Once you have been freelancing for a few months, chances are that you’ll notice a publication putting up a piece that is remarkably similar to an idea you sent them earlier that month. Either you’ll have a gnawing feeling that your email was forwarded to a staffer (someone who works in-house) to write, or you’ll have certainty that your idea has been straight-up pinched — perhaps your case studies have been used or they’ve used the exact headline you pitched with.
So what, if anything, can you do about this? I turned to Twitter (as much as I will always share my own experiences in this newsletter, a problem shared is a problem halved, right?). The depressing thing was that most freelancers have also experienced this phenomenon — some so often that it’s actually deterred them from pitching more frequently, and they now focus on just working with the same outlets and editors that they trust.
Others accept the ‘theft’ as validation for their idea and use it as reassurance that they were onto something. If your pitch is news-y and not personal e.g. you’ve pitched about the Netflix Q1 earnings, then it’s likely that someone else just had the same idea as you. This is still annoying, but it’s unlikely to be straight-up idea theft — more of a coincidence, as this data comes out at the same time each year and most editors know that these earnings reports have stats useful for stories about streaming services.
But perhaps your idea is less news-y, and is built on a trend or phenomenon you’ve noticed while speaking to friends or using social media. There’s still scope for someone else to have the same idea — but it’s less likely. What do you do if an idea like this gets knabbed? Well, there are two options: you can either move forwards and hope that you’ll have another good idea (that you’ll get the commission for) in the future… or, you can take that good idea of yours and adjust it so that you’ve changed the angle or perhaps developed more nuance than the just published piece. Then, you can take the piece to a competitor outlet — particularly if you’ve already done a lot of legwork and have case studies in place, this could be lucrative for you.
Others recommend caution when pitching in the first place: if you send a comprehensive reporting plan where you’ve named all your key case studies, there’s nothing stopping a publication from contacting these sources themselves.
So be coy — don’t reveal your case studies’ identities until you have a commission, instead say something like “I am in contact with a woman, late thirties, who is willing to speak about her experiences with X”. This shows that you’ve done the required research and pre-reporting, but doesn’t give that editor the tools to assign the story to someone else.
Say you’re absolutely certain that your idea has been straight-up stolen, though. Should you say anything to the editor in question? It really depends — perhaps if the editor asked you for more information e.g. for the identities of case studies, before ghosting you and assigning the piece in-house, it might be appropriate to let other freelancers know to avoid this editor in private groupchats. You could post about them publicly, but this comes with the risk of other editors seeing your post and blacklisting you because they think you’re too outspoken.
Ultimately, it’s down to what feels right to you as an individual. But if you’re feeling uncomfortable about how you’ve been treated by a certain editor, you don’t have to pitch them again in the future. There are thousands of outlets that you could send your ideas to instead — if you’re struggling to think of places, definitely check out Journo Resources’ amazing freelance rates database.
My week
… in editing
A wee reminder that The Indiependent’s May magazine is now available for pre-order: it’s packed full of lots of great music, books, film, TV, gaming, theatre, opinion and lifestyle content. Buying a copy is a fantastic way to support the young journalists that write for the site, as every penny we make from the sale of the magazine goes towards our operational costs (which include a monthly ‘Writer of the Month’ cash prize).
This week I edited some great reviews by Ella McLaren including this review of nicha’s ‘Salt Water Song’, and this review of Maya Law’s Hitchhiking EP. I also edited Ed Brown’s review of ‘Limbo’ by Royal Blood.
… in writing
Pitches: 1 new, 3 re-pitches and 1 follow-up
Commissions: 0
I got one rejection, three no replies, and one ‘yes this event looks interesting, please attend it and pitch me afterwards’.
Articles written: 1
Articles published: 1
Ed Cosens (guitarist and co-songwriter in Reverend and the Makers) released his debut album this week — I reviewed Fortunes Favour for The Indiependent.
