31 Things Editors Wish Freelance Writers Knew

I originally compiled this piece to help fellow freelance writers increase their revenue, build better relationships with editors, or even get their foot in the door if they’re just starting out. What I wasn’t expecting was how much I would actually learn myself! Did I write this piece to help out my freelance colleagues, or did I unconsciously interview all of my beauty editor friends so that I could learn how to be a better freelance writer myself? I’m not sure, but either way, there is a plethora of great advice in here from some very wise women in my field.

While interviewing editors, I realized two things: I might be more valuable as a freelance writer than I think, and I can’t believe how many freelance writers actually ghost their editors! I’m in shock (and appalled) that this is even a relatively common practice, and I think it needs to end ASAP. If you only take one piece of advice from this long list, it should be to never ghost an editor—it will come back to haunt you, I promise!

31 Things Editors Wish Freelance Writers Knew

On What Makes a Really Great Freelance Writer:

Advice #1

“In my opinion, a great freelance writer is one who comes prepared, does their research, and is open and receptive to (reasonable) feedback. It’s incredibly refreshing when I can tell a freelancer has done their homework on a site — and you can tell in their ideas and their submitted work. They’ll tailor their pitches to each site they’re reaching out to, understanding the difference in the way some sites might approach a similar topic (i.e. perhaps one site focuses on expert-driven reporting while another site prioritizes personal accounts). When writing a piece, they’ll study the site as best they can to ensure their writing matches the style of the site. And during the editing process, they’ll understand that their editor has (or should have) their best interest in mind.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 26

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Advice #2

“Clear (in their pitch, in the email communication, in their writing), punctual (don’t miss deadlines, accept or turn down assignments in a timely matter), careful (Grammarly is the best—use it! I’m a lot more forgiving of a boring, half-assed story if at least all the grammar and spelling is correct), eager (I want writers who are excited about our site’s mission, actually read it, and want to be a part of what we’re doing! I love when writers share their stories on Instagram and it makes me want to work with them more), and gracious when it comes to feedback and edits.” – Deputy Editor, 30

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Advice #3

“There are so many things that make up a great freelancer, but one of the things I love the most is when a writer takes the time to familiarize themselves with the brand and pitches accordingly. For example, we have several franchises on our website, and I always love when I get an email from a writer saying that they’d like to write a piece for one of them. It shows that they’ve done their homework.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

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Advice #4

“Communication! I can usually be really flexible and understanding about deadlines — but only if you give me advance notice so I can plan accordingly. Being reliable and timely is important of course, but I also understand that things come up that can cause delays. The best freelancers are the ones who are honest about any issues they run into in the reporting or writing process, suggest solutions when they run into problems, and communicate with me about what they will need to get the story in shape. The more communicative and collaborative the writer/editor relationship, the better.

I also really appreciate writers who take the time and make the extra effort to adapt to the voice, tone and even the specific style of our site (copy-wise). I know how tough that can be to do when you’re writing for a wide variety of different outlets, but the ones that go above and beyond to tailor their pieces to our unique voice, tone, and style are the ones that stand out and make my job much easier.” – Beauty Director, 29

On What Makes a Great Pitch:

Advice #1

“Either really smart and informed pieces, or creative pitches with snappy headlines! I’m all about the science behind beauty and take our work as beauty journalists really seriously, so I want to know that the writers I work with are doing their due diligence by interviewing unbiased experts, staying up to date on studies, and are asking themselves the bigger picture questions. Having said that, I also love the fun and the appalling! I just had a freelancer publish a first-person recount of a vajacial and another one is getting a snake massage, and what I love so much is that their personalities and voices are really coming through.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

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Advice #2

“A really great pitch is one that is complete, creative, and well-researched. You might think a ‘complete’ pitch is intuitive, but there are several times I’ve been cold-pitched a headline with very little accompanying description of how the writer would complete the piece and why they’re qualified to write it. IMHO, a creative pitch is not only one that hasn’t been done before, but also one that finds a new avenue into a story that has been done before. Finally, a well-researched pitch proves that the writer knows what they’re talking about and has a clear idea of where this piece will go.

