Rachel Blount can still remember those early days of her sports writing career. It was 1985 and she was working at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in her first job after graduating with a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She’d spend Friday nights covering high school football, and coaches would say to her in postgame interviews, “What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be home baking biscuits?” Or, “Do I have to explain to you what a touchdown is?” On Saturdays she would cover Division I college football, and while all the male reporters were allowed in the locker room for postgame interviews, she would have to stand outside the locker room — waiting as long as 45 minutes — to have a chance to conduct an interview. Sometimes that chance never even came.

But despite those obstacles, Blount never let it discourage her. “Looking back at it, it did make me angry,” Blount said. “I just thought, ‘What is wrong with these people? I am just doing a job.'”

It’s a job that Blount is still passionate about to this day. She now works as a sports reporter and columnist for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. In her 24 years in the business, she has covered six different Olympic Games, and countless high school, college and professional sporting events. It’s safe to say she has witnessed firsthand just how opportunities have evolved for women — and it is much deeper than having access to the locker room that she didn’t have back in the day.

That’s why she urges women who aspire to get into a career as a sports writer to follow their dreams and do it. Blount speaks on the topic about 10 times a year and is always eager to discuss her career with aspiring writers and women who are interested in learning about the profession.

“I find it is often slightly easier for women to get their foot in the door, but much harder to move that foot up the stairs to the top of a sports department.”

“I encourage women who have an interest in this profession to pursue it,” says Blount, who has been with the Star Tribune for 19 years. “You get a chance to travel, meet really interesting people, write and be creative. It can be a great career.”

Adopt the right attitude to break in and move up

While there appear to be more opportunities than ever for women in this career, there is still more women can do — if given the chance, says Sandy Rosenbush, event news editor at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT.

“I find it is often slightly easier for women to get their foot in the door, but much harder to move that foot up the stairs to the top of a sports department,” says Rosenbush, who has more than 20 years of experience in sports journalism. Her previous jobs include roles as the assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated, founding editor of SI for Women and deputy sports editor at The New York Times.

Rosenbush says that the idea that sports is “for men” is problematic. She adds that while men are much more frequently the consumers of sports news, features and events, it should not follow that the delivery of those items needs to be made by men, nor that the decision-making in the sports media industry needs to be limited to men. It has changed slowly, but not yet enough for women and minorities, says Rosenbush.

“There is more inclination to have us on board now, but still no imperative in many corners to see us succeed at the highest levels,” says Rosenbush. “But there are new networks growing, and new mentoring systems in place. I hope this will keep the change coming.”

Two women who have carved a niche working in sports journalism and covering traditionally male-dominated sports are Leah Howard and Maggie Hendricks. Howard is the assistant media relations director in the sports information department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. One of her duties is working as the primary media relations contact for the school’s wrestling team. She travels with the team, writes press releases, assists in handling media requests for coach and wrestler interviews, organizes and distributes statistical information, handles multimedia duties and writes wrestler profiles for the team Web site, MGoBlue.com.

Howard got started in the Michigan sports information department as a 20-year-old college junior while pursuing her degree in economics and communications studies. She played hockey growing up and had a general interest in all sports, but the job as an SID as an undergrad gave her a behind the scenes look at what really went into this profession. Eight years later she has graduated, earned a M.A in Sports Management, and now has a full-time job and career working in sports media relations.

“I think there is a perception that females don’t fully understand — or aren’t able to hack it in — male-dominated sports, like football, ice hockey or wrestling,” says Howard. “I think there is a perception that females interested in working in these sports have ulterior motives to, as crass as the implication may be, simply cozy up next to those athletes. But for me, having been a hockey player and growing up around the sport gave me instant credibility, and, after proving that I was capable as far as the actual work went, I was able to grow a good reputation for myself.”

Howard adds, “In this profession, doing quality work, being personable and having a good reputation certainly trump gender. Those are the equalizers, and while women may have to prove themselves a little more at the start, those traits make a quick impression.”

Exercise your right to write

Hendricks is based in Chicago and writes a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) blog for Yahoo! Sports and CageWriter.com, and also works as a freelance sports writer for NBCChicago.com. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 2001, she worked with the Chicago Bulls front office and then with Georgetown University’s athletic department. She returned to Chicago and worked in corporate public relations for six years. In 2007, she started her own blog called Chick Heart Fights — MMA and amateur wrestling, from a woman’s perspective. Her work was so well-respected and admired it was picked up by Yahoo! Sports and led to the positions with CageWriter.com and NBCChicago.com.

Hendricks admitted it was a little intimidating when she first started writing about and covering MMA — a sport with a large and crazy male fan base, and with a male-dominated group of colleagues.

She said, “My main relationships that needed to be developed were with other writers, and for the most part, the reaction was, ‘Hey, it’s cool that a woman likes this stuff. Would you talk to my girlfriend?’ As with the readers, there were a few chauvinists, but I found that if it was clear that I was truly there because I loved writing about sports, people would back off.”

Blount says there is still some skepticism among some people that women can do this job. At one social gathering, a male who found out she was a sports writer thought that meant she should know who the MVP of the 1952 World Series was and be a walking encyclopedia of sports facts.

“You still see it where others think you got the job because you are a woman and they hired you to cover women’s sports,” says Blount. “Women still have to prove themselves, but by doing your job and being professional, you can overcome those stereotypes.”

Howard believes women in this field face the same type of challenges that women in corporate settings would: Both have been dominated by males for a long time, but the gap has certainly narrowed over the last few decades. Women in these fields have to conquer similar stereotypes — they’re not tough enough to go toe-to-toe with men, or they’re not poised enough to deal with pressure situations, or they’re not knowledgeable or experienced enough to provide a product of equal quality.

“But with more and more women entering and excelling within the sports industry, those stereotypes have diminished over time,” said Howard.

All four journalists agree there are some basic skill sets to master to succeed in this profession, regardless of gender.

Seven tested tips for women seeking sports writing success
1. Love what you do. “It’s important to enjoy writing, listening to people and telling their stories, and to be curious and willing and able to ask a lot of questions with the subject matter you are writing about,” says Blount. “Practice writing about anything and everything to master the craft.”
2. Find a mentor — male or female — to provide guidance, says Blount.
3. Be prepared to work nights and weekends — forever! “It’s harder to have a family in this end of the business than most due to when the events take place,” says Rosenbush.
4. Build a support network. “Hold on to the good friends you make in this business and work to build your support network,” says Rosenbush. “You will find this valuable as you move along.”
4. Be open-minded. “Experience a variety of sports, move away from the mainstream and try something completely new and different,” says Howard. “Just because you’re a woman does not mean to have to work exclusively with women’s sports. Speak up and cover the team(s) you want to cover.”
5. Practice. The most important thing is writing well, and the best way to improve your writing is to practice, says Hendricks. Write about everything you can, whether you will get paid or not. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to people in your desired field.
6. Write in uniform. “Learn AP style,” advises Hendricks. “Study your subjects, brainstorm new and different ways to cover them and read everything you can get your hands on. When you get lazy, it shows.”
7. It’s not all glamorous. More often than not, Hendricks sits at home wearing sweatpants and writing with reruns of The West Wing and Beverly Hills, 90210 on in the background. “Covering sports doesn’t mean that you are going to be rubbing elbows with star athletes, and when you do meet athletes, they’re generally very different from expectations,” she says.

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Matt Krumrie is a freelance writer and communications professional.

Give your college or university’s monthly, bimonthly or quarterly alumni book more than a passing glance, and you might be surprised by the quality of the writing and graphics that go into the average alumni publication.

Many of them are, in fact, good markets for freelancers to pitch a wide array of stories, from the obvious — a profile of an alumnus who won the Nobel Prize, formed a popular band or airlifted livestock out of a natural disaster — to the less obvious: an investigative article about the commercialization of technology that sprang from research that took place at a university, for example, or a roundup of what graduates of a given law school are doing for a living outside the legal profession.

