How to Pitch Five Magazines Looking for Business Owner Profiles
Welcome to the Friday Freebie Five, a new weekly feature on Dream of Travel Writing’s Six Figure Travel Writer blog.
Each week, we comb our Travel Magazine Database to bring you five magazine sections open to freelancers around a theme–front-of-book trend pieces, long-form first-person features, short narrative postcards–to inspire your pitches.
United Rhapsody
“Designer Profile” is an up to 1,000-word section that looks into the life and work of a fashion designer such as Tommy Hilfiger or Edgardo Osorio. Written in the third person, the section combines quotes from an interview with the designer and provides readers with a more personal insight into their lives.
How to Spend It
“Captain’s Table” takes the form of a profile often of an entrepreneur or CEO of a large business. In 600 words, the article covers their favorite places to eat and drink worldwide, how they conduct business through meals out, and where they entertain clients. The article is written in a first-person ‘as told to the writer’ style. People recently profiled include CEO of Iguatemi Group Carlos Jereissati Filho, CEO of Dacra Craig Robins, and co-founder of Yoo John Hitchcox.
WIZZ
“The Innovator” profiles a person or business who is doing something new, unusual, and innovative. The piece is written in third person and runs to about 700 words long. There are quotes throughout from the person or owner of the business and a sidebar to accompany each article which rounds up three relevant things, such as three places to find the product or three similar attractions to visit. Recent examples include a profile of Atlantic Leather, an Icelandic business who started making leather from fish, a piece covering Dinara Kasko, who bakes cakes using 3D printers, and an article covering Valyo, a community group in Budapest which holds events to help locals make the most of the city’s river.
This England
“Made in England” profiles a place or person who makes something and is based in England. This could be an artist or craftsperson or a business. In 1,200 to 1,700 words, the piece can take the form of a profile covering who the person is and what they make with quotes from them throughout the piece. It can also appear as a first-person article as the writer describes their visit and gives more history and background information around the place being covered. Examples include “Taylor’s Bell Foundry,” in which the writer describes her visit to the bell makers, Taylor’s Bell Foundry, in Loughborough, England, and “Noah’s Ark Toys,” profiling a traditional toymaker and his studio in Devon.
b. inspired
The Entrepreneur” profiles an entrepreneur with a 300-word article. The piece is written in third person and covers who the person is and what they’re doing, which is often something very innovative in their field. Quotes are included from the person being profiled. Examples include “Has This Ghanaian Found a Way to Create a League of New Scientists?” describing the entrepreneur’s invention of portable science sets to allow schools with limited equipment to teach the subject, “Has This Belgian Found the Key to a Good Night’s Sleep?” covering a new way to treat those suffering with sleep apnea, and “Can Technology Help Ugandan Women Get On the Property Ladder?” covering the scheme helping low-income families move towards owning their home.
You can find complete how-to pitching information for each magazine listed, including email addresses for all editors, in our Travel Magazine Database by clicking on the magazine’s name and logging in with your account.
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