Like many editors, Mike Sante has seen an uptick in the number of queries and story pitches landing in his inbox during the past six months. There’s no mystery to the trend: with all of the recent layoffs at newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets, the pool of freelancers is growing larger by the day.
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The managing editor of Interest.com says the trend has changed the way he’s assigning stories. In the past, he might have considered hiring an experienced longtime freelancer without a lot of personal finance writing experience if he felt they had potential. The current market has changed all that: Sante now has his pick of top-notch, recently laid-off personal finance writers with years of experience from big-name publications like The Wall Street Journal.
For the generalist or someone without a lot of personal finance writing experience, it’s tougher to land an assignment with Sante and Interest.com these days. Sante suspects the same is true at other publications, as well. It appears there is more competition for career freelancers, Sante says. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that editors are leaving behind longtime freelancers in favor of new blood. And there’s no guarantee that newly laid-off writers and editors will experience long-term success as full-time freelancers. “Just because they’re talented doesn’t mean that they’re going to be able to make a go of it,” he says.
| Successful freelancers have to have a mind for business, and not all writers have the desire or ability to do what it takes. |
Alison Stein Wellner, a full-time freelance travel writer and instructor for The Renegade Writer, agrees. Freelancing is an entirely different game than working as a full-time staff person, and the newly minted freelancer is just not going to have the same skill set as the more experienced full-time freelancer, says Wellner, who has freelanced full time since 1995. There’s a lot more to being a successful freelancer than simply being able to write well. Successful freelancers have to have a mind for business, and not all writers have the desire or ability to do what it takes. For the existing full-time freelancers who are worrying about increased competition, Wellner has some advice: Stop. “I think that the threat from the newly laid-off is probably exaggerated,” she says. “Worrying about the competition doesn’t make a lot of sense, anyway. You need to focus on your own game, because this is not really a lottery.”
Competition from newly laid-off staffers is not much of concern to some longtime freelancers like Robert McGarvey. “Being a freelancer is a very different thing from having a staff job,” says McGarvey, who has freelanced for more than 30 years. “And most staff editors aren’t really equipped to be freelancers.”
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The bigger threat to longtime freelancers are things that are happening as a result of the downturn, according to McGarvey. “The editorial hole is shrinking because advertising is down,” he says. Some publications are not taking submissions from freelancers at the moment. With fewer pages, there’s less work for full-time staffers to do. In an effort to avoid layoffs, some publications are having staff writers and editors generate content that normally would be assigned to freelancers. “That’s the competition,” says McGarvey.
Like McGarvey, Fred Minnick also does not see newly laid-off staffers as the biggest threat. The full-time freelancer from Louisville, Kentucky, said while business is still good, he’s feeling the economic pinch in other ways. Minnick, who has freelanced full time for the past two and a half years, said he’s noticed that some publications now are reducing per-word rates. Where he might have received a 1,400-word assignment from a publication in the past, he’s now receiving 600-word assignments. In some cases, the frequency of assignments also has tapered off.
Others, like Craig Guillot, have hardly noticed a downturn. In fact, the New Orleans-based freelance writer and photographer says 2008 was his best year yet since he started freelancing full time three and a half years ago. “The work has been flowing in all year,” he says. While Guillot did lose some newspaper work this year, it was low-paying anyway and had no significant impact on his finances. Like many experienced full-time freelancers, Guillot is really not that concerned about competition from recently laid-off staffers. Longtime editorial contacts getting laid off and publications shutting down are more of a worry. “That concerns me a lot more than the competition,” he says.
Regardless of whether freelancers are experiencing increased competition right now, there are several things that freelancers can do to remain competitive and weather the economic storm ahead.
Ten tips for staying competitive in a down economy:
1. Increase your marketing efforts. Getting assignments is really a numbers game, so in tough economic times like these, you have to increase your marketing efforts, Wellner says. If you normally send out five queries or letters of introduction, send out 10. “Sales is a matter of the number of doors you knock on.” Accept the fact that it may take longer to land assignments now, she says. “Your mileage may vary.” Now is the time to step up other marketing efforts too, Minnick says. If you don’t have a Web site, get one. “It’s getting your name out there” that will make the difference right now, he says.
