Summary

Jackie Lynch, a nutritional therapist, successfully supplements her income through freelance writing, leveraging her expertise to gain media exposure and establish herself in major publications.

Abstract

Jackie Lynch, a health writer and nutritionist, has built a reputation in the freelance writing market, complementing her clinical practice. Despite starting her writing career during the recession, she capitalized on an opportunity to contribute to a yoga clinic's blog, which led to her first paid writing assignment in 2012. Her break into journalism came through networking, particularly after meeting the deputy editor of the Mail on Sunday at a yoga retreat. Lynch emphasizes the importance of creativity in pitching ideas that align with market demands and the necessity of being proactive in securing paid work. She advises against undervaluing expertise and stresses the significance of meeting editorial requirements without compromising professional integrity. Lynch's journey illustrates the challenges and rewards of freelance writing, including the importance of clear communication, adherence to word counts, and maintaining a balance between free and paid contributions.

Opinions

Lynch believes that successful freelance journalism hinges on having a marketable idea and aligning it with editorial needs.
She values the training received from writing concise pieces, which honed her ability to communicate effectively.
Lynch faced challenges with unclear briefs and editorial changes that altered the angle of her articles, which she navigated by maintaining her professional standards.
She advocates for not writing for free once a writer has established expertise and a portfolio, as this undermines the ability to earn a living.
Networking and making connections, such as through LinkedIn, are seen as crucial steps in opening doors to new writing opportunities.
Lynch encourages aspiring health market writers to be proactive, study publications to match their style, and not to undersell their work.
She learned that even takeaway food could be a viable topic for a nutritional analysis, reflecting real societal interests and meeting editorial requirements.

Break into Freelance Writing & Use it to Promote your Business

Health writer and nutritionist Jackie Lynch shares her tips!

Health writer, Jackie Lynch is a nutritional therapist who supplements her income with freelance writing. She’s gone from having no media contacts, to appearing in major magazines and newspapers.

Alongside her writing activities, Jackie works in clinical practice, helping people suffering from a variety of chronic health conditions. I spoke to Jackie about her writing career and ambitions.

How did you make the break?

Many nutritional therapists (70–80%) have to look for ways to supplement their income because it’s not easy to make a full-time living out of clinical work alone. Some do teach, run workshops, or try their hand at writing.

When I qualified in nutritional therapy in 2010, the recession had set in, making starting a new business a huge challenge.

So I decided to try writing for a second income, and for the publicity, it would generate. My first opportunity to be published came quite unexpectedly when I was practicing nutritional therapy at a yoga clinic in Kensington. The PR lady asked me to contribute some expert comments in the media, and write a blog to boost the profile of the clinic. I wasn’t getting paid for my writing at this point — I was just doing it for the publicity. I didn’t hit a paying market until January 2012.

My main break came when I made some personal contacts with editors. I hired a PR person for six months and she kept me really busy with writing work. I did something for Zest and a number of other publications, answering questions and providing quotes for articles written by other journalists.

The word count was really strict and it helped me to focus on getting things clear and concise. This was really useful training, providing the skills to fulfil my writing ambitions over the months that followed.

How did you make the leap from PR into journalism?

I was keen to move to something written by me, rather than contributing to someone else’s work. I met a lady at a yoga holiday retreat, and she turned out to be the deputy editor of the review section in the Mail on Sunday.

I stayed in touch with her and one day, she gave me a commission! It was a small piece about the world of nutritional therapy. It was my first paying piece of journalistic work. From there I gained the confidence to pitch more targeted ideas and this led to a double-page spread in the Mail on Sunday. That article was a nutritional analysis of takeaway food.

I learned a few things in the process: it made me realize that successful freelance journalism is all about having the idea in the first place. Think creatively about what you can do, and then try to match it to what the market wants.

Writing about McDonald's wasn’t the first thing I thought of as a nutritional therapist wanting to get into journalism, but it reflected the real society that we live in — and importantly, it met editorial requirements. Surprisingly some of McDonald’s’ food wasn’t as bad as I thought! Now, I always think, what’s in it for the person who’ll be reading this?

What are the greatest challenges you’ve faced in your writing career?

Getting a good brief can be a challenge. With that first piece of work, the brief wasn’t as clear as it might have been. The other big challenge for me has been the word count limitations. I’d say to anyone thinking of working in freelance writing, don’t be overindulgent and try to get everything in. The editors come back with amendments, and I’ve even found that sometimes they change the angle of the article completely!

That, of course, presents another challenge, the dilemma of having your name put to something that’s changed dramatically — and perhaps you’re no longer comfortable with it. It’s quite a balancing act, meeting editorial requirements, without compromising your experience and integrity as a professional in your field. Be brave and stick to your guns.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to break into freelance writing for the health market?

It helps to study each publication so that you can get the feeling and prose accurate. I’ve also learned that you’ve got to be very proactive in going out and getting the work done. And don’t undersell yourself.

I sent a couple of ideas to Inspired Health magazine. They replied saying they’d like me to write the articles but added that they don’t usually pay. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gained confidence and learned that my expertise is worth something. So I said ‘no’ to writing the article for free, and offered to write it for a fee. I set out my terms and my payment conditions. The editor went very quiet and I thought he’d lost interest, but then a couple of months later, completely out of the blue, he e-mailed me with a commission — a paid commission!

I’ve learned that editors won’t pay you if you keep offering to write for free. Once you’ve got the expertise and a portfolio of work, it’s important not to do everything for free — or as writers, we will never make a living!

I’ve also found that meeting people helps. I’ve had doors opened by making connections on LinkedIn, not just in writing but in other lines of work too. There’s no point in being shy, or being scared to ask. Once you have an introduction, it opens doors.

Freelance writing really requires you to be proactive. If you’re struggling to get started, and don’t have the PR contacts, then an alternative approach is offering to contribute to your local newspaper.

Although freelance writing is difficult to break into, it’s worth sticking with it because it’s so rewarding to see yourself in print. I like writing. I’ve learned a lot.

Jackie’s website is: www.well-well-well.co.uk

This is an extract from Freelance Writing on Health, Food and Gardens by Susie Kearley. View the book here

Susie Kearley is a British freelance writer and journalist, working for magazines, newspapers, and book publishers around the world. She has a collection of books on writing, and her debut novel ‘Pestilence’ is out now. You can view Susie’s Amazon author page here.