Freelancing can be a great option for journalists, especially since it comes with a wide range of flexibility and often the freedom to explore the stories that strike a personal interest. In fact, freelancing is a popular option among journalists, especially as cutbacks at media outlets mean fewer full-time staff positions – a 2022 Pew Research analysis of nearly 12,000 U.S.-based journalists found that 34% reported being freelance or otherwise self-employed.
But there’s also uncertainty that comes with freelancing: How do you find new worthwhile stories? How do you build a roster of clients? And what does the paycheck look like at the end of the day? To provide answers to these questions and help journalists navigate the world of freelancing, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) Canada held a virtual workshop on December 3. The discussion was moderated by Renée Sylvestre-Williams, a freelance financial journalist and content strategist, and joined by panelists Luc Rinaldi and Kelsey Rolfe, who have both made successful careers as freelance business journalists. They discussed how they got started in freelancing, how they balance the work they love with the work that pays, and the advice they have for other journalists interested in freelancing.
Building a career in freelancing
Rolfe emphasized the importance of building your connections, especially during college. “You kind of build a network when you’re in journalism school,” she said, adding that she began freelancing – in addition to working a full-time job – by taking on side opportunities from friends or others she knew.
Eventually, the freelancing work eclipsed her full-time job. “I got to the point I had more assignment offers than I could say yes to, and I started to think, maybe I can make this happen as a full-time gig. I quit my job to see if it would work, and it did,” Rolfe said.
Rinaldi didn’t have a job waiting for him after graduating from journalism school, so he started pitching stories to editors he knew across the industry. He began building a roster of freelance clients and “it sort of just continued from there.”
When it comes to building clientele, neither has really used social media or freelancing websites. Both Rolfe and Rinaldi find that most of their work comes from referrals or people they’ve previously worked with in newsrooms. Rolfe has an “informal referral system with other freelancers” – if one person can’t take an assignment, they recommend another journalist they know who would be a good fit.
The key is the successful pitch. With experience as a former trade publication editor, Rolfe suggested that journalists not just send an email saying they are available for work, but send one great pitch so they know what kind of work you want to do, especially if there’s not already a project set up.
Diversifying your portfolio
Being open to opportunities beyond traditional journalism also helps. Rolfe also has worked on non-editorial projects for financial services and technology companies – industries she’s familiar with – and produced sponsored content and reports for a previous employer. “I’m not making a living strictly from editorial freelancing. If anyone is doing it, I would like to know,” Rolfe said.
The group agreed that they find traditional journalism, or editorial work, is more satisfying, but it can be more time-consuming with lower rates for freelancers. In contrast, non-editorial work, like reports for companies, often pay better and may be less time-consuming for journalists, especially if they’re already well-researched in a particular industry. As Rolfe put it, “basically, the non-journalism subsidizes the stuff I enjoy.” Williams concurred: “I know the feeling, you got to pay the bills, and sometimes the work that’s not the most creatively interesting is the one that’s going to pay your bills this month.”
Williams said about 60% of her project load consists of non-editorial freelance, with the remaining 40% from editorial work. Rolfe agreed this split works the best for her as well, adding it “felt like the balance in my life kind of clicked into place” once she began diversifying her freelance projects in this way.
The tough part: Negotiating rates
Negotiating pay can be difficult as a freelance journalist, especially when you’re first starting out. Everyone in the discussion agreed that rates have been somewhat “stagnant,” but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth.
“A common per news story rate is like $500 a story, and that hasn’t budged since I started freelancing in 2014,” said Rolfe. The group nodded in agreement, with Rinaldi adding, “I’m pretty exclusively in the magazine world, and it’s like, a dollar a word is sort of the standard. Occasionally, I’ll get more than that, something like $1.25 a word.”
Their advice for journalists is to look at how much work you have to do for a project, how heavy it would be on research, interviews, or fact-checking, and see if the time investment would be worth it to you. As Rolfe summed it up, “$500 can look better or worse, depending on what you’re doing for it.” Rolfe went on to recommend that journalists consider if they “want the byline” and consider if it’s a good portfolio piece for them or would be an opportunity to dive into a personal interest. These things can make a project more valuable or satisfying, even if the rate isn’t the best.
In Rolfe’s experience, corporations often have more room for negotiation than publications do. If a potential client offers you a lower-than-average rate, Rinaldi’s advice to journalists is not to be afraid to share what they would typically make doing a similar story for a competitor of theirs, “like, hey, I’m not being cheap, this is just what I’m worth.” It’s also okay for journalists to ask if there’s room for their rate to increase in the future if they do a good job for a client, especially if it’s one you have been wanting to work for.
Final thoughts on what to watch out for
When reviewing a contract, freelancers should be especially aware of clauses that define who owns the work and who is liable.
Rinaldi explained it’s very different for a client to claim all rights to a work and own everything you’ve written and gathered for a project, versus a situation where a client will publish the work and only have rights to it for a short period. He prefers the latter, adding that written work could then be used in an anthology later, or an interview could be used to inform another project.
Williams added, “always look at the liability part of it, because it’s… becoming a lot more standard… they’ll be like, ‘we’re paying you a paltry amount, but if anything happens, you are responsible for all the legal fees.’” She has been able to negotiate contracts that she’s legally responsible for only up to the amount she was paid for the article.
Rolfe reflected on one contract that “had a clause that would, if I signed it, would require me to commit my full working hours to the publication.” Clauses like these are important to watch out for.
And at the end of the day, the group suggested journalists focus on whether they are happy with the work they do. “I think thinking about how you’re growing as a writer and a reporter and a journalist is more heartwarming than thinking about ‘how am I going to make an extra dollar a word,’” said Rinaldi.
And some final words of encouragement to journalists: “If you have a story, pitch it… Don’t be afraid to,” said Williams.
