I met with a fellow freelance journalist during the week. We caught up with each other, compared notes on cutbacks, declining fees and available work, and as the night wore on, we turned to brainstorming new ways to make a living.
So here’s one possibility, for anyone looking for new revenue ideas.
Ireland is dotted with small groups (sports clubs, community groups, fund raising committees, parish councils) all working on a small scale.
These groups are voluntary, with limited budgets. There’s a a chairman, a treasurer, a secretary, a PRO, perhaps two or three others.
Trouble is, the PROs are often at a loss what to do. They write letters to newspapers, and if they’re lucky it will get published. They produce a poster or two. They post (yes, by snailmail) long reports of public meetings to newspapers.
Some do better, organising a blog without getting ripped off, or picking up a phone to talk to a journalist.
But most will admit there’s room for improvement. They need professional PR services, but simply cannot afford them.
So you’re a freelance. Organise a one day