First Impression…The Article Memo

I have never sold an article with a query letter. When I sold pieces, it was to someone I knew, someone I had been recommended to or someone who came to me with the article assignment. As you might guess, I didn't sell much. I had been freelancing for about three years when a writer friend told me about the "Article Memo," sometimes called an article proposal or a pitch letter.

What's the difference between a query letter and an article memo?

In terms of content, there is very little difference between the two. Both outline your idea and your qualifications to write the article. The difference comes in the presentation. The first thing you'll notice is the amount of white space on the page. (see the memo template on the left - click the image to enlarge.)


White space fools the reader's eyes into thinking there are fewer words and so the page is easier to read. So set your margins to 1.25" or 1.5" on the sides and 2" on the bottom. I put my memos on letterhead so my name and contact info is neatly displayed at the top.

The article memo has a title - the tentative title of your article - and your byline centered about eight lines below the last line of your letterhead. Then start your first paragraph eight lines below your byline.

There are only four short paragraphs. Single space the paragraphs but double space between them, no indentations. Between the second and third paragraphs, double space, insert a short line of dashes or asterisks, then double space again. This gives the eyes a rest and transitions between the main purposes of the memo.

What goes into those four paragraphs?

Paragraph one is the proposed lead paragraph of your article. Spend a lot of time writing and rewriting this paragraph, developing your hook and the tone you intend to take with the article. You should also give a clear indication of what type of article this is - a profile, investigative, etc.


Paragraph two is where you describe the article, fleshing out your intentions and the scope of your article. Tell the reader the type of article it is as well. This paragraph is almost a summary of the article you began in the first paragraph but keep it to three or four sentences. You can write five at the most.

Paragraph three describes your sources. Be specific and give a one-line summary of their qualifications. For instance, if you're pitching an article on show dogs, you will interview Mrs. D. S. Winner, owner of five Best In Show dogs at the Westminster Dog Show in six years. Or Doug Breeder, owner of Doug's Dog Breeding where his studs sired 10 of the last fourteen winners at the American Kennel Club Dog Show. List your top three sources specifically then mention any others generally.

Paragraph four is all about you. List your qualifications to write this article. If you have direct experience, you've written about dog shows before or if you show dogs yourself, highlight it. List where you have published before, any other writing experience like you worked as a writer for a company or firm. You can also list any group affiliations you may have. However, keep it to three sentences; definitely no more than four.

An article memo I've written is above on the right. (click the image to enlarge.)

How will an article memo benefit you?

Like I said, I never sold an article with a query letter so the benefit to me was sales and money. However, I think the format helped me hone my ideas better. I had to choose my words carefully to keep the memo to four short paragraphs, saying a lot with just a few words. Also having that tentative lead paragraph and then the description of the article made me focus my thoughts more precisely. I think writing a memo helped me write a better article when the assignment came.

Now you might say that I could do all this in a query letter format. Yes, I can and I have, depending on the market, but when I do send a query letter, I write the memo first then adjust it where needed to make it look like a letter. This format works best for me. It's neat, clean and offers an easy read, and most importantly, it leads to sales.




Editor's Note: You may download the memo template for your personal reference. It is a jpg file.