If you're a print journalist who has recently been made redundant and you have decided to go freelance, Women in Journalism would like to help empower you to make a success of your new career.
What is the secret to being a successful freelance print journalist - how do other people get dream commissions, not rejections? What do editors actually want to see in pitches? And how can you improve chances of writing a successful pitch, especially to an editor you don’t know?
Donna Ferguson, a multiple award-winning journalist for The Guardian and The Observer and a committee member of Women in Journalism, will be hosting this 90 minute online masterclass exclusively for any female journalist who has recently been made redundant which aim to answer these questions - and empower as many of you as possible to make a huge success of your freelance careers.
Her masterclasses, which sell out every year, aim to be very practical and unpick how
freelance print journalism actually works, with real life examples of successful pitches and cold calling emails. There will be a chance to ask questions at the end of each session, and the intention is that you will not only leave feeling more confident, but less alone. She will try to cover the most important dilemmas and issues freelancers face, based on years of experience teaching WiJ members about freelance journalism. Recordings will be made available to anyone who cannot attend the live session.
This masterclass covers everything you need to know in order to take your first steps as a successful freelance print journalist. Includes help on how to pitch, how to chase, what to say when you get rejected, what to say when you get commissioned, what to say when you file, and tax stuff you need to know.
You will leave the course knowing;
- how to email the right person to get a commission
- how to network as a freelancer
- what to say in your first email when you want to write for a new editor
- how to tailor your pitch to the publication you are writing for
- the key equipment you need as a freelancer
- Whether you should ever pitch to two editors at once
- how to deal with the fear that editor will steal your idea
- What to do if your idea is rejected
- How to turn your first commission into another one
- How and when to negotiate with editors about fees
- The tax stuff you need to keep track of
Filled with practical examples of real pitches, you will leave this class feeling positive and empowered with all the tools you need to revitalise your freelance career.
The session host is Donna Ferguson, a multiple award winning freelance journalist who is on the committee of Women in Journalism. Donna is a regular freelance writer for The Guardian and the Observer, writing for a plethora of different sections, including Observer magazine and the newsdesk. She has won eight awards for her work as a freelance journalist and been shortlisted for 29 others, including most recently freelance journalist of the year 2023 at the inaugural Freelance Journalism awards.
She decided to go freelance ten years ago, after having a baby, and says that getting pregnant was the “best career move she ever made”, thanks to everything she has since achieved as a freelancer. She has never had a staff job on a national and started out with very few contacts, cold pitching all the editors that she now regularly writes for.