Share this:
This should be a great session with Ellen Seidman and Dianna Brodine about getting GOOD freelance writing gigs.
First off: You need a good idea.
- Magazine article vs. web article
- What’s fresh about your idea? What’s new?
Editors have a pet peeve with people who have ideas that don’t have a particular hook or angle. What are you bringing to the table that’s new? The lead time for magazines can be 4-5 months ahead of the publication date. There may be accommodations for extremely breaking news with time-limited relevance.
Don’t give a “laundry list” or ideas – pick your best one.
Once you get to know an editor, you can run a few ideas past them. But getting your foot in the door, stick with just one great idea. Hitting the delete key happens very quickly when you aren’t focused, and the editors won’t even remember you when you follow up.
Know your writing strengths.
Are you great at essays? More of a reporter? Comfortable interviewing sources? (Personally, I know I’m an essayist.) If you’re an essayist, “Go ahead and send that puppy in.” If you’re not good at backing up your research with sources, stick with essays. It’s very obvious when you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Aim for the right target.
- National magazines/sites (Good Housekeeping has a column where they republish blog posts. Redbook looks for bloggy voices for “Things My Kids Have Taught Me.”)
- Targeted Publications
- Local and regional magazines/sites
- Association publications, newsletters
- Newspapers
Just because a national magazine doesn’t use your idea in print doesn’t mean that they won’t use it online. They want to stay fresh and relevant, and they have both an online and offline ad base. There is a slightly different angle for print vs. web, so make sure you do your research to see what the voice is like in each format.
Even if you don’t have time to develop relationships with big national publications, there may be contacts in your own backyard. You don’t have to think big; you can think small.
Consider Specialty Publications
- Motherhood your focus? Look for mags and sites that cover breastfeeding, adoption, doulas, homeschooling.
- Previous career in HR? Look for management mags.
- An interest in sports? Check out mags/sites for backpackers, runners, jetskiers.
Smaller specialty publications have smaller staffs. They can usually respond very quickly because they aren’t getting the same volume of inbound queries. You can resell your blog content to regional parenting magazines.
When pitching a specialty publication, make sure they understand that you are a blogger with a specialty in writing for the web. If you can bring in that angle, you can be a valuable asset for them.
Do your homework.
- Read back issues at the library/read back on the site.
- If the topic has been covered, does your angle conflict? How is it unique?
- Look for open opportunities, like an essay column that regularly features bloggers.
- Request editorial calendars annd editorial guidelines.
- Know the lead times.
If the tone of your pitch does not match the tone of the magazine, the editor will delete your email. Look in the front of the book for columns, and look for taglines. 150-word items are a lot harder to write than 650-word essays, so if you can write those, the editor will know you can write the longer stuff.
Get yourself some good clips
- Your blog can be your best clip – it shows your voice
- Word: It’s only a magazine or newspaper clip if your byline is included. (Don’t even bother submitting ghostwritten stuff.)
- Send out clips relevant to your idea (i.e. don’t send that post about diaper blowout horror stories to a travel mag)
Take a good look at the clip with your byline on it. Editing can ruin your brilliant piece, so make sure it looks good before you send it. Get copies of every single thing that you write. It’s insane if you write for a printed publication and you can’t get your hands on a printed copy of that publication. Get your hands on a PDF copy of that publication instead as a last resort.
Find the right person to pitch.
- Check magazine mastheads.
- Hit up junior editors.
- Google who to pitch at websites.
- Join a forum where contact information is freely shared: freelancesuccess.com.
- Connect with contacts on Twitter and Facebook and start building relationships. Dianna may find 5-6 articles in a short period of time based on conversations she had via social media.
Pitch the people who know about the topic – industry associations, Chambers of Commerce, etc.
Time to pitch!
- Write a good, typo-free query – it’s a clip, too.
- Capture the voice of the magazine/site.
- Include a catchy title and suggestions for sidebars/graphics/polls.
If you’re not good at titles, don’t suggest a title! If you have a good idea, they will write a title for you. Editors do like it when you do their work for them, though. Write the pitch in a conversational tone, and ditch the “Dear Sir or Madam.”
Think about format: Magazines and sites love lists
Think about packaging. It makes your editor’s life easier. If you pitch a list, and you don’t get the gig, but your list appears on their website, that’s totally unethical. Only include 3-4 items on your list, not the whole list. How much of your piece you include in your pitch varies.
Include photos in your pitch.
If the article features people, are the ones you’re offering up in the right demographic? Embed the photo in your email; editors can be wary about attachments, or just may not have time to open them up. The person who makes life easy is going to be the one who gets hired.
Toot your horn.
- Tell why you are the person to write the piece.
- What social media amplification can you offer: Will you blog about the piece? Facebook it? Get Mom to tell her friends? Tweet it?
Follow up on your pitch (reasonably)
- It’s okay to set a deadline you have the right to pitch your idea elsewhere if your first choice doesn’t jump on it. “I am only pitching this to you.” “If I do not hear back from you in two weeks/two months, I will be pitching this to another publication.”
- Send an email….just don’t be a pest. You want to build a relationship.
Rejection
“By the time I was 14…the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips I was getting. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing.” – Stephen King
Review your pitch: Did you reach the right person? Did you capture the style of the publication? Try again!
Writing a professional pieces
- Know the expectations: Does the editor want surnames? Geographical diversity for anecdotes?
- Keep in mind the style of the magazine or site.
- Pay attention to the requested word count.
About those sponsored blog posts…
- If you build it, they will come: Have a reputable blog with decent traffic.
- Own your niche!
- Think about who you might want as a sponsor and approach them.
- Start building relationships at conferences and online, too.
What you can expect to get paid
- National magazine article: $1 to $2 a word. Some have flat rates for columns.
- Article for specialized magazine: $50-$500
- Blog post: $20 and up
- Website feature: $75 and up
- Sponsored post: $50 and up
“I can’t imagine anything more worthwhile than doing what I most love. And they pay me for it.” – Edgar Winter
I am liveblogging as a volunteer for the Type-A Parent Conference, and an edited version of this post will be available directly on Type-A Parent.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
