introduce in this post are choosing topics and writing outlines. But there are some other points worth mentioning.

Don't skip the outline

If you know your topic very well, you may want to skip the outline and write the article directly. However, writing completed with revision is much more difficult than revising an outline.

The outline of this article was much longer than the final version at the beginning. It initially included tips on how to write an article, but I quickly realized that it would be best to leave it for another article and I should focus on the article recommendations first. The outline process makes this obvious, and it is much easier to modify the outline than to modify the entire article. Submitting a complete article as a recommendation will also make the editor's work more difficult. Your editors need to comment on the direction and focus of the article, and this process is much easier when using an outline. If a completed article requires too much modification, then your recommendation is much more likely to be rejected than submitting an outline. And, rejected outlines are easier to accept than articles you have spent hours completing!

(Even if you are just writing for your personal blog, I would recommend that you write an outline first. It will help you organize your thoughts and may save a lot of work for your editing – in this case , it's you! )

Keep open and flexible attitude

Writing articles for making money is not a branch of creative art (at least, mainly not!). This is a business activity. If the editor asks you to change content or reject your topic, don't think it's because they don't appreciate your talent. Often, this is because they try to serve their readers as well as they can and reach as wide acclaim as possible. For business reasons, they have to make sure a topic attracts enough readers to pay the bill and justify the compensation they pay you.

Of course, you can argue, but this does go back to the strength of the recommendations you mentioned earlier and the research you did.

Summary

I hope these techniques do not make you think the article recommendation is too difficult. Sending an email to recommend the subject of the article is actually very easy – I encourage you to give it a try.

Just don't leave all quality control to your editor. If you do the kind of preparation I described above, you will have a much greater chance of publishing articles and creating something that works for your readers.

So start with your expertise and love for the subject. Then think about how relevant it is today and how widespread it may be. Some authors told me that “this will interest some people” without giving any obvious reasons – this is not enough. Your editors may not be an expert in your subject field like you, and they will hesitate if you can’t talk about the relevance and possible appeal of the subject with some authority.

Finally, take your outline seriously. Editors really need to know that you have mastered the topic and have the ability to argue it with logic. Some random points on this topic are not enough to prove that you understand the topic and how you will handle it. The editor may be willing to guide you through the process, but ideally shouldn't. If you take the initiative to take responsibility, you will definitely get extra points!

Frequently Asked Questions about Article Recommendation (FAQ)

How to determine the right publication for my article recommendations?

It is crucial to determine the right publication for your article recommendations. First, research various publications related to the topic of your article. Look at their style, tone, and the type of content they publish. This will give you an idea of ​​whether your article is suitable. In addition, the audience of the publication must be considered. Your articles should be relevant and interesting to their readers.

What should my article recommendation include?

Your article recommendations should be concise and clear. It should include a brief introduction to you, your article summary, how relevant it relies to the publication audience and why you are the best person to write it. You can also include a suggested title and some key points or outlines of the article.

How to make my article recommendation stand out?

To make your article recommendation stand out, make sure it is well written and error-free. Make it fascinating. Showcase your passion and expertise on the subject. Personalize your recommendations for each publication, indicating that you understand their content and audience.

How long should my article recommendation be?

The article recommendation should be concise and clear, usually around 200-300 words. It should be long enough to convey your ideas and its value, but not too long to avoid losing interest in editing.

After sending the article recommendation, should I follow up?

Yes, it is a good idea to follow up after sending a recommendation for the article. But be patient and respectful. Editors are usually very busy, so give them at least one to two weeks to follow up.

Can I recommend the same article to multiple publications?

It is usually not recommended to recommend the same article to multiple publications at the same time. If multiple publications accept your recommendations, you may be in trouble. Instead, recommending to one publication at a time, if no response is received within a reasonable time, then consider recommending to another publication.

What should I do if my article recommendation is rejected?

Don't be discouraged if your article recommendation is rejected. This is part of the process. If possible, ask for feedback and use it to improve your future recommendations. Continue to recommend to other publications.

How to improve my article recommendation skills?

Improving your article recommendation skills requires practice. Continue to write and recommend articles. Learn from your successes and failures. Read and analyze successful article recommendations. Participate in a seminar or course on article recommendations.

What common mistakes should be avoided when recommending articles?

Some common mistakes that should be avoided when recommending articles include: no research publications, no personalization of your recommendations, making your recommendations too long, not clearly conveying the value of your articles, and no proofreading your recommendations.

Can I recommend the article I have written?

Yes, you can recommend the article you have written. However, make sure it fits the publication you recommend. Also, be prepared to modify the article based on the editor’s feedback.

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