Alumni magazines are “another way colleges reach out during difficult times,” says Lisa Brownell, editor of CC: Magazine, the quarterly publication of Connecticut College, New London, Conn. She contends the print alumni magazine field is alive and well. “Our surveys and word-of-mouth tell us that most alumni still want a hard-copy version,” even recent graduates, a certain New York Times article notwithstanding.

“What we are trying to do is produce a magazine that comes off as much as possible with the look and feel of a popular commercial magazine,” says Jared Simpson, associate director of communications at the University of California Berkeley School of Law and editor of the school’s alumni magazine, Transcript, which is mailed twice a year to 17,000 homes. “We want stories that are topical and that will ultimately tout the school and its excellence.”

“Our competition is not Texas A&M’s magazine,” says Avrel Seale, editor of the bimonthly Alcalde at the University of Texas. “It’s Sports Illustrated and Time and Popular Mechanics. That’s who we are competing with for people’s attention.” Indeed, Seale views Alcalde as “a general interest magazine that happens to be located at UT.”

As with any other magazine you might wish to write for, it’s important to tailor your pitch to the publication. In part, that means getting your hands on a bunch of back issues and perusing them to get a flavor for the voice of the publication and the kinds of stories it runs. Even though alumni magazines are not on the newsstand, this isn’t as hard as it sounds. Ask your friends for back issues of their schools’ magazines you can pore over, reading mastheads (to get a sense of how many stories in a given issue are written in-house or by freelancers) and assessing whether the publication tends to assign short, front-of-book pieces or longer, more scholarly articles to non-staff writers. And, do your research as best you can to avoid duplication: “We get a lot of pitches on people who we have already [covered] or stories we have already done,” says Scott Hauser, editor of the University of Rochester’s Rochester Review since 2001.

When it comes to writing for alumni magazines, most of the old saws apply: define clearly and up front why your idea works for the magazine now, proofread your pitch before sending, and don’t misspell the editor’s name. But there are some subtle differences of which you’ll want to take heed as you crack this potential market.

Start with your own school. The editors interviewed for this piece agreed that a solid pitch from an alumnus of their school would have an edge over an equally good pitch from someone who had not attended the school. Brownell likes a mix of alums and non-alums in each issue’s contributors’ column. (Bonus: you probably have at least a couple of these lying around your house.)

Get familiar with the mag. Simpson says he has never been pitched, “but I certainly wouldn’t close the door on one.” Just the same, a pitch that worked “would have to be from someone who really understands what the magazine is about.”

Simpson notes he has to fill a front-of-book section in each issue of Transcript with 100- to 450-words newsy items; he also has room for 3,000-word packages completed with multiple sidebars. He recently ran a piece about the ethics of stem cell research and another about an alumnus’ father who started a fund to help pay for Latino students’ law school expenses. “I also like stories that are fun, a little on the quirky side,” he says.

Other editors are used to fielding a steady stream of pitches. Hauser, for one, receives pitches on a regular basis, and estimates that a quarter of them turn into actual stories.

Seale, too, gets multiple pitches a week. “Almost all of my freelancers I hire based upon a specific pitch,” he says. Profiles of notable alums who live far from Austin are a case in point; from Seale’s point of view, it makes more sense to bring in a freelancer who also happens to live in Seattle to bang out an 800-word piece about an alumna doing fascinating post-graduate stuff in the Pacific Northwest.

Have an actual idea. Don’t just grub for an assignment — “Got anything you need tackled?” — because you happen to have gone to the school you’re approaching. And go easy on the PR, too: “It’s really easy to spot someone who is trying to promote their company,” says Seale. “When that happens, I say ‘thanks very much’ and route them to the class notes section” — the portion in the back of most alumni magazines where classmates write in news of weddings, births, companies launched, etc.

Play to your strengths. If you write about health for other clients, say so when you pitch a health-related story to a medical school’s alumni publication. “I am always looking for a good science writer who can talk to our researchers and clinicians about what they do and then translate that into good lay journalism,” says Hauser.

Tell ’em you’ll shoot it yourself. Not all alumni magazines have the budget to hire a photographer to take every profilee’s picture. Plus, as digital camera technology has improved, the images even an amateur can generate have improved substantially even over the last couple of years. “The ideal writer would be someone who says, ‘I will also take the photo, and it will be a good one,'” says Brownell. “In my experience, the two are mutually exclusive.”

Suggest hooks to new media. Brownell appreciates it when a writer pitches a story with built-in components that will work on the magazine’s Web site. “We’re definitely trying to get more out of our freelance budget, so writers should be open to things other than a straight profile,” she says. For example, a recent profile of a tuba-playing professor in CC: Magazine included a clip of him playing the tuba that was made available as a complementary online exclusive.

Don’t get bent about sources reading your piece first. It’s not something asked by every alumni magazine editor, but it shouldn’t surprise you if it’s something yours wants. Most of these publications, after all, must straddle a line between solid journalism and the marketing of the college or university that publishes them.

“By and large, most of the people [we feature] see the story in some form before it appears,” says Hauser. Still, it’s one thing for the subject to suggest a fix for a factual error you inadvertently introduced; it’s another thing when they want to rewrite the piece from scratch. Talk with your editor if you’re getting what you believe are inordinate demands from the source for content changes.

Get in the habit of asking subjects of any story you are writing where they went to college. You may be able to spin a second profile for an alumni magazine out of an assignment you already have for another publication.

Pay rate: Varies. Some magazines offer a flat fee of $100 regardless of article length; others pay by the word, from $0.50 to $1.25.

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Amy Rogers Nazarov is a D.C.-based freelancer covering food, museums, technology and other topics. View her clips from Cooking Light, Adoptive

Families and other publications at WordKitchen.net.

Julia Scott is a print reporter turned online journalist who left a steady gig at a newspaper to launch her blog BargainBabe.com in January 2009. She began turning a profit in her first month.

“Monetizing a blog is possible, but it’s a ton of work,” says Scott. She spends 10-12 hours a day working, plus a few hours over the weekend, but says: “I’ve been able to make money off of my passion, and it’s really rewarding.” Scott doesn’t charge for content (“although I’ve toyed with the idea”) — but rather makes money from advertising, freelancing and self-syndicating her content. “News outlets are desperate for great content and, in exchange for a very low fee, I negotiate a non-exclusive contract,” she says.

While those with a writing background are well-suited to monetizing content they create, blogging requires some additional skills, says Scott. Making money online means becoming more than “just a writer.” You need to become, in essence, an entrepreneur. “You have to be so much more entrepreneurial than you ever had to be as a reporter or editor in a newsroom,” she says. “You really have to learn to be a self-promoter.”

Scott’s story is not unique. In fact, she is one of many journalists who are making a good — sometimes exceptional — living by monetizing Web content.

Start up, then start generating revenue

Amy Lemley Bailey is publisher of My Scoop, an online fashion magazine or, as Bailey describes it: “a Southern fashionista’s source for style.” My Scoop started as a part-time blog that Bailey posted to five or six times a month. Then she started doing an email blast, and readership grew. Still employed full-time in sales for a national magazine, Bailey started to get inquiries from people interested in advertising on her site. “I decided it was time to take the leap and do my own thing,” she says. My Scoop immediately began generating revenue through advertising, she says.

In December, 2007, the Web zine was launched with daily updated articles. She hired a sales rep and was soon averaging about $15,000-20,000 each month in ad revenue. She’s since moved out of her home office into office space and now has three sales reps, a marketing director and several interns. And, she’s getting ready to launch sites in Nashville, Tenn., and Birmington, Ala., — with plans to continue launching in other cities.

Nicole Feliciano is editor of Momtrends, a site for — you guessed it — moms! Feliciano started out by blogging for others: Mom Central, Pampered Puppy and Babble.com. Then, she says, she figured out “the simple tools required to create my own blog.” Now, two years later, says Feliciano, “I have enough revenue to drop some clients and rely upon my own ad stream.” Feliciano sells ad space directly to other small business owners: “Space on Momtrends is a great value and trackable. Businesses can see every lead that comes their way through my site.”

She also uses affiliate links to generate revenue. “Whenever I write about a new product, I see if there is an available link that will generate cash off of a sale,” she says. One caution, though: “It’s essential to keep your integrity. My readers trust me, and I won’t let them down by being bought out for a review.”

