Freelancing for Journalists
Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson
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Freelancing for Journalists is a podcast about building a career as a self-employed journalist. Hosts Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson share practical advice on finding work, getting paid, and managing freelance life. Episodes feature guests who have succeeded in freelancing, from film reviewers and travel writers to broadcasters and specialists. The show mixes trade secrets, top tips, and anecdotes for anyone interested in freelance journalism.
Episodes
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Andre Lombard 07.10.2026 39mIn the final episode of the series broadcast journalist Andre Lombard talks about stepping into freelance life after working as a news editor for BBC Africa. He talks about the challenges of international reporting as a freelancer and his hopes for the future.Guest linksLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrelombard91/Journalist.net https://journalist.net/andre.lombardRecommendationThe Wembley Point mystery: who was the woman who jumped to her death? https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/27/the-wembley-point-mystery-who-was-the-woman-who-jumped-to-her-death -
Vikki White 30.09.2026 32mIn today's pod Vikki White talks about taking the leap into freelance journalism and how her first year is going. She regularly writes for the Sun, Metro, Bella and Chat and moved into freelancing after 13 years in a staff role. Find out how she is making it work.Guest linksLinked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikki-white-8276b746/RecommendationDonkeys stolen and slaughtered to make wellness products on Amazon https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/donkeys-sold-killed-wellness-amazon-37202392 -
Tom Matsuda 23.09.2026 42mIn series 17 we chat to new freelancers about how they are developing their journalism careers. In today's episode we chat to Tom Matsuda about his range of income streams, why he went freelance and the skills he is learning along the way.Guest linksLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommatsuda/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_tommatsuda/Resource linksThe Freelance Writing Network https://www.thefreelancewritingnetwork.com/Study Hall https://members.studyhall.xyz/sign-upRecommendationCan I make more money working for myself? https://www.ft.com/content/02076f10-8da0-4e42-8e6c-9bf2d37fa952 -
Mariam Amini 16.09.2026 42mIn this week's show we chat to Mariam Amini who is a new freelancer writing about faith, travel and diaspora culture. She talks about starting out as a freelance, how she has built up her portfolio and the challenges of creating financial stability when starting out.Guest linksLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariam-amini/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aminiarchives/TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@aminiarchives/video/7355413066328182048RecommendationTo be transgender and religious is to live a life of tension https://hyphenonline.com/2025/03/18/muslim-transgender-religion-faith-tension-parents-reaction/ -
James Banyard 09.09.2026 34mWe continue our series delving into the working lives of new freelance journalists finding their way in the first couple of years. In this episode we speak to James Banyard about securing bylines with the Guardian, i and Positive News and setting up his own newsletter Pitch Fail Club to help other freelance writers.Guest LinksWebsite https://jamesbanyardwriter.wordpress.com/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-banyard-446612290/Pitch Fail Club newsletter https://pitchfailclub.substack.com/aboutResource linksFreelancing for Journalists webinars https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freelancingforjournalistsFreelancing for Journalists workshops https://payhip.com/FreelancingforJournalistsRecommendationPhones on the dance floor: where do we go from here? https://djmag.com/features/phones-dancefloor-where-do-we-go-here -
Emma Truscott 02.09.2026 33mIn the latest series of the podcast we're digging into what life is like for newbie freelance journalists. We kick off with Emma Truscott who works permanently as a house sitter while pursuing her career as a travel journalist. She tells us about her breakthrough article and what it's like to always be on the move with no fixed abode. Guest linksSubstack https://wheresems.com/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-truscott/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wheres_ems/Resource linksTravel Writing Academy https://www.thetravelwritingacademy.com/masterclassTrusted Housesitters https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/Recommendation I travelled 2,160 miles from London to Lanzarote without flyinghttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/canary-islands/train-travel-london-to-lanzarote/ -
Annual Appraisal 2025 21.01.2026 44mIn this special bonus episode Lily and Emma sit down to do an annual appraisal together. They discuss what went well over the past year and what their ambitions are for 2026. They also scrub out previous goals and chat about what is important to them in the short and long term going forward.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!Our previous appraisal episodes:2021: https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/how-to-appraise-yourself2022: https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/how-to-appraise-yourself-part22024: https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/time-for-a-self-appraisal -
