How to Become a Freelance Journalist
Freelance journalism is one of the more "dog eat dog" forms of freelance writing. To become a freelance journalist you must develop your own stories and leads, and cultivate relationships on your own. Freelancing for a newspaper is predicated on events of the day, while magazine journalism is more creative (and more demanding). Developing a reputation takes time, but with an eye to the realities of the business, it is most attainable.
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Instructions
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Possess great skills in reading, writing, punctuation, grammar and syntax. Have a complete grasp of the language and how it is used to communicate. Learn how to write a story. Develop a journalistic style.
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Know the markets. Read constantly. Subscribe to several magazines and keep track of trends. Study their design and content and understand the target audience of each. Make good use of the "Writers' Market" for leads, pricing and submission guidelines (see Resources below).
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Hone skills and keep them sharp. Write everyday. Set an attainable goal for a daily word count (1,000 to 3,000 words) and stick to it. Take writing classes. Read books on writing.
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Maintain a journal of ideas, words and phrases, observations, research topics and pitch ideas. Create self-assignments when there are no other assignments to work.
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Keep track of queries, response and submissions in a spreadsheet program. Make a goal of a specific number of queries each week. Follow up religiously.
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Become an expert. Cultivate one or two subjects and become known for writing on those topics. Choose areas of great interest and passion and learn everything possible about them.
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Cultivate relationships with editors, other writers, sources and contacts.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't take rejection to heart. Remind yourself dozens of time each day that it's not personal.
Communicate well with your editor. Embrace suggestions and use them to become a better writer.
Remember that editors are busy people. Build trust by working well under pressure and meeting very short deadlines.
Persevere and recognize that success as a freelance journalist doesn't come overnight.
