I’m about to attempt the difficult – I’m going to try remembering my first days as a freelancer. It’s going to be tough because unlike today’s freelancer, I had no Internet (Say it isn’t so!). Nope. I had a typewriter, then a word processor, a stack of sample magazines, and a library that was six miles away. And yet I built a freelance career. Not overnight, but I got my toehold in a time when freelancing was a bit more challenging.
I started at the local newspaper. Scared as hell, I answered an ad for correspondents. I was one of twenty hired that week, and I was one of three or four who remained. The pay was pretty abysmal, but the opportunity to build a reputable portfolio was big. That job led to another local newspaper gig, which led to calls at my home from people wanting me to write for them. From there, I managed an article for the regional magazine. Also, I volunteered to write a business proposal for the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter. Then came my first sale to a national publication – a small literary mag that’s still in circulation. It was fifty bucks (1991), but it was my first national byline. Oh, then there was the Pittsburgh Press Sunday Magazine Bad Writing Contest (1988), which I won. Irony defines my life, I tell you…
Thanks to both Sara and Caroline for bringing up the topic – how do beginners get established? For all of us, it happened differently, so take my advice as just one way to do it. There are a few things you can do to attract clients to your new business:
Work for local papers. Not sure how this translates into real-world, post-Internet publishing constraints, but if you have a local paper, there’s a good chance they need correspondents (also called stringers). You’d do uber-exciting things like cover borough council meetings, attend school board meetings, or report on stop sign wars or Girl Scout events. Hey, it’s not Cosmo or The New Yorker, but it’s legitimate work. And it’s a great way to circulate your name among local officials and community leaders as an available writer.
Attend local events. Not all Chamber of Commerce gatherings are worth the annual dues, but getting to know local business owners is a much faster way of building a portfolio. Attend community meetings (even if you’re not a stringer), get to know festival organizers, show up at local trade shows, etc. Make sure to take business cards to every meeting, and shake hands with everyone. Listen, interact, present yourself as a freelance writer, and remember personal details for your next meeting. You’d be surprised how remembering to ask about that business owner’s new location makes an impression.
Query regional publications. That means query more than just the local newspaper. Aim higher. Go for the city magazine, any regional trade magazine, and any other local publication (including visitor’s bureaus and tourism groups). You never know who will need a writer or when.
Give away work to charity. Mind you, don’t give it away to anyone willy-nilly. Choose a charity you believe in and offer to write business plans, proposals, brochures, campaign letters, etc. Aim higher than your church – try Alzheimer’s Association chapters, food banks, political parties, or any group with a national reach that’s operating locally. Church work is fine, but may not offer you the experience you need to impress the next client.
Ask for referrals and written recommendations. More important than your clips, you need written proof that you can please. Ask all clients for a brief recommendation (a few sentences on how they liked your work or your reliability). Ask them if they know of anyone who might need a writer. Build your client base from already happy customers.
Seek out national publications. There’s no reason why you need to limit yourself to local clients only. Just understand that Glamour, Sports Illustrated, and The Economist aren’t going to hire you without your having a strong writing portfolio in their editorial focus (news flash – I don’t think they’d hire me, either). If you have a superb idea, go for it with the big guys, but only if you’ve done your homework and know for sure they A) accept a query from an unknown writer, B) accept freelance proposals at all, C) publish that sort of thing, or D) don’t want a proven portfolio from an established writer. Instead, try those magazines you may not have heard of or read. Browse online magazine market listings and find a magazine that sparks your interest. Develop your idea based on their needs, then go for it.
Understand your market value. I add this because I don’t want you to make the mistake of devaluing yourself and slipping into a content mill job. Your skills are marketable, real, and deserving of a fair rate. $10-20 an article is not fair. Hey, I made $50 for a commentary nearly 20 years ago!
Like I said, these are my suggestions and not the only way to do it. Writers, what other ways did you build your career in the beginning?
8 responses to “Once Upon a Time….”
I did pretty much the same things you did. However, I was also selling fiction and plays the entire time, and working in the theatre simultaneously. for about 10 years there, I had two FULL TIME careers (think 90+ hours/week).