Wendy Limauge began blogging six months ago and now makes close to $1500 a month blogging. She hopes to earn “full-time money” by the end of the year.

The key, says Limauge, is finding and sticking to a topic. “When I started, I made the big mistake of trying to write everything in one blog,” she says. “The readers your blog attracts will not come to your blog for everything. They come to you for usually one or two specific things.” In addition, she adds, search engines can be “confused” if your blog has too many topics. Have more to say than can be accomplished on one blog? Have several blogs. That’s what Limauge has done: “I have multiple blogs each featuring a specific topic — and I have different readers on each blog, she says.

Michelle Madhok started her blog SheFinds.com in 2004. Last fall, she sold a minority share of it for $1.3 million. The site generates about $500 thousand yearly in revenue. According to Madhok, the key to success is to “focus on a sellable category.” In her case, that category is fashion and beauty. “There are a lot of advertisers that want to be in that space and it gives us a number of revenue streams,” she says. These include: advertising, commissions, syndication and spokesperson opportunities.

Develop a money-making strategy and follow through

Monetizing your Web site can be done. The question is: How? Scott points to four “best practices” for making money through Web content:

1. Pick a topic that you’re both passionate about and that has a lot of potential. In Scott’s case, she focused on helping people save money — a hot topic, and a personal passion. “I’ve always been a cheapskate, and now I’m able to make money off my passion,” she says.

2. Focus on providing interesting content in a way that’s engaging for readers. “I like to draw my readers in with great stories, questions to get comments, polls, videos — anything that’s interactive,” says Scott. “Blogs are, above all, interactive; people coming from print or traditional media backgrounds need to embrace that interactivity.”

3. Consider syndicating your content for profit. “Develop a list of who might want to buy your content — and not just newspapers,” recommends Scott. “Think about what Web sites, radio stations, TV stations, trade publications or corporate outlets might be interested. You can really expand your platform.”

4. Start now — don’t wait to “quit your day job.” It takes a lot of time to build up traffic, Scott says. “You want to have a track record established before you’re really counting on people to link to you.”

The beauty of Web content, of course, is that it can be quickly changed. It is relatively easy to experiment with different topics, different audiences and different approaches. The key, again, is to focus on a topic that you’re passionate about — and that others share your passion for.

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Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist and independent marketing communication consultant.

As a development executive for a reality television production company, I get dozens of submissions every week from people who want me to consider their show ideas, and every week I throw most of those ideas straight into the garbage. The company I work for, along with most production companies and television networks in Hollywood, does not accept unsolicited submissions. Most places won’t take a pitch seriously if it isn’t coming from someone they already know or who has solid credits under their belt. Breaking in as an outsider can be difficult and daunting, but there are ways that, with a lot of hard work and creativity, Hollywood newcomers can get past the unsolicited submissions barrier and get their shows into the hands of the right people.

Work hard and bounce back from rejection

As media jobs disappear by the thousands, some creative professionals may be thinking of diversifying their skill sets and trying to break into other arenas such as reality TV. If you’re serious about pitching a reality show, there is something you need to know before you start: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are more experienced, more creative, better connected, and more qualified to sell a TV show than you are. It’s harsh, I know. I don’t say it to be discouraging, but rather as a reality check.

Think about it this way: The most successful producers in the industry spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on development staffs and research departments, they read ratings and trend reports, they have hit shows on the air, and despite all this, the ratio of shows they develop to what they sell is still minuscule. Jennifer Kulp is vice president of development for LMNO Productions, a longtime provider of reality and documentary TV, and also my employer. In LMNO’s case, Kulp says, “Probably one out of every 60 ideas we develop ever makes it to pilot. It’s an incredible ratio.”

Selling a reality TV show is hard — plain and simple. If you really want to make it happen, you must work hard and be prepared for rejection. Some of the biggest hits on the air, such as Survivor and Dancing With The Stars, were pitched for years before they were bought.

Find original ways to present your concept

I laugh every time someone prefaces their pitch by saying that I’ve never heard anything like it, because the chances are that I probably have. “There are no original ideas anymore,” says Kulp. “Just thousands of producers with different sensibilities who put their own spin on a concept.” In this increasingly competitive marketplace, you need so much more than just a good idea to succeed. “Ideas just aren’t enough,” Kulp continues. “Five years ago, a log line would sell a concept with a quick phone call. That is just not true anymore.” As an independent producer, you should not expect to sell a show based purely on the strength of an idea. While it’s not impossible, there are things you can do to improve the strength of your pitch and increase the odds of a development executive taking the time to look at your show.

Scout unforgettable talent

Without prior experience, a network or production company won’t have much reason to work with you, but if you bring them talent they want to be in business with, your appeal will improve dramatically. Tom Huffman, director of development at Shed Media US (formerly Ricochet, the company behind ABC’s Supernanny), says that when pitching reality, “You want to have some sort of asset attached to the project only you can secure, such as talent. If you can bring a network the next Roloff Family [from TLC’s Little People, Big World] you’ll receive your creator and/or EP [executive producer] credit and can launch the rest of your career from there.”

“Great tape goes a long way. It’s one thing to have a great idea or a great world, but it’s another if you can show me.”

Talent in a reality show can be anyone from a celebrity, an interesting family as Huffman discusses, a company (American Chopper, Miami Ink) or ordinary people who do extraordinary things (Deadliest Catch). There are great characters everywhere, and finding them is a great way to break into reality TV.

Prove your primetime potential with premium footage

There is no better way to convey the concept of a television show than with a short mini-pilot or “sizzle reel.” A five-minute DVD is a great way to introduce the idea of the show, present the talent in action, and to show off your vision as a producer. Joe Weinstock, director of original series at Spike TV, says that he receives an average of 20 pitches every week, and the best ones are those with a reel. “Great tape goes a long way,” Weinstock says. “It’s one thing to have a great idea or a great world, but it’s another if you can show me.” Make sure your reel is no longer than five or six minutes, because attention spans among TV professionals tend to be short.

Target your pitch to the appropriate person

Once you’re confident with your idea, talent, and tape, the next thing you should do is identify the appropriate networks your show could potentially sell to. Do this by watching TV, analyzing each network’s programming and by looking in trade journals such as The Hollywood Reporter and Variety to see what projects the networks are buying. Secondly, make a list of similar shows that are on the air and find the production companies that produce these shows. You can find the producer either in the end credits if you’re watching the show on TV or on IMDB.com. To find the people that work at these companies, find a copy of The Hollywood Creative Directory or look on subscription-based Web sites such as StudioSystem.com and CableU.tv for their contact information.

You’re more likely to talk your way into the doors of production companies than those of the networks. Even in the event that a network executive is interested in your show, they are not going to trust a first-time producer with hundreds of thousands of dollars of their development money. Because of this, my advice is to start with the development departments at the production houses.

Work the phones to snare a response

Do not waste your time with mass emails or mailers: Blind submissions via email and snail mail are passive and won’t get you anywhere. You are more likely to get a response over the phone. You may have to call multiple times or charm assistants in order to get a call back, but if you are polite and persistent, you should be able to get someone to speak to you.

Once you get in touch with the person you want to pitch, be courteous, enthusiastic, and make sure to listen to any suggestions they give you. Don’t exaggerate your experience or connections. Most people who do development have good B.S. meters. Be honest about who you are, why you chose to develop the project, and ask if they will take five minutes to hear you out or review your pitch materials.

Make your presence known at industry events

A tactic better than cold-calling is meeting people and forming relationships within the industry. Alan Moore, an agent in the reality department at the Agency for Performing Arts (APA), encourages anyone looking to break into television to start networking. Moore says, “If you don’t know anyone, the best place to get feedback and possibly get noticed is at pitch festivals.” There are various events throughout the year, most in Los Angeles, where executives from networks and production companies, agents, and managers come to hear pitches from any hopeful producer who signs up. These pitch festivals are similar to speed dating: Typically the “pitcher” gets five minutes to share their idea with the “catcher”, then, a notice is given and the pitchers change tables. This is a great way to capture the ear of industry professionals and make great business relationships.

