#175: How to improve your article pitches and land your dream publications, with Ericka Andersen

Deliberate Freelancer

Listeners, I need your help! Please contribute to an upcoming episode: Email me a voice memo of you describing a specific marketing tactic you did that landed you a client. Provide your name and helpful details of what you did that might have been unique or persistent that worked in securing new work. Email it to me at [e-mail] to be considered for a future episode that will include tips from other listeners. Thank you!

Today’s guest is Ericka Andersen, a freelance writer living in Indianapolis. She is the author of two books and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, Christianity Today, and more. Ericka coaches writers on how to make a living as freelancers and also how to improve their article pitches to land big bylines.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why Ericka became a freelance writer.
• Lessons Ericka learned as she improved her freelance business.
• How Ericka balances higher-paying anchor clients versus the more creative, passionate work she yearns to do.
• Successful ways Ericka found anchor clients.
• How Ericka improved her own pitching process.
• How Ericka coaches writers on writing better pitches.
• The importance of cultivating a good story idea.
• How to find the right editors to reach out to.
• What makes a good pitch.
• When to follow up and when to send a pitch to a different editor.
• How to become a “dream writer” for an editor to work with.
• How these skills can also help you provide “earned media” services for other clients.
• How writing an opinion piece for a newspaper can get your foot in the door.

Biz Bite: Find solutions to problems your current clients are having.

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Register for Ericka’s free From Pitch to Paycheck course
• Ericka’s business: Pitch&Publish
• Get Ericka’s “10 Proven Tips for Publishing Your Writing This Year”
• Pitch&Publish on Instagram
• Sign up for Sonia Weiser’s twice-weekly Writing Opportunities newsletter
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group — The “join group” isn’t working, so you can temporarily “friend” Melanie on Facebook so she can add you to the group (or anyone you know who is in the group can add you as a new member).