10 Free Tips On How To Succeed In Freelance Newspaper Writing

If you’re interested in freelance writing for newspapers, these tips are for you:

• Buy many newspapers

Every newspaper has its own unique flavor and by reading many of them regularly, you get a more balanced idea of what kinds of writing you should attempt.

• Make friends with reporters

If you have friends in the industry, they may be able to put in a good word for you at the right moment and get you hired or considered more favorably.

• Pick up another related skill like photography

If the newspaper needs you to take pictures but not to write, you may be able to write up a piece that gets published anyway if you’re lucky. You can also become more familiar to the people who might one day hire you.

• Intern for free

This is another method you can use to learn the ropes in the industry and to become more familiar to everyone.

• Practice writing editorials

The more you write in this style the better you will get.

• Start and maintain a blog

Many people get their news from blogs rather than traditional newspapers so you can look at this as a sort of back door to the industry.

• Pick up a hobby that people would probably read about

You might be an amazing makeup artist or have a wide knowledge about etiquette. Either of these could be turned into a weekly column if you market yourself well.

• Be where the news is

This can be dangerous depending on what you intend to report but by showing up as a story is unfolding you can end up getting the scoop before anyone else and by having the story first you may be paid for it.

• Consider applying for a salaried position

Freelancing is all well and good but you ca also try to get a salaried position at one paper while remaining available for jobs at other publications. This is a way to advertise yourself as a good reliable writer.

• Look at foreign newspapers

Sometimes foreign newspapers may be a good option because they need occasional stories from someone located where you are but not often enough to hire someone full time. This is an even better idea if you speak multiple languages because most people don’t.

These methods can get you freelancing for newspaper and magazines in no time if you have enough dedication.