The two largest pitch festivals are put on by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), and Fade In magazine. Both festivals consist of speakers, panel discussions, networking events, pitch coaching, and the Pitch Pits. The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference, or WestDoc, is a new festival that advertises all the same offerings. The Junior Hollywood Radio & Television Society (JHRTS) is another group that holds various panel discussions and networking events throughout the year in Los Angeles.

Know what to negotiate for and expect a realistic payout

If you do end up selling an idea to a production company, expect to enter into an option agreement with the company for your idea. In these deals, the producer should get two to five percent of the production budget based on experience, what you bring to the table, and how badly the company wants the show. In addition, you should negotiate for a piece of the “back end” — profits generated from the show after it airs, i.e. DVD sales, merchandising, etc. Getting money upfront, known as an option fee, is unusual for greener producers, so don’t expect to get paid until the show sells to a network and goes into production. With reality budgets ranging from $100,000 an episode for low-end cable to more than $1 million for broadcast network shows, you’re looking at earning anywhere from $2,000 to $50,000 per episode of your produced reality show.

Creating and selling reality TV shows is a tough business, but in success it can be a fun and lucrative way to make a living.

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Jeremiah Smith is a development executive for LMNO Productions in Los Angeles, as well as a freelance writer. He blogs at PretendYouDontCare.com.

It’s no secret that times are tough and perhaps no more so than in the media industry. Every day, it seems that news of more media company layoffs, mergers or bankruptcies are becoming fodder for hallway, cafeteria, water cooler and watering hole conversation.

Worried media professionals who are either already without a job or fear the worst are turning to new sources of income, often turning to long-forgotten or cast-aside passions. Fortunately, forced to think creatively about revenue options, many are coming up with unique and innovative ways to make, or augment, a living.

Pursue your passion, in a different medium
Trishann Couvillion, an event photographer, says that when 2009 hit, many clients began to pull back upcoming contracts for event work. “So, I’ve decided to hold workshops teaching various aspects of photography,” she says. “Teaching has always been of interest, and I’m finding that in this tough economy, people are more interested in educating themselves and are focused on indulging in areas of interest that — prior to this year — [they] did not have the time to pursue.” That’s been a financial boon for her: “This is the perfect time to gain income teaching.”

“I have a degree in PR and journalism, as well as music. Recently, I’ve had to rely on my music gigs more than my agency paycheck.”

Some endeavors are even more far afield from original media careers: Vladimir Lapin has worked at a midsize public relations and marketing firm in Purchase, N.Y., for two years. Last month, the entire staff took a pay cut. To make ends meet, Lapin has turned to singing! “I’ve been getting more and more gigs as a classical singer, especially in churches,” he says. “I have a degree in PR and journalism, as well as music. Recently, I’ve had to rely on my music gigs more than my agency paycheck.”

Chad Clinton Freeman spent 15 years in the newspaper business, but was recently the victim of a buyout and has been looking for employment. In the meantime, he says, “I decided to take the opportunity to follow a lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker.” Based in Las Vegas, Freeman recently announced the launch of his production company, Polly Staffle Films. It’s a company that produces material “from the dark side,” Freeman says. Freeman originally built a following through a Web site, PollyStaffle.com, generating more than 100,000 visitors a month. The site has become a haven for “filmmakers on the edge.” Although he says he can’t divulge any details at this time, his current project has “a top director of photography with multiple feature films under his belt, a talented special effects/makeup department, an editor with two features, a rapidly rising Scream Queen, a super fantastic location, cool stuff for the soundtrack and a number of other talented people on the cast and crew.”

Find inspiration in difficult times

Job loss itself can serve as the basis for new ideas and opportunities. Jason Rivera launched SlipSquad.com, a “source for pink slip parties” based in San Francisco, after “reading the many articles regarding the growing trend of layoffs,” he says. “Slip Squad is a way for me to ‘pay it forward’ to the millions greatly affected by the global economic crisis. It is a light, casual community where individuals can share their touching stories, share a laugh, find a job, sharpen their resume and connect with local professionals.” He says the Web site is “dedicated to all the recovering robots,” adding, “I want to make sure these people ‘reboot with dignity’ and jump right back into the workforce as soon as possible.”

As CEO of Slip Squad, Rivera says he has personally experienced the ups and downs of the strenuous layoff process but feels that “difficult times can inspire one to pursue lifelong goals.”

“Business owners are wary of investing in large-scale PR efforts, so I was forced to find other ways of providing affordable services to help market small-budget businesses during a recession.”

Of course, these days, a number of recent graduates who have not yet even held a “real job” find themselves in limbo while the market continues to tighten. What to do? Rachel Keslensky, who graduated in December 2008, is working on freelance artwork and a weekly Web comic called Last Res0rt, about Jigsaw Forte, “a young vampire playing in a deadly reality show with several dangerous criminals, all vying for survival.” Keslensky has been drawing the comic at the rate of a page a week and figures she’ll be close to having a first volume ready for release as a book later this year.

David Garland, CEO of The Rise to the Top says, “I’ve noticed that there is certainly a trend towards media professionals becoming entrepreneurs right out of college.” Garland writes, produces and hosts a TV show, and his entire workforce is built of “young, independent contractors in the areas of video, design, Web, editing,” and more. “These media professionals are ready to take on any project on a per-project basis, which has led from a progression of just doing a TV show to being able to handle any project with our team of professionals.” It allows, he says, “everyone to make a nice income in a crazy way.”

Adapt your array of services
Others are finding revenue streams by thinking creatively about different ways of offering their services.

When Natasha Biasell graduated from college, she got a job working “for a reputable PR firm in Los Angeles.” Then she moved to Napa, Calif., where, she says, “there are virtually no PR firms or PR jobs outside the wine industry.” Two years ago, she started her own PR consulting business and was successful for a time. “But the recent economic downturn has made it increasingly difficult to attract new clients,” she says. “Business owners are wary of investing in large-scale PR efforts, so I was forced to find other ways of providing affordable services to help market small-budget businesses during a recession.” She’s come up with a number of alternative options to her traditional service offerings: Pay-per-placement PR (“you only pay a stipend fee; if I actually garner editorial coverage in the media.”); low-cost, effective, Google AdWords accounts based on any budget; creating e-newsletters and targeted marketing emails; drafting and distributing SEO press releases; updating Web and other content.

The keys to success, say those who have followed their dreams, are: Being forced to do it, being willing to take a risk, and not giving up. It is possible that these are the best times to pursue “crazy dreams.” As Freeman notes, “historically, many of the most successful companies have started in recessions. “Take a negative and make it into a positive. That’s a theme I love in movies, and that’s exactly what I have decided to do.”

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Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist and independent marketing communication consultant.

Unless you have been living on a deserted island with no Wi-Fi connection, you know that news is increasingly being consumed by online audiences. As evidence, look no further than the decline of print newspapers and their evolution to online content delivery. It makes sense then for media professionals to explore the potential behind serving up important media events online, too.

This spring, we saw President Barack Obama hold an interactive public press conference on the White House Web site — the first of any presidential administration — that solicited questions from citizens (the press were not allowed to participate). This type of virtual outreach will no doubt serve as a model for media professionals who are seeking to test the possibilities of “new media” events. So, how do you launch a successful online news conference?

Before you can answer that question, you will need to first weigh a variety of strategic and tactical questions to make sure this approach is suitable for your particular announcement or media event. Many of those considerations boil down to who your audience is and how to control your message — already the hallmarks of good media relations planning.

Prepare for a greater level of unpredictability

David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing, and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, believes holding a news conference online is an ideal way to spread your message far and wide. But be prepared for a greater level of unpredictability in how information trickles down through the various media channels for consumption.

“I’m just a huge believer in, I use this phrase, ‘organizations losing control,’ and that requires from the strategic perspective casting the net a lot further than most people usually have done, and further than a lot of organizations at this stage are comfortable doing,” says Meerman Scott.

