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Topic: Charge for querying on behalf of a client?
| Author | Message |
| mels25 | Posted – 5/17/2007 3:46:34 PM | show profile | email poster I have a new client who originally contacted me to write an article about them and pitch it to different publications. I explained that the query comes first, and then the article - if accepted. Any advice or personal experience regarding fees just for the query alone? I'm including time spent on research of back issues and submissions guidelines, developing the story angle, drafting the letter itself, and so on. Thanks in advance for any help. |
| judithn2003 | Posted – 5/17/2007 4:23:17 PM | show profile So, is your situation that you've been retained by the client to promote them like a PR person, and place a story with the idea being that they will assign it to one of their writers? Or, if the publication is interested in the story, are you going to write the story like a freelancer would? I guess I'm not sure if your doing PR work or freelance writing work. Because if it's the latter things get wierd. You're getting paid by the client to do the pitching but who pays you for the article itself? The client or the magazine? And how do you do a fair and balanced piece then? Maybe I've got it wrong and it's scenario #1 where you're pitching story ideas, because if it's #2 where you're pitching the story then writing it and being paid by both parties it's a conflict of interest IMO. With regard to your original question, I would charge my usual hourly rates for writing pitches and handling media relations. |
| mels25 | Posted – 5/17/2007 5:06:13 PM | show profile Thanks Judithn2003.... very good point about the conflict of interest. I will need to clarify the roles they are looking for and check further into the ethics of it. I appreciate your reply. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/18/2007 6:17:03 AM | show profile If I were you, I'd do what I've done -- get a good, covers-it-all books on public relations. Ask for recommendations here. You need to be immersed in your desired area of expertise. If you want to be a writer, get a good book about that -- and take your subject out of the "client" loop. Your clients will be the publications. |
