Monday, September 28, 2015

Obtain A Newspaper Assignment

You can pitch your ideas for a newspaper chronicle.


4. Contact the editor. The easiest way to locate the correct person is by looking on the masthead.



1. Proof small- to mid-sized local newspapers. Though a modest circulation -- less than 100,000 -- may not be your life's goal, it is an attainable starting point. The best way to build a "clip folder" --samples of a writer's previously published work -- -is to gain any assignment that will highlight your abilities.


2. Assess your strengths. Do you love eating out and telling friends about the hot new restaurants in town? Are you a pro on local nightlife? Does interviewing people come naturally? As you leaf through local newspapers, mark the sections and/or columns that highlight your specialty.


3. Form a pitch. This should include a brief introduction, a one- to two- paragraph description of a proposed article, and an explanation as to why you are the person to write it. Total word count should be less than 300 words.


Newspaper reporting is a competitive world for freelancers. At most publications, there are far added writers keen to pen articles than there are assignments. Conversant the "tricks of the Commerce" offers an function for breaking into what might seem an impossible bazaar.

Instructions

Here, those in charge of each section are listed by name and title. There is usually contact information below which may consist of a mailing address, phone number, and website. Any unlisted information, such as email addresses, can usually be obtained by calling the newspaper's main number.


5. Follow up. Give the editor seven days to consider your idea before calling to ask its status -- unless your proposed article is timely, in which case you can check in after two or three days. Be persistent but not annoying. If you follow up twice and don't get a response, it's time to submit your idea elsewhere.


6. Once an editor accepts your pitch, write and submit your article before the deadline. This shows the editor that you are reliable and might encourage him to hire you again.