Best Investigation Will Coldwell 14.01.2026 35mToday we speak to the winner of Best Investigation at the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025. Will Coldwell's investigation into the death of an offshore worker raised important questions about industry safety and was highlighted by judges as a significance piece of freelance work. Will discussed how to win the trust of sources when reporting sensitive subjects and how to craft long reads to keep the reader engaged to the very end.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!Guestwillcoldwell.com@willcoldwell.bsky.socialhttps://www.economist.com/1843/2021/09/22/petrol-pints-and-pasta-meet-one-of-the-lorry-drivers-plugging-britains-shortages -
Best Feature Harriet Grant 07.01.2026 30mWe are kick starting the New Year with a fascinating discussion with Harriet Grant, winner of Best Feature in the 2025 Freelance Journalism Awards. Harriet impressed judges with her deep dive into the impact of porn algorithms on men. In today's episode she explains how she tackles issues of online child abuse as a freelance journalist and the ethical and legal issues she has to grabble with.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestHarriet Grant https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriet-grant-5a797b25/ResourcesHarriet’s deep dive into the impact of porn algorithms on young people was praised for its research and persistenceSafer Lives https://www.saferlives.com/ -
Best Specialist Journalist Rebecca Pitcairn 31.12.2025 36mJust in time for New Year's Eve we speak to freelance English wine writer Rebecca Pitcairn. A regional journalist turned wine writer, Rebecca was winner of Best Specialist at the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025. She explains how to develop a niche, within a niche and the benefit of hosting your own podcast series.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestRebecca Pitcairn https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-pitcairn-a0546127/ResourcesRebecca impressed judges with her passion and quality reporting on the UK’s wine industry. She also hosts “The English Wine Diaries” podcast. -
Best Early Career Journalist Yvette Cook 24.12.2025 31mToday we speak to Yvette Cook who was winner of Best Early Career Journalist at the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025. Yvette, a former civil servant, has made a successful shift into travel writing, and is loving her new career. She is brimming with enthusiasm and great advice, including how she secured her award-winning feature on tourism and women in Saudi Arabia.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestYvette Cook https://www.instagram.com/yvette.travels/https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvette-cook-09929b2a7/ResourcesYvette’s evocative piece on tourism and women in Saudi Arabia inspired her own career changeAdventure Travel Networking https://www.adventuretravelnetworking.com/ -
Best News & Opinion Journalist Hannah Fearn 17.12.2025 35mOn the podcast today we talk to the first of our Freelance Journalism Awards winners from 2025. Hannah Fearn won Best News Story and Best Opinion Writer for her work on social affairs. In this episode she talks about how she investigated a report from inside a children's prison. She also shares her invaluable tips on how to pitch to opinion desks.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestHannah Fearn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahfearn/Bluesky @hannahfearn.bsky.socialResourcesHannah’s powerful story on lockdown in child prisons stood out for its impact and writingHannah’s columns on social affairs were called “well-researched and passionately argued”Freelance rights guide https://www.womeninjournalism.co.uk/guidelines/oldo7g1jr7say9zn95edt9agt3kviwInside Housing https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/Health Service Journal https://www.hsj.co.uk/ -
Interview with a book publisher 29.10.2025 33mIn this special bonus episode we chat to Martin Hickman the director of Canbury Press. The independent publisher specialises in working with journalists and publishes a range of non-fiction books. Canbury Press championed Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport - the book written by podcast hosts Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson. In this episode Martin shares trade secrets on how to impress a publisher and what he is looking for from journalists.ResourcesCanbury Press Tik Took Boom! by Chris Stokel-WalkerUltra Women by Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson -
Using AI 22.10.2025 52mIn the podcast today we dig into the hot topic of using AI as a journalist. We have expert advice from AI Media trainer Harriet Meyer and award-winning freelance health journalist Rosie Taylor. We talk about AI generated content, whether the robots are coming to take our jobs and how to use AI to your advantage. It's a meaty episode!Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestsHarriet Meyer https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriet-meyer-63508b40/AI for Media newsletter https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/ai-for-media-7304783376857587712/Rosie Taylor https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosietaylor/Get Featured Substack https://rosietaylor.substack.com/ResourcesChatGPTOtter.aiPerplexityClaudeNotebook LMGoogle GeminiFathomAI for Media course with Harriet Meyer https://www.harrietmeyer.com/ai-courses/Recommendationshttps://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/virtual-reality-the-widely-quoted-media-experts-who-are-not-what-they-seem/Adele Waters award-winning freelance journalist -
