Benefits of Working with Freelancers
As publishing houses continue to fold outlets and cut staff, freelance writing is becoming more and more prominent. While it seems best practice to work with only staff editors, there are many benefits to working with a freelancer instead.
- You get more for your money: As most freelancers write for multiple publications, hosting one is like hosting several outlets at once. Note, freelancers are paid for each story they produce, after one visit (or pitch) it is in their best interest to cover as many times as they can!
- Willing and able travelers: It is common knowledge that many publications do not accept complimentary experiences (New York Times, Wall Street Journal). Even those that do, are starting to decline more and more often – less staff, less time! Freelancers want the travel experience to get the knowledge they need to produce stories and therefore, make money.
- Influencers in their own right: The word “influencer” is thrown around often in the world of PR. Typically, we think of Instagram stars and those with a cult blog following. Freelancers have caught onto the trend, using the images they capture to not only make money through their story writing, but also through brand partnerships.
Approaching Freelancers
Freelancers are full-time writers. They have the same job of staff editors, just writing for multiple publications. Keeping this in mind, freelancers should be communicated with and treated the same as on staff editors. It is important to keep this in mind – especially as the freelance pool gets bigger. Tips:
- Differentiate your Destination: focus on the unique and different
- Stay in tune with industry trends: journalism is built from industry trends. Make sure your destination is in tune and highlight those aspects that are trending
- Online coverage is KING: digital coverage is imperative, and growing quickly
- Short-form journalism: round-ups are taking over the internet, many of them handled by freelancers themselves. Keep your destination top of mind by keeping image libraries up-to-date, announcing all events (big & small), showcasing news
Hosting Freelancers
It is common knowledge that the goal of a media visit is to garner coverage. Often, that goal seems more probable with staff editors. While freelancers are great because they can produce in multiple outlets, always good to be wary of “fake freelancers,” who might never produce. How do we sniff out the fakes?
- Google them: in today’s digital age, even print placements appear online. If you can’t find a story from the freelancer of question within the past year, likely not a good idea to host.
- Social stalk them: check out their social channels – Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter. Are they followed by travel brands, other PR agencies, magazines? By looking into their social presence, you can get a better idea of their writing value and past partnerships.
- Talk to editors: If you are still unsure, reach out to an editor at a publication they claim to write for. If they have worked with them in the past, should be good to go.
Confirmed Assignment or No?
It’s important to keep in mind that freelancers are often unable to guarantee a placement prior to a visit. However, it is in the freelancer’s best interest to place that story more than once or have ideas for future stories.
- Most editors do not like to receive pitches pre-visit from freelancers. In fact, some outlets put this in their guidelines for them.
- Freelancers want to tell an authentic story and the best stories are usually discovered once journalists are in the destination.
- If freelancers write for specific publications, they need to do research in the destination while visiting before crafting a pitch specifically tailored to the outlet’s audience.
- Itineraries for media visits can often change for various reasons, so pre-pitching about experiences that might not happen puts freelancers in a difficult position if they’ve already pitched that specific story angle.