One of the most frustrating parts of being a freelance journalist aside from the actual writing is finding editors to pitch your work to. I’ve grappled with this for years, and I think I always will. Why? Editors frequently leave their posts. Not every editor informs you they are leaving, or who their replacement will be. You’re often left in the dust. This is kind of how the business rolls.

Of course, there are ways to make it a little easier. You’ll probably have to pay for those resources, but they can be well worth it. I’m a big supporter of Freelance Success. Their newsletter and community are very forthcoming when it comes to sharing contact information. Others, such as

Here’s a new tool I found: Hunter. While it does not spell out which editor to contact, it does let you plug in a URL and see what email addresses are affiliated with it. Most of the publication websites—especially the ones with print options—didn’t light up, but it was helpful to see what formulas are used. Hunter also gave a few personal emails that I then plugged in to see if the person was still working there and pitchable.

Hunter is not a GREAT tool, but you need all the help you can get to keep tabs on editors—especially if you pitch different publications frequently.

 

Kristen Fischer is a copywriter and journalist living at the Jersey Shore. She worked as a reporter and copyeditor for Gannett before launching her full-time freelance business in 2005. Her work has been published in Parents, New Jersey Monthly, Prevention, Woman’s Day, SheKnows, and Healthline.