Thinking about everything: word count, sources to reach out to, structure, imagery, headlines, etc. Paint a crystal-clear picture of what this piece will ideally look like so your editor doesn’t have to guess. This makes it easier for the editor to decide right off the bat whether or not a pitch is a fit, and it saves a writer from having to overhaul their piece if an editor thought they were getting something different.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Writer, 26

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Advice #3

“One that is specific, detailed and brief. I also wish more writers took the time to use Google. It’s really simple to search and find whether a subject has been covered in the past by us or by our competitors — so it’s always shocking how many pitches I get that are A) things we’ve already covered or B) things our competitors just covered. Uniqueness is important. Why this story, why now, and why should we specifically be the ones to do it?” – Beauty Director, 29

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Advice #4

“Something that I couldn’t write, either because I don’t have the time, the personal angle, or the connections/experts you do. A basic, seasonal pitch—TK ways to switch up your skincare for fall, TK ways to keep your New Year’s resolutions—not only won’t be accepted, it won’t make me think you can handle bigger pieces I have to assign. I want super weird and obscure (within reason, it still needs to make sense for the publication) ideas!” – Deputy Editor, 30

On Their Biggest Pet Peeve When Working with Freelance Writers:

Advice #1

“I think a writer/editor relationship needs to be a symbiotic one. Neither of us can do our jobs without the other, so it’s extremely frustrating when writers go MIA, don’t hit deadlines, and don’t communicate about questions or issues they’re running into in the writing process. I’m always happy to help guide a story and offer any resources I can to help execute it — that’s my job! — but I can’t do that if I’m left in the dark about what’s going on. That said, while I’m always down to brainstorm sources or guide research, it also frustrates me when writers don’t take the initiative to do a bit of that on their own, suggesting possible sources or seeking out ways of getting in touch with them on their own.” – Beauty Director, 29

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Advice #2

“I’ve been very lucky that I haven’t had too many awful experiences, but I think my biggest pet peeve is when a freelancer turns in a piece that is wildly different from what we discussed. If you notice your angle start to change halfway through a piece or you think a different approach might be better, just communicate that to your editor sooner rather than later. That way, there are no surprises, and you can work together to decide on a new direction for the piece. Other than that, missing deadlines, not sending a fleshed-out pitch, and not submitting clean, self-edited copy are major turn-offs.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 26

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Advice #3

“People that don’t take edits well. It’s happened more than once when I email a writer and give them specific pointers, whether grammatical errors that constantly come up with them or asking them to do further reporting, and then I either don’t get an answer or I get a snooty one. As an editor, all I want to do is help my writers out and publish great stories for our readers, and I wish some people didn’t take edits personally.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

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Advice #4

“Missed deadlines! I understand if they need a couple of extra days and appreciate the heads up, but it’s not rare for people to miss deadlines by weeks, even months, with no communication. It blows my mind—we signed a contract, I am paying you, and that story is slotted into our calendar and going toward our monthly count. When you don’t turn in work, I have to answer to my boss, our SEO team, our social team, etc. and it throws more off than freelancers realize, especially for small sites.” – Deputy Director, 30

On How to Negotiate a Higher Rate: 

Advice #1

“It’s not about credentials for me—it’s just about being a good writer. If someone turns in an amazing piece and I feel they deserved more than the original rate, I will let them know I want them to write more for us and can raise their rate. I always want to keep talent happy and motivated, so top writers who turn in clean, well-researched, interesting work will always get the top of budget.” – Deputy Editor, 30

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Advice #2

“I can’t speak for every publication because every publication is different, but for me, it mainly boils down to experience and the amount of work going into a piece. If you have one year under your belt but have really strong pieces and want to write a piece that will require several interviews, lots of reading through studies, and market research, I wouldn’t hesitate to give them a rate that was higher than a veteran who’s writing a first-person review—given it fits with our budget, of course.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

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Advice #3

“Many factors will, of course, play into rate, but I think any credentials that would make someone an expert on the topic they’re covering is naturally very helpful. Also, if a writer has a wealth of published clips and/or a decent amount of experience freelancing for a high-profile publication, that can also play into rate.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 26

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Advice #4

“This really depends on the type of story, but being an incredibly reliable writer who consistently turns in impeccable copy goes a long way toward making me want to work with someone again in the future and allocate more budget toward them. (If I know the editing process won’t be a heavy lift, it’s worth paying a higher rate!) Beyond that, expertise in a field (i.e. plenty of clips demonstrating knowledge of a specific subject, like sustainability or the science behind skincare) can be a factor.

And finally, for writers we work with on a regular basis, we like to have them come in for training on our CMS so they are able to produce their own stories. It’s super simple for them but goes a long way toward cutting down on our editorial team’s workload, so we typically pay about $25 more per story if a writer is able to produce their own post, including photos, links, and SEO.

