Finding reliable anchor clients and sources
Q&A with writer and news anchor Andy Hirschfeld
Andy Hirschfeld seems to do it all, from writing freelance articles for CNBC, Al Jazeera, Yahoo Finance, and The Daily Beast, to hosting and producing a business news program. I love hearing from journalists who have branched out to multi-media, juggling the many skills of journalism while maintaining an established brand and a consistent work schedule. I spoke to Andy about finding those valuable anchor clients that provide both stability and the freedom to explore other projects, how to juggle working with lots of sources, and what makes the freelance life work for him.
So writers, meet Andy. A writer, news anchor, video producer, photographer, and I’m sure I’m missing some other titles in there!
“Freelancing is a great way to set yourself apart from other writers, but it can also be a way to get lost. I found a niche, tone and approach that works for me.”
— Andy Hirschfeld
Can you start by telling us what your spread of work looks like?
Sure, I have three key areas of focus. First I host a business news program, which is primarily an interview series airing five days a week. I tape five segments in one day and the production company I work with distributes them throughout the week. That’s my Monday. From there I write for TYT Investigates. I write a piece for them once a week (sometimes every two weeks).
The rest of the week I usually write a piece for other outlets I have relationships with. These are less frequent (maybe once or twice a month). Depending on my workload, I work on some of my longer term projects or supplementary opportunities including books, speaking gigs, and my newsletter. It’s a pretty reliable set up.
Are you often pitching or do you have regular gigs that make up your freelance work?
Both! For TYT Investigates there is more of a regular open dialogue about possible stories. It’s more of a “green light” situation rather than a pitch. As for my show, honestly, I tell my client what I am working on and that’s about it. As for the others, it is mostly pitching story ideas or I am responding to pitch calls.
How has that changed over time (for the better or worse)?
For several years I worked those dreaded permalance gigs, but it was in TV news production. In 2019, I took a part-time TV news writing gig and spent the other part of my time as a reporter and built those relationships with editors. In 2020, I became a full-time freelancer. I always had an anchor gig as the reliable stream of income. Now that anchor gig for me is literally being an anchor.
What's it like doing quick-turnaround news stories for TYT? Do you find that stressful?
Honestly it's kind of fun. I really enjoy digging through important data sets to uncover corruption in politics and business. A quick turnaround story for print is frankly a lot less stressful than it is for TV. Because on TV every second matters. If something needs to be done by 10PM, getting something in at 10:01 is almost useless. It's that tight. There is some more room for flexibility in print, but not by much. That's the case with TYT Investigates.
How did you get started in broadcast journalism? Have you always done a mix of video and print?
I was looking for journalism jobs and that's what was open. After I started though I grew to love it. It was inspiring to see all the moving parts on a TV show every day. I really wanted to be on camera someday and that really helped me shape that vision. I mostly wrote for TV up until 2018ish.
What would you say you've done right in your freelance writing career?
I adapted my way of thinking. Freelancing is a great way to set yourself apart from other writers, but it can also be a way to get lost. I found a niche, tone and approach that works for me.
When outlets start reaching out to you and not exclusively the other way around, that’s a pretty good sign you are doing something right.
What are a few things that have allowed you to make freelancing sustainable?
Diversifying my income streams and not relying completely on anyone for freelance work. I think it’s important to have an anchor gig, a regular contributorship, a few places you write for semi-regularly, a handful of places you can write for on a one-off basis, and of course my own independent projects.
How have you gone about finding anchor clients?
Several ways. First off, I do my research on who the client is, what they’re looking for and, depending on the outlet, find their pain points ( something they could be doing that they’re not).
For my anchor gig, I found an outlet, I found something they weren’t doing, and I gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse. The rest is history. Some of my largest clients are actually outlets in which I applied for a job, was a finalist, and ultimately didn’t make the cut. I didn’t take the rejection as an indictment on my work but picked myself up and said “OK, well, can I freelance for you?” More often than not, they say yes.
Have you put much thought into branding yourself as a freelance reporter? Or refining your expertise? Any advice on how to do that?
Yes, I spent a lot of time working on that. My passion is telling stories about cost of living issues through a social lens. It’s my firm belief that we have a lot more in common than we think and one of those issues is a shared desire to be able to provide for ourselves and those we care about. I like looking at the systems that help or hinder one’s ability to do that. That’s a very focused approach but broad at the same time. Find something like that—make yourself an expert who can be thrown in any direction if need be.
It seems like a big part of your work is finding and interviewing sources, which can be such an unpredictable time suck as a freelancer. How do you juggle multiple stories that require sources?
That’s a good question! I have a variety of ways. I spend a good amount of time building relationships with sources who can pass me along to other sources. I occasionally work with PR people (the handful of them that aren’t the worst). I put out calls for sources on social media. I even reach out to professors who may be good sources in the future. Also, once you get that one big interview, it’s much easier to get the next one.
I am not going to lie, juggling multiple sources for multiple stories is a hassle and can be overwhelming. For me it is much easier to work on multiple stories at once but work in the same step of the process simultaneously. I find it much easier to be in interview mode and then writing mode and so on. It’s much easier to keep track of what I am doing that way.
How do you view your relationships with sources? Do you try to build relationships with people you can go back to?
I spend a lot of time taking people to coffee to pick their brains. You open a lot of doors when talking to sources as people. You can have a conversation that isn’t necessarily about a story. This business is about the human experience, and it’s important to operate in a fashion that embraces that. It’s very refreshing to a lot of people, especially ones who often feel ignored.
That’s all for today, friends. If you’re a paid subscriber, I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the usual big list of writing opportunities.
Stay inspired,
Britany