How to build a successful freelance career

NewsBreak Summer School recently welcomed hosts of The Writers’ Co-op podcast, Jenni Gritters and Wudan Yan, to share best practices for building a successful freelance career.

Jenni Gritters and Wudan Yan of The Writers' Co-op(NewsBreak)

The two have more than a dozen years of combined experience working in freelance journalism, with bylines in publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Guardian. In addition to writing, they co-produce e-courses on freelancing, run educational events, and coach other freelance creatives.

“I’m a small business owner and I own two businesses focused on building a podcast and platform for freelancers, as well as my own writing business,” said Yan. While not required, she suggests establishing an LLC when you’re ready to get serious about freelancing. “The most inherent thing for me is that it feels like there’s less of a power dynamic between me and a client. We are trying to negotiate ways we can work collaboratively as two businesses.”

In order to turn your freelancing passion into a sustainable career, the pair also emphasized key business principles. “It’s words like scaling, passive revenue, and diversification. Words that you hear associated with startups and businesses, and less so with freelancers. If you’re a business of one, they apply to you,” said Gritters. They recommend having around three services to offer clients at any time to help create a cushion should changes within the industry shift demand. This is especially top of mind after massive layoffs for journalists around the country following the onset of COVID-19 which affected Gritters directly.

Yan was freelancing prior to the pandemic and tasked with telling various stories surrounding it. “Something I’ve been thinking about amid the course of the pandemic is burnout as a product of journalism. Traditionally, there is this mindset that we have to continue to work and that the news is breaking. At the same time, the news is breaking us,” said Yan. In order to combat burnout, she recommends doing something small for yourself at the end of each day to recharge, as well as take adequate time off.

“When we’re talking about time off, we’re actually talking about it as a key business principle that is worked into your plan. We often talk to people about how much they want to make per year accounting for the fact you’re going to take two months off. You’re going to try to make a little extra in all of those other months so that you're ‘getting paid’ when you’re gone,” said Gritters.

Ready to get started? They recommend asking the question, "What do you want?" From there, you can define your unique lane and potential clients, including those within your own network.

“As a writer, you can bring that to newspapers, magazines, corporations, nonprofits, startups, newsletters, researchers, nonfiction book authors... The possibilities are kind of endless,” said Yan. “The hardest and probably scariest part is telling the world this is the work you want and putting yourself out there.”

You can listen to the full recording on NewsBreak’s YouTube channel here. Visit NewsBreak Summer School’s official landing page to RSVP for the final events of this special series.

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