How Writing for Local Publications Can Expand Your Portfolio and Keep Work Flowing

Perhaps you’ve been freelancing for a while now and are still receiving a fair amount of rejection emails to your pitches. There’s no need to panic — especially if you’re just getting started in the freelance world. These types of snubs are a rite of passage that make victory (an accepted pitch and payment agreement!) that much sweeter.

Maybe you’re aiming a bit high with the media organizations you’re querying — national, regional and state publications — and feel discouraged because nothing is sticking. But a rookie mistake in freelancing is missing what’s right underneath your nose. If you’re a contract-based writer or photographer, don’t miss opportunities in your own town or county to dig into community journalism. Despite its lack of love from big media, hyperlocal journalism is hot right now, and it can be just what you need to start connecting with a nearby network of journalists, plus generate a steady flow of work — and cash. Here are six simple ways to break into local freelancing:

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You’ll want to take inventory of where people in your city hang out in order to break into local journalism. Do they congregate at small-town football games or other sporting events? Maybe your local volunteering and community service activities are well attended. A politically active area might also yield packed city council meetings. Go to those places and talk to people, whether they’re local leaders, member of the press or private citizens. Figure out what’s important to people in the community so you can sharpen your pitches.

In short, “listen to what locals are gossiping about on neighborhood e-lists, at the dog park or in the back row at City Hall meetings,” wrote Beth Winegarner, a Poynter writer and author of The Columbine Effect, in a 2012 column. Introducing yourself to newspaper editors and local magazine reps will benefit you later on when you query them. If they can put a face to a name, they may be more likely to listen to your ideas.

Top freelancers should also be deeply invested in the community, said Lance Knobel, founder of community news site Berkeleyside, which covers Berkeley, Calif., and has won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northern California Excellence in Journalism Award 2013 for community journalism. “The benefit of writing for sites like Berkeleyside is that journalists can really dig into a local issue,” said Knobel. “It’s very much ground-level reporting; nothing happens at 35,000 feet.”

2. Write for free — at first.

I know, I know. Don’t become a “slave of the Internet.” Many people — most of whom are freelance journalists — say to never, ever, under any circumstances, write for free. But I’m here to tell you that if you do it tactfully and sparingly, submitting a single piece expecting no dollars in return will not kill your career nor destroy your reputation. It can simply help you get your foot in the door. All the local publications I have written for, or thought about writing for, asked for one “trial” story (or maybe two stories). Of course, it’s not a full-time gig, so an interview isn’t in order, but if the publication is going to run your piece, the editors need to know what kind of work you’re capable of producing. It’s normal and healthy, and there’s zero shame in writing a couple shorter pieces for free — in the beginning. After you’ve proven your worth, stand your ground, take pride in your work and profession, and politely request fair payment for being a vital asset to the publication’s contributor network, as well as the pub’s audience.

Besides, with local journalism, said West Seattle Blog editor Tracy Record, your work will be read whether you were paid for it or not. “Your work is likely to be read and remembered by more people via our readership than if you are buried somewhere in a mid-level metro,” she explained.

Record said the benefits of doing local freelance work include engaged audiences, “making life better” for a community by “expanding their knowledge of what’s going on” and “enjoying community support” — all good reasons to submit your first piece free of charge.

3. Ask your colleagues for advice.

It can’t be stressed enough — being a freelancer means being a people person. Ironically, despite the reality that you can be found writing alone most days, you are always selling yourself and your product via telephone calls, email exchanges and social media presentations with potential clients. On top of that, you should be seeking out opportunities to pick the brains of successful freelancers in your area. How did they become involved in the freelance journalism realm? Where do they seek out work opportunities? Keep your questions general, but be friendly. Maybe if you develop a good rapport, you can agree to each swap one contact. Still, it’s valuable to have local friends who freelance, whether to meet up at a coffee shop and work together or just for moral support.

Winegarner wrote that social media makes finding a network of freelancers easy: “Knowing who’s writing, and who they’re writing for, gives you a good sense of which publications are open to taking freelance work.”

4. Set yourself apart.

No publication will give you the time of day unless you clearly articulate your value to their product. What specifically do you have to offer? Interesting sources? A story that has never been told in your community? Photography skills? Communicate your usefulness to the publication of choice after doing research on its digital platform and print product. Bring the editors something they haven’t seen in the form of a detailed content plan proposal and social media promotion strategy, and you will be golden.

Yet remember that traditional principles of good journalism are timeless. “We want journalists who know how to report thoroughly and accurately. It doesn’t matter at all if they’re new to journalism or grizzled veterans,” Knobel said.

Record echoed this sentiment. “You can have a long resume, but if you don’t write clearly and accurately, it makes no difference. I am a pretty good editor, but I don’t have a ton of time to fix your story. If it doesn’t come in close to ready to go, you’re no help to me,” she said.

5. Pitch frequently.

An unanswered email isn’t a “no.” While it could be a “no,” it could also mean the editor or assigning reporter is behind on his email, on vacation, waiting to respond more cohesively, forgetful or even that your email went to the spam folder (yes, this has happened to me). Moral of the story is to follow up on your pitches. Then after you have written for the publication once, continue pitching. A good rule of thumb is to do so weekly. Consistently (not constantly) seeing your name in an editor’s email keeps you top-of-mind and reminds him you’re available and willing to work.

You’ll find that local news sites can always use extra content. “We use freelancers reasonably regularly so that we can expand our coverage beyond what the four journalists on our staff do,” Knobel said. “Most of the work we use from freelancers is commissioned by us. The freelancers we use regularly do pitch stories, which we welcome.”

It’s also permissible to ask an editor what her needs are. Record said she has tons of stories up for grabs.”I need hard-news help___ I have a pile of potential stories day in and day out, most of which need research, shoe leather, phone calls, and no matter how fast and intensely I work, I cannot do them all,” she said.

6. Share your work on social media.

Show the editor you understand the significance of social. Your work is hardly done once the story is submitted and published. Because social media efforts by local publications are just as important as national outlets, consider sharing your piece on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn multiple times. Post with different lead-ins and at different times of the day to see when readers are most engaged, and finally, send an email to your assigning editor with stats on “likes,” “retweets” and “shares.” When I was a community editor with a digitally native local news outlet, I had one active freelancer who would always send me this information as well as selected comments from our audience. It was a simple yet powerful way to show me her value to our product.

Now it’s your turn to go out and do great community journalism. Good luck!

Angela Washeck is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas. Follow her tweets @angelawasheck.