This, of course, means opening up the online press forum to non-mainstream media. “Meaning the people who are attending are not just people who are going to listen politely, ask a few questions, and go back and write up a broadcast or story after having thought about it a while,” says Meerman Scott. “That challenge is a little bit difficult for some organizations that are used to exerting control over their messaging to get their arms around [it].”

Part of what’s behind the notion of “losing control of the message” is the inherent dynamic nature of online mediums; bloggers and social networking gadflies can easily tune into an online news conference and live blog or Tweet about it as it is happening, says Meerman Scott.

“Traditional press conferences have expectations that have been built over decades that cannot be forgotten: feeling of exclusivity, real interaction, a sense of community with other journalists. Those expectations need to be ported over into the online environment.”

Scott Schneider, director of Ruder Finn Interactive, acknowledges this risk — the potential to lose control of your message — and says the online news conference model may not be for everyone. “In this case, it really depends on the sector or industry you are working in. Some sectors simply tend to be more sensitive than others and information access needs more control, therefore that raises issues online,” he says.

Promote participation on a global level

Other strategic considerations involve the advantages the medium itself offers. Key advantages of going digital with your news conference are “convenience and geographic irrelevance for the attendees,” Schneider says. Media professionals and amateurs alike are “very busy, so anything that can help attendance is a plus,” he says.

Meerman Scott agrees. “I think what’s so exciting about something like this is that people can participate from anywhere, and that means there may be people who would be compelled to participate who the organization doesn’t even know,” he says.

One downside to the online news conference format is the loss of the “in-person” camaraderie to which the media are accustomed. Schneider says that “traditional press conferences have expectations that have been built over decades that cannot be forgotten: feeling of exclusivity, real interaction, a sense of community with other journalists. Those expectations need to be ported over into the online environment.”

But the opportunity to spread your message beyond traditional news outlets may override the storied history behind typical news conferences. As a blogger himself at WebInkNow.com, Meerman Scott opines about online media strategy to an audience of approximately 20- to 30,000. “If I’m not invited to a news conference, but then I happen to see it happening because I find it on Google through a search, or somebody Tweets about it and I find out about it that way and I participate, that’s providing the organizers with a potential audience that they didn’t even think about. So it has a really good opportunity to spread the exposure to what it is the organization wants to say beyond their known media.”

Know how your audience consumes content

For Scott Monty, global digital and multimedia communications manager at Ford Motor Company, it’s all about knowing your audience. He suggests media and PR professionals make sure that the people they are trying to reach are in fact connected online. It may be obvious to say, but many media professionals who get caught up in the buzz and novelty of social networking and Webcasting could easily overlook that key piece of online press conference planning. “There is no sense in spending your time doing that if you are not going to have any kind of effect,” he says.

Monty, who advises on all strategy involving social media activities at Ford, also suggests determining how your audience likes to consume their online content. “If you are going to do an online news conference, make your content is available in as many media as possible. People are busy these days and some like to consume audio content so they can multi-task,” for example, he says.

That could mean making the old-fashioned press release available online next to the link to the news conference Webcast, along with perhaps an audio podcast of the media event. “You need to, again, assess what your audience is capable of, what they expect, and provide it to them,” Monty says.

Design a smart moderating plan

If you choose to open up your online news conference to the world, it is important to have a plan in place on how to moderate questions. Scott suggests designating a moderator — or two — on the media relations team whose job it is to monitor all incoming Web-based questions from email, Twitter, instant messenger, and the like and field them to the spokesperson. That same person or another team member should monitor the phone line or the actual room where the news conference is taking place for questions if it’s also being done in a live setting.

Either way, “I think it is a really good idea to ask a question that came in from a blogger or that came in from somebody on an online channel so that it’s clear to bloggers that this organization is open to answering questions from anybody,” Meerman Scott says.

“The ‘nuts and bolts’ do seem trivial at first, but much like anything, it is the user experience that can make or break the event, so these can’t be seen as ‘just details.'”

In an era of tight travel budgets, media professionals may also appreciate the “economic efficiency” of online press conferences, whether they choose to target just a few media outlets, or spread their message far and wide.

“You cut down on the travel costs of journalists who have to attend your event, who would usually storm the podium after, say, an executive gives a talk,” Monty says. In terms of setup, online press conferences are really no different than quarterly conference calls that are commonly conducted by companies to report their financial statements, he says, with analysts queued up on the phone to ask questions.

Technical tools and logistics

Technically-speaking, when launching an online news conference, it is not critical to have a video component, but it helps in making the media event that much more “live.” Work closely with your information technology department to set up the capability to stream video, or, if you are on a tight budget and doing this solo, investigate free streaming Web sites such as Ustream.tv or CamStreams.com.

“The ‘nuts and bolts’ do seem trivial at first, but much like anything, it is the user experience that can make or break the event, so these can’t be seen as ‘just details,'” Schneider says.

Other logistical requirements include a unique URL to promote, and if you want to track attendance, a place for reporters to register their RSVP. If you want the conference to be exclusive, set it up so a password is required to gain entry to the URL.

There are no hard and fast rules that always apply to how to set up the online press conference, Schneider says. Each organization or company will have its own individual needs and limitations, since logistical considerations such as screening, moderation, and broadcast options depend on available budget and resources.

Having a support network in place that will not be overwhelmed if attendance exceeds expectations is also important. “Details of closed online events can easily be leaked online via Twitter and other tools, so it’s important to consider,” Schneider says.

Is an online press conference an advantageous business decision?

Launching a press conference online is clearly good for democracy, but is it good for business?

“There is no question in my mind that getting information out quickly and with transparency is a really good thing. But I would give some thought to what is the kind of news that you are trying to get out there and is this method the right method to get that information out there,” Scott says.

“I can imagine a company, if they had to deliver a bad earnings report, they’d have to think twice if about whether they want to open up this channel. I would still recommend doing it because you get the information out more quickly, you show that you are willing to answer those questions, and you show that you are willing to answer them of anybody, not just hand-picked people. But that’s certainly a consideration of whether that’s the right approach for all organizations.”

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Jennifer Pullinger is a Richmond, Va.-based writer and communications professional with more than 10 years of experience in marketing, media relations, and journalism.

One of the first mentors I had when I started freelance writing gave me some excellent advice. Like most young freelancers, I wanted nothing more than to pen features for all the best magazines, but my mentor didn’t pitch to these idolized books, unlike many of her similarly-abled peers. According to her, editors at many of these popular publications wouldn’t respond to her pitches.

Of course, I was familiar with the process of months and months of following up on pitches by email and phone that probably borders on stalking. But my mentor knew that her hours spent working at her desk were highly valuable, and she wasn’t going to do the things that freelancers often do to try to up their chances of being published in the best books, like pitching to editors who don’t respond to pitches they’re not interested in, corresponding with editors who always want to see more research on ideas outlined in pitches but also don’t respond if they’re not intrigued by the pages of research you just turned in, or working with editors who routinely require that front-of-book pieces be rewritten three times.

So many freelance writers, raised with the mantra of “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again,” keep pitching to editors at their favorite publications, even if it may be a waste of work hours. So, what’s a savvy freelancer to do?

Overcome freelancer frustrations

Stephanie Nolasco, a widely-published New York-based freelance writer, hasn’t seen success — or clips — come effortlessly. “There have been times where I’ve pitched some great ideas to well-known publications. Although I followed up via email… I didn’t receive a response. A few months later, my idea was featured in their magazine, but with a different twist. Recently, I composed an 800-word story and submitted it to a publication that was expecting it. After all that writing and research, nothing! It was such a frustrating situation to be in.”

Nolasco understands that editors have tons of responsibilities and that they are often strapped for free time at the office, “but writers should also get the same respect for discovering overlooked stories, researching, battling writers block, editing for hours, and finally submitting [the piece]. If editors want to build a solid relationship with a particular writer, they need to recognize the worth and value of their work.” Nolasco thinks that it’s important for editors to send freelancers a quick “no” on a pitch and write a simple email to explain why an on-spec story or an assignment was killed. “Writers are passionate and eager people who’re ready to collaborate with their editors, but this can only be done successfully if the chance is given.”

