logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2020
40m 26s

The Ultimate Guide to Magazine Pitching ...

KATE TOON & BELINDA WEAVER
About this episode

Do you want to know a secret?

Kate never actually wanted to be a copywriter. Her dream was to be a magazine writer. In fact, she was voted “Girl Most Likely To Write For Smash Hits” when she was at school.

But there's more. She was also a feature editor for her uni newspaper interviewing Blur and Bob Monkhouse.

She interned at several sexy music mags in London.

And she was accepted onto a prestigious magazine journalism course. Whaaaat?

But she couldn’t afford it. So she didn’t go.

So she spent the next 10 years wandering in the wilderness of digital production... until she found copywriting.

But Kate still yearns to be a REAL Writer.

(And we're all nodding here, right?)

Today we’re talking about writing for magazines and more specifically how to pitch them and we have a very special guest to give us the lowdown.

Tune in to learn:

  • Where to start with magazine writing
  • A peek behind-the-scenes with Rachel
  • Emailing the perfect pitch
  • Whether you should write an article or pitch the idea first
  • The first point of contact when pitching articles
  • How to hear back from potential writing jobs
  • Pay rates in the world of magazine-writing
  • Kill fees - what they are and how to obtain them
  • Handling rejection as a writer.

Share the pod love

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment over on iTunes, Spotify, or Stitcher. Thanks!

Oh and please leave us a review and we'll read it out on the show!

About Rachel

Rachel Smith is a freelance journalist and copywriter with over 20 years' experience (most of that in isolation by choice, ha). She writes for magazines, websites, and corporate clients and has been published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Good Health, Woman’s Day, CHOICE, Foxtel Mag, TV Week, Inside Out, and many others. Rachel is also the founder of Rachel's List, a jobs board and community for writers – and she co-hosts The Content Byte podcast with fellow journo Lynne Testoni.

Connect with Rachel

Up next
Dec 2021
Hot Copy Christmas Special!
Hello and welcome to this special festive episode of the Hot Copy Podcast. Belinda and I have come back together to roast some chestnuts, neck some egg nog and talk all things copy. So if you’re ready to put up your stockings with us and wait for Father Christmas to slip down you ... Show More
56m 26s
Sep 2020
End of Series 1! Series 2 coming in 2021.
Did you know we've been creating this podcast since 2015 -- never missing an episode? Well, not until 2020. 2020 has been the year of "the surge" for us both. In this special episode, we go through how we've handled working through the pandemic and what's happening with the Hot C ... Show More
29m 17s
Aug 2020
Regional Copywriting: Marketing to a Rural Audience with Sarah Walkerden
Have you ever felt cooped up in a corporate office, staring outside at the trees, wishing you could leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind? Waking up mid-morning, taking a coffee onto the veranda, and staring out at wide-open pastures with birds chirping? While it’s a ni ... Show More
19m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
#661: The Copywriting Tips & Trends You Don’t Wanna Snooze On In 2024 with Laura Belgray
My friend, today's episode is truly a treat! My fantastic guest and I go way back (I'm talking 15 incredible years) and she is a real-deal copywriting genius who had her first million-dollar year just as she turned 50. She's here to share all of her proven copywriting tips and tr ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2023
138. Ashley Mansour | The Writer's Success Code
The World’s #1 Personal Development Book Podcast! In today’s episode we have the pleasure to interview Ashley Mansour , Author of “The Writer's Success Code” along with “Blood, Ink, and Fire” among others.  Ashley, has over a decade of experience in entertainment and digital ... Show More
32m 2s
Sep 2024
The changing world of women's magazines
Women’s magazines collectively reach millions of readers each month. Beyond their influence in fashion, these publications are pivotal in addressing critical women's issues and advocating for empowerment. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two magazine editors to explore their appro ... Show More
26m 28s
Sep 2023
134. Cathy D. Fyock | The Writer Crisis Hotline
The World’s #1 Personal Development Book Podcast! In today’s episode we have the pleasure to interview Cathy Fyock, the Business Book Strategist and Author of several books along with Blog2Book, The Speaker Author, her upcoming release The Writer Crisis Hotline and more!  Cathy i ... Show More
34m 49s
Jun 2024
Emma Barnett, pan-fried chicken livers, a warm potato salad and a dirty martini
Proud Mancunian Emma Barnett is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author. She began in print journalism before landing a job on radio at LBC in 2012. Emma became known for her agenda-setting interviews, delivered in a warm but forensic manner, and it wasn’t long before ... Show More
33m 55s
Jun 12
Advice Line with Perry Chen of Kickstarter
Kickstarter co-founder Perry Chen joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders about what they really want from investment deals and acquisitions.Today we meet Jesse in Dallas, who's debating whether or not he should sell part or all o ... Show More
46m 54s
Jun 2023
S6 Ep12: Bookshelfie: Alex Scott
Alex Scott MBE joins Vick at The Women’s Prize Live Festival  to talk about her journey to self-acceptance, dealing with online trolls and THAT World Cup moment in Qatar. Alex is a former professional footballer, presenter, and broadcaster. The former Arsenal Captain and England ... Show More
46m 20s
May 2024
Making the Case for Midwifery Care with Elaine Welteroth
Discover the all-new Adobe Express mobile app, including Firefly generative AI technology—now available on iOS and Android. Head to adobe.com/express or your app store to download today. Elaine Welteroth is a bit of a Girlboss legend. She was a speaker at our Girlboss Rally confe ... Show More
36m 58s
Sep 2023
Dr Linda Yueh
In this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared, Chris Hirst cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of modern leadership. In this episode, Chris speaks to the economist, writer and broadcaster, Dr Linda Yueh. Dr Yueh is a Fellow of Economics at St ... Show More
39m 17s
Aug 2024
Working: The Founder of a Life-Changing Writers’ Retreat
This week, host June Thomas talks to author and poet Judith Barrington about her knack for memoir writing and about a retreat called Flight of the Mind that she ran with her partner for 17 years. In the interview, they discuss what makes good memoir writing, what Flight of the Mi ... Show More
42m 49s