Behind The Byline: Navigating the Wild World of Freelance Journalism
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 16
Words by Susan Horsburgh
At a Women in Media panel discussion, journalists offered a roadmap for freelancing in 2025, sharing tough realities and invaluable advice on how to build a viable freelance career – from AI to upskilling, networking to pay negotiations.
Whether you’re doing it by choice or circumstance, freelancing can be a challenge – and by “challenge”, I mean “grind”. The flexibility is unbeatable, but the dwindling word rates are disheartening. According to the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, freelancers for Nine are being paid almost 60 per cent less than they were 20 years ago, taking into account inflation. Most freelancers now earn less than $59,000 a year.
Which is why Women in Media’s Victorian committee hosted ‘Navigating a Freelance Journalism Career in 2025’ – a discussion in Melbourne featuring a panel of accomplished freelancers: Culture Club podcaster, content creator and fashion editor Maggie Zhou, veteran travel writer Carrie Hutchinson, science and property journalist Marisa Wikramanayake, and writer Fernanda Fain-Binda.
Speaking to a diverse crowd of aspiring and established freelancers, the journalists discussed the hustle required to make a living in the modern media scene. Only half the panelists said they made a livable income, and only one did it through freelance writing alone. She works seven days a week.
In such a competitive industry, freelancers can even feel pressured to write for nothing, especially early on in their careers. Maggie once wrote for a top Australian women’s magazine in exchange for a byline – and the clipping did boost her credibility – but she said she wouldn’t do it again. Diversifying into other mediums has been a financial boon.
“I didn’t purposely choose to become a multi-hyphenate,” said Maggie, who creates social-media content for brands on her channels. “I was intrigued and drawn into each of these different fields, but that definitely has helped in terms of income. I often say I do content creation to fund my writing, because writing feels at times like it’s this side hobby – it’s a passion.”
Being a staff writer can mean having to churn out copy, whereas freelancing grants her creative freedom: “I get to write stories I care about.” Maggie wrote a piece for The Guardian, for example, about a community of older Asian women who go to Zumba classes in her family’s Melbourne suburb of Springvale.
Similarly, Carrie – a journalist for the past three decades – takes on what she calls “money jobs” (such as copywriting and proofreading) to subsidise her “love job”, which is travel writing. “That keeps me sane,” said Carrie, who also ghostwrites books and has worked at Vogue and Wallpaper magazines.
The candid, wide-ranging conversation covered the art of pitching, the advantages of a niche, and the AI elephant in the room. None of the panelists said they used AI to write. Carrie calls on it for transcription and headline ideas but stressed that stories needed a human touch:
“AI basically takes everything that’s out there and rehashes it, so it doesn’t have human feelings. It can’t go out and interview someone new.”
To come up with story ideas that editors wanted to commission, Fernanda told the freelancers to pay attention to the articles they’re attracted to themselves, and to consider what would appeal to the publication’s audience: “Have some kind of story that you’re really burning to tell,” she said. “What’s my position of unfair advantage? Who can I get to talk about this story that somebody else won’t?”
Developing a niche can give freelancers valuable specialist knowledge, but Marisa said it was wise to pursue multiple interest areas: “The [Australian] market’s so small, you don’t have a lot of places to pitch to if you’re doing a niche – and when things change, you have to be able to pivot. When COVID happened, lots of arts and travel writers were affected.” If a freelancer can write about the tech aspect of any interest area, added Carrie, they’re set.
A willingness to adapt and upskill is essential. Marisa has taught herself how to code, to build her own website, and to edit audio and video – all using free resources, such as the app Audacity. A digital native, Maggie has learnt about podcasting and social media through trial and error, and YouTube.
Asked for practical ways freelancers could improve their careers, the panelists had these suggestions:
Revamp your LinkedIn profile, stating your specialty areas, so potential clients can find you when they search; for bonus points, up your visibility by posting regularly.
Try translating a piece of writing you’re proud of into another medium, like a podcast or TikTok video, to reach new audiences. “Challenge yourself to interpret it in a different way,” said Maggie. “You’ve already done the work. How can you juice it?”
Pitch to overseas publications. “Some of them pay very well, even if they are small outfits,” said Marisa, “and then the currency exchange rate works in your favour.”
Give yourself time off and set boundaries to avoid burnout.
Join communities like Women in Media to support each other. “Cultivate professional friendships,” advised Fernanda, “not because you’ll make more money, but because they generally make life better.”
Explore private Facebook groups, such as Rachel’s List, Freelance Jungle and Young Australian Writers, as well as newsletters, to learn about job and story pitching opportunities. The Content Byte podcast is another excellent resource.
To negotiate better pay (without begging), Carrie uses the line, “My normal rate is x. Can you increase the budget, or could we change the scope?”
Create a “nice comments” folder to store positive feedback from editors and clients, and to bolster yourself when you’re in a slump. “That’s from Rachel’s List,” explained Carrie. “So, on those days when you’ve sent the pitches off and no one’s emailing you, you can make yourself feel better.”
Use debt collectors or the MEAA to chase late payments. “Give [clients] a late payment fee,” added Marisa, “and keep increasing it 2 per cent every week.”
Treat freelancing like a business; use apps such as Hnry to help manage invoicing, taxes and finances.
As newsrooms have shrunk, editors have come to rely on independent voices to fill their pages. In an industry that’s now built on freelance labour yet reluctant to pay for it fairly, freelancers need to know their professional worth. With the power to inform, entertain and inspire, their words matter – even if their invoices suggest otherwise.
