One of the challenges facing freelance writers is how to identify yourself to a potential source. Should you include the publication you are working for?
When you work as a freelance reporter, one of the most tricky issues can be in identifying yourself. After all, people want to know who the story is for and when it will run.
As any freelance writer knows, that is not always any easy question to answer. Though some publications assign stories based on nothing but a query, others want a completed story and that means completed interviews.
So, what do you tell a source when you don’t know the answer yourself?
First, tell the source the truth. If you have reason to believe the local newspaper will be running the story, by all means say so, but if you have had no contact with them, do not use their name. the same goes for magazines and any other publication. This may mean you have to explain the concept of freelance writing to your source.
Second, find sources who are familiar with freelance writing or who know you. It will always be easier to do a story hoping for a sale when you are using sources who know your work. Asking a stranger for an interview, especially with regard to any sensitive or technical data without a company next to your name can be frustrating. Especially busy sources, such as medical professionals, are likely to decline your interview request until you have made a name for yourself or they know you.
Third, find some place that you can guarantee publication, either through a blog or other website. Often, when talking with a source or potential source, you can mention blog sites or other internet publications as a means to guarantee publication. Since a crafty freelance writer can often get multiple stories from the same interview, use the most mundane of the material on your blog or website. Then, save the good stuff for the article you hope to sell.
The added benefit of these online sites or a blog is that you can use the link as an example of your writing skills. In a day when clips are an outmoded idea, being able to provide links to your best work, or at least some of your work is a huge advantage.
Another very good idea with sources you have worked with before is to mention that you have a great idea, but haven’t found the market yet. In the past, I have had sources suggest submissions to a national firefighting magazine and a church organization publication that I knew nothing about.
The key to identifying yourself as a freelancer is to be upfront and honest, but refer sources back to other work that they may have seen by you or that they can check into to determine your legitimacy. This is one of the biggest challenges facing freelance writers. The key is to make certain your sources know that you are not affiliated with any one publication and that you are a professional.
