A few years ago when I was at The New York Times, I was a guest on a panel for young reporters about finding, generating, and developing story ideas. (Spoiler: There’s no “right” way to do it!) The panel was stacked with veteran reporters from the newsroom, and we talked about all kinds of strategies, from getting out of the office (or home) and walking the Earth, as I love to say, to asking sources what stories you should be covering, to just reading everything humanly possible in the areas you cover. 

One of the panelists was a person I consider the best working magazine writer in the country. We got to a section of the panel during which we talked about organizing all of one’s story ideas and developing a workflow to manage them, and she chimed in with the most insightful — and revealing and vulnerable — comment of the day:

“I keep a Shit List.”

That one little remark is seared into my memory, and it’s something I’ll never forget. I mean, picture it! Here is a generational talent talking about pulling together a list of shitty story ideas. It was eye-opening for a hundred reasons, not the least of which was, “Wow, superstars, they’re just like us!”

Soooo … what is a ‘Shit List’?

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Here’s a lesson on reporting I learned years ago from an ace reporter at The Washington Post when I worked there: (Almost) every interview you do should end with the exact same three questions.

Yes, the same questions! No matter the subject or source, there’s a formula to follow every time. (Within reason — of course I do…

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Hello friends! This week I’m sharing with you a previously unreleased workshop that is all about selling and writing a nonfiction book, covering everything from writing your proposal to what contract negotiations can look like. Enjoy!

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Hi! Today we’re talking about SEO. Do you need to know it? Should you learn it? Also uhhh what even is it? To give us some insight, I’ve invited good friend of FWT Rae Witte to answer those questions and more. Take it away Rae!

***

Writers can use their skills in a variety of ways to make a living. While Tim’s newsletter is primarily about journalistic freelancing, having a career as a freelancer can include other streams of income that also leverage your skills as a writer. SEO can be one of them. 

Okay, so, what is SEO?

SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It is a set of writing practices and techniques intended to improve the visibility of a website by achieving a higher ranking in search engine results. Yes, you read that correctly, it’s a set of practices with kind of arbitrarily measurable results, because the search engines are not working directly with the websites outside of buying ad space. There is not at all a tried and true, step-by-step process to be top ranked on Google. The ultimate goal of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of organic (non-paid) traffic to the website from search engines.

Because search engines like Google use complex algorithms to determine the relevance of web pages in response to a user's search, SEO involves optimizing various elements of a website, including its content, structure, and HTML code, to make it more appealing to the algorithms. This includes keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, technical SEO, and user experience optimization.

Search engines’ mission is to deliver the best information for users’ queries, and while they keep how they do that very close to the chest, SEO strategy is often a big priority for media and other businesses’ websites alike. 

SEO writing is largely focused on the content and keyword part of these strategies. Keyword research can start with a tool like Google Keyword Planner to find terms with high search volume and relevance. Consider what you’d enter in that little search box whenever you pull up Google and what you’re looking for. These are keywords.

If you like what you’re reading, please consider subscribing to the free or paid version of this newsletter. Paid subs get access to all past and future paid-only posts, the archive of recorded Zoom panels, a guide on how and when to follow up with editors, an exclusive workshop on selling and writing a book, tips for diversifying your freelance income, 50% off all Zoom workshops, and more.

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Once the keywords are identified, they should be incorporated not only into the fresh, trustworthy, well-written content on the website, but they need to be within headings, meta descriptions, URL tags and images tags and captions. 

While site owners can’t always pinpoint what strategies are working best, a tool like Google Analytics offers the ability to track key metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, and keyword rankings and make adjustments to the strategy. 

SEO is an ongoing strategy where it often feels like the goalposts are always moving, but it’s an awesome option for writing and using your brain in a slightly different way than journalism because the end goal is always traffic-attaining content that’s aligned with the brand or mission of the site. And, I think it can help broaden your view of how you execute your journalism writing. Traffic ultimately pays the bills. 

Hubspot and Google for Small Business are two dependable places to stay up to date on SEO practices, and The Washington Post has a really in depth resource.

Oh, a few other things …

• I offer one-on-one coaching! Need help developing an idea or sharpening one you already have? Or want to talk about careers and building your freelance business? I gotchu! Book a one-on-one coaching session to talk about pitch reviews, story development, editing, and anything else you might need help with.

• I’m going to start doing Q&A posts in the newsletter to answer all of your questions, comments, and thoughts about freelancing and journalism in general. Drop any and all questions in the comments section below this post or email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com, and I may feature it in a future newsletter. Let’s hear it!

• Friend of the FWT Mandy Hofmockel offers one of my favorite journalism newsletters: Journalism jobs and a photo of my dog. It’s a wonderfully comprehensive — and hand-built — listing of journalism jobs all over the country. If you’re in the market and looking, read and subscribe here!

• Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Bye ily!
Tim❤️

Common advice I give about writing is to give away the goods right out of the gate, so let’s just get to it: It mostly doesn’t matter where you fall on the generalist vs. specialist spectrum. Truly! As an editor, I’m generally more interested in your skills and abilities as a journalist than anything else. I believe an excellent reporter/write…

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Hello friends, happy November! I hope you’re all having a productive beginning to end-of-year wrap-up stuff for your freelancing business. (Start tracking those expenses now if you haven’t already and get most of it out of the way!)

Today I want to get back to one of the basic, yet most essential, parts of putting together a story: the nut graf…

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In the 2018 guide to pitching I wrote for Harvard’s NiemanLab, I included the text of what I thought was a perfect pitch. It was a cold email from star freelancer Anna Goldfarb — someone I had never worked with before — and it was about moving in with your partner. It immediately caught my attention thanks to a snappy subject line and compelli…

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Hello friends! This week I’ve asked friend of FWT Kaitlyn Arford to share some strategies about finding freelance work on social media. Kaitlyn is one of the most adept freelancers at doing this, and she very frequently shares the fruits of her labor on Twitter — like, all day every day, seriously go follow her — so I wanted to get some insight into her process.

Also: Kaitlyn is joining me for a Zoom workshop today at 4 p.m. Eastern time to dive into even more detail about finding work on social media. Register to join us here.

Take it away, Kaitlyn!

Share that you’re looking for work

People lurk all the time on social media. You never know who’s paying attention to you! Seriously. After I tweeted that I had some availability, an editor I had never interacted with for a publication I had never heard of reached out. And now they’re a favorite client!

Share that you have room in your schedule for freelance assignments. Be specific about the type of work you do and how people can reach you. A quick post now could lead to paying work later.

Search for freelance work

Listen: I think LinkedIn posts are a hidden goldmine of freelance work. Editors for both journalism and brands look for freelancers by posting that they need help. You can find them by searching keywords like “looking for freelancers” or “hiring freelance writers.” Then filter by posts published in the past week. They’re a pain to sort through, so I share a thread of freelance opportunities every Friday on Twitter.

You’ll mostly find journalism opportunities on Twitter. Search for “call for pitches,” “looking for pitches,” or “looking for freelance.” I suggest subscribing to Sonia Weiser’s newsletter, Opportunities of the Week, instead of scrolling Twitter for hours. It’s worth every penny!

Shoot your shot

If you see an editor you’d like to work with, reach out! Editors need writers and it’s not weird to reach out. [Ed. note from Tim: Can confirm!] Just tell them a little about your experience and that you would love to work with them. Ask if they’re looking for freelancers. 

If you see an editor actively looking for freelance help, comment with your experience, a link to your portfolio, and your email address. If you comment “I’m interested” you will never hear back. And follow their instructions!

Trust me, I know this can feel intimidating. But it’s a great way to land new opportunities, and you’ll get more confident the more you do it. I wouldn’t have half the work I do without recklessly shooting my shot, even when I didn’t think I had a chance.

Just be a normal human being

Here’s the absolute truth: People like to work with people they know and like. Genuinely connecting with people on social media can lead to paying work.

Someone on one of Tim’s panels — Anna Goldfarb — mentioned the importance of networking horizontally with your peers as opposed to vertically with people in leadership roles. She was right! Freelancers often get offered work they can’t take and refer it to other freelancers they know and trust. 

Connecting with other freelancers is important for pay transparency. I’ve DMed other writers to ask about what publications pay (and what working with them was like), and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing that outside of social media.

Share your work regularly

You never know who is following your work! And you never know when someone will need your services. You want people to know that you’re good at what you do. So share your bylines and creative work! Optimize your profiles with what you do (or what you want to do). I have the keywords “freelance writer” and “dog writer” in my profile because it’s what clients search for, and I want them to find me. Social media is a long-term strategy. You might not see results immediately. 

That said: do not give into the pressure to be on every platform all the time. You will burn out. And no one else cares. Choose the platform that has the clients you want.

Oh, a few other things …

• Student journalists! An incredibly kind donor is sponsoring a yearlong subscription to FWT here on Substack for one lucky student journalist. Email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com to claim it — it will go to the first response, so act quick!

• I am offering one-on-one coaching and pitch reviews! Coaching sessions can include anything you need help with: writing and/or editing coaching, story development, story editing, social strategy, and anything else. And pitch reviews are exactly what you’d think: Let’s review a pitch of yours together! Book a timeslot for either session here.

• Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Okay bye ily!

-Tim ❤️

Today I want to give all of you a little gift: the full playback of my most recent workshop on writing better personal essays. My guest for this event was Matt Ortile, executive editor of Catapult and one of the best editors — of personal essays or otherwise — I know.

This is one of my absolute favorite conversations about wr…

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SALE! From now through the end of May, get 25% off a yearly subscription to this newsletter! To mark the return of FWT, I’m offering a 25% discount on a yearly subscription, normally $60. With a paid sub, you’ll get a second, subscriber-only newsletter every week; invites to subscriber-only events; access to the full archive of Zoom panels; and a 50% discount to every paid FWT event. Click here to nab the deal!

