Diversification Will Keep You Afloat as an Outdoor Writer
Last week marked the 20th anniversary of a very critical date in my development as an outdoor writer. July 30, 2004, was the first day of that year’s Bassmaster Classic on Lake Wylie, and I was the “media observer” for Aaron Martens. I put that term in quotation marks because I’d yet to have anything published in a widely distributed manner, but that day’s experience led to a feature article in Bass West magazine. Since then, I’ve written hundreds of articles, blog posts and press releases and I’ve managed to make it reasonably profitable and exceptionally rewarding.
Looking back on the trajectory of those two decades, I’ve internalized several lessons that can benefit would-be outdoor communicators:
Timing Matters
Unless I’d somehow gotten in on the ground floor of bass media in the 1970s, I don’t think there could’ve been a better time to start than 2004. Many of the more senior writers who’d started in the early days of the sport’s ascendance were either slowing down or getting out. Furthermore, some of the more grizzled types still hadn’t bought into the internet’s permanence. That opened windows of opportunity for anyone willing to put themselves out there in search of assignments.
By the time the stock market crashed in 2007, and the ripple effects started to be seriously felt in 2008, I’d been published not only in Bass West, but Bassmaster and on the BassFan website. Through a recommendation from my friend OT Fears, the PAA brought me on to do some work. I’d built up a list of contacts and a bit of confidence – and while I’m not making light of the recession in any way, it was really good for me. I didn’t need the checks that the publications were cutting, and while I’m embarrassed today at how little I accepted for some work, I also very quickly built up a portfolio of hundreds of clips and articles in a variety of formats. I got the chance to experiment with form, too, and find out what worked and what did not.
By the time we fully came out of that poor economy, I was firmly established to the point that I rarely needed to look for new publications. Oftentimes they came directly to me. That gave me leverage if and when I needed to negotiate. But something else was happening – social media, including YouTube, were now firmly established. People who in the past might have crowded into the writers’ camp wanted to do other things. As the older guys sometimes dropped out or slowed down, they weren’t being replaced by other writers. The work on the internet was growing exponentially (albeit often at low pay rates) and the work on magazines was shrinking (with no real increase in pay). I was sitting in the sweet spot of that squeeze.
Diversify for Maximum Success
Unfortunately, you can’t precisely control your timing. Many factors are out of your control and the best thing to do is to work as much as you can, in as many venues as you can, in as many styles as you can. It’s writing’s version of “dollar cost averaging.” If you take the best of what’s offered at any given time, you’ll thrive during the good times and do more than survive when the market’s tough. So while I can’t advise would-be fishing writers (or YouTubers or bloggers or whatever) about when to get into the industry – “sooner rather than later” is always a good starting point – if you’ll indulge me by reading below I can tell you how to make the most of the ups and downs.
It comes down to hedging your bets, making yourself well-known (bordering on indispensable) and being able to legitimately and honestly say “yes” to any assignment on the table. That comes by diversifying what you have to offer and where you can offer it.
Diverse Forums – First, unless the offer on the table is insanely good, or there’s some other compelling reason to do so, don’t limit yourself to a particular magazine, website or client. Of course, this goes out the window if you’re offered a full-time position as an editor or staff writer, but assuming you’re a freelancer, you want to stay nimble on not be too reliant on any one editor or outlet. What happens if they go out of business? Or the assigning editor changes and the new one has his own favorite writers (not including you)? You’re out of luck and you have to start from scratch
How do I know this? I’ve been soft-fired from BassFan, BassZone, Wired2Fish and several other publications. I was let go and rehired by the Professional Anglers Association (PAA) three times. Each time they hired a full-time employee they got rid of me and when that person left they brought me back.
Besides, unless you’re fortunate enough that they’ll publish just about anything you’ll pitch, it’s hard to find a single place that’ll have room for all of your diverse and exceptional ideas.
Diverse Talents – This is one I wish someone had told me early in the process – you’re probably not going to make it just as a writer. Learn to take pictures, produce graphics, develop videos, anything else that can supplement what you do with a pen or a computer. It may even be a technical skill like SEO. I could’ve made much more money and gotten many more assignments along the way if I’d been a reasonably competent photographer. The rise of the smartphone covered up for that a bit, but it’s not a full replacement for true photography skills. When someone asks, “Can you do X?” or “Do you have Y?” you want to be able to answer in the affirmative.
Additionally, developing multiple talents keeps your mind fresh and agile. Different stories may be better told through different media and learning to distinguish which ones are which can make you more valuable and more satisfied.
Diverse Knowledge Base – When I got into the game, all I cared to write about was tournament bass fishing (and closely-related topics) for mainstream publications and websites. There’s no reason for that limitation, and in fact, staying too far inside of a subculture can prevent you from seeing that subculture clearly. As I’ve branched out into saltwater fishing, and travel, and clothing reviews I believe that my writing about my original love has gotten better.
I’ve written for generalist publications like Texas Monthly, as well as specialized non-fishing publications like Goat Rancher Magazine. In the past few months I successfully completed a saltwater-focused article for Sport Fishing Magazine. I’ve remained open to new experiences (Alaska, Panama, Guatemala) and I’ve been willing to say “Teach me” to people who know more about those places and the fishing that takes place there than I do. It’s not a matter of “fake it ‘til you make it,” but instead putting in the work to become reasonably facile in multiple areas – and having the right resources and mentors to guide you through the things that you don’t know.
All of this may seem overwhelming if you’re just starting off in outdoor media, but it’s really a fun process – building a career around something you love and finding a way to have it lead you in new directions. The key is to be open to those new directions. Don’t accept arbitrary limitations.
