New York-based freelance journalist Meena Thiruvengadam joined The Denver Press Club on Wednesday night for a virtual webinar to walk through how she’s pivoted and adapted her freelance journalism business since the emergence of the novel coronavirus.
Media companies throughout the United States and world are laying off journalists, furloughing them or cutting their pay. In such an environment, how can journalists transition to freelancing. Or, if they’re already freelancing, what should they know?
Thiruvengadam, who has written extensively for travel publications, offered tips on finding work, including searching Twitter for phrases such as “send me pitches.” She also detailed how she tracks projects, invoices and how she decides what rate to charge for a given project or set of work.
She also emphasized that a varied skillset and background had proven useful. She’s equally adept at consulting on audience development and social media as she is writing about economics, travel and politics. In all, she maintains roughly 15 clients at any given moment. Over the last few months, she’s lost worked — but also gained work, too.