Make the most of your work hours

Michelle Goodman, the author of My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire, thinks it’s important for writers to understand what they want out of their careers so they can pitch accordingly. “If there’s a writing credit that you really want, a highly coveted publication — they know that they are that and if their editors have a reputation for putting freelancers through the ringer, there may not be that much you can do to combat that. You have to just keep pitching cold if you really want it. But there are so many credits out there!”

“I contact editors from all my favorite magazines, briefly introduce myself via email, and submit some clips that best reflect the magazine’s voice. I then begin pitching ideas to them in a week.”

Goodman recommends that writers develop relationships with a number of editors who they can regularly work on stories with… and if freelancers feel so inclined, they can reserve a limited number of work hours working on cold pitches for vaunted publications that are much harder sells. “You can spend four hours doing the minimal amount of research for a pitch and nothing might happen. This is something I would only do every few weeks.” To Goodman, cold pitches are generally a “no” for writers who want to see major results coming from their work days. “I am not someone who does a lot of cold pitches. I know they work and I have done it before, but I am put off by the whole process. I would rather pitch an editor that I have a connection to — and I know there’s that conundrum.”

Stephanie Nolasco also sees that networking gives her a better chance of getting assignments. “I contact editors from all my favorite magazines, briefly introduce myself via email, and submit some clips that best reflect the magazine’s voice. I then begin pitching ideas to them in a week… I often set up informational meetings [with editors] over lunch (where I buy!) or in their offices, where I ask them questions about how they got started in journalism, and for advice on pitching for that magazine…” Nolasco senses that this proactive approach bumps up her chances of getting published.

Give overworked mag staffs some credit

“As frustrating as it is waiting to hear back from editors, I really can’t be upset with them,” says Rachel, a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer who has worked on staff at various regional and national magazines and newspapers. “Magazines are just so understaffed that there really is no way for editors to respond quickly to all queries. Rachel recalls that when she was on staff at one magazine, she would “feel so sick” when she looked at the huge stack of papers in the submissions basket. “There was nothing I could do. We were on deadline! I recommend that magazines just hire a batch of interns whose primary responsibility is to read and answer pitches.”

Brian Parks, the arts and culture editor at the Village Voice, receives between 20 and 25 pitches every week from new writers and tries his best to correspond with them: “I like to be as responsive as possible. But I honestly do not have the time to respond to all the pitches and other emails and calls I receive — I’d spend all my day emailing and not doing the rest of my editing job. In general, I’d say it’s fine to follow up if you have not heard back from an editor, but never to nag, which is counterproductive. If an editor has not replied to you after a couple emails, just accept that as a ‘no’ and move on,” he says. However, Parks is very sympathetic to writers trying to break into their favorite NYC-based publications: “Know that it’s hard to break in, not because the papers and sites are being snobby, but because we receive many more pitches than we could ever accommodate.” Parks recommends working as an intern or a fact-checker, as a gig like this is a “solid way to become familiar with both that publication and the general NYC scene, and is a good way to make contacts.”

But, there is an upside to the freelancer’s dilemma: Writers are continuously getting new clips at the best publications, and someone has to write for them. Perhaps the issue here is that it isn’t impossible to be a widely-published freelance writer, but no one ever said it was going to be easy.

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Liz Funk is a Manhattan-based freelance writer who has written for USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, and CosmoGIRL!. Her first book, Supergirls Speak Out: Inside the Secret Crisis of Overachieving Girls, was published by Simon and Schuster’s Touchstone/Fireside imprint in March 2009.

Congratulations — you’ve published a nonfiction book. But so have thousands of other writers this month alone. And with the explosion of self-publishing options in the last few years, putting your book on Amazon is like placing your prized needle in a haystack. More accurately, it’s like placing your hay in a haystack. So how do you get your book exposure beyond your Mom’s reading club and your own list of Facebook friends? The good news is that most authors don’t know how to aggressively publicize their own books, or even that they should, so there’s plenty of opportunity to separate yourself from the stack.

First, don’t rely on your assigned publicist to do your marketing for you. Unless you’re already famous, your publicist is about as reliable as that slacker lab partner you had in high school. Your book’s best publicist is you. Think about it: You’re the person most passionate and knowledgeable about the material. You’re the person most invested in the book’s success, and you’re the person editors most want to hear from, not your publicist. So let your publicist do his/her thing if you have one, but also get busy yourself.

The following five tips (six if you add “write a damn good book!”) were culled from my experiences as a new author, a public relations executive, an author publicity consultant, and a mediabistro.com instructor in this area. The success of your publicity campaign is directly related to how much time and effort you personally put into it. But spend that time wisely.

1. It’s not about getting people to buy your book; it’s about getting people to promote it

Sure, you can sell a few copies at a bookstore signing, but if you want to reach people en masse, you need to find individuals and media entities with built-in audiences, or as they say in the publishing business, platforms: bloggers, podcasters, magazine and newspaper editors, and radio and television producers. When you find them, remember…

2. Don’t sell your book; sell your mission

No one in the media is interested in selling your book for you, unless you have blood family in the media. Professional and amateur book reviewers will review your book if they feel so inclined, but your book has to get in a very long and competitive line. For the rest of the media world, you need to sell them on something more instantly interesting then the book itself: your mission. If you haven’t already defined a mission, consider how your book uniquely and superlatively counsels people, fixes an institution, saves the world, enlightens the public, or performs some compelling function other than holding up short table legs and pressing flowers. A mission implicitly sells your book, while a description merely describes it, so work your mission into all of your marketing materials. When your mission is ready for prime time…

3. Turn your mission into a sellable article

Put your writer’s hat back on and create a 500-word personal essay, list of tips, Top 10 list, or a self-quiz that showcases your mission and/or expertise. These pieces, unlike your book pitch, are appealing (and sellable) to local and national newspapers, magazines, media Web sites, and some radio shows. You can then mention (and link to) your book in your byline. Having clips like these instantly improves your media credibility. Some editors advertise their editorial needs on Web sites like HARO.com (Help a Reporter Out) and PitchRate.com. I recommend registering for these free sites to catch publishing opportunities. Remember: Any media mention is a marketing ally. And speaking of marketing allies…

4. The Web is your friend, but that doesn’t mean you need to start a blog

Start by creating your own book Web page using a free or low-cost Web-building site (I use Yahoo, but there are others). You should also create a Facebook fan page, and “suggest” it to as many people as possible. If you don’t know how to do that, consult your teenage kid, a friend’s teenage kid, or a nearby college intern (and get used to some eye-rolling).

On your Web site, place your book cover, your blurbs, your bio, and your description. Then, purchase low-cost URLs for that page using keywords related to your mission (not just your book title). For my book of collected essays on divorced fatherhood, for example, I bought “divorceddadbook.com” from GoDaddy. Insert key language as many places on the page as possible, and link back to this page on all of your published work and marketing materials. This is how I got my book’s Web site at the top of Google search results for “divorced dad book.”

5. Don’t work for the blogosphere; put the blogosphere to work for you

Unless you’ve been blogging for a year with an established and loyal audience, it’s just not worth it to start a blog from scratch. That’s just more hay in the haystack. But established bloggers, especially those focusing on your niche (the niche-ier, the better) need a steady diet of new ideas to talk about. Often, bloggers will take a free book PDF in exchange for a link, a mention, a review, an interview, or something else that’ll help promote your book to their key audience. And their key audience is your key audience. All you have to do is find them.

In my case, I researched and found bloggers who focused on fatherhood and parenthood, pitched them (armed only with a PDF, my credits, and my email charm), and was eventually featured in many of the most popular parenting blogs on the Internet. Remember: the point is not to get bloggers to buy your book; the point is to have them promote it, so don’t be hesitant to send a PDF or a galley copy.

When you finished writing your book, you became more than an author; you earned a graduate degree in your book’s subject, and became a foremost expert in your book’s mission. It’s your job and — for the most part — your job alone to leverage that status to get your book the kind of recognition you’ve already spent so much of your writing time fantasizing about.

So roll up those sleeves again, hit that laptop, grab your pitchfork, and be your own best publicist.