I think the current lull is partially because of Elsa's health problems, and I have to figure out how to re-balance — get some more short turnaround work quickly for the vet bills, so I can keep working on the long-term projects.
The main thing, for me, is that if I come across a company/publication/organization that interests me, I do the research. Several hours' worth of it, so I know more about the company than most of the people working for it. Then, I figure out my angle and write a proposal to convince them they can't live without me.
I don't do that for EVERY company to which I direct market -but the ones I'm determined to work for — I keep at them until they hire me.
once one has clips, I think the local Chamber of Commerce is a goldmine — provided you don't go into meetings and get too aggressive. I'm pretty quiet at meetings and listen a lot, and then figure out the angle for each place that interests me, and send a proposal package within the week, rather than assaulting them at the meeting. In fact, we usually have a mundane conversation about something else at the meeting — something about which I remind them in the cover letter.
Usually, one assignment pays for the year's membership, and, usually, I'm the only fulltime writer who's a chamber member.
Also, remember that I tend to target very different markets than most of the other freelancers hanging out here. I sell a lot of fiction and plays. I work with a lot of non-profits, museums, historical societies, independent small businesses. I don't like most corporations or their models, and I don't market to them. Sometimes they find me, and we work together, but, for the most part, my focus is at a very different section of the market than to those the rest of you here market.
I'll work for the small local museum in someone's garage rather than the big, shiny corporation. And I'm happier.
As a PS to yesterday, I usually get about a 3% return on the initial direct mail piece, but a 25% return on the follow up postcards.
Even though today I specialize in one industry, back when I began my career I was a generalist and got business locally. I got most of my work back then by networking at Chamber of Commerce events and through groups like BNI. It was a great way to build my confidence, skills, and portfolio. Devon, I love your idea of sending a proposal. If I were doing it all over again from the local level, I'd definitely try that instead of trying to nail down specific leads at networking events.
Thanks for this post. I have a lot of clips; I'm just sort of trying to figure out how to maintain and grow the types of projects I offer.
This may or may not get me anywhere, but I've had a few articles run lately–I sent links to the sources I interviewed (who I would love to work with) and wrote a brief email thanking them for their time, the piece is now live, and explaining that I also do business writing. It landed me one client (although they came to me), so I figured I had nothing to lose.
That's great, Sara! Sounds like you're doing everything right. It takes time, so don't get discouraged. Congrats on the articles!
Devon, that's a super approach. I think the research is a must. Some companies seem great on the surface. But just under that, it's a mess. You make a great point – different markets are going to require different approaches. LOVE your postcard return percentages!
Eileen, you touch on exactly the issue – beginning writers are generalists. They're not sure which direction to go or if they want to remain general or go specialized. It's why I say try all sorts of marketing methods. You never know what will work, though obviously some methods work better than others.
Different marketing methods work at different stages of your career, or in different economies, or depending on your personality. So definitely, try all different approaches. I might say today that I'll never cold call, but someday I could be singing a different tune.
I started about the same time you did, Lori, but I had a big, bulky word-processor instead of a typewriter. (Hah! Hard to believe I was ever a user of new technology!)
I wouldn't add much to your advice, Lori, but I would expand on the bit about breaking into bigger markets. I managed that by spinning information gleaned by writing for a broad-based business trade into highly-focused queries for specialty magazines.
At the same time, I sent letters of introduction to editors at some major magazines. Somehow my timing was right to nab some assignments about the TV Upfronts (which I'd never heard of before) for a major advertising trade. I was able to turn one blurb from one of those articles into a short article for a major TV trade that I still work for now, some 14 years later. I had no intention of specializing in the TV industry (and I live in the "fly over states"), but here I am.
And that was back when we had to either fax in copy or mail in floppy disks!
Thanks for sharing your story Lori. With all of the newer writers whining that the established pros just don't "get it" because we're out of touch and don't remember what start-up was like, these kinds of stories are good to see. It's a reminder that writers today don't have things nearly as tough as they sometimes think — they're presented with endless opportunities and rapidly growing markets that counteract growing competition, and they don't even have to leave home to to make things happen anymore. And there are some great suggestions in there for writers still trying to figure out their approach!