4 forms of article templates for freelance writers

Would you describe yourself as Suspenders or planner? No matter what you write, there are those who approach their projects with a plan and those who prefer to fly in their pocket. Most writers are somewhere in between. They like to know where they’re going and don’t want to stare at the blank page again. This is where the article template comes in.

Article templates are especially useful for a freelance writer, blogger, or journalist writing articles, rather than those who write books the length of a book. (But if you’re looking for one Book outline template, check out this resource.)

How to use an article template

Before we get into the types of article templates you can use for your next project, let me talk about how I prepared this article using a template. This does not mean that there is a right or wrong way to use templates, but rather to demonstrate how an article can be created using this type of tool.

I started doing research on my topic by looking at articles I’d already written (this one I found on write sketches), as well as articles already available on The Write Life (like this one on freelance writing templates). I was wondering what can I add to better round off this topic?

Here’s what I want to focus on for a new post on Article Templates: Provide a breakdown of some of the different Article Templates that you will need as a freelance writer.

Next up, I looked at other articles on the same topic for inspiration, right? Keyword research and also thought about what were the most valuable templates in my experience.

I chose four types:

• Blog article template
• Magazine article template
• Newspaper article template
• Pitch template

Next, I took my word count and divided it into sections. I do this to help keep the article balanced, but also to make sure I am sticking to the guidelines. Breaking the content down this way also helps me identify sections where I may have too much or not enough information early on.

• Introduction – 100 words
• Heading one (sample breakdown) – 300 words
• Heading two (blog) – 125 words
• Headline three (magazine) – 125 words
• Heading four (newspaper) – 125 words
• Heading five (pitch) – 125 words
• Conclusion – 50 words

After I’ve put in my headings, I’ll fill in some details about what I want to cover in each section. This is freewriting with a sense of direction and key takeaways that I want to give readers.

Blog article template

There are many types of blog posts, and they all follow slightly different templates, so we’ll stick with the list post example for the sake of brevity. If you want to dig deeper into blog templates, here are a few resources: Ahrefs and Backlinko.

The list post

In a list post, here are the items you should plan for:

• Heading (indicate the number of items in your list)
• Introduction (explain the usefulness of reading your article)
• List items (identify them with headings)
• Short paragraphs (describe the benefits of each item in the list)
• Conclusion

When writing a list post, the most important thing is that the post is overflowable and easy to process. People don’t come to read an essay, they want to solve a problem quickly.

Magazine article template

Writing feature articles can be more difficult than a list blog post as these are written to tell a story and weave together multiple interviews that combine narrative and fact.

In general, you need to finalize your interviews before you can plan your article. This is because feature articles are built around quotes, and putting these pieces together is often a puzzle. However, it is helpful to have an article template structure.

Here is a basic structure to follow

• headline
• Secondary headline
• Introduction (control idea)
• Body (the main article expands from the controlling idea into subtopics)
• Conclusion

Feature articles are written in a personal tone and use writing implements such as pictures and descriptions. To dig deeper into the feature articles, here’s an interesting breakdown of The freelance year.

Newspaper article template

If you’ve attended a journalism school, you’ll know the inverted pyramid. It’s called that because you think of the story as an upside-down triangle. The facts come first, and you include less important and minor details as you write.

How to write inverted pyramid style

• Choose a meaningful headline
• Lede should be the main point (the reader should know the full story after reading the first paragraph)
• Summarize the main points
• Add story details and supporting information in order of importance
• Cut out any unnecessary information or details
• Use clear language and short paragraphs

This is a story structure that puts the most important information first. Within a paragraph or two, the who, what, where, why, and how are answered.

Article pitch template

If you are a freelance writer, there is a good chance that pitching article ideas is a part of your daily life. So the question is How do you create a pitch that will stand out from the noise? Using a pitch template can help you focus on the key details and focus on what editors need to know.

Floor plan of the pitch

• Subject (will be sent by email, follow publication guidelines and get to the point quickly)
• salutation
• Introductory paragraph (include your suggested article title and link to the publication)
• The pitch paragraph (add your story and how you will tell it)
• Bio (a little bit about you and your qualifications)
• Unsubscribe (with your contact details)

The main idea is to get the attention of the person you are addressing in a short amount of time and get that article assignment.

Article templates are a wonderful way to get started on your idea and draw a map for yourself to follow as you put your piece together. As you get more comfortable with using templates, these will become more and more tailored to your style and needs, and that’s a good thing.