Write for Parenting Magazines and Get Paid As a Beginner
Being a digital marketing writer from home has been an amazing experience, but I know the niche is not for everyone.
I know not everyone gets as excited about lead generation tactics as I do. That’s the beauty of freelance writing — there are so many writing niches and topics to write in!
I had the fun opportunity of talking with Carrie Madormo. Carrie is an expert parent freelance writer and has even been featured on Working Mother. She is a goldmine of knowledge for breaking into the parenting niche.
Was the Parenting Niche Hard to Break Into?
It wasn’t, because I really broke into it by accident!
When I launched my freelance writing career, I was a new mom working full-time as a nurse.
I wasn’t sure what my niche should be, so pursued health and medical writing. From there, I launched a healthy food blog and started pitching myself as a kid-friendly recipe developer. My parenting writing took off from there!
How Did You Score Your First Freelance Writing Client?
I landed my first parenting writing client with a cold pitch!
I emailed the editor of our local parenting magazine offering to develop family-friendly recipes with a Midwestern flair (I’m in Milwaukee).
She loved the local feel and after meeting for coffee, offered me my own recipe column.
Even with that column, I didn’t see myself as a parenting writer until I started writing articles for them. I found that writing about parenting was so much easier and more fun than medical writing and kept going.
What Advice Would You Give to New Freelance Writers Wanting to Break into the Parenting Niche?
Use your experience! If you are a parent or have experience with children, then you are more than qualified to be a parenting writer.
I think we often hold ourselves back, because we downplay our own value. Own your expertise.
Then just go for it. Look into parenting publications in your area and pitch them first. In my experience, parenting magazines love featuring local writers, so pitch them an article that relates to your home town.
If you have a different niche like health or finance, take advantage of it. Write an article about getting kids to eat healthier snacks or how to develop a family budget. Play up your strengths.
How Do you Balance Writing With Two Little Ones?
That is the ultimate question, isn’t it? One of the things that has helped me the most is letting go of my all or nothing mentality.
Before kids, I thought a workout meant an hour at the gym. Now I’m happy with a 15-minute circuit at home.
I don’t have the luxury of working for hours at a time, so instead of fighting that fact, I’m embracing it.
Working during school and nap times helps me be super efficient and focused. I start the day with a to do list of priorities, and whatever doesn’t get done is moved to tomorrow’s list. The hardest part is being kind to myself and being okay with doing less.
Be sure to head over to Carrie’s site to learn more about being parenting writer and her tips for working from home with kids.
Her Psst…be sure to check free list of 22 parenting publications is one you don’t want to miss, and it includes editors’ names, emails, and pay rates.
