5 Free Resources to Help Publicists Understand Freelance Writers Better

You know the old phrase about walking in someone else’s shoes? It sounds a little cheesy, but there’s a benefit to doing this specifically when working with freelance writers. In my Office Hours: Travel Writing Series in July, writer Stephanie Vermillion brought up an excellent point: To better understand freelance writers, PR professionals should take advantage of the resources made for them. I loved that idea, as getting the perspective of the person you’re trying to pitch can be immensely helpful in understanding their wants and needs. Don’t forget, freelance writers aren’t just writers; they’re independent business owners, too. With that in mind, here are some of my favorite resources for learning how to be a better freelance writer. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Freelancing with Tim

Tim Herrera, Smarter Living editor at The New York Times, launched a free Sunday Zoom series earlier this year that covers all kinds of topics about being a freelancer, from how to write the perfect pitch to how to structure feature stories and inside tips from top editors. If you sign up for his newsletter, you’ll get notifications when registration opens. I’ve found great value in hearing from his featured guests, both editors and other freelance writers. It’s also interesting to see the questions posed in the chat box, so you can understand what challenges writers are facing.

The Writers’ Co-op

I heard about this great podcast after listening into one of Tim’s sessions featuring Wudan Yan. She and co-host Jenni Gritters, also a freelance writer, describe it as a handbook for freelance creatives. Just a few episodes in, I’ve already learned a lot about ways to better organize my time and run my business as a freelancer. I also think it’s really useful for PR to hear how much time freelancers put into stories related to the payment for those pieces, as well.

Successful Pitches

If you’ve ever wondered what the successful pitches freelance writers send to editors actually look like, you’ll love diving into this database of exactly that. It’s been extremely useful to me as a freelancer, especially when cold-pitching new outlets, to see what worked. Each entry also includes a link to the published piece, as well as the email subject line.

Who Pays Writers?

This is another tool that I use frequently when cold-pitching new outlets, so I can gauge whether the average pay rate of a publication aligns with mine. I’d recommend PR review this as well to better understand how freelance writers make business decisions about where to pitch their ideas. For example, if you’re pitching a specific angle to a writer for a publication that only pays $0.25/word, that might be one reason they’re not interested in working on it (i.e., it’s not personal!).

The Writing Coach

Writer Rebecca L. Weber has done more than 100 episodes of her podcast covering strategy and skill development for freelance writers. Some of the best ones for PR to listen to are the listener Q&As and replays of her live coaching—she’s fantastic at helping writers brainstorm fresh story angles in their niche, even about topics that have been written about at length. They’re eye-opening for anyone trying to pitch writers or editors, and sure to get your creative juices flowing.

Are there more freelance writer resources out there that you love checking out as a publicist? Please share them in the comments below!