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Joel Schwartzberg is an award-winning freelance essayist and author of The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad.

In the business world, you often hear people say, “It’s just business.”

In the world of journalism, the business of reporting and writing about business can mean big business. More specifically, those who can find a niche covering business topics can uncover a wealth of writing and career opportunities.

That’s what four writers from across the country have done, utilizing their experience as reporters, writers and editors to move into careers covering the business of real estate, finance and sports for prominent local and national publications. While all four have vastly different backgrounds, they share a common bond: They believe that the same traits that make a reporter good are the same no matter what topic you are covering, and they all started out in another aspect of journalism or business, honing and developing their craft and abilities, before transferring over into the specific niche they have been able to turn into a rewarding career.

Seek out your specialty on the job

Mary Umberger is a Chicago-based freelance writer and real estate reporter who spent 30 years at the Chicago Tribune before taking a buyout last year. She still writes a weekly real estate column for the Tribune and also contributes to the Los Angeles Times, St. Petersburg Times and Inman.com, a real estate news Web site. She also does twice-weekly real estate news spots on WGN radio in Chicago.

She spent about two-thirds of her career at the Tribune as an editor before taking a real estate writing job there. “I thought the beat would be short-term and that I would move into general features writing,” says Umberger. “Turned out, I really liked covering real estate.”

Umberger is a self-described “house person” and says there are plenty of people like her out there who find the whole topic and all its permutations to be fascinating. But she still thinks her experience as an editor (she was a copy editor, ran a copy desk, worked as an assistant in some features sections and was editor in chief of two features sections at the Trib) served as the training grounds for her move to a business writing niche in real estate.

“As an editor, I re-wrote so much bad writing by other people that I developed a strong sense of what works and what doesn’t, about pacing and style.”

“Make yourself able to converse confidently with the experts in the field when you interview them. They’ll remember that you knew something about their business, because a lot of reporters approach them cold.”

Umberger says one can learn a lot about the business of real estate and what consumers experience by writing service-oriented how-to stories: how to apply for a mortgage, how to pick a neighborhood. But they get old quick, she says.

Parlay your existing skills to make the transition

“What turns it into an interesting beat is writing about the people,” says Umberger. “I never tried to be Mike Royko; I just wanted to write readable stories.”

That’s what Richard Koreto, a Tallman, New York-based freelance journalist, has done during his more than 20 years covering the financial industry. Koreto admits his entry into financial writing was almost an accident: He wanted to move into magazine work, and the job he got was at the Journal of Accountancy, a publication for CPAs. He started as a copy editor and eventually became a staff writer and editor. As Koreto progressed, he wasn’t shy about asking questions, and he started researching the technical details of the business to learn additional and more in-depth skills.

“It shows you can get into a new field with some work and luck,” says Koreto. “My background was not business-related at all. I was an English and Latin major and never even took a college-level business or economics course.”

Now his background includes stints as editor-in-chief of Wealth Manager, executive editor of Financial Planning, and senior editor of the Journal of Accountancy. Koreto’s work on Financial-Planning.com earned him a Gold Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

Network and research to prove your chops

Umberger has long been associated with the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE), and the networking opportunities and connections she has made through that industry has led to additional freelance opportunities and the chance to connect with speakers and other who have turned into terrific sources.

“If you don’t have the writing ability, you’ll blend into the wall in a very short period,” she says. “You’d get the real estate and business knowledge over time, but you have to be able to give it a little jazz to make the topic readable.”

Koreto agrees. “In these times, you have to show you have the knowledge,” he says. “I was fortunate in having a patient editor who let me get up to speed. At most publications, especially today, you’re expected to hit the ground running. No one wants to spend time explaining the difference between a “put” and a “call.” Fortunately, there are a lot of business and investing books out there. If you want to get into financial reporting and already have good experience as a journalist, get yourself up to speed before you start interviewing or pitching ideas.”

Maury Brown, president of Portland, Ore.-based Bizball LLC and founder and president of the Business of Sports Network, a series of expansive resources, dedicated to the business of sports, echoes Koreto’s sentiments.

Both passionate and knowledgeable about sports and the business of sports, Brown has combined the two into a professional writing, research and consulting career. Brown assisted the MLB To Portland effort, which included a group of Portland-based business leaders attempting to help the Montreal Expos relocate to Portland earlier this decade. He is also the former co-chair of SABR’s Business of Baseball committee, a contributor to Baseball Prospectus, was formerly on the staff of The Hardball Times, writes occasionally at Maury Brown’s Biz of Sports and has contributed to numerous sports-related books.

“In many ways, I’m a researcher, first and foremost, that happened to be an opinionated researcher,” says Brown. “I have always believed that sports outside the lines was as important as what was occurring on the field. The business side is becoming more and more of interest to the average fan. Hopefully, we’re making the content entertaining enough to bring in a broad audience.”

“There are a lot of sports economists that know a heck of a lot more than I do, but when I read their work, it comes across as targeted to academics.”

When not doing consulting work, Brown says he could write five to 10 articles per day. That honed his writing skills, and always produced the fresh content readers of his Web sites wanted. He gave them a reason to return.

Brown has never covered “just” sports or “just” business — his career has always tied the two together. But his knowledge of sports and interest in the business side of things has been the key to his success.

“There are a lot of sports economists that know a heck of a lot more than I do, but when I read their work, it comes across as targeted to academics,” says Brown. “There is certainly a much needed place for that, but the ability to express yourself at the fan level is very valuable. As far as sports and business as separate, they seemed fused together — joined at the hip. I would say that knowing sports business is critical while having a broad understanding of business and sports separate, as well.”

Bill King, a senior writer for special projects for the Sports Business Journal (SBJ) in Charlotte, North Carolina, took the traditional path to a career in sports journalism. He attended the University of Florida and earned a journalism degree. Upon graduation in the mid 1980’s, he took a job at the Tampa Tribune and covered among other things, Florida Gators sports, the Florida Marlins and the Orlando Magic. He also wrote feature stories and columns. As he put it, it was everything he wanted to do since he was 10 years old.

But in 1998, he gave up the life of a sports writer to move into a career covering the business of sports for the Sports Business Journal. He gave up working nights and weekends covering the biggest sporting events, to working daytime hours covering the business side of the world of sports. He came to the SBJ as the only sports writer who didn’t have a business writing background. The rest of the staff were business writers hired to cover the business of sports.

“In a game, there is a score. Well, a company’s quarterly financial reports have a score — it’s up by this much revenue, or down this much revenue. It’s reporting, just with different subject matter in different ways.”

But that didn’t hinder King and his quest to succeed in this profession. “The biggest thing is that it’s all storytelling,” says King. “Those are two tools and skills anyone needs to succeed regardless of what you are covering or writing about. In my opinion, a good journalist should be able to cover a court case, a commission meeting, or a fire for that matter, just as well as they can a sporting event or business issue. In this case, sports and business is just the topic; you apply the same skills, just in a different way.”

To help learn his craft, King read The Wall Street Journal — something he still does every day. He read what other business journalists were writing and reporting about and noted what was good, what stood out, and what he needed to improve on.

“In a game, there is a score,” says King. “Well, a company’s quarterly financial reports have a score — it’s up by this much revenue, or down this much revenue. It’s reporting, just with different subject matter in different ways.”

Understanding sports and business can lead to a career in sports business reporting, but when it all comes down to it, understanding basic reporting and writing skills is what will get one started in this career, whether it be sports, finance or real estate, says King.

“Do your research, check your facts, be accurate [and] fair, and tell the story. That’s all it is.”

