What I’m reading: Vita and Harold by Nigel Nicolson
What’s on the iPod: Serpentine by Chris Bathgate
Know what I love about Paula Hendrickson? Everything.
Here’s a person who’s not only hugely successful in her niche (and entertainment/celebrity is not an easy niche to break into), but someone who extends herself to her fellow freelancers. When I was held captive in the hospital last year after surgery, Paula came to the rescue. She not only posted on my behalf during Writers Worth Month, but she held down the fort while I recovered.
Oh, and did I mention? Writers Worth Month? Her idea. And despite her occasional grumbling about my monthly assessment posts, she shares openly her results, good and bad.
True to her nature, Paula was one of the first people whose hand went up when I asked for posts offering up top writing tips. Also true to her nature, Paula’s advice, so far, is uniquely hers. When I asked her for tips, she took it one step further and gave it direction. It’s why I love her.
You’re going to love her, too.
9 Tips For Becoming a Freelance Feature Writer
by Paula Hendrickson
Before selling my first feature story, I made the classic mistake of pitching article ideas to big-name magazines. I had no experience and no clips, so of course I wound up with no assignments.
I don’t know much about sports, but even I know baseball players don’t start in the major leagues. They work their way up from Little League, often playing for college or minor league teams before breaking into the majors. It’s not that different with feature writing. Here are a few tips to work your way into the majors:
1. Start Small, Aim High — Writing great articles for smaller titles or local publications will result in clips you can use to impress larger publications. Even a small, local, weekly newspaper is more reputable than churning out something for a content mill — the paper probably pays more, too.
2. Climb The Food Chain — Once you have a couple solid clips from a small market, query a slightly larger publication. Maybe a regional magazine, a trade publication, or a national niche market that covers a topic you’re familiar with. When approaching even slightly larger markets for the first time, you’re more likely to break in by pitching filler stories and shorter front-of-the-book articles, since editors are usually more willing to take a risk with a new writer when only 200-300 words are at stake. Take those clips and use them to advance even higher on the food chain.
3. Rejected? Re-pitch, Twice — When an editor rejects your query, send them a new idea. Keep the momentum going while they’ll still recognize your name. Next, tweak the rejected idea a bit and send it to at least one different market.
4. Check Editorial Calendars — Most magazines post editorial calendars online. They generally offer clues to the types of stories editors might need for specific issues, which makes them a freelance writer’s secret weapon. If the idea you want to pitch fits an issue 10 months out, mention that upcoming issue in your query letter.
5. Time Your Pitches — Poor timing lands a lot of good ideas in the rejection pile. If you want to pitch a story for the issue that’s still 10 months away, check the publication’s Writers Guidelines to see how far in advance the editors work. You might need to send your idea in immediately, but if they only work three months ahead of their publishing date, you’ll have time to polish your query before sending it.
6. Trade Your Way Up — Trade magazines and websites aren’t as familiar or glamorous as consumer titles, but some are just as lucrative as their glossy counterparts. If you’re familiar with a particular industry, exploit your knowledge of it by targeting that industry’s top trade publications. Trades are still a good option even if you don’t have industry experience as long as you’re eager to learn the ins, outs and lingo of a specific industry.
7. Offer Extras — Whether you’re writing features for a local paper, a glossy consumer title, or a trade magazine, offer to turn leftover quotes or information into a sidebar, chart, or infographic. If the editor hasn’t already asked asked you to find photos, offer to track down art to run with your story.
8. Send LOIs — Once you’ve collected a solid portfolio of clips, experiment a bit. Skip the query and try your luck with a letter of introduction. This is especially good when you have the experience required but don’t have an idea in mind. Let the editor know how you can be of service and tell them you’re available.
9. Improve Your Odds — When writing lists, remember — for whatever reason — readers seem to respond best to odd numbers. (Or at least one of my editors insists that’s true.)
Writers, what are some of your favorite tips for advancing up the feature writing food chain?
Great advice, Paula, for article writing. I purposely did not go this route. 99.9% of my articles are ghostwritten with some other person's name on it.
So I can't speak to the topic but I know solid advice when I see it. 🙂
Thanks, Cathy.
I need the advice for ghostwriting. I'd love to do more of that, Cathy.
(Notice the one thing I didn't list about feature writing is how to find higher-paying clients, because few ever seem to raise their rates, and the higher the pay rate the harder they are to break into.)
In response to your comment about few clients ever raising their rates, I'm pleased to say I've had one regular client since 1996 that has periodically raised my rate without me even asking. They started me off at $650 per feature. I now receive $1,300 per feature.
If I'm thinking of the right client of yours, Julie — the top trade in its industry – that really underscores why feature writers should never overlook trade publications.
I'm not sure if it is the TOP trade in that particular industry. There is a competitor that may have greater circulation.
It's still a title people working in the industry recognize – by now I'm sure they recognize your byline as well.
Thank you again, Paula. I appreciate your wisdom here!
Cathy, I suffer similar anonymity (or relish it depending on the topic). 🙂
Julie, good for you! I've had that happen once. I do believe it's industry-dependent and definitely publication-specific. Paula's right — rare is the publication that raises rates. I've worked with several that pay the same thing they did 15 years ago.
I like your suggestion of using the trades, Paula. That's my bread-and-butter area. They're always looking for good content, and very few writers seem to want to work for trades. Golden opportunity to make a name for yourself!
Great advice as always Paula! 🙂