Applying for staff jobs? Have I got a workshop for you! Today @ 4 p.m. Eastern, Cristina Silva, managing editor and newsroom recruiter for The Boston Globe and author of Ask the Recruiter at The Poynter Institute, will join us for a workshop on how to position yourself for full-time journalism jobs. Working with job candidates is part of Cristina’s job at The Globe, and she brings that know-how to her careers column for Poynter, so this session will be chock-full of tips, advice, and guidance on applying for staff positions. Bring all those questions you’ve been curious about to a real-life newsroom recruiter!
Hello friends! This week we’re going to talk about the invisible, less-glamorous side of freelancing: strengthening the foundation on which your entire business is built. Sure, these things may seem small on their own and don’t have the flashiness of landing a big byline, but you can’t land a big byline without these things.
If you spend any time on LinkedIn (like I do), you’ve probably seen posts from fellow freelancers lately about how things can be a little slow as we shift into autumn, and that we should all take this time to catch up on some non-writing/reporting admin work that goes into running a small business. Whether it’s literally true that editors are catching up on their own side work or cramming in final time off before the weather fully turns, this is a great reminder that working on stories is only part — and, some weeks, a very small part — of what goes into freelancing.
So let’s talk a little bit about gap work — all that stuff in between directly working on assignments (dare I say ~downtime~). You know, those weird liminal spaces that can sometimes feel like wasted time (who among us hasn’t had a quiet-ish day and thought, “UGH I should be working on something right now”).
But those gaps are where growth happens. Think of it like working out: Muscle mass is built during recovery periods, not while you’re at the gym.
The visible work gets you published. The gap work keeps you in business.
Take, for example, networking. I’ve said time and time again that the most important part of growing as a freelancer is growing your network. But it doesn’t immediately offer tangible returns, so it’s easy to let it fall into the category of, “I know I have to, but I’m busy today, so I’ll get to it when I free up a little.”
If you’ve got any down-ish time this week, go DM that freelancer you’ve been meaning to reach out to all year! Check in with a contact you made at a conference last year and just see how they’re doing! Say hi to that editor you keep promising to pitch but never have the time to! A friendly (brief) note can go a long way. Will it guarantee you a commission? Of course not. But it will expand your network and will undoubtedly come in handy at some point.
Upcoming Zoom workshops
On Oct. 15 @ 4 p.m. Eastern, join me for a workshop on how to write story pitches editors will actually read — and commission. We’ll dive deep on exactly what goes into a fantastic story pitch and how to get an editor invested in your idea. How do you structure it? What must be in it, and what should you leave out? How much pre-reporting should you do? How can you head off the follow-up questions an editor will inevitably ask? How do you even find editors to pitch or know which publication to shoot for? We’ll cover all that and much, much more. (Paid subscribers get 50% off admission, and all registrants will get a recording of the workshop.)
On Oct. 21 @ 4 p.m. Eastern, join me for an in-depth tutorial on how to build, organize, and put together a longform narrative feature. This workshop will be structured like a grad school-level class, with participation encouraged (but, of course, not required). We will analyze a published longform narrative as a jumping-off point, and go into detail about what it takes to go long on a story and how to use those strategies in your own writing. Bring any and all questions you have, and be ready for a deep dive! (Paid subscribers get 50% off admission, and all registrants will get a recording of the workshop.)
Managing non-urgent but important tasks like this is what I mean when I say that careers are built in gaps. To be sure, getting huge bylines and publishing fantastic stories is important and certainly the most outward-facing part of growing as a freelancer. I absolutely know, and directly work with, freelancers who publish a few blockbuster stories a year and mostly just ride on those. Which is fine! That is a perfectly reasonable way to navigate the business, and if the income supports it, by all means have at it.
But freelancers with the most balanced and sustainable businesses are the ones who know how to dig out a blockbuster and can also round those out with other supporting work while they sit on an unimpeachable foundation of the less-glitzy aspects of running a business. Things like sending emails on time, being genuinely reliable, networking, maximizing tax savings, seeking out professional (and personal!) education, carving out purposeful downtime, investing in the proper equipment that allows them to work efficiently, finding growth opportunities outside of their core business, and so on. A series of killer stories will take you far, but that foundation makes the journey sustainable.
Force yourself to use gaps with purpose. (Even if that purpose is rest!)
When you’re on a deadline, your work is right in front of you: You’ve gotta finish that story. But between deadlines, time gets a lot squishier. I’m certainly not saying you should schedule a million things to do during your gaps, but approach them as those in-betweens when the unglamorous stuff gets done.
A good gap period might be just finally sending a few pitches that you’ve been cooking up, following up on an old one, emailing an old editor contact just to check in, or updating your portfolio.
Or maybe none of those things! Really all that matters is to remember that the gap is yours. You can fill it with panic and aimless drift, or things that move you forward.
Because when you’re facing down that deadline, you’re just trying to deliver. In the gaps, you can steer. The smarties around us are always steering.
Have a wonderful week!
Oh, a few other things …
Last chance! For the rest of September, I’m offering a free one-on-one pitch review session for all new annual subscribers. So on top of a second newsletter every week, 50% off all workshops, 33% off all one-on-one coaching sessions, and invites to subscriber-only events, you’ll get a free half-hour call or Zoom chat to discuss a pitch you’re working on (a $75 value)!
Land a great pitch recently? I’d love to feature it in a future edition of our #pitchesthatsold series! Email me at [email protected] and put “#pitchesthatsold” in the subject line. Can’t wait to see ’em!
How much were you paid for your last assignment? Feel free to contribute to our ongoing freelance rate database here. I’ll be publishing updated results of this survey soon!
Got a question about freelancing or the wider world of journalism? Let’s hear it, and I may feature it in a future Q&A post! Fill out this form with your question(s).
I offer one-on-one coaching! Is your story falling apart and you need a second set of eyes on it? Want a seasoned perspective on a pitch you’re kicking around? Interested in talking about careers and/or building your freelance business? Maybe just want an edit on a story draft? I’ve got you covered! Click below to book a session to talk about pitches, story ideas and development, editing, careers, or anything else you might need help with! (Paid subscribers get 33% off any session.)