Five tips on how to succeed as a niche business reporter:

1. Pick a beat — and learn all you can about it. “Pick a beat — it doesn’t have to be housing — and drill down, read everything you can that’s in an industry’s trade journals,” says Umberger. “Make yourself able to converse confidently with the experts in the field when you interview them. They’ll remember that you knew something about their business, because a lot of reporters approach them cold. They’ll return your calls and let you in on their news first.”
2. Network, network, network. “Yes, you have to be good at your job, but with so many layoffs and cutbacks, it’s become mostly about personal contacts,” says Koreto, who pays $50 per year to belong to the New York Financial Writers’ Association. “Nervous editors only work with those they know, or who are recommended by people they know. I pitched one publication (not a large or prestigious one) on topics I had a lot of experience in. They told me they wouldn’t even talk to me about writing unless I took a long and elaborate test that essentially meant I wrote them a free article. It’s heavily about networking and personal connection today.”
3. Learn how to write quickly — and for the Web. “Everything is moving online,” says Koreto. “People want their business and financial information right away. If you can show you have Web writing skills, you will be ahead of others, even if your experience is in another subject.”
4. Learn the trade first, and worry about money second. Brown says don’t get into sports business for money — there is not a pot of gold at the end of it, so do it because you enjoy it. In time, the money will come. “I love the color of it — the ever-changing hue of sports,” he says. “The intense drama that sports has, and how it is a thread that has flowed through generations that gets passed down. When tying it to business, you get larger-than-life characters running franchises, and players making millions of dollars. It’s an intoxicating elixir for me. If you are patient, driven, and knowledgeable, a paycheck will follow.”
5. Be prepared for a transition period. In King’s opinion, the transition to a sports business reporter is easier for the sports writer than it is for the business writer who needs to learn the sports aspect of things. “I always felt it was a benefit to know the history of the sports and be up to date on who the big names, players and successes were,” he said. “When talking to executives in the sport, it always gives me something to talk about, something to bridge any gaps in the discussions. If you don’t know your sports or aren’t up to date on what’s happening, you might sound like you don’t know what you are talking about even if you know the business side. That might change the way they perceive you.”

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Matt Krumrie is a freelance writer and communications professional.

I’ll get right to the point: PR is not the dark side any more.

As a reporter for a plethora of publications in the hard-to-remember ’80s, I do recall titters from my colleagues when I defected to PR. I had to make more money and I couldn’t cope with holier-than-thou editors. I’d written for USA Today, New York Daily News, The New York Times, Crains NY, Editor & Publisher, Us… and all I got was a T-shirt that said, “Someone read my article.”

A lot of PR peers were once reporters who failed in the new gig because PR was immoral or beneath them (don’t get me started!). You have to think of yourself in the highest esteem to make it as a journalist — I get it — but in order to make the leap into public relations, just cut out that attitude with a scalpel. If you want to be great and make money, you need to passionate about the work. And you just can’t fake passion — unless you’re in porn.

Ever since I switched teams, I have met PR folks who started sentences with, “Back when I was a reporter…” Most were let go from reporting duties by slimming corporations. But some proved to not be so good at either profession.

To do well in the PR industry, you need to make a tough job look easy. You’ve got to have many balls in the air at one time. A lot seem to juggle well, except for those tasks you didn’t come up with on your own.

Here is how to determine whether you’ve got the goods to make it in our town.

You belong in PR if…

You have attention to detail (or ATD)
Those devilish details are required. Consistency is everything, and if you’re careless or sloppy, we beseech you stay away. But if you can spot a mistake from a mile away — and stop it from attacking — please join the PR association.

A guy employed at RLM PR previously worked at a terrible agency and came equipped with bad habits. He would write a mediocre draft, and when I said rewrite it, he shrugged, “Why? The client won’t notice.” He’s at The Gap now.

You can write — and edit
You hate wimpy words like “accepts,” “offers,” and “ensures.” You are all about full and clear sentences. You say what you mean to say, and you aren’t that cretin always trying to “come up with a good way to say X.” You use lowercase and capital letters correctly. Come on down.

Writing is rewriting. There was a — ahem — creative type in our office who loved to write as though he were pontificating. He was a college professor, so he said. It’s one thing to love to hear your own voice, but on paper, that’s useless.

You need to see everything to its rightful conclusion
Reporters can write bad copy, hand it to an editor, and think, “S/he’ll fix it.” If you can’t stomach that though, then join “the lighter side.” You know the colleague who figures someone else will finish the product? That guy disgusts you, right?
You’re the one who ambles into a PR office and says, “What’s it going to take to get this done?!?” We call it Gumby — you never shrug or roll your eyes! You’re our type.

You don’t get scared at B-movies (or several simultaneous deadlines)
You would have never said, “I can’t do more than one story at a time,” as a journalist, and you can manage many screaming babies at once.

A reporter acquaintance came to work and freaked out because our computers were down. He was gone by lunch on day one.

You never call yourself “a people person”
You deal with words; people are secondary. Of course you’re a team player, but will you sit down and create something? From scratch?

In Detroit, “GM Nod” occurs when people come to meetings and say yes to every new fantastic idea until they leave the room and murmur, “That ain’t going to happen.” In PR, you always have to sell in your ideas to clients and colleagues.

How can you tell if you’re right for this evolving field that happens to be hiring? You have an innate ability to leave your ego at the door and you can take a message to the people without editorializing!

You don’t belong anywhere near PR if…

You think it’s a breeze
Oh puh-leeze. I work my ass off and answer to a ton of chieftains: editors, reporters, producers — and those clients who send passive aggressive emails all day long! Nothing we do is easy. Don’t apply here. You already aren’t applying yourself.

We ask applicants from the field of journalism why they want to be in PR. They say it’s because they know how reporters work. The last one we hired answered, “because I want to make more money, and I’m not afraid to work hard.” We love you!

You’ve dealt with PR folks so you’ve got mad skills
What’s that — incessant babbling against an onslaught of cheery PR types? We already put up with you at one job.

We hired an ex-producer who made an excellent first impression, but the second she arrived, she spent gobs of time saying why pitches wouldn’t work and had a nonstop, almost obsessive need to communicate developments. She didn’t let the elevator door hit her on the…

It’s your way — forget the highway
You are so darn flexible, you can do handstands! When push comes to shove, you’ve never met an answer you didn’t know. Two words: shoe salesman.

If the person doing most of the talking in meetings is you, then we’re just not that into you. The best PR people ask lots of questions and listen to answers.

Your mother told you everything you do is precious
Your mom was wrong, and you’ve got no stomach for PR because you are as thin-skinned as Bill O’Reilly.

I once hired “The Smartest Person In The World,” albeit temporarily. When errors were astutely pointed out to him, instead of learning from them, I got fistfuls of vociferous arguments. His mother worships him; he Tweets about it all the time.

You need someone to hold your hand because an editor did
A lot of applicants ask: Will you show me the way? Yes, if I was Peter Frampton! You don’t have the “pit bull” self-starter thing going on, so let’s not.

One of my firm’s most successful PR pros arrived from a journalism career in Europe. He asks a ton of questions, but not before trying to find the answer himself. God helps those who help themselves. And we believe in him (lowercase “him” — the guy we hired).

There are exceptions: You can write a scintillating press release, but still have an ego like Montana? Your ADD is stuck, and your ATD is phenomenal? Hang a hat here!

During these fast four years of co-crafting the notorious Bad Pitch Blog, we made it a home for reporters to articulately moan about PR simpletons. But through the most maudlin of economies, more than half of BPB’s e-correspondence has been you people (journalists) asking if this snickered-at field could be a home for your needy selves! Letters say, “I can do this, no sweat. I know what’s good because, gosh, I’ve turned down so many pitches!”

You know what I think? You could turn down a bed!

So it appears our two divergent careers have finally fallen in love. Now you have to decide if you’re a sweet-grapes person who wants to learn and influence the public while connecting to always-busy people for 10 (you heard 10!) hours each day. If you see yourself pacing in that cubicle, you are a PR person who was once a full-time scribe.

That does not mean call me for a job. Contact me to get the goods on my clients while you’re still a somewhat employed journalist. I’ll take the call.

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Richard Laermer is the author of Full Frontal PR, Punk Marketing and 2011: Trendspotting. He was once a proud full-time “reporter type” who spend 24 hours a day writing for around 35 publications — too many to bother naming. Now he’s the CEO and bathroom tidier of veteran RLM PR. He also writes for HuffPo, Laermer.com, and — here. Laermer also co-blogs at Bad Pitch Blog, and Tweets at @laermer.