… in listening/watching
Obviously as massive Taylor Swift fan, the majority of my Friday was spent listening to Fearless (Taylor’s Version) — shouting along like I’m a heartbroken 15-year-old and not in fact in a lovely relationship with a very nice man…
The lovely Jess Bacon invited me on her podcast ‘The Guide to Life After University’, where I spoke about my route into journalism. You can listen to it here:
… in reading
Christine Berry’s piece ‘How protestors get the blame for police violence’ for Tribune was great
Also for Tribune, I thought Emma Flint’s piece on ‘The fight for the night’ was such a good read
Hannah Tindle’s i_D article ‘Sex, safety & politics: what the ‘going out’ dress means now’ was excellent
I adored this ‘slow review’ of Toy Story for Tortoise: ‘Ellen Halliday on the Pixar movie that changed the art, ambition and business of animation’
Stylist has launched ‘The Curiosity Academy’ which is a new digital space where you can access workshops, how-to guides, new research and learn the most up-to-date skills from the UK’s most in-the-know people. Definitely check it out here
An important piece here on self-employment burnout by Annabel Lee for The Breakdown
I found Sahar Arshad’s piece on revenge bedtime procrastination for Discover magazine interesting
I related to Nali Simukulwa’s Aurelia piece ‘Learning to love running has healed and freed me’ — I’ve always turned to running during times of intense stress and anxiety and I know I’m not alone on that
Observer and Guardian journalist Sarah Hughes sadly died aged 48 — here is her brilliant piece on ‘Game of Thrones, cancer and me’ from last year
Lydia Spencer-Elliott’s feature on how ‘Teenage girls are developing uncontrollable tics during lockdown’ for VICE was fascinating stuff
Big fan of Charlotte Moore’s Refinery29 piece: ‘Lockdown gave me the confidence to come out in my 30s’
Events
This week I’m hosting a entertainment journalism Q&A with Mike Williams, the editor-in-chief at Sight & Sound magazine, and former NME editor. If you’d like to attend on 14 April at 7.15pm then knab your ticket here!
Other upcoming events:
Writing memorable pitches with Tara Joshi on 15 April, 5.30 - 6.30 pm
Indiependent Journey-lism: Writer & Columnist, Rose Stokes - 27 April at 6.30pm - come and join us for a chat about all things lifestyle writing!
Indiependent Journey-lism: Freelance Features Writer, Amelia Tait - 5 May at 6.30pm - Amelia is one of my favourite journalists and so I’m so excited to be picking her brains on how to pitch and write features.
Indiependent Journey-lism: Senior Commissioning Editor, Victoria Richards - 13 May at 6.30pm - this will be a great event for anyone looking to learn more about what commissioning editors are looking for from freelancers
Opportunities
I’m celebrating this week because this newsletter helped someone land a job.
That’s exactly why I spend my Saturdays scouring the internet for opportunities — so if you’ve secured a gig through this newsletter please do let me know!
Alfreton: Slimming World is looking for two writers - one on a permanent basis, another for maternity cover
Anywhere (remote): Crown Media Ltd is looking for freelance multimedia journalists
Anywhere (remote): Contentive is looking for freelance journalists for their pool
Anywhere (remote): Finixio is looking for a content editor who is a personal finance / crypto / trading / investments content expert
Anywhere (remote): GRV media is looking for football journalists who are fans of Liverpool, Newcastle United, Rangers and Wolves
Birmingham: Spark44 is looking for a content editor on a 4 month FTC
Birmingham: GameRevolution is on the hunt for a contributing writer
Blackpool: Hunter and Jones is in need of a copywriter and content executive
Bristol: The BBC is looking for an assistant producer to work on BBC Food
Cheltenham: The University of Gloucestershire is looking for a social media officer
Colchester: Pozitive Energy is on the hunt for a marketing executive
Edinburgh: Bundle Digital is looking for a junior copywriter
Exeter (remote): Reach is looking for a late content editor
Glasgow: DC Thomson Media is in the business for a marketing content producer
Leeds: Lorien is looking for a content editor/copywriter to cover sports and gaming briefs
Leeds: There’s a sports supplement retailer in need of a sports nutrition content writer here
Lincoln: Accelerate Agency is looking for an SEO content writer
Liverpool: CUBEX is looking for a content writer
Manchester: The Science Museum Group is looking for a press and PR manager
Manchester: The University of Manchester is looking for a social media coordinator
Newcastle: Glass Digital is looking for a content executive (a copywriter, in other words)
Newcastle: The NHS Business Services Authority is looking for a media and campaigns officer
Nottingham: Games Workshop is looking for an editor to work across Warcry and Warhammer Underworlds
Oxford: The University of Oxford is looking for a press officer
Sheffield: Obitus is looking for a video editor, paying £9.50/hour
York: News UK is looking for a digital video producer to work for The Sun online
York: Orchestral is looking for a content editor with an understanding of orchestral and keys equipment
PS) Like this newsletter? Tweet me and let me know! @BettyKirkers or @DistrictPeaked