How To Get Published On Youngblood Inquirer

I got published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Youngblood column yesterday 🙂 26 days after submitting my first article, my former editor-in-chief texted me to bring the good news. It felt great to make this dream come true.

I submitted the article for submission’s sake and seeing Youngblood yesterday with my name on it was a fantastic bonus. Indeed, if you want to achieve something, the first step is in trying, and maybe not caring for the outcome that much. 😀 I really took to writing my piece when I learned a blog friend, Lester got published on Youngblood before too (Thank you for your email!).

Having said that, I also wanted to share the pointers I learned to hasten chances of getting your name printed on the Philippine Daily Inquirer Youngblood’s column too! I am by no means an expert and maybe I just got lucky this time but still I hope these things help you go for it! Some of these information I got from people who were published in Youngblood too, others I looked up online, and some I figured out on my own. All the best to you! 🙂

• Submit the piece within the email body and not as an attachment. Send it to  youngblood@inquirer.com.ph and opinion@inquirer.com.ph (Thanks to Southern Luzon PDI Correspondent JC Soltes – he’s been published on Youngblood before too, thrice!) I don’t know if there is a requirement for the subject line but what I used was this: youngblood submission-topic of my article-title of my article.
• Write a bit long, a little over 1200 words or around 5,000 characters I think, to fill the space for the column. You can write shorter but then that would mean an effort is needed to find another piece to fit the white space left. It would be easier to just write something that fits the length. Mine filled the entire column. When I was still reading the published articles before, I thought it would be difficult for me to fill the space, but I did!
• Write something that matters to you. As JC Soltes said, people who write in Youngblood have issues. 😆 I think the kind of writing that gets published are those that are deeply connected, something driven by passion and interest. Also, it will be easier to develop the topic and reach the desired length if you truly had something to say about the issue.
• Be relevant. I am not sure how much my article related to current events but Lester said it helps when what you write has something to do with what is happening around the country.
• At the end of your submission, add pertinent information like your name, age, current school or job. Youngblood has an age limit of 29 and below so better start writing now!
• Just try! The best way to get published is to start writing and hit the send button on your email! I can tell you that I closed my eyes before I hit that submit button because I was truly terrified with Inquirer’s Youngblood but in the end, it worked so maybe you should try closing your eyes too for good luck!