Hello friends! This week I’ve asked friend of FWT Kaitlyn Arford to share some strategies about finding freelance work on social media. Kaitlyn is one of the most adept freelancers at doing this, and she very frequently shares the fruits of her labor on Twitter — like, all day every day, seriously go follow her — so I wanted to get some insight into her process.

Also: Kaitlyn is joining me for a Zoom workshop today at 4 p.m. Eastern time to dive into even more detail about finding work on social media. Register to join us here.

Take it away, Kaitlyn!

Share that you’re looking for work

People lurk all the time on social media. You never know who’s paying attention to you! Seriously. After I tweeted that I had some availability, an editor I had never interacted with for a publication I had never heard of reached out. And now they’re a favorite client!

Share that you have room in your schedule for freelance assignments. Be specific about the type of work you do and how people can reach you. A quick post now could lead to paying work later.

Search for freelance work

Listen: I think LinkedIn posts are a hidden goldmine of freelance work. Editors for both journalism and brands look for freelancers by posting that they need help. You can find them by searching keywords like “looking for freelancers” or “hiring freelance writers.” Then filter by posts published in the past week. They’re a pain to sort through, so I share a thread of freelance opportunities every Friday on Twitter.

You’ll mostly find journalism opportunities on Twitter. Search for “call for pitches,” “looking for pitches,” or “looking for freelance.” I suggest subscribing to Sonia Weiser’s newsletter, Opportunities of the Week, instead of scrolling Twitter for hours. It’s worth every penny!

Shoot your shot

If you see an editor you’d like to work with, reach out! Editors need writers and it’s not weird to reach out. [Ed. note from Tim: Can confirm!] Just tell them a little about your experience and that you would love to work with them. Ask if they’re looking for freelancers. 

If you see an editor actively looking for freelance help, comment with your experience, a link to your portfolio, and your email address. If you comment “I’m interested” you will never hear back. And follow their instructions!

Trust me, I know this can feel intimidating. But it’s a great way to land new opportunities, and you’ll get more confident the more you do it. I wouldn’t have half the work I do without recklessly shooting my shot, even when I didn’t think I had a chance.

Just be a normal human being

Here’s the absolute truth: People like to work with people they know and like. Genuinely connecting with people on social media can lead to paying work.

Someone on one of Tim’s panels — Anna Goldfarb — mentioned the importance of networking horizontally with your peers as opposed to vertically with people in leadership roles. She was right! Freelancers often get offered work they can’t take and refer it to other freelancers they know and trust. 

Connecting with other freelancers is important for pay transparency. I’ve DMed other writers to ask about what publications pay (and what working with them was like), and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing that outside of social media.

Share your work regularly

You never know who is following your work! And you never know when someone will need your services. You want people to know that you’re good at what you do. So share your bylines and creative work! Optimize your profiles with what you do (or what you want to do). I have the keywords “freelance writer” and “dog writer” in my profile because it’s what clients search for, and I want them to find me. Social media is a long-term strategy. You might not see results immediately. 

That said: do not give into the pressure to be on every platform all the time. You will burn out. And no one else cares. Choose the platform that has the clients you want.

Oh, a few other things …

• *Graduating* student journalists! An incredibly kind donor is sponsoring a yearlong subscription to FWT here on Substack for one lucky student journalist who just graduated or is about to. Email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com to claim it — it will go to the first response, so act quick!

• I am now offering one-on-one coaching and personal pitch reviews! Coaching sessions can include anything you need help with: writing and/or editing coaching, story development, story editing, social strategy, and anything else. And pitch reviews are exactly what you’d think: Let’s review a pitch of yours together! Book a timeslot for either session here.

• For paid subscribers: There are very few concrete, unbreakable rules in pitching. However … I wrote about the only four mandatory components that need to be in every pitch, regardless of the story. Read them all here.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, click here to see options for subscribing to get access to past paid-only posts, including the full archive of recorded Zoom panels; a round up of what a bunch of publications pay freelance writers; the dos and don’ts of writing the perfect pitch; and much more. (Subscribers also get a discount to every paid workshop, plus free access to any paid panel.)

• Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Okay bye ily!

-Tim ❤️

In the 2018 guide to pitching I wrote for Harvard’s NiemanLab, I included the text of what I thought was a perfect pitch. It was a cold email I had gotten from someone I had never interacted with before, and it was about moving in with your partner. It immediately caught my attention thanks to a snappy subject line, and that story became the f…

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Welcome to Freelancing With Tim, a newsletter designed to help you better navigate the world of journalism — and get paid doing it. If you like what you’re reading, please consider a paid subscription. For $6/month or $60/year, you’ll get an extra newsletter every week, access to the full archive of Zoom panels and works…

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(Illustration by Matt Lubchansky)

Hello and welcome to Freelancing With Tim! This weekly newsletter is a resource for journalists that is full of tips, advice and guidance about making it in the industry. It covers everything from writing the perfect pitch and building a freelance business to crafting a longform narrative and generating story ideas.

If yo…

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