Writing for the trade press

And our latest podcast episode on generating ideas

Dec 14, 2022

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At a recent freelancer event, the FFJ team were chatting with the editor of a very well-respected trade press journal. They were finding it hard to recruit young journalists and asking us where we thought they were all hiding.

From our community and our contacts, we know there are lots of people out there looking for work, both as freelancers and those looking for more permanent contracts, especially now more employers are offering work-from-home hybrid options. Our conclusion was that often, as journalists, we don’t always consider trade press opportunities and don’t go looking for these jobs. So we thought it about time we shone a light on the world of writing for trade press as a freelancer. There are so many trade publications out there and many advantages to writing for them.

What exactly is the trade press?

Trade publications are specialist magazines or journals which target professionals in a specific industry or business. Sometimes referred to as Business to Business (B2B) magazines, they are industry news for specific industries. There are literally thousands of them, and they cover every niche you could imagine, from travel to construction to marketing to energy and many more.

Why would I want to write for the trade press?

In short, it can be exciting to have a niche and become a real expert in one area, it can be better paid and you will get a great grounding in news writing, as well as writing features and interviewing industry professionals. You can also make a name for yourself, breaking stories which are then picked up by the national press on the back of your writing. This recently happened to FFJ co-founder Emma when she investigated online health tests for the specialist health press.

Trade magazines often pay better than other publications, and some will offer training for young journalists. Another bonus is that you are often first to find out about new developments in your area of expertise, and the stories you write for a specialist industry can often be re-packaged for a generalist audience in the mainstream press.

Often we find that the trade press is seen as a less glamorous area of journalism. Trade magazines might not be well known outside their specific industry or may not carry the kudos with friends and family who may never heard of these publications, but it can be very satisfying work working with highly talented journalists.

Where can I find out about the titles and the editors?

It can be quite hard initially to know that many of these journals exist as they are often only available to paying subscribers, and it can sometimes be hard to get your hands on a copy of the magazine. A good way is to search for specific terms linked to the industry you want to work in on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Searching the internet for publications can be fruitful as almost every trade magazine will publish online news. Even if they are behind a paywall, you can get a flavour of the kind of topics which are covered, the style of the publication, and you can find journalists that work there.

The British Library stocks trade magazines in their Business and IP centre near Kings Cross in London. They also have a reference copy of Willings Press Guide, which lists every trade journal in the UK. Another good place to source names of B2B titles is ABC audits which as well as listing all the consumer magazines and national and regional newspapers, they list over 850 business magazines. Some of the big sectors for industry magazines include alternative and renewable energy, aviation, building and construction, auto, tourism, food, business, environment, healthcare, engineering and banking.

Another way is to simply phone or email the comms department at the publication you would like to write for and explain that you are a journalist working in that space and pitching to them. They may be able to help you and this is something the FFJ team have had success with in the past. If you don’t ask you will never know!

What kind of articles are featured in trade publications?

It really depends on the sector you are looking at, but as a guide, trade or B2B publications often feature profiles of industry leaders, reviews, big-picture stories about the industry or sector, round up of news and advice and professional learning articles.

Often the news stories will be covered by an in-house team of journalists, but there are very often opportunities for freelancers to write news too and is something that both Lily and Emma have done in the past and still do. The news can often be shift work when they are busy, when regulars are off on holiday or sick or when there are big events in the industry taking place.

It’s also possible to write specialist news that they will post over the following week, Emma often has a day writing clinical health articles for a trade magazine which will then be posted over the next few days. This can work well for non-breaking news content, which can often be the case in the trade press.

How can I start writing for trade press?

Research the publication you want to write for, find the editor and get in touch. Pitch them an idea and tell them why you love their sector. Ask to meet for a virtual coffee and find out how they like to use freelancers and pitch some more.

Trade press sometimes gets a bad press, being the less glamorous sister of the glossy consumer magazines and big national newspapers. But in our experiences, they can be exciting and satisfying to write for, your work is well read, and they often pay well. There are so many opportunities out there, as freelancers we shouldn’t dismiss a whole sector of potential work.

New podcast episode!

In this week’s episode, we look at how to generate ideas for stories. Writer and lecturer Ellie Levenson and freelancer feature writer Amelia Tait (the most recommended freelancer on the podcast!) talk us through how they get some of their best ideas and where they find inspiration. Listen wherever you download your podcasts or click the link below.

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