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Newspapers and small town magazines want local stories, and you can provide them even if you are not local.
Freelance opportunities abound at newspapers, and not just your local newspaper. The key to landing those opportunities—and the
freelance checks that come with them—is to think locally; even when pitching an article to a non-local newspaper.
As newspapers have rapidly increased their presence on the global Internet the past two or three years, they have discovered a familiar
word remains vital to attracting readers: “local.”
With endless sources for national and international news, Internet surfers still prefer that their local newspaper provide their local
news. In that regard, this new audience for newspapers is much like their traditional print readership. Thus, newspapers are searching
for as many local stories as possible to fill both their pages—print and web.
You can meet those needs and you do not have to be a local writer to do it. You just have to write local stories.
Let’s take a simple story idea: how restaurants offer free or reduced children’s meals on certain nights to attract families.
I’ll show how to produce multiple stories from this single idea and make each marketable as a local story for your local newspaper.
Start With Your Home Paper
The easiest sale for this story is to approach your community newspaper. If you have not already tapped into this market, produce a
list of sources for your story: three or four local restaurant managers and a similar number of adults who take advantage of these
reduced-price dinner nights.
Come up with a list of three to five ideas to approach the editor with. If one idea is rejected, pitch the next idea, and keep pitching
until one does get accepted. Once you have your acceptance, complete the assignment and immediately add that credit to your next
pitch—at another newspaper!
Think: Friends And Family
Confidently possessing a proven story idea, you can now begin to move into other markets. This is where you need to think local even
though you are not a local resident. And to do that all you have to do is think of family and friends you have in different parts of
the country.
Like Cousin Edna who lives three states away.
Call Cousin Edna, catch up on old times, then tell her about your story idea and ask what she has noticed about restaurants in her area.
Take good notes. Get proper names, spellings, and locations.
Even if Cousin Edna cooks every meal or does not have kids at home anymore, she can still offer great wisdom. Can she refer you to a few
friends, colleagues, or acquaintances who would do dine at kid-friendly restaurants?
After your initial interview with relatives and friends, it’s time to hit the pavement. Call those restaurants and request a time to set
up a phone interview. (Their phone numbers are a quick Internet search away.)
Armed with a list of parents and restaurant managers in Cousin Edna’s hometown, you can now contact that local newspaper and pitch your
idea.
State-by-state lists of newspapers are available through various Internet sources, including www.usnpl.com. Locate the newspaper that
services Cousin Edna’s community, and find the appropriate contact information from that newspaper’s website.
When you contact an editor, make sure the editor knows you’ve done your legwork and that you have a list of local sources ready and
willing to be interviewed. This can help you overcome the biggest obstacle you will face: an editor’s temptation to take the idea and
assign it to a local freelance writer or staff writer. You want the editor thinking, “We could do this story ourselves, but this writer
already has a big jump on us and can produce this story quicker.”
Making New Friends
Thanks to the growth of the Internet, you make new friends on a near daily basis when you visit forums, groups, and chat rooms.
If you have a blog you can encourage visitors to sign a guest book or leave a comment. When a new story idea comes along, scan your
guest book and/or comments, pull the email address, and contact your new “local” source.
Do you belong to an organization that has local chapters throughout the United States or globe? If so, develop contacts through those
chapters. All you need is one person to be the starting point in each locale you select.
As long as you do not introduce yourself as an investigative journalist or a gossip columnist, you will be surprised by how many people
would love to be quoted in their local newspaper.
Develop A Website
Finally, don’t overlook a personal or business-related website. An internet search on local restaurants can have your next “source”
coming to you!
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About The Author:
David Thomas is a senior sports writer for the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. You may e-mail him at emaildavidthomas@yahoo.com or
read his sports humor columns online at http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/columnists/dave_thomas.
* This article is available for your publication, for a F-E-E.
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