Pressat TeamJournalism, the tasteful art of educating the masses through investigative research, analysis and fact finding – mixed with a healthy side of re-framing, quasi-journalism and powerful people!
Known to be a very competitive, cut-throat and controversial career (phone hacking, anyone!) it can, at times be very difficult career/hobby to pursue. Let’s take some time to talk about how and what makes a ‘good’ journalist.
We’ve rounded up some of our thoughts and experiences paying close attention to not only what you can do to improve your skills but also what qualifications and courses will help you move towards that ‘perfect’ career in freelance journalism.
Journalist who?
Make a name for yourself. If you’re not working for a media agency and instead are working for yourself, you need to make the right friends in the right circles. This becomes even more evident when working in a competitive niche where the number of journalists is saturated.
Building up contacts can be done through networking both in person and online via social media networks. It is also vital you have a website. This should act as a professional reflection of your work, stories and interests. Essentially, your website is making it impeccably clear how you work and what you cover. The clearer this is the more interest you are likely to get. As a freelance journalist you will want to keep this specific and ideally personalise your approach, pushing a particular niche.
Your website, however, is not the only way to attract the right news sources. Make sure you are leveraging the power of journalist directories, don’t just choose one and leave it at that either. Each directory has its own user base, and this is something you should take advantage of, submit to as many as possible! If done properly your potential niche story-tellers will now find you.
Publishing methods
As a freelance journalist what drives you is a ‘good ol story’ but what to do when you have it?
Publish it of course! As a freelancer, who you wish to approach (if anyone) is your decision however, researching publishers and their trending topics, requirements and authority are all things that need to be considered if you do not intend to publish directly.
In the days of old you would go scouring for a firm or broadcaster who can tell the world about your story, someone who can publish it.
However, traditional media is almost dead through the convergence of journalists, publishers, agencies and brands. Thanks to the internet, the most effective approach as a freelancer is to target the connected media world directly. After all, we are now a ‘global village’. The idea is to connect with your audience through the wide range of online news and social tools that are at your disposal. Essentially this is cutting out all the middle (wo)men allowing you to connect directly with your audience locally, nationally and globally whilst still leaving you in total control of the story.
As the above indicates unlike those working for a media firm or broadcasting group you have to do everything yourself. Naturally, this means you are the reporter (as expected) but brace yourself for sub-editing, photo editing, book keeping, networking and publishing as well. Although, this should come as no a surprise.
That said until everything goes electronic, traditional media is still worth investigating at the very least and has its (quickly diminishing) place in this world.
Qualifications
Although there are no mandatory qualifications, especially with freelance journalism being considered very cosmopolitan in nature, there are a few de facto skills and traits that are expected. For example good grammar and written skills are a must. You also need to be able to write persuasively and eloquently so that stories flow, keeping your readers engaged.
It is also crucial you have a knack for finding thought provoking stories which will attract an audience. However this is normally where morals and ethics plays against controversy (pick your poison).
There are also training providers, college courses and university degrees that are available for journalism career development. You could take that route, however, such qualifications alone do not make a good journalist. These courses take a more educational approach as to how journalism works, its affect on people, media issues, styles and techniques etc but do not necessarily guarantee success in the field.
So, although having qualifications could prove to be a great insight into the roots of journalism, the beauty of freelance journalism is that if you can write a good story and publish it yourself or through a 3rd party, then that’s all you really need!
Final thoughts and tips
Pick a niche and research it. Keep up to date on all the related news for that sector, both current and prior.
Supplement your ‘journo’ skills with the likes of photography, marketing, editing etc, to help compliment your news articles and increase effectiveness.
Ask as many questions as possible when interviewing, this ideally includes recording conversations as opposed to note-taking. This allows you to refer to the conversations at your own leisure. More often than not you will also pick up on things that were missed in the actual interview itself.
There is nothing wrong with pitching ideas to editors. Write a concise, professional email that is not intrusive or time consuming (for the editor) but make your point clear. This is a great way to build up contacts and test what publishers are looking for. Even if it is rejected you now know what not to do and can change your techniques and story direction for future attempts.
Stay on top of your finances and invoices. Don’t let payments get out of hand. Send polite reminders but if they are of no avail, do take action before things get out of hand. As with business in general make sure logs are kept of emails, invoices and reminders in case things get a little messy.
Organise your time (and life). You need to be strict making sure you carry out the work you are supposed to. Being your own boss can sometimes make one lazy!
So that’s it for now. Good luck! Any comments, additions or criticisms? Leave them in the comments below.
Pressat Team