An FFJ year in numbers
And a podcast episode on selling one story idea multiple times
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At FFJ headquarters we always like to reflect at this time of year. We find it very useful to spend some time taking stock of what we did, what worked and even what didn’t work so well.
One way we can all do this is to give ourselves an annual appraisal and if you want to know more about how to do that, check out our podcast episode where Lily and Emma go through their goals for the year.
But it can also be helpful to look back at what we actually did. When you’re on that hamster wheel of pitching, interviewing, filing copy, it’s easy to immediately forget what you have achieved. So this year as work has wound down for the Christmas period we have taken some time to dig out the numbers that tell the story of 2022.
FFJ is now a solid team of 4 with Helen our research assistant and Maddie our podcast producer doing a sterling job of helping us provide you with a ton of (hopefully helpful) resources.
With another 3 podcast series this year, we’re now in the middle of series 9 and by the time you read this will have surpassed 37,000 downloads. In the summer we took a bit of a departure with our podcast series about writing books, which went down well with listeners. We also have plans for something a bit different in summer 2023 so watch this space.
Having not missed a single week since it started, we have provided 52 free newsletters for our 2,200 subscribers, covering everything from chasing payments to the Twitter debacle to working through illness and switching specialism. In September we launched our premium newsletter and since then we have provided subscribers with 2 bonus podcasts, 4 pitch examples, 2 resource lists and 1 Ask us anything session. Paid subscribers are growing steadily and we have lots more lined up for them in the New Year.
Our Facebook community in which we share our Tuesday Triumphs, questions about all things freelance, opportunities, and do a bit of general networking now has 6,000 members from all over the world and grows every day.
But of course when we’re not only providing you lot with fantastic resources, we are working as freelancers ourselves earning most of our income from journalism.
Emma made a conscious decision to do less teaching this year to free up more time for journalism and as a result ended up sending more than 100 invoices for the first time in 16 years.
Her Authory page tells her she wrote more than 250 articles this year for 9 publications (a news shift a week - at least - has helped bump those numbers up). There were also 2 investigations picked up in the nationals, 1 article mentioned in Parliament and 1 that led to an interview on a Guardian podcast.
In other work she did 2 (not FFJ) podcasts, organised 1 symposium and 2 webinars and mentored 2 journalists.
Meanwhile Lily’s stats demonstrate her conscious effort to move away from money, health and lifestyle writing and rebrand as a running fitness journalist. During 2022 her commissions were 61% running and fitness, 35% money and 4% health. This was across 14 different newspapers, magazines and websites in the UK, USA and Hong Kong. Articles varied in length from 600 words to 4,000 words.
She also embraced some remote shifts again, working 10 shifts as well as teaching at Sheffield Hallam University and Goldsmiths University across 35 days. There were also a few ad hoc (money related) copywriting jobs that came her way via her website meaning she worked on 5 pieces for 2 clients.
Money wise her biggest writing commission paid £1,000 and the smallest £120. Rates per word varied massively from 13p a word for a quick turnaround opinion piece to 45p a word for a newspaper feature.
All in all it was a busy year for both Emma and Lily but full of variety and new challenges. After a well earned break they plan to take stock again in early 2023 and set some fresh goals for the New Year.
Anyone interested in using Authory can use this link for a 30-day free trial
New podcast episode
This week we look at how to sell one story in multiple ways. How do you get more bang for your buck, maximise your income and make the most of a topic you have been looking into?
We have Gabriella Ferlita, a journalist writing about women’s health, sex and entertainment and Florian Sturm, a freelance journalist based in Germany writing about science, conservation and travel, to share how they have very successfully sold one story in different ways.
Upgrade for bonus content
For anyone who wants more support with their freelancing and access to extra resources including resource lists, successful pitch examples and bonus podcast episodes, the premium version of this newsletter is just £40 a year or £3.33 a month. Honestly its a bit of a bargain and obviously is a completely tax deductible business expense. Any questions just shout at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Triumph of the week
Not doing any work or even looking at emails.
That feeling when
You’re raring to make a fresh start in the New Year.
We love to hear your feedback on everything we do, so feel free to drop us an email anytime at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Bye for now!