I’d say don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for things. If you make a clear case for why you are asking for a higher rate, I can make that case when it comes to allocating our budget. Know your worth  — you’d be surprised how many freelance writers turn in sloppy, lazy copy, ignore aspects of the assignment, don’t ask questions, don’t communicate (or worse, fully ghost! It happens shockingly often!). So if you’re a writer who doesn’t do any of those things, you’re extremely rare and valuable. Don’t be afraid to ask for rates that reflect that. If editors can’t pay that much, they’ll let you know what they can pay — but you never know unless you speak up and ask.” – Beauty Director, 29

On Following Up On Pitches:

Advice #1

“One follow up is sometimes necessary for the pitch to resurface in my email (we get so many emails!), but generally speaking, it’s not the amount of follow-ups that are “too many,” it’s the timing between follow-ups that is more important. For example, follow-ups that are days apart is too quick (sometimes I’m waiting on budgeting before I can respond or I’m waiting for our edit meeting to happen so I can give better feedback on the pitches). Typically a week to a week and a half between follow-ups is best.” – Senior Beauty Editor, 27

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Advice #2

“Personally, I don’t mind getting a ton of follow-ups. I currently have about 500 unanswered emails due to the amount of work I have, so if I don’t reply to an email the odds are that I either just didn’t see it or I haven’t had time to answer. Therefore, I love it when people bug me, because I do want to answer!” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

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Advice #3

“I appreciate a follow-up email and typically try to respond to all pitches, so hopefully a third subsequent one isn’t necessary (I do my best!). But in general, if you’re not hearing back from me at all, I think it’s totally fair to continue following up until you do. I rely so much on freelancers and love getting cold pitches and new voices on the site; I’d never intentionally just ignore a thought-out pitch email altogether!” – Beauty Director, 29

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Advice #4

“It’s fine to follow up once, a week later, but more than that is overkill. If someone sends me a great pitch, I respond immediately to not lose the story. Every time. Editors don’t let things slip by when they want them.” – Deputy Editor, 30

On If a Writer’s Social Media Presence Affects Whether They’ll Work With Them: 

Advice #1

“Definitely. My biggest pet peeve is when writers post in Facebook groups basically announcing all the stories they’re working on and crowdsourcing product or expert recommendations. For one thing, it’s beyond lazy. I am paying you to do the research yourself. For another, I don’t want other writers and editors to know what stories are on my site’s upcoming editorial calendar. I remember everyone who does that and I will never work with them.” – Deputy Editor, 30

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Advice #2

“It depends on the story, but for the most part, yes. It’s not make-or-break (i.e. a huge Twitter presence is absolutely not a requirement), but when it comes to working with a new writer for the first time, some sort of presence/public awareness and engagement in the topics we cover is obviously helpful.” – Beauty Director, 29

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Advice #3

“None, and this had honestly never occurred to me. I couldn’t care less how active you are on social because I’m not super active myself!” – Senior Beauty Editor, 31

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Advice #4

“I would never not work with someone if they lacked social media or didn’t have an online presence, but having a strong online presence does help. For example, on our site we constantly feature images of our writers and their Tweets, so it makes my job easier if I can embed an Instagram photo or a Tweet that’s relevant to the piece.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

On Pitching To a New Editor:

Advice #1

“I like to know what other outlets they’ve written for, if they’ve written for anyone else that I’ve worked with in the past (so I can get a reference/valued opinion), and see clips.” – Senior Beauty Editor, 31

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Advice #2

“A professional-looking website is a nice touch, but for me, it’s not crucial. I think a few well-chosen clips that they are especially proud of and/or that epitomize the type of work they’d want to do for me are most useful. I would also suggest just going in with 2-3 (no more) extremely well-thought-out, tailored pitches, rather than a long list of vague ideas they are clearly pitching around cold to a long list of outlets. And then, of course, it’s always helpful to know someone’s rates right off the bat.” – Beauty Director, 29

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Advice #3

“I like to see 2-3 links to stories they’ve done that they love. I find that personal essays are the best for analyzing how good of a writer someone will be and what their voice is like and I also want to see a bigger, researched feature that showcases how they use experts in stories.” – Deputy Editor, 30

On The Best Day to Pitch:

Advice #1

“Probably Wednesday or Thursday for me — the front of my week is too aggressively loaded up.” – Senior Beauty Editor, 31

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Advice #2

“Mid-month is generally prime time to receive pitches because that’s when I’m starting to assign pieces for the next month, but I take pitches on a rolling basis.” – Senior Beauty & Fashion Editor, 28

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Advice #3

“I don’t have a preference, but I suppose Friday is a slower day, so a Friday morning pitch would give me time to read it over when I’m not stressed and assign it before the weekend.” – Deputy Editor, 30

On Getting Feedback on Your Writing:

“I also think it’s really important to go back and carefully read the final version of the story that gets published. See what changes were made, learn from them, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback if you’re confused about something. It will make you a better writer and the editor will know you’re making an effort to learn and become even more valuable to them in the future. Taking feedback well and asking for constructive criticism goes a long way; even if something needs a major revision after the first draft, it’s the writers who take revisions seriously and nail it on the second draft that stand out.” – Beauty Director, 29