How to Get Started as a Freelance Journalist

Getting paid to write seems like something that only happens in movies. However, there is a thriving industry of freelance journalists. Even as newspapers and magazines continue to consolidate and shrink, the amount of written words produced by journalists continues to grow. Much, but certainly not all, of the new world of journalism happens online. The good news is that if you want get started as a freelance journalist you don’t need to go to journalism school. However, it does take a lot of work and persistence.

Read and Write

The two most important things you can do for your future freelance journalism career is to read and write a lot. Read the types of things you want to write. If you fancy seeing your name in National Geographic you need to read as many issues of the magazine as you can get your hands on. Each publication has its own tone and style. As a freelance journalist you will be expected to match the tone and style of any publication you submit to.

You should be writing every day. Write the types of articles you hope to get paid for. The more you practice writing the better you get. Journalism is about much more than just the facts. Journalism is telling a true story in a way that engages readers without distorting the facts. It takes practice. If you are serious about journalism, start practicing today.

Start Local

You have bills to pay. Reading and writing in your favorite coffee shop is only pleasurable if you can afford coffee. Many publications will want to see your clips. Clips are examples of your already published work. The term comes from the old newspaper days when you would have to clip out your stories to use as samples.

If you are just getting started you don’t have any clips. One of the best places to get started is in your local area. Local newspapers and regional magazines don’t pay a lot, but they love to publish local writers. This is a great way to get your foot in the door and get a few clips under your belt.

Build a Brand and a Portfolio

More than ever, newspapers, magazines, and online publications rely on advertising for their budget. This means that the more readers a story has, the more money a publication makes. As a freelance writer part of your job is to market yourself to readers. This means you need a social media presence. You need to share your work. You need to make yourself a brand. If you are successful, editors may even start seeking you out to write for them.

Learn to Pitch

The secret to making money as a freelance journalist is knowing how to sell your story. You will need to master making pitches to online and offline publications. Professional journalists rarely write a story before they have sold it. When you write a good pitch you can sell a story, get some type of advance, and write knowing that you are going to get paid for your work.

The better you are at pitching your stories the more money you will make and better career you will have.

Network Online

Much of your writing career will be spent alone. You will stare at a computer screen pounding words on the keyboard until your eyes and wrists ache. But, just because you will be alone much of time doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. Connections are vital to the success of freelance journalists. No matter how talented you are, knowing the right people will always make things easier.

The web makes it easy to network with other journalists even if you have no writer friends currently. Follow writers, editors, and publications on social media. Reach out to writers you admire. Many of them, more than you probably think, will respond to you and answer your questions.

You can also join writer’s groups on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Spend a few hours every week making connections. If you are polite and helpful, you will soon find more writing opportunities than you know what to do with.

Journalism is in a period of unprecedented change. But, there has also never been as many ways to earn a living as a writer in the history of the world. No matter what your age, now is the best time to launch your freelance journalism career.