Why Freelance Journalism is the Future

I’ve had the same conversation hundreds of times over the past 20+ years that I’ve been a full-time freelance journalist. Then I get text messages afterward asking a myriad with questions: "what should I charge?", 'Can I negotiate rates and payment terms?", and "Where are all the High-paying magazines?".

The amounts of text messages and DM's has only increased in the past year when 5,000+ journalists experienced mass layoffs — damn near 10 percent of the U.S. journalism workforce - 49,800 journalists currently work in various roles.

The Pew Research Center estimates that 34 percent of journalists currently work as freelancers.

Here at the Stylists Suite, which I founded to support freelancers and publicists, we expect to see a growing number of freelance journalists in the future. But while journalism schools and newsrooms offer many programs that prepare and lead emerging journalists into newsroom staff jobs, there are very little resources for figuring out how to make a living as a freelancer.

Getting your first set of assignments can be terrifying! 

I'm going to create an interactive guide that helps cut through the decision overload by offering bite-sized modules for navigating these choices and setting up your freelance business to be sustainable and successful. 

This resource starts with you answering important questions. Based on your particular situation, you’ll be given a suggested order by which to complete the training modules, each of which will move you further along the path to having a clear strategy, resources and plan for your freelance business. 

This resource will also allow you to develop a customized set of spreadsheets that you can continue to use in your freelance businesses, to reach your financial and professional goals and adjust to any bumps along the way. Many local and community-centered newsrooms consist of just one or two full-time journalists, who essentially are running their own freelance practices. The guide will also be useful to them. 

In order to be as relevant to as broad a range of independent journalists as possible, I would love to get input from other freelancers about what resources they are missing and where the gaps are in their knowledge base. 

If you’re struggling through the start-up phase of freelancing I’d love to set up a call to hear about your challenges — and how the resource I build might be able to help.