BITW 149: 11 Keys To Long-term Success as a Freelance Travel Writer with Rachel Cavanaugh (Part 1)

Step by step process to set yourself up for success as a freelance travel journalist. In this episode, we chat about developing a niche and generating income as a travel writer as well as the keys to networking. Keys to success for travel bloggers too!

Rachel Cavanaugh is my guest on this episode. She has been in media and journalism for 14 years and is an accomplished freelance travel writer. She started her career as a print newspaper reporter. Today she is an outdoor, travel and adventure writer with a focus on outdoor sports and adventure destinations, particularly skiing/snowboarding, kiteboarding, kayaking, hiking, and road-tripping.

Rachel is a staff commerce writer for Bustle Digital Group which includes Bustle, Elite Daily, Mic, and Inverse as well as a freelance writer for various outlets including Men’s Journal, MSN, The Hollywood Reporter, 57 Hours, Matador Network, Digital Trends, Gear Junkie, and KimKim. This is “11 Keys To Long-term Success As a Travel Writing Freelancer with Rachel Cavanaugh (Part 1)”.

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11 Keys To Long-term Success As a Freelancer with Rachel Cavanaugh (Part 1)

Listen to today’s episode to hear Rachel’s step by step process to set yourself up for success as a freelancer and travel journalist. In this episode, we chat about developing a niche and generating income as well as the keys to networking.

Overview of the topics in today’s episode

~DEVELOP A NICHE/BRAND/FOCUS (how to know what you want to focus on, why this is important, how to present yourself, etc.)

~HAVE THE PERFECT “ELEVATOR SPEECH” (when people ask what you do, do you have a response? Is it effective? Here’s how to craft one that can be used for editors and industry people, as well as friends/family.)

~PITCH THE RIGHT PLACES (just because you have a great idea doesn’t mean every magazine will want it. this is how you can research potential publications, understand their voice, find pubs that are the right fit for your work, etc)

~MAXIMIZE YOUR HOURLY RATE (let go of low-paying clients, how to find higher-paying clients/publications, ways to track your hourly so you’re not spinning in circles, writing in blocks, etc.)

~GET AN ANCHOR CLIENT (what’s an anchor client? how to find them, how to keep them, how to prepare for changes in their budgets, etc)

~ATTEND EXPOS/CONFERENCES (how to find expos, choose the right ones, how to behave there/get the most out of them, etc.)

~NETWORK EFFECTIVELY (understand the difference between networking/building connections and seeming self-serving, annoying, etc. This is intimidating your first year and so many people never learn to do this effectively. Things like help others first, how to find networking events, know what to say and not say)

And tune in for the 2nd episode where we’ll be chatting about creating a work-life balance as well as keys to writing faster and how to prioritize your workload and stay on track.

My favorite quote from Rachel Cavanaugh from this podcast episode”

The more time you spend writing for peanuts, the less time you have to make connections with people who are going to pay you what you are worth.

Full episode >> listen to today’s episode

Connect with Rachel

Rachel’s website; rachelsylvia.com
Rachel on Linkedin
Rachel on Instagram

Connect with Alexa, Break Into Travel Writing & My Travel Blog

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The Aspiring Travel Writer, the Facebook group

Hope you enjoyed this episode and are inspired to think about how you can set goals for your blog in 2020! Interested in hearing the full podcast? Click here to listen now!

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