Why the holidays are the time for freelance strategizing

The days are much shorter. In the U.S., it's getting colder in the Midwest and East Coast. If you’re lucky enough to have loved ones to spend the holidays with, your mind is probably focused on travel schedules and winding down for the end of the year.

Of course, this is the time of year to relax and catch up with your loved ones. For freelancers, I think the holidays are an especially crucial time for rest, because much of the workforce is resting, which allows freelancers to not worry about missing paid work opportunities. 

To get rest and start 2020 on the right foot, November is the time to strategize. This is the time of year for strengthening relationships with new clients and reaching out to new client leads. 

I came to this realization on a day when I had too little work. A couple of workdays that week had been relatively quiet, so I decided to send some pitches, both one-off story pitches and business-to-business contributor pitches. To my surprise, I got responses from both a publication with whom I had an existing relationship and a new publication. Both were looking to assign stories to writers for its early 2020 issues. 

Whether magazines pay on publication or on submission, earning income before and during the holiday season is critical for freelancers to truly relax. This is the time of year when editors are looking to assign their early January/February issue coverage. 

I didn’t hit my income goal this year, but I have surpassed my income from the previous year. For that, I’m so grateful, but I’m also looking ahead to see what next year will bring. 

If you can afford to do so, now would be a good time to meet with editors to see what kind of stories they want. Ask for their upcoming editorial calendar. Think about what investigative or feature stories you could start pursuing in the new year. Hint: now would be a good time to file that public records request to get it (hopefully) in time to publish a story for Spring or Summer. 

You should absolutely take time off this holiday season, but take a moment in between celebrations to set yourself up for success in the new year.

What’s your 2020 vision? How are you preparing to reach your goals? Tell me in the comments or email me at contact@thefreelancebeat.com.