Five Practical Tips for Young Entrepreneurial Journalists
I understand the thought process behind trend pieces like "Our disgruntled young journalists." I used to write this kind of stuff. It has value in a "starting a conversation" kinda way.But now that I'm old and cranky, I've grown tired of entrepreneurial journalism punditry. To succeed in any business endeavor, you need practical business ideas, not ambiguous trend prognostications.
Let's get something straight: a newbie journalist with no business sense cannot instantly launch into a lucrative independent journalism career. It just doesn't work that way. Ask an established freelancer about the type of grunt work they have to do and you'll get a sense for just how tough the independent road can be. To stay afloat, you have to consistently balance content creation, personal publicity, business management and industry research. I'm not saying it can't be done, it just takes more time than most people think. Think years, not months.
Contrary to what you might surmise from that last paragraph, I'm a staunch proponent of independent/entrepreneurial journalism. The salary system of set hours in a set office is counter-productive in the project-based content world. But the old paradigm hasn't shifted, and I'm not convinced the remnants of command-and-control hierarchy will ever truly go away.
That's the reality, so let's see how a young entrepreneurial journalist can work within this world:
- If you're going the Web route, learn about search engine optimization, keywords, CPM rates, sponsorships, and grassroots marketing. If you're doing print or broadcast, study each industry's established revenue streams. If you're targeting all three worlds, learn everything about everything.
- Become a self promoter. Believe me, I know how much this one hurts, but every independent business owner needs to toot their own horn. If you aren't a natural extrovert, you can look at self-promotion as a form of "necessary evil acting." (It still sucks ... just not as much.)
- Swallow your pride and get experience at an established organization. Even though I can't stand offices, I have to begrudgingly admit that I've acquired a massive amount of information through cubicle osmosis. The knowledge you accumulate in these environments is insanely valuable.
- Get over your entitlement. I used to scoff at people who complained about Gen Y's entitlement issues, but having been in education for a bit I can vouch for its existence. It's a bizarre situation. I admire the inherent self-confidence many Gen Yers have, but a subset of these people don't know where self-confidence ends and cockiness begins. Trust me -- assignment editors have shit lists, and a cocky young freelancer with limited experience can end up on those lists real quick.
To quote Crash Davis:
"Your shower shoes have fungus on them ... If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, it means you're a slob."
- One of the great things about the Web is that people share everything, including their failures. A piece like Steve Outing's "An Important Lesson About Grassroots Media" offers excellent information based on a real business experience. Find this stuff and read it religiously.
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