July 2024

Spoiler alert – I got paid!

Not that you would have to read too far for the update, but it was such a feeling of accomplishment that I felt compelled to lead with it. 

July was also the month that I set the goal of sending out a pitch a day. And did I achieve it? 

Drumroll……

Nope.

But rather than focusing on where I fell short, I am choosing to focus on what I did do. I pitched 24 out of the 31 days, which I’ll take.

My day job definitely ramped up this month, with my boss wanting me to take on more responsibility. It’s a double-edged sword: It’s great to know my steady paycheck is not in jeopardy, but it also takes away time from being able to write as much as I would like to.

Alas, growing up poor has created a mental hurdle for me to overcome as I continue along my freelancing journey. It’s counterintuitive to me to walk away from a guaranteed income and venture into the uncertain terrain of variable income. 

My goal is to change my mindset rather than change my course. My first step was to read The Power of Broke by Daymond John. While an oldie, it still had some great stories about how those who reached wealth were driven by their experience of being poor. Not having a safety net is sometimes the best motivator to not fail. 

I’m still working on letting go of my safety net, which is a steady paycheck, but the motivation to cut the cord before the end of the year is strong. I have five more months to make it a reality. 

Alrighty, let’s dive into July!

Pitch Count

Pitch Sent – 24 pitches sent

Pitches Accepted – 2 (Business Insider)

Pitches Rejected – 1

Pitches Ghosted – 21

The good news is that I’m starting to get the feel of Business Insider (BI) down.

The bad news (okay, it’s not really bad, but it just flowed!) is that I’m not really feeling their vibe as much. 

BI strongly focuses on offbeat personal stories. While I certainly have plenty of those, I’m looking to write more journalistic and service-oriented pieces—articles from which people can learn and walk away with concrete advice. 

I can now see why people get stuck writing certain styles of articles. I’m aiming to avoid that and push myself to learn and grow in different styles.

Money Earned

With that, I take back everything I said about BI because they’re the only ones who have paid me to write thus far…jk….kinda!

BI Article 1 – $200

BI Article 2 – $225

Total Earned- $425

Seeing an actual amount in the money earned column feels good, especially after months of zeros. 

Money Spent

$250 – Pitching Hour*

$99 – Wordling**

$7 – Jon Morrow Course

Total Spent – $356

*While this had been a recurring monthly expense, I decided to lock in the yearly rate and take advantage of the discount. I am loving this community, feedback and support!

**I mentioned joining this last month and decided to give it a go. It’s also a program focused on pitching, freelance writing, and growing a career, but the format greatly differs from the Pitching Hour. I’m giving this a few months to see how/where it goes, and will reassess from there, as this will be pretty costly.

Successes

I’m seeking out specific editors and learning to craft better pitches (at least it feels that way to me!). The process is becoming demystified and doesn’t feel as overwhelming as it did initially. 

I’m also starting to hone in on what I’m truly interested in writing about, making it easier to find the angles I want to explore. Time will tell if editors actually want to pay for those angles!

Things I Learned

An editor replied to a pitch, stating he was interested in it; he simply had to make sure the story wasn’t being covered by in-house staff. I immediately got excited and responded appropriately. Crickets.

I followed up again, and he replied that he would like me to write it; he just had a couple of questions before moving forward. I answered them. Crickets. 

I followed up again and replied he was going out of town but would get back to me upon his return. A couple days after his planned return date, I followed up. Crickets. 

So yeah, I learned not to get preemptively excited! In all seriousness, I still have a lot to learn, and managing my expectations is one of them. 

Editors are inundated with pitches, questions and emails in general. I’m not special.

And I don’t need to be special but my pitches do. Here’s to learning, tweaking, pitching and not taking things personally!

Onwards to August…….