Transcription apps 15.10.2025 38mIn the podcast today we talk to two experts about transcriptions apps. How, where and why to use them, and what some of the pitfalls may be. Sage Lazzaro a freelance tech journalist shares her tips on getting the best out of Otter.ai while Jack Dearlove explains why he developed a transcription tool for Journo Resources.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestsSage Lazzaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/sage-lazzaro/Jack Dearlove, Journo Resources https://www.journoresources.org.uk/ResourcesJR Transcribe https://www.journoresources.org.uk/membership/jr-transcribe/Otter.ai https://otter.ai/homeTrint https://trint.com/Whisper https://www.whispertranscribe.com/downloadDescript https://www.descript.com/RecommendationsFrancis Cade https://www.youtube.com/c/FrancisCadeTekendra Parmar https://www.motherjones.com/criminal-justice/2025/08/axon-police-ai-draft-one-foia/ -
Freelance Rights Guide 08.10.2025 47mThis week we have two returning guests to talk all about the new best practice guidelines for editors working with freelancers. These vital guidelines are a benchmark for freelance journalists to use when discussing rates of pay, contracts, briefs and more, with commissioning editors. Donna Ferguson from Women in Journalism and Jem Collins of Journo Resources discuss the best way to use the guidelines to ensure fair treatment.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!The Guestshttps://muckrack.com/donna-ferguson/biohttps://www.womeninjournalism.co.uk/https://www.jemcollins.co.uk/https://www.journoresources.org.uk/ResourcesThe guidelines: https://www.womeninjournalism.co.uk/guidelines/oldo7g1jr7say9zn95edt9agt3kviwLate Payments government consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/late-payments-tackling-poor-payment-practices/late-payments-consultation-tackling-poor-payment-practicesWomen in Journalism contact details: https://www.womeninjournalism.co.uk/contactusRecommendationshttps://blackballad.co.uk/politics-activism/what-happened-to-all-the-black-tories?listIds=590867cea8c0bab2039c3ac5https://www.womeninjournalism.co.uk/events-diary/how-journalists-are-using-ai-with-harriet-meyer -
Financial support for freelance journalists 01.10.2025 37mThis week we look at the financial and practical support available for freelance journalists. We speak to Mary Kearns of the Journalists' Charity and Sophie Pacellini of the Rory Peck Trust to understand how they can help freelance journalists and the wide range of grants and workshops they offer.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!Guestshttps://journalistscharity.org.uk/https://rorypecktrust.org/Resourceshttps://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/best-print-journalist-gabriella-jozwiakRecommendationshttps://www.nytimes.com/by/nanna-heitmannhttps://www.vogue.com/article/on-writing-while-mothering -
Accessing paywall and membership-only content 24.09.2025 40mIn today's episode we discuss how to access paywalled content and membership-only resources. We glean useful tips and tricks from Ellie Broughton, an award-winning freelance journalist - and hear about the fascinating work of David Clarke who has spent many years researching in the National Archives.Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestsEllie Broughton https://www.elliebroughton.net/https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliebroughton/https://bsky.app/profile/elliebroughton.bsky.socialDavid Clarke https://x.com/shuclarkehttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwclarke.bsky.socialResourcesLibrary app https://www.borrowbox.com/Library app https://libbyapp.com/interview/welcome#doYouHaveACardPress release portal https://www.eurekalert.org/British Library https://www.bl.uk/Magazine app https://gb.readly.com/Recommendationshttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Well-All-Murdered-Our-Beds/dp/1783961333https://www.wearequeeraf.com/conversion-therapy-groups-spend-2m-on-lobbying-and-promoting-practice-in-soaring-costs-since-promise-to-ban-the-abusive-practice/https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/sex-workers-prostitutes-cautions/ -
Using trends to find stories 17.09.2025 44mWe're back for series 15 and kick off with a great episode all about using trends to find stories. We get excellent advice from Fleurine Tideman, a freelancer who specialises in trend-driven stories and Malvika Padin who has bags of experience using SEO for a range of national titles. Find out how to distinguish between a fleeting fad and a rising trend, and the best places to find trending topics before anyone else!Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year!GuestsFleurine Tideman https://www.instagram.com/fleurinetideman/https://x.com/ByFleurineMalvika Padin https://www.instagram.com/malvika_padin26/https://x.com/malvika_padin26Resourceshttps://www.reddit.com/https://trends.google.co.uk/trends/Recommendationshttps://mylesbianworld.com/2025/06/26/queer-confused-crushing-on-both-the-leads-in-mulan/https://en.edairynews.com/protein-panic-is-making-whole-milk-cool/ -
We've Written a Book! 07.05.2025 38mIn this special bonus episode Lily and Emma discuss the big secret project they have been working on for the past two years. They have written a new book! It's called ULTRA WOMEN: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport and it combines their passion of endurance sport and advocacy. The book tells the hidden stories of female endurance from the first hunter-gatherers to the modern athletes pushing back boundaries in sport. It also takes a deep dive into the physiological and psychological advantages women hold in super long distances.In the pod episode, producer Maddie Drury quizzes the pair on how they worked together, how they secured a publisher and the challenges of writing a book involving more than 70 interviews.You can order the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-Women-Trailblazers-Defying-Sexism/dp/1914487109https://www.canburypress.com/collections/books/products/presale-ultra-women-by-lily-canter-and-emma-wilkinson-isbn-9781914487101
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