12 Ways to get repeat work as a freelance writer

Introduction

This is an expanded version of an article published in Writers’ Weekly.

You've successfully pitched the editor, so the hardest part is over. Now what can you do to maximize your chances of getting further work from the same outlet? Here are 12 things I've been doing for years with quite a bit of success. Maybe they'll work for you, though there’s no guarantee of course -- they don’t even work for me 100% of the time! But hopefully they’ll give you a better than average chance of continuing commissions.

Under-promise and over-deliver

For example, agree to submit the article in 10 days' time and do it in 8. I always ask for more time than I think I will need, for two reasons. First, if I beat the deadline it makes me look good! Secondly, life happens, so I like to build in a bit of a cushion if possible, just in case I end up spending a day helping a relative in the Accident & Emergency department, dealing with a power cut, or handling some other unplanned issue.

Stick rigorously to word count

Note that if you write the article in one word processor and copy/paste it into another one, the word count will be different. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it just happens that different word processors use different algorithms. For example, does it count a hyphenated word as one word or two? Interestingly, this can be quite important from a legal point of view: see Worried about word counts? Your choice of word processor matters a great deal.

So aim for the exact word count in the editor’s preferred word processor.

Pitch 2 or 3 articles at a time

If you pitch just one, the editor has to make a more difficult decision: yes or no. By pitching three, you are in effect inviting them to choose rather than say “Yes” or “No”. It’s often easier to say, in effect, I like A better than B, than to say whether or not you like A at all. Note: don't do this for the first pitch in case the editor thinks you can't make your mind up.

Suggest interesting ideas

Look, I know this is obvious (at least, I hope it is), but there’s no point pitching ideas that are stale, because they’ve been done to death before. For example, you could take a leaf out of the best plots and place a hurdle in the way.

Suppose your original idea was: How to organise a dinner party. It might be more interesting to change it to: How to organise a dinner party when you’re no good at cooking.

Be mildly persistent

Keep on pitchin', by Terry Freedman

Sometimes the editor will decline all your ideas.  Sometimes I'll respond by saying something like "OK. By the way, I've been reading X. It has an interesting take on Y. Interested?" Occasionally, the editor will say "Definitely!". But don’t be a pest.

Show that you're on top of your subject and news

Time is often of the essence. On several occasions I've successfully pitched a “tame” editor by offering a comment piece on breaking news in my niche. This shows that I know what's going on in my field. That means that when the editor needs an article in that area, I'm often a natural choice.

Be reliable

If you realise that you can't make a deadline because of unforeseen circumstances, be honest and say so. Most people are understanding, but they’d still be put out if I'd emailed him on the day it was due.

Do your work: spellchecking etc

Errors will often slip through the net, but the copy you send in should be as perfect as possible. Ideally, editors shouldn't have to do anything to it -- though they might well wish to change the odd thing here and there.

Use the magazine's style guide

If there is no style guide, try to infer one. For example, a magazine for which I write book reviews always cites the book in a particular way: Author, Title, ISBN. So that's the way I cite the books, otherwise it just gives the editor unnecessary extra work to do. 

Have a USP (unique selling point)

You're in this to make money, so treat yourself like a business. Apart from your field of expertise, what's the thing that makes you stand out from the crowd? For example, a writer called Matthew Syed, author of "Bounce" and "Black Box Thinking" writes a sports column for the London Times. What differentiates his articles from other writers' is that he nearly always cites research, in psychology especially, and applies the findings to sport. For myself, an editor once said to me he found it astonishing that I could turn an assignment around in just a few days. It has backfired a bit: Editors often ask me if I could write something urgently to fill a gap caused by someone letting them down, meaning that other plans have to put on hold; but it's a nice problem to have!

Ask for an introduction

If the editor you've developed a great working relationship with is leaving, ask them for an introduction to her replacement. The new editor doesn't know you, so a recommendation (or implied recommendation) from a trusted colleague is invaluable.

Don’t give up

This point is not the same as being mildly persistent. If an editor says they don’t want anything from me, I usually try again in the future. I’ve also found that if the editor never answers emails, it might be better to contact them in some other way. For example, a direct message in Twitter sometimes works, or simply picking up the phone.

Conclusion

Your job, apart from writing the articles, is reassuring the editor that you're reliable, a safe pair of hands who can not only deliver the goods, but minimize the amount of work and stress on their part. The ideas suggested here should help you do so.