The snowball effect
And a podcast about shorthand
Having one anchor client from which you build a catalogue of other similar clients can be an effective way to ensure regular work as a freelance journalist.
FFJ co-founder Lily Canter likes to call this the ‘snowball effect’ and here she shares her advice on making the most of snowballing.
The first article I ever pitched as a freelance was to the Guardian money section. I had no experience writing for national newspapers and had been out of journalism for seven years. I decided I might as well aim for my ideal publication as I had nothing to lose.
I spent a lot of time researching the section, doing the groundwork for the story and perfecting my pitch. It was probably the longest I have ever spent working on a pitch. But it was worth it. The story was commissioned and it was the starting point of my freelance career.
Once I had this byline in Guardian money I was able to use this as my calling card for other publications. When I pitched to other newspapers and websites I made sure I mentioned this byline high up in my pitch and linked to it. Within six months I was writing regular money articles for Metro, This is Money and loveMONEY.
Later on when I started writing for Moneywise, Mail on Sunday, Yahoo! Finance UK and The Times I was again able to refer back to not only the Guardian byline (and subsequent stories for them) but also bylines in money sections at multiple newspapers. The more publications I wrote for, the more that opened up to me.
I’ve learnt that it’s definitely worth taking the time to find and develop a cracking story for your dream client because this will then give you the confidence to pitch to other places.
Just remember to keep feeding your dream client pitches as well. As soon as my Guardian story was published I had a follow-up phone call with the commissioning editor to get feedback from her and find out what kind of things she was on the lookout for.
I continued writing for the Guardian money section for around 18 months before budgets were cut back. I now occasionally write for them but because I used that initial story as a launchpad for other clients I now have plenty of other options. I was able to nurture that original contact whilst also expanding my client base.
I used a similar process when I made a conscious choice to move into writing about running and fitness last year. My dream publication was Runner’s World and following a self-appraisal on the FFJ podcast I set myself the task of pitching a long read feature to the magazine. Again I spent a lot of time doing research and writing a detailed pitch and I was persistent in chasing the deputy editor.
The article was commissioned and the snowball effect began again. With a byline in Runner’s World I was more attractive to similar publications like Trail Running magazine and Ultra magazine ( the only caveat being that smaller publications worry that they might not pay as well as your anchor client).
When I was interviewed for an article on running for Fit+Well a few months ago (I am a UK Athletics running coach) I asked if they were looking for freelance writers and mentioned I wrote for Runner’s World. This led to a number of commissions for them and I soon realised that the parent company Future had a lot of demand for freelance fitness writers across its multiple websites. Since I was on Future’s freelance system it made it easier for commissioning editors at T3 and Tom’s Guide to enlist my writing services and now I regularly write content for three Future publications whilst continuing to write for Runner’s World.
And it doesn’t just work at a national level. At the same time I was breaking into money writing, I was also building connections at regional magazines where I live in Leicestershire. I started by making contact with the editor of the magazine in my home town (again mentioning my Guardian byline) and began writing every month for her. This then helped me when I approached two more local magazines as they could see I was embedded in the community and was already writing stories about local people and businesses (again the only caveat being that rival local magazines can sometimes get upset if you write for the opposition).
By focusing in on one target publication, you can use this as a springboard (or snowball) to other similar publications. It may take more time in the beginning but once you create that one big snowball the process will speed up as you roll down the hill collecting more clients along the way.
Do we need shorthand?
On the podcast this week we discuss the sometimes divisive subject of shorthand. Do you need it as a freelance journalist or does modern technology do a better job? We discuss the pros and cons with Marc Shoffman and Rachel Dailey, and also put our own shorthand skills to the test.
Triumph of the week
Feeling fully refreshed following a couple of weeks off over Easter. Hooray for holidays!
That feeling when
A moderately calm week turns into a manic one at the drop of an email.
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Bye for now!
