You have a dream. You’re living the glamorous life in London, writing your own stories, seeing your work appear on the big screen, and feeling blessed to have such an incredible career. But something happens. You start missing deadlines. You get scared. You feel stagnant. You want to make more money. You want to do something that feels good inside and that the world will crave. Wait, what? You want to get a job writing stories for magazines & newspapers? Oh yes, you do.
If you’re thinking about trying your hand at writing, here’s the perfect opportunity. More and more people are gaining fame and fortune by writing for magazines and newspapers. If you can write a good story, you can be certain that there’s an audience willing to pay for your work. Better yet, you might even be able to turn your hobby into a lucrative career! Are you ready to take the plunge? Let’s figure out how to get a job writing stories for magazines & newspapers.
The Opportunity
If you want to get a job writing stories for magazines & newspapers, London has the answer. Thanks to Covid-19, a lot of jobs are on the decline. It wasn’t just the hospitality industry that felt the pinch; journalism is one of the many occupations that took a hit. Thankfully, there are still opportunities out there for you to dive into. If you’re interested in trying your hand at writing, now might be the right time to jump in.
There are a number of positions available for freelancers and aspiring journalists, looking for the opportunity to work remotely and make their regular freelance contribution worth while. If you’ve got a story to tell and you can string a few sentences together, you could be on the right track to securing your dream job.
What Do I Need?
If you want to get a job writing stories for magazines & newspapers, you’ll need to showcase your talent. There are plenty of places where you can do that, but the best option might be within your own network. Start by taking a look at what your friends are doing. Is any of them contributing to publications? Have you spotted any successful journalists in your circle? If so, get in touch and ask for an introduction.
Once you’ve made contact, arrange a coffee meeting or an afternoon tea with the editor-in-chief. At the very least, you’ll have a chat about your work and the role that it played in inspiring you to pursue journalism as a career. During this discussion, you might even get a taste of what’s required as part of the job before you make a final decision.
If you’re really keen to get a job writing stories for magazines & newspapers, there are a few more steps you can take to ensure that your application stands out. Before we begin, make sure that you’ve got everything you need. You’ll need a laptop, desk, chair, and a phone or tablet to do your work. If any of these items are lacking, now would be the time to purchase them. From there, organize your work area. You’ll need a space to write. Depending on how much space you have, you might want to buy a little desk or an armchair for this area. If you’ve got a small room, you might want to buy a folding chair and store it underneath your bed. This way, when your bed is making the most out of its potential, it’ll also be serving as your desk.
Get Inspired
The fact is, getting a job writing stories for magazines & newspapers isn’t easy. It takes talent and a steady hand. If you want to have a successful career as a journalist, you’ll need to get as much relevant experience as possible. The best way to do that is by getting inspired by the stories that you encounter. If you want to write about fashion, go ahead and explore the industry. If you want to write about sports, then focus on the top tier of competition. These are all examples of how you can get inspired by what you read and how this will affect your work. If you take the time to do some research, you’ll be able to write about something that’s close to your heart. Better yet, you might be able to find a connection – maybe even a famous one – that you can draw inspiration from.
When you’ve got a topic that you’ve found fascinating, it’s time to move onto the next step. What do I need? Once you’ve got a topic that you want to write about, the next step is to do some research into existing material. Is there any previous work that you can draw inspiration from? Has anyone else touched on this subject matter? Even if you’ve got nothing to compare your own work to, you can bet that there’s someone who’s written about the same subject matter and that their approach might give you some ideas. The idea is to find the best possible topic that you can think of and then to find other people who’ve tackled it before. This is where you start to build your case for why this is a great opportunity for you.
The Application
When you’ve built enough of a case to convince the editor-in-chief that you’re the best person for the job, it’s time to move onto the application stage. For this step, you’ll need to prepare a portfolio that showcases your work. This isn’t a requirement, but it definitely helps. It will consist of some samples of your work. If you’ve got a blog, then you can pull some of the material from there. If you’ve got no online presence, then you might want to consider setting one up. This portfolio will also act as your resume. When you’ve got a resume, you’ve got a chance. When you don’t, you’ll need one of these soon. The best thing about this step is that it gives you the opportunity to show off your work. If you’re applying for an online role, then this portfolio will be your first impression. If you’re doing it via email, then this is your last chance to really make a good impression. The worst thing you can do is send a forgettable email with a cringe-worthy resume attached. You’ll regret it. Editors don’t have the time to be bothered with someone who isn’t worth their while. So, take the time to put together a good impression. The more you put in it, the better it will be.
Get Ready To Write
When you’ve got a job prospect, the last thing you want to do is sit around and wait for inspiration to hit. Once you’ve got your topic, you’ll need to tackle the issue from multiple angles. It’s not enough to simply report on what happened; you’ll want to write a compelling article that will stick in the reader’s mind. The most effective way of doing this is by switching off and starting again. Set some time aside every day to write. Even if you’ve only got 30 minutes, that’s still enough time to get a couple of chapters done. Set your alarm a little early in the morning so that you can get the most out of those 30 minutes. Even if you don’t get a full hour, you’ll still be able to put in a solid chunk of work. When you write, it’s essential that you do so regularly. Even if you feel like your work is of high quality, you’ll still need to prove it to an editor or a team of editors who might not have seen your work before. The fact is, good writing can’t be taught. It can only be learned through practice. When you find yourself struggling with a particular piece, take a step back and reread what you’ve written. Try and figure out what’s missing or if there’s something to be improved upon. If you can pinpoint something specific that you might want to change, then that’s the best kind of feedback. It’s not about whether or not you like the work; it’s about whether or not they can use more of it. When you’ve got a piece of work that you feel is complete and polished, it’s time to send it in for evaluation. During this stage, the editor or the editorial team will hopefully give you some feedback and help you to improve your work. If all goes well, you might even land a contract!
The Negotiation
Once you’ve got a contract in hand, it’s time to sit back and enjoy your newly acquired job. Of course, this won’t be easy. Daily life has a way of intruding upon your time, and there might be a lot of stress involved in dealing with administration. It’s important to keep in mind that this is just a part of the job. You’re not signing up for this just to be the delivery guy or the girl who types up the article. There might be more to it than that. Once you’ve settled into the routine, it’s time to take a step back and enjoy your newly acquired status. Raise your hand for a colleague to give you a high five!