Great resources for freelance writers
+ pitch a story to Business Insider or The Counter (and other job opps)
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Let’s get straight into it this week. Here are the best freelance resources you can use to find work, improve your writing process, help simplify your workflow and manage the admin that comes with running the show.
Finding work
Your local job sites
Tip: check the full-time marketing positions and see if any of the tasks outlined include dealing with freelance writers. If yes, write/pitch to the company a few months after the ad closed.Pitchwhiz (thanks for the recommendation Naomi Arnold)
Pitchwhiz puts freelance writers in contact with editors and allows them to manage their assignments in one place.Cold pitching
WordCount’s very first newsletter was all about how to turn cold pitches into paid work. Read it here.
Time tracking
Toggl
Free for basic time tracking. Features include tracking time per client/project, generating reports, compare project progress, assign billable rates and more. Toggl was designed with teams in mind so you might run into some features that aren’t of much use as a freelancer, though their design is nicer than other time trackers I’ve used.Pomodoro tracker (or the app)
Free. A technique for increasing productivity: work for 25 minutes, break for 5. After completing four rounds (also called pomodoros), you take a longer break of 20-30 minutes. And then you start again. I’ve found knowing there’s a break coming up in x minutes helped to keep me focused.RescueTime
Free for the basic plan. Features include time tracking, generating reports, assigning rates to billable projects and more.
Other handy tools and resources
Trello (project management)
Slack (instant messaging)
Zoom interview planner (built into your Zoom account for video conferences - integrates with different calendars)
Things (personal task manager app, paid)
Pocket (save anything you read online to your account and read later in your browser, on your phone or e-reader)
Magic (hire a personal assistant)
TypeForm (run surveys)
There (keep track of different timezones)
Canva (free alternative to Photoshop/InDesign)
To top it all off, there are a bunch of other great tools in this story I wrote last week. My friend and award-winning journalist Naomi Arnold recently also shared a massive and super helpful thread on Twitter listing all the tools and resources she’s found useful in her six years of freelance writing (tweet below).
What are your favourite tools that make your day-to-day as a freelancer easier? Are there other areas of freelancing (such as personal finance/investments/accounting) that you’d like to get tips and resources on? Let me know in the comments.
Like what you’re reading?
Photo by Alfons Morales on Unsplash
This week’s great reads
I think it’s important to read widely, so you can expect to find a broad range of topics in this list every week:
Recession-Proof Your Freelance Writing: How to Earn During COVID-19 and Other Tumultuous Times
Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work
Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash
Freelance/contracting jobs opportunities
Cold pitching companies and publications you’d love to write for is a great way to grow your confidence and your network, but if you’re keen on “warmer” leads - here are a few opportunities I found.
If you’re based in Europe, pitch a story to Business Insider.
Pitch a gaming story to Ars Technica.
And a couple of non-freelance job opportunity, because you know, bills need to be paid in a more regular fashion sometimes:
Apply for an investigative reporter job at The New York Times.
Note: I try to only include opportunities that are decent and well-paid. However, more often than not rates, unfortunately, aren’t discussed in the call for pitches/writers. You can check Who Pays Writers? or Contently’s freelance rates database to see if the publication or organisation is listed and what they tend to pay.
That’s it for this week’s WordCount! If you’ve enjoyed reading this edition, please feel free to share it with fellow freelance writers. Or have a look at last week’s newsletter.