Stringers

Agree 100%. This is what clips are for. I believe this guy said he has plenty. Use those.

 

Oh boy, is this right in my wheelhouse...

Look at the schedule(s) for the team(s) in your area and then start cold-calling and cold-emailing. Repeatedly. That is what has worked for me. I will give you a couple examples.

I had contacted Louisiana papers in December, asking if they needed help with Saints-Giants. A couple papers took me up on my offer and they really liked my work and said they'd keep me in mind if something was going on in NY that they needed covered. Two days before the NFL Draft, the Louisiana papers called asking me to cover the Draft.

Prior to that, I wrote a 1,000 word feature for a major metro in the Midwest and they loved it. So much so, that the editors there told me that they'd keep my contact information handy when their teams came to the NYC.

Also, look at what's around you. If you're near multiple major cities, travel. I'm lucky enough to be near Boston, Philly, D.C. and Baltimore, and I've done stuff in those cities. Like Dan Hickling posted, "It's all about customer service...identifying/anticipating needs and solving problems...theirs first, yours second..."

Finally, don't stargaze at major metros. Yeah, it's fun to get your words in the big deal papers. But more often than not, they will staff games. E-mail smaller papers and offer your services. Maybe it's not as glamorous as writing for the New York Times, but you can get good clips writing for the Richmond (NY) Reader. It's just a matter of making the most of your opportunity.

 

Identify an underserved area. Maybe it's a particular sport, or a particular part of the circulation area, where they're not having good results in terms of their stringer performance.

I created a whole beat out of whole cloth at my first big-daily job because they weren't covering prep soccer -- and this was at a time when prep soccer was first starting to boom in the Nashville 'burbs.

I freaking owned that beat for a couple of years while also working the desk.

When a college beat opened up, they already knew I could handle a beat.

Right now, in my shop, I've got areas in our far-flung circulation where we're weak in terms of stringer coverage. Our situation is typical, I'm sure.

 

Good idea starting this thread. Some great ideas that I need to start applying to my searches for freelance work.

 

Whatever you do, don't try pitching them feature stories you've already written. I want freelancers who will go and cover what I need.

I have enough time fitting everything in the paper as it is. Paying someone for a feature story that I would have to squeeze in the paper is not a high priority.

If you already have a relationship and want to pitch features, fine.