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Advice on emailing local magazines for freelance work?

by wheelstb
4 replies
I am new to the freelancing game. I would like to approach a local magazines about creating content for them.


I was thinking about approaching the magazines through email. That way I could at least attach my portfolio.


I know that I should pitch myself by showing the organization the value in hiring me as a freelancer. I don't know how to do that. I'm a pretty good writer, and I have entry-level marketing experience. I don't know how to spin that into something of value that puts me I had of anyone else. I've been thinking about what problems I can solve for them, but I'm sure they have lots of people to produce content for them.
Other than working at a reduced rate initially, I'm not sure what I can do for them that would make me more valuable than anyone else.


I'm sure this is a very basic question. If you can't figure out how to market your self, you're in trouble. But somehow, I am stuck on this one.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
#advice #emailing #freelance #local #magazines #work
  • Profile picture of the author joe golfer
    I'm assuming you mean editorial and not copywriting. Listen, you don't need them, they need you. They are not going to assign you any work -- they are too busy. You need to go in with ideas that would appeal to their readers that no has covered before. Come up with your best stories and pitch them.

    Heck, these days you could write a whole story, shoot accompanying video and photos with your phone, and then pitch it. They don't like want it, pitch it to someone else. They don't want it? Post it on your blog and use it as your portfolio.

    Keep coming up with story ideas, keep pitching and keep writing. It never ends so don't ever slack off.

    Or go into copywriting and make ten times the income and have more fun.
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    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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    • Profile picture of the author wheelstb
      Thanks for the great advice. That makes perfect sense.


      Originally Posted by joe golfer View Post

      Or go into copywriting and make ten times the income and have more fun.

      What do you mean by more fun and more money? As you might imagine, that appeals to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author splitTest
    You're a writer who wants to write for magazines and you've never heard of "querying" and the process of pitching articles?

    No magazine would hire anyone who's that blind to basic research...

    There are thousands of books and millions of articles on the subject, many of them free on the web.
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