Last week over at the FFJ Facebook community a member asked for advice on transitioning between very different specialisms. They currently work in tech/crypto space but are itching to move across to music journalism.
So this week FFJ founder Lily Canter gives her tips on how to make the switch without damaging your bank balance.
Be flexible
The beauty of being freelance is that what you decide to work on is entirely up to you. If you are not enjoying the journalism you are doing then there is nothing to stop you switching things up. This could mean taking a generalist approach and simply covering stories that interest you across a range of topics (Laura Cooke is a great example of this). Or it could be trying a few different things until you find the niche that suits you best. The key is to be flexible and not to pigeon hole yourself too soon. This is your career and quite frankly you can shape it however you like. And don’t be afraid to shake things up if you fancy a change.
Do a self-appraisal
If you are thinking of switching to a different specialism then it may be worth doing a self-appraisal first. If possible sit down with a freelance peer and talk through your aspirations. I did this when I was looking to break into running and fitness journalism (and away from personal finance) and it was not only really helpful to talk through my thoughts but it also made me accountable. I set myself the target of getting a commission in Runner’s World magazine within six months and was able to achieve this way ahead of schedule which gave me an additional confidence boost. This podcast is an example of a self appraisal and the show notes have links to a template you can use.
Take your time
It is probably not wise to switch to a completely different niche overnight. It needs to be a gradual process because it will be like starting from scratch again. My transition from personal finance to running and fitness journalism took about 14 months. During this period I kept pitching to my old clients whilst building up contacts in the running press and pitching ideas to them. I kept an eye on journalism running related opportunities on Twitter and in freelance jobs newsletters (JournoResources and Freelancing Writing Jobs in particular). I also spent a lot of time crafting my pitches (in contrast to my one line personal finance pitches) and in my cover emails linked to any related content I had written in the past. My big break was a large feature about running race fees so this connected nicely to my personal finance cuttings. And although to begin with I was probably pitching/writing 90% personal finance and 10% running content over time this percentage changed. When it tipped over to 40% personal finance and 60% running I felt confident enough to ditch the personal finance pitching and concentrate 100% on my new specialism.
Do a quick rebrand
You may need to have two email signatures whilst you are in the transitional period so you cann present yourself to different publications in different ways. Whenever I pitched to the running press whilst I was still writing personal finance content I made sure the links in my email signature were to health/fitness/lifestyle content and not money stories. I flagged up pieces I had written for the Guardian at the start of my freelance career which just happened to be about sport rather than more recent bylines in money sections. And when I decide to commit completely to running journalism I had a rebrand on social media and created a new email signature (more details on how I did that here).
Leave doors open
Although my socials and my email signature now read ‘freelance journalist specialising in running and fitness’ with hyperlinks to bylines in the running press I haven’t closed myself off to writing about personal finance. In fact just earlier this month I wrote an article for loveMONEY about reducing my shopping food bill. And I have not contacted editors to say ‘I’m not writing personal finance anymore’. This means those doors are still open and if I have the sudden urge to write about money again I still have editors I can pitch to.
Back catalogue extended
We have expanded our back catalogue of webinars and you can now access all of our online video content via our dedicated Payhip page (plus our four Quick Guides). We now have videos covering:
*Pitching + developing ideas
*How to find freelance work
*Setting up as a freelancer
*How to break into lecturing
*TikTok for Journalists
*How to launch a successful podcast
Sign up for bonus content
Last week we announced that we’re launching a paid for version of the newsletter in addition to this free weekly edition. For as little as £4 a month or £40 a year you will receive a bundle of bonus content.
This includes a monthly resource list rounding up useful links such as funding pots, freelance rate guides, financial tools and top tips on topics such as pitching, negotiating or finding sources. Paid subscribers will also have direct access to Lily an Emma via live bimonthly ask us anything sessions. And if that’s not enough we will also be recording exclusive podcast episodes just for our subscribers.
Triumph of the week
Getting back to work on various exciting FFJ projects including the next series of the podcast and our work experience scheme. More news coming soon!
That feeling when
You are in limbo as you wait for an editor to make final decisions on a 4,000 word feature you are itching to write up.
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!