The Freelance Journalist: Working and Selling

I have been a freelance journalist for over five years, exploring this craft which sometimes pays well, usually pays something, but often pays low. So how do we get around that? If you're a beginner to the field of freelance journalism, in 10 minutes I give you an edge on this powerful, profitable, and constantly enjoyable field.

Write for the Market-

On her excellent blog, Write From Home, Amy Derby points out writing for the markets is essential. You can't just write what you want in most fields. You need to write for the market if you want to start selling articles and columns. This means treating freelance journalism as a business. If you study a market, even if only for 30-40 minutes, you gain an edge. Why? Because many journalists just send pieces randomly around, "knowing" their writing is excellent. It isn't always about the writing quality and style. Sometimes it's about the topic.

Choosing Topics-

So if you're going to write for a market, you'll see the hot topics. For example, when I was an editor for a college newspaper, I explored comics and novels often. However, in terms of reader response, I noted entertainment readers read more about films. This means getting to know your audience.

Write for the Audience-

The next step in writing for the market is finding the audience. For example, business writers trying to sell anti-aging products wouldn't write a piece with a slant toward college students. You need to know your readers first before trying to angle an article toward them. It's somewhat like a buyer profile.

Working from Day 1-

Freelance journalism isn't a tough field to break into: once you get some experience jobs will come. But, they may not pay that much. If you work 40 hours a week and get paid a salary under $20,000, you need to have some aspirations for higher jobs. For example, editing jobs usually pay more than staff writer jobs. If you can freelance for other fields while working a lower paying job, it can help pay the bills.

Selling-

There are far more full time journalists than freelance journalists. The problem with freelance journalism is that many newspapers are cutting down on editorial work, where new writers can submit and publish articles like a magazine. As a journalist, you need to expand into markets beyond newspapers. You may want to break into online journalism fields, where you can work from home and sometimes work less while getting paid more. Selling means this is, again, a serious business. Freelance journalism, however, has been around since the printing press. It's an enjoyable job which will like be around for a few more centuries.