2. Play up your strengths. If you have a specialty or a niche, now is the time to play that up. Know that with increased competition, it might be more difficult to get your foot in the door if you’ve never written for a particular publication or penned articles about a certain topic area before, Sante says. Look for clients and publications that need your area of expertise and target those. Don’t forget to emphasize other strengths like reliability, Guillot says. Selling yourself in the right way — beyond your writing skills and experience — can sometimes convince an editor to take a chance on you.
3. Pay attention to the market. Remember that what brought you money in the past, may not earn you a dime now, McGarvey says. “If you’re trying to place that story on the million-dollar honeymoon, you’re in the wrong place and wrong time.” Frugality, on the other hand, is “in” right now. “So you have to be alert to what the marketplace wants and what your skills are,” he says.
4. Diversify. Even in the best of times, magazines and publications go under, Wellner says. Don’t fall into the trap of accepting too much work from a small number of clients. Diversify as much as you can — especially right now. For McGarvey, the need to diversify is underscored by an experience he had during the last downturn in 2001, when he was stiffed $3,000 after a publication he was writing for went out of business.
5. Watch your attitude. You can’t control the economic climate, but you can control your attitude and what you’re focusing on, Wellner says. “Writing is psychological,” she says, and constant exposure to negativity can zap your productivity. “So it’s really important to guard your attitude.” Editors and clients want to work with people who are positive and upbeat. “And part of being competitive is being enthusiastic.” The enthusiasm will shine through in your queries and story pitches, so keeping a positive attitude can ultimately make a difference in your bottom line.
6. Learn new skills. Everyone will emerge from the downturn, but it’s up to each individual to decide how they want to come out of it, Wellner says. Why not use any downtime you have to brush up on your skills or learn something new? Think beyond writer’s workshops — what skills or areas of knowledge are going to make you more marketable? For example, Guillot just purchased a new camcorder and video equipment. While he’s not aggressively marketing his multimedia skills yet, he expects that more freelancers soon will be expected to know how to use this technology. While the video is more of a hobby now, Guillot expects that he increasingly will use these skills in new ways.
7. Nurture existing relationships. Don’t take your existing work or your current clients for granted, Minnick says. “Try to extend some service to your existing clients.” For example, instead of simply writing stories, offer to gather photos. Nurturing your business relationships is always important, but it’s especially important right now. “Your best customers are your existing customers,” he says. McGarvey can vouch for that fact — all of his work is from old and existing customers right now. Make the rounds among your old customers and ask if they need any help right now, he says.
8. Stash the cash. In tough times, it sometimes takes clients longer to pay, Guillot says. Be sure to keep a large cushion of cash on hand for the lean times. Even though he’s had a great year, there can be times when he goes six weeks without seeing a check land in his mailbox. Save as much as you can, he says, and live well within your means.
9. Face reality. “This is the worst [economic climate] I’ve ever seen in the years that I’ve been freelancing,” Wellner says. But focusing on that and all of the implications that go along with it can be detrimental to your productivity and your business. It’s important to focus on the positive, but it’s also important to be realistic. Make sure the publications you’re working for are financially solvent, because some will go out of business — just as they did during the last recession in 2001, McGarvey says. “I do think that times are going to get much, much worse for freelancers. And I fully expect the number of freelancers to shrink in the next six months.” The same thing happened in 2001, he says. But many freelancers weathered the storm and are still in business.
10. Hang tight. If you’re in this business for the long haul, it’s important to stay alert to changes and keep your mind open to new possibilities and opportunities, McGarvey says. “You’ve got to be nimble. Stay alert to what the next act is.” Be honest with yourself about the freelance life because more than likely, it’s going to be a rough road ahead — it’s just the beginning of the recession. “Things aren’t going to get better soon. It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he says. “You’ve gotta really like this work right now. If you don’t, you should be doing something else.”
Jenny Cromie is a Michigan-based HR/business freelance writer and editor, and editor of The Golden Pencil, a b5media.com blog about freelance writing and how to build a successful freelance writing business.
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