Image by Jud Mackrill on Unsplash
I’ve always loved writing. When I was a kid, I dreamt of being a published writer with an impressive list of bylines to my name. Call it childish naïveté if you will, but ‘kid me’ always assumed I’d reach that milestone by 21.
Well, here I am at age 24 and, although I definitely haven’t amassed the list of bylines I’d wished for as a child, I’m happy with the progress I’m making. Just last month, I had my contract as a writer/editor for an online magazine extended and finally got my freelance writing career off the ground (with some exciting new things on the horizon). The latter was quite an uphill battle, but I’m thrilled to say I’ve learnt a lot along the way!
So, if you’re contemplating dipping a toe into the freelance writer life and want no-BS tips on how to get commissioned, this mini-guide is for you.
1. Figure out what the editor wants
This is exactly what it says on the tin! If, for example, you’re itching to pitch a story on a spicy new dating trend that’s taking your city by storm, then the editor of a mental health blog is… probably not the person you should be getting in touch with.
To make things even easier for you, many editors will post pitch calls on Twitter, telling you explicitly what they’re looking for. Whilst freelancing pros may have an established network of editors they work with, my advice as a fellow newb would be to follow editors from publications you’d like to pitch. This way, you can hop on pitch calls before an editor’s inbox is absolutely flooded.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to weekly freelancing newsletters.
2. Perfect your pitch
It’s sad, but true… our first pitches tend to suck. Luckily, there’s a great way to fix that.
Most publications have pitch guides available online and reading them will boost your pitching skills. These guides provide useful info on things that editors want to see in your pitches, things they’re not interested in, links to articles penned by freelancers that pitched them, and names and contact details of editors that manage different sections of the publication.
Looking for a quick n’ easy guide instead? One of my favourite bookmarked tweets is this absolute GEM of a thread by Huffpost UK editor, Dayna McAlpine:
(I haven’t pitched Huffpost yet, but that pitch guide right there helped me completely revamp my initial — read: lousy! — pitching strategy.)
3. Get rejected, then get right back to business
My first-ever rejection email was from one of Slate’s editors and it was the nicest ‘no’ you could ever hope to receive. At the time, however, I was still thoroughly upset, because I thought I’d put together a wonderfully compelling pitch.
In retrospect, friends, my pitch was neither wonderful nor compelling. The structure was terribly amateurish, I had no real story, and it wasn’t even a good fit for Slate. Honestly, it was… embarrassing. (Yes, I still cringe at the memory.)
If you’re new to freelancing, then your first pitch may end up being equally disappointing. The good news? That’s perfectly normal. Your first few pitches will probably suck, but each improvement you make will bring you one step closer to a commission.
4. Pitch, pitch, and pitch some more
Sadly, there’s no easy hack for this bit. You could be the best writer in the world, but no one’s going to commission you if you don’t put yourself out there.
If you’re new to freelancing, then you need to get the ball rolling by regularly sending out pitches. Sometimes, the pitches you slave over are the ones that are going to get ghosted by the editors you really look up to. Other times, the hasty pitches you blast off in a matter of minutes are the ones that’ll get picked up. It really can be the luck of the draw.
Personal anecdote time: three weeks ago, I threw myself to the wolves and pitched an editor an embarrassing account of one my worst dates EVER. It was a very spur-of-the-moment decision and I wasn’t expecting my story to get commissioned. (Yes, it’s autumn here in the Netherlands and my seasonal depression loves throwing self-doubt parties with my imposter syndrome.)
Surprise, surprise… the editor liked it. My cringy little dating story is live on MetroUK and I’ve now learnt the importance of being proactive when it comes to getting my pitches out there.
So yes, tomorrow’s #1 priority will be the same as yesterday’s: getting more pitches out there. Do you have any freelancing tips to share?
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