Freelance Writer - 5 Essential Qualities Every Editor Wants In A Good Freelance Journalist
Looking To Hire A Freelance Writer? Check out the 5 essential qualities a good freelance writer must possess if you want to add a bit of sparkle to your publication...
Read through this handy check-list of 5 essential qualities a professional freelance journalist must offer editors to ensure regular gigs and paychecks in the mail...
read on to find out if your chosen writer possesses these skills before you make a hiring decision - your readers will thank you for it! 1) An ability to provide quality research, write customized articles, attention to fact-checking and ability to conduct great interviews, taking responsibility for delivering original content on time and quoting relevant experts to enhance content value are rated higher than a degree in journalism by Editors and Publishers worldwide.
Publishers and fellow scribes, are you surprised to learn that? Well, you are not alone, dear reader.
I was just as surprised as you are on discovering that having the right certifications, degrees and diplomas in journalism or being a product of an elite school of media studies holds little hiring value for many top magazine and newspaper Editors.
Most Editors prefer taking on a freelance writer who can hit the road running - preferably in the direction a nose for news would guide them! Since most editors and publishers typically hire freelance journalists or freelance writers when they are short on staff writers or when editorial team layoffs are the only way out (as a cost-cutting measure for the organization), they are naturally on the look-out for experienced freelancers - minus the 'Diva' attitudes (courtesy the right credentials, in most cases).
The 'I-hung-the-moon' attitude of many new media school graduates makes them misfits for real-time reporting and hard hitting journalism, particularly in cases where a creative expansion of flexible writing styles and editing skills is required for different writing projects.
Add to this requirement, desirable qualities like being able to: 2) Meet the need for quickly substituting a story, churning out filler articles 3) Provide a change of writing style for promotional or business journalism as a departure from the writer's regular projects.
4) Ensure quick turnarounds for a series of articles and meet tight deadlines.
5) File multiple stories and features within a space of a couple of weeks, days, even hours.
And you have the makings of the 5 qualities every editor and publisher looking to hire a quality freelance journalist needs! The 5 qualities should be present in any professional Editors consider hiring, for a quality freelance journalist possessing these is an asset to any publication - and these facts have been kindly shared with me over the course of my 10 year career as a freelance writer by editors and publishers of various print and web magazines, newspapers, journals, guides, books and new media content, such as websites and blogs that I've had the privilege of working with.
Apply these 5 tip-offs before hiring a freelance journalist or freelance writer for your publication is a sure-fire way to avoid ending up with dead-beats on your editorial team.
Moreover, these tips used as a check-list by new editors or publishers launching a new magazine will help refine your hiring process for an experienced and dedicated freelance writer who will deliver quality content in a professional manner to help you enhance your publication's reach, readership, surpassing your subscription targets!
Read through this handy check-list of 5 essential qualities a professional freelance journalist must offer editors to ensure regular gigs and paychecks in the mail...
read on to find out if your chosen writer possesses these skills before you make a hiring decision - your readers will thank you for it! 1) An ability to provide quality research, write customized articles, attention to fact-checking and ability to conduct great interviews, taking responsibility for delivering original content on time and quoting relevant experts to enhance content value are rated higher than a degree in journalism by Editors and Publishers worldwide.
Publishers and fellow scribes, are you surprised to learn that? Well, you are not alone, dear reader.
I was just as surprised as you are on discovering that having the right certifications, degrees and diplomas in journalism or being a product of an elite school of media studies holds little hiring value for many top magazine and newspaper Editors.
Most Editors prefer taking on a freelance writer who can hit the road running - preferably in the direction a nose for news would guide them! Since most editors and publishers typically hire freelance journalists or freelance writers when they are short on staff writers or when editorial team layoffs are the only way out (as a cost-cutting measure for the organization), they are naturally on the look-out for experienced freelancers - minus the 'Diva' attitudes (courtesy the right credentials, in most cases).
The 'I-hung-the-moon' attitude of many new media school graduates makes them misfits for real-time reporting and hard hitting journalism, particularly in cases where a creative expansion of flexible writing styles and editing skills is required for different writing projects.
Add to this requirement, desirable qualities like being able to: 2) Meet the need for quickly substituting a story, churning out filler articles 3) Provide a change of writing style for promotional or business journalism as a departure from the writer's regular projects.
4) Ensure quick turnarounds for a series of articles and meet tight deadlines.
5) File multiple stories and features within a space of a couple of weeks, days, even hours.
And you have the makings of the 5 qualities every editor and publisher looking to hire a quality freelance journalist needs! The 5 qualities should be present in any professional Editors consider hiring, for a quality freelance journalist possessing these is an asset to any publication - and these facts have been kindly shared with me over the course of my 10 year career as a freelance writer by editors and publishers of various print and web magazines, newspapers, journals, guides, books and new media content, such as websites and blogs that I've had the privilege of working with.
Apply these 5 tip-offs before hiring a freelance journalist or freelance writer for your publication is a sure-fire way to avoid ending up with dead-beats on your editorial team.
Moreover, these tips used as a check-list by new editors or publishers launching a new magazine will help refine your hiring process for an experienced and dedicated freelance writer who will deliver quality content in a professional manner to help you enhance your publication's reach, readership, surpassing your subscription targets!
