Usually they don't have good content. Usually the content is sent to an inappropriate outlet. i.e.. don't send romantic poetry to a fishing magazine. This happens often. Writers who take the "shotgun" approach to sending out queries and manuscripts are not meeting the efficiency needs of the publisher, plus they are spinning their own wheels. Maybe a writer has such a big need to get their work out into the world after all the solitary effort that their biggest need is to feel the satisfaction of sending it off. I understand this need, but sending work to an inappropriate destination is counterproductive to the max, it irritates publishers, wastes the writer's time, and (importantly) sets the writer up for feelings of failure and discouragement, feelings everyone can do without.
So, once you've figured out that the fishing story should be sent to In Fisherman and not Quilting Today then take some significant time to study numerous issues of the publication so you are familiar with what their content trends are. If the editor is running a lot of copy about a certain aspect of their subject matter, you might try to send similar content. Or you might offer them something fresh, "new" if you will. (There is nothing new under the sun, I've been told). It's always a bit harder to buck the trend, but it is often harder to successfully offer content that, because of the editorial status quo, seems bland. (Catch 22 comes to mind.)
So, all paradoxes aside, it's better to be well informed about a publication than ill informed.
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