In the survey I sent out a few weeks ago, lots of you mentioned that you’d like to see how one of my feature articles developed – from the initial idea and pitching the editor to interviewing case studies and experts, writing the article, submitting it and being published. In this post I take you through an example of a feature story and all the steps involved in getting the article published in one of Australia’s newspapers.
On the the first of December I decided I would take my foot off the gas, and only pitch stories that I really felt strongly about. Financially, the pressure was off a bit because October and November were such big months and so I started to relax. I had lunch out with my partner and friends, I went for long walks, I started to ride my bike again (hello quad muscles), and I felt rejuvenated. This is my last post for 2017, and one where I outline my yearly income for the year.
The ham, turkey and pudding may have barely settled in your belly (if you celebrate Christmas), but almost as soon as the festive season is over, the new year looms. Lots of freelance writers have told me that they want 2018 to be their year – one where they start a new type of writing, earn more, quit their day job or build up their side hustle. Whatever your aim for 2018, it’s worth ensuring you have done these five things to ensure the new year gets off to a strong start.
2017 has been a huge year for me. I started in January not knowing how I would go trying to earn a full time living from freelance writing for magazines, newspapers and corporate organisations. I’m so glad to say that it’s been a success. I’ve never felt more motivated, more productive or more engaged in the work I’m doing. The year hasn’t been without challenges, though.
I know. It’s a big call. Everywhere you look you’ll read blog posts about finding profitable niches, podcasts about finding a lucrative specialisations and Facebook groups crammed with writers trying to pick a niche. I get it. Over the past two years it’s been my main concern. But I’ve come to one conclusion: freelance writers don’t need a niche. And this is why.
There’s no beating around the bush. I’ve had a massive month, and one that tipped my total commissions for the year over $100K. Much of that has been earned through feature writing for magazines and newspapers – something I never thought was possible. Especially given this is my first year of full time freelancing and until now I have never earned over $20K in a year from my writing.
Last week I was having dinner with a friend and she asked how my work was going. “It’s really good,” I replied. “But I’m slammed with work. I’m working flat out during the day and I’m having to do work in the evenings too.” She looked at me, put her fork down and said something that seemed so obvious, but it hadn’t occurred to me before she said it.
Megan Blandford is one of those freelance writers whose byline you see everywhere. Her articles regularly appear in glossy magazines, newspapers, websites and blogs. Megan is versatile too – she can turn her hand to writing about almost anything; from health and business to travel, food and property. My decision to become a full time freelancer was partly inspired by Megan. She was the first person I knew whose husband looked after the kids while she made a good living from freelance writing.
LinkedIn is one of the best ways for freelance writers or journalists to find clients. If you’re writing for magazines or newspapers, you can connect with editors on LinkedIn and maintain your relationship, but you can also cultivate opportunities to find high-paying corporate work.
Oh October, what did you do to me? By the middle of the month, I felt like I was in a slump. I only had a couple of thousand dollars worth of work commissioned and felt flat and fatigued. But by the last few days of the month, it was a completely different story.
Around this time last year I started thinking about going full time as a freelance writer. It was a scary thought – would I be able to earn enough money, would I be able to maintain the energy required to run a small business (which is effectively what you’re doing when you’re a freelance writer), was I still going to love writing if it became my full time job and was I going to be successful?
2017 has been a bit of an experiment. This time last year my partner and I had finally decided that I would work as a freelance writer full time and he would be the stay-at-home parent. I promised myself that at the end of each month I would review how I was going – was I pitching enough? Marketing myself enough? Writing articles on topics that fascinated me? Was I happy? Most of all I wanted to make sure that I was trying new things in the writing world and this month I definitely have.
And how about writing articles for publications you love? What about strategies on how to earn great money from content writing?
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We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal Owners of the land we work on – the Dja Dja Wurrung. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and to the ongoing living culture of Aboriginal people. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. 💛🖤❤️