There’s a level of writing development and individuality that many if not most reporters try to achieve—personal style. It’s a unique form of expression that identifies a writer’s work as
You’re no better than your sources, and the more varied and deep the information they can provide, the more effective your research and stories are. Some of your sources may
Hearing from people who ask for interviews off the record has become a regular part of business journalism. In my experience, that’s most frequently done by in-house corporate PR people
While journalism requires a certain willingness to talk to strangers and interview sources, many writers are introverts who’d rather not spend their downtime schmoozing. But, especially for freelancers who don’t
If your experience reporting is anything like mine, you’ll constantly hear from people who want to be sources and their reps. It may be in response to a query you
Finding good sources can be a challenge and chances are you spend a good amount of time looking for them. You want someone with knowledge of the topic, perhaps special
All writers—business journalists, too—prize creativity. Story structure, phrasing, ledes and kickers. No matter how dry the topic, you likely want to make the result as engaging and even artistic as
So, you pitched a killer story idea and an editor wants to assign it. Time to get to cracking, right? Not so fast. Before you start writing your magnum opus,
In business journalism, you can safely bet that most—almost all, even—interview subjects have an agenda. Company executives want to project an image that will satisfy shareholders, customers, and the executive’s
Freelance writers seeking work from trade publications and some other types of clients often send editors a letter of introduction (LOI) rather than a pitch. This is especially true of
A long time ago, I was in a software distribution business with a large audience of software developers and engineers. Much of my time was spent plenty talking to vendors.
Interviews with subject matter experts and “real people” give media coverage color and credibility. But if you only have 10 minutes with an expert, how can you make the most
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