If you are finding that it's still a challenge to get to sleep without worrying about what the next day may bring, peep these four ways you can be productive before bedtime.
5 Tips On Breaking Into Freelance Writing
I am often asked by many of my peers, "Chasity, how did you start freelancing? What do I need to do in order to write for Publication XYZ?" And while I wish I had a specific formula to help get you a byline on your favorite website, I must say that breaking into freelannce journalism is different for everyone. Since I started freelancing in 2014, I've learned that media outlets only really want one thing from journalists: for us to demonstrate that we are thoughtful and intentional about the subject(s) we wish to write about. It's critical to set yourself apart from the rest as knowledgeable, creative and personable, but you also want to ensure that your writing is substantive and aligns with the mission and vision of the publication.
So without further delay, here are five tips that I have found helped me establish my career as a freelance journalist.
- Start your own sh*t. (Get to blogging, baby.) - When I started this blog back in September 2011, I had no goal in mind on how I wanted it to grow. All I knew was that I wanted to write about public relations, millennials and some of my life's musings. Fast forward five years later, and I'm grateful to have created this space that keeps track of my growth and experiences both professionally and personally. Granted, I haven't always been as consistent as I want to be (I'll get to this in a bit) but having a place where my voice lives and breathes online has been incredibly essential to building my thought leadership as a writer. When approaching some of your favorite publications, it's important to have a few receipts to show off your writing style, so that they can have an idea of how you can best provide value to their community of readers. If you've been considering starting a blog, be sure to ask yourself a few questions before jumping right in.
2. Put yourself on. (Pitching ain't easy, but it sure is fun.) Putting yourself out there in any form or fashion can be nerve-wracking, but trust me when I say it is also very rewarding. When pitching to your favorite publications, you do want your personality to shine through your writing, but it's important to keep in mind that there is specific information they want to impart on their readership. When I sent a cold email to the editor of Vinepair, a wine and spirits website, earlier this summer, I was slightly nervous because I had only written about wine on my blog. But once I put my fear aside and offered the editor a few ideas that I thought their audience would enjoy, I gained confidence. And surprisingly, I was able to bring forth two of my favorite things (Henny and red wine) and create sometime special for the Vinepair community. Moral of the story: give yourself space to be creative + shoot your shot. Also, you don't have to have a "connect" to a publication in order to pitch them. Head to their website or check out their Twitter page and LOOK for the information you need.
3. Be consistent, yet patient. (The money will come, just wait on it.) Breaking news my friends: freelance writing isn't going to bring forth a super huge coin in the beginning. You will have to put in the work (read: literally secure the bag) in order to build credibility. With your personal blog, there are a number of ways you can become consistent. Create a content calendar to track your posts. Schedule your posts with tools like CoPromote, Buffer and Hootsuite ahead of time. Keep tabs of the news with Google alerts that are related to the content that you are producing. While you're waiting to hear from an editor, continue to work and look for opportunities that will help to improve your craft. And once you do get that byline of your dreams...
4. Promote, promote, promote! (Again, put yourself on!) My first post for Essence.com was one of the most exciting moments of my career thus far. I was standing in PG Plaza Mall and with my phone on one percent, I moved as quickly as I could to screenshot my byline and share it with the Interwebs. I text the link to both of my parents and shared it with the various Slack communities that I'm apart of. You've worked hard for this moment, so don't be afraid to tell everybody what you've accomplished. Pro-tip: be sure to keep a Google doc of all of your clips and social media content to promote them on hand. Here are also three more ways you can promote your blog posts.
5. Tap into resources. (Help is everywhere, bro.) Now that you've dipped your toe into the freelance journalism pool, the next step is to connect with your peers who are hustling just like you. Below are a few resources and communities that I've grown to love as my freelance journalism career matriculates:
...and many more.
So, do you feel ready to start riding the freelance writing wave? Great! If you're still a little hesitant, send me a note and I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
Cheers!
S.T.A.R.T. Before You're Ready.
November was quite the whirlwind for me both professionally and personally, but I wanted to drop a note of reflection as we into the last month of the year. Have you ever wanted to start something new (let's in this case, say a blog) but continued to come up with excuses as to why you aren't able to launch it?
"I just don't have enough time to write a blog post every day."
"What am I going to write about? And who will want to read it?"
"I want my post to be perfect before I hit publish - I must keep editing!"
The truth is, while we were busy asking ourselves 21 questions, making statements and assuming, we could've published at least one or two posts, created a content calendar for the next two months and put throwback content in rotation on social media.
Last month specifically, I spent most of my time getting back into the groove of working full-time and managing my various passion projects. And let me tell you, it hasn't been easy. In addition to getting ready for the new year, training for my third half marathon in January and traveling for the holidays, I haven't had much time to put my ideas into action - which has resulted in a ridiculously long line of questioning in my head.
But that long line of questioning I've taken myself through is only procrastination. And I'll be honest - my procrastinating ways and (sometimes) self-doubt have held me back from starting a lot of new things. Days and days have gone by because I thought and over-thought about the "what-ifs" instead of putting in the work, promoting what I've created and learning about myself along the way.
So how exactly do we break this cycle? Starting before we're ready.
You're probably thinking, "Well Chasity, what does that look like exactly?"
I'm glad you asked friend.
To me, starting before we're ready is less about being prepared and more about fearlessly taking the risk to step into your greatness. I know it's so cliche, but we truly have everything we need to launch our dreams, bring them to life and watch them flourish.
When I started Millennial On A Mission almost three years ago, I knew that I wanted to shed light on the amazing things that my peers were doing both professionally and personally because I was sick of the media calling us lazy, narcissistic, and entitled life-time members of Broke Phi Broke. It soon occurred to me that I was surrounded by a group of amazing individuals who are defying these stereotypes and needed to have their stories told.
What started off as two blog features a month has grown into an online community of millennials with different backgrounds and disciplines, but who are all passionate about discovering their life's purpose and bringing it to life.
Looking back on the conception of MOAM and any other projects that I've completed, I had to remember what it meant to actually meant to S.T.A.R.T. something from the bottom and build it up:
SEEK out a problem you wish to solve. For me, it was dispelling the myth that millennials were much about nothing and mooching off of their parents post-college. What problem do you wish to solve? Be willing to ask yourself an uncomfortable question or two.
TAILOR your voice to a specific audience. Again, I wanted to speak specifically to my millennial peers. In doing so, I had to not only share their story, but share my journey as well. Once you decide the problem you wish to solve, make sure that your content is resonating with an audience that will understand the message you are trying to convey.
ALLOW for vision to expand. Initially, MOAM was just going to be a blog feature. But the more I spoke with my peers about their experiences, the more I realized that I needed to stretch it's purpose - one that I'm actually still trying to discover. With any goal we wish to achieve, we must be willing to give ourselves the space to grow and change. And who knows, something beautiful make come out of that detour.
REMIND yourself to be patient with the process. Listen, Linda. I can't stress this one enough! There is no such thing as overnight success. We are going to have to work hard, long hours in order to achieve what we hope to accomplish. If you need a break, take one. But even as you wait for something to happen, there's always work to be done.
TAKE time to evaluate what has worked, what hasn't and move forward accordingly. It will forever be important to conduct market research, test your product, check your work and monitor your progress. If something didn't work, that's alright! There's nothing wrong with pivoting or shifting in order to get to where we want to be. The time you take to review and evaluate your work, the more meaningful it will be to those who will benefit from it.
So there you have it! What are you planning to S.T.A.R.T as we move into a new year?
Let me know in the comments below or tweet me!
Chasity
#WisdomWednesday 'Practice What You Preach' Periscope Re-cap
Happy Wednesday!
For those of you who weren't able to join me for this afternoon's Wisdom Wednesday Periscope chat, I've shared the points I covered below.
Also, for a limited time, you can watch the broadcast by clicking here.
Many thanks to everyone who joined me today!
Six Ways Millennials Can Practice What They Preach
1. Don't let comparison steal your joy!
2. Be stubborn about your goals, and flexible with your methods.
3. Recognize your weaknesses and figure our how your strengths can help you improve them.
4. Show your work! (Literally, and read the book!)
5. Celebrate small victories.
6. Don't let fear hold you back.
*Bonus: Be resourceful! Don't be afraid to ask for help.
I hope that you find this helpful! Until next time!
-Chasity
From Fired To Focused: Katrina Craigwell Shares How She Overcame It
Happy Thursday, friends! As many of you know, I recently was let go from my job - and I'm now on the hunt for the next cool opportunity. (#HireChasity is in full effect - tell a friend!)
Any who, I recently RSVP'd for an event that will be hosted in D.C. next week by Worn Creative, an agency based out of New York City that works with a pretty dope roster of well-known brands. (Think Jrink, &pizza.)
As I continued to explore their website, I came across a YouTube video of a pretty black girl with amazing curly hair and awesome shoes (#BlackGirlMagic is EVERYWHERE y'all.) She explains how she got fired from her job early on in her career, and while she had her moments of doubt and insecurity, she didn't let that moment define her.
Katrina Craigwell is currently the Director of Global Programming and Content at GE, and during one of Worn's F*it events in NYC, she encouraged the audience to stop, think, and breathe even in the midst of life's most chaotic moments. Her story just goes to show that you can get fired from your job, overcome it and STILL end up the Forbes List. (Katrina is on the Top 30 Most Creative List - pow!)
Check out Katrina's chat below, and if you're in the DC area, be sure to RSVP for Worn's F*it event next week - I'll be there! And Katrina, thank you for sharing your truth, reminding us all to take a moment breathe, and inspiring me to take control of my own debris so I can continue to move forward.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fc3WCdRcnA]