Over at FFJ Headquarters this week we got to thinking about all those times that we found work in random ways.
Emma’s first freelance shifts came after chatting to another journalist after an awards do. She had to quit her staff job to take them up on the offer and never looked back. Lily and Emma also both got their first job on the back of a work experience placement.
Lily’s was on a local paper where she went to Magistrates Court even though the newsdesk said there was no point. She ended up with a cracking story which they published, giving her a cutting to show at her first interview.
We all have so many stories of when making the most of an opportunity has really paid off in the long term. Travelling to London to do some news shifts that led to better paid feature work from home. Saying yes to a project that is outside your comfort zone. Going to network at an event when you’ve had a long day at work.
In a couple of weeks we will start a new round of our Journalism Work Experience Initiative which offers remote work placements with experienced freelance journalists (get your place here). We have talked in previous newsletters about those on the scheme who ended up with bylines or more regular paid work as a result.
So to inspire us all to make the most of the opportunities that come our way, we reached out to our FFJ community for their tales of when doing that little bit extra led to something good.
On the theme of work experience, your responses showed just how key it can be to getting your foot in the door.
But once you are an established journalist, there are also plenty of times when you are so grateful you took a chance or went that little bit further to make the most of an opportunity.
Freelance journalist Lauren John who is based in Essex has a great story about this.
“I wrote about a Queen tribute band as part of a three band tribute feature. I then needed a press release sample to put on my website as I was hoping to attract more work. I offered to do that for free, then was paid to work on some copy for their theatre programme.
“And the lead singer sung a duet with an Italian band which part inspired an article on European Music Acts to watch (along with another band whose singer I'd written about) which appeared on Reader's Digest UK this year.”
She added: “I definitely didn’t expect all that to come from it. I get the odd photography tips from Claudio the singer now too.”
Rob Griffin, a freelance journalist based in Bexhill in East Sussex said: “Early in my freelancing career I spotted on what was then the Gorkana alert, that one of Moneywise magazine's writers was leaving for somewhere new.
“I messaged the editor asking if I could help fill any gaps that were required. Ended up getting a column (as well as loads of other work) that ran for the next 16 years until the mag closed down last year.”
One thing we have learnt about freelancing is that you never know where the next bit of work will come from or even how people will find you or learn about your work. So keep on making the most of those opportunities because it really does pay off.
What’s coming up
We do have a handful of places left on our Journalism Work Experience Initiative so do sign up quick. You need to come to the webinar (or watch the recording) so we can explain all about how it works and how to make the best of it.
Grab your tickets and find out more on the link below. There are some bursary places available (email us at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com).
Triumph of the week
Recording our first episode of series 6 of the podcast. It was so great to get back to it again and with two very lovely and knowledgeable guests. The series will launch soon, so watch this space.
That feeling when…
You have so much in the diary that actually finding time to do the millions of interviews you need to do for several features is proving tricky…
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!