How to Become a Freelance Journalist
A freelance journalist is a contract, or freelance, writer that specifically focuses on news and reporting for various types of media. Freelance journalists tend to be fresh out of college, having just received a degree in Journalism, and/or taken journalism and writing specialization courses. Most newspapers like to be able to hire a freelance writer at the spur of the moment for small jobs or a breaking story that their staff members cannot handle at that moment. Freelance journalists, though they like the flexibility and freedom of self-employment, usually aim to score a permanent position with a prestigious newspaper, magazine, or tabloid.
Becoming a freelance journalist exclusively has been proven to take more studying, more preparation, and more work than becoming any other kind of freelancer. Prestigious media outlets like to see the journalism degree and as much experience as one can muster. Many freelance journalists catch breaks off of a whim. They sometimes run into a great story and give it to a good newspaper that will give them a staff job. Others get a decent break from a newspaper that desperately needs a story done and they do such a good job that they are offered a permanent position with the newspaper. Other freelancers have to build up experience and a portfolio and over time can ease into a position based on assumed industry “seniority”.
To become a freelance writer takes a lot of personal reserve. If you are cautious, you might want to jump into it part time at first. Business can be slow at first, so it may be beneficial to work a secured full time job while trying to break into freelancing part time. It is probably safe to assume that you are already proficient at reading (especially if you can read this article), writing, punctuation and grammar, spelling, using a computer, using the internet for research, etc. Honing your skills takes even more reserve. Some ideas other freelancers normally suggest are: reading lots of media material, writing lots of articles (1,000 to 2,000 words per day is the rule of thumb), become a good story teller, study magazines and newspapers for style, layout, and content, read books on writing, and/or go to some decent but less expensive classes. Some freelancers will suggest watching movies about journalism like All the President’s Men and Shattered Glass, just to get the idea of what to do and what not to do in the journalism field, especially if you lack the degrees recommended for an aspiring journalist.
As a struggling freelancer, you will want to put out at least one pitch, resume, or even letter everyday. Your best bet is to do much more than that, because you can only really hope for a 10% response rate, which is decent. Just make sure you send something everyday. The wrong time to look for work is when you have none. Constantly be courting other business relationships and try to keep yourself in their mind by a letter, e-mail or phone call now and then. Remember that it is better to have good relationships with three editors than fifty who do not remember you. Study the publication you are interested in before making the pitch. Figure out what they might be looking for and try to fit that mold. Keep records of everything you have studied, pitched, written, or even thought about. You may need it in the future and it may also be handy for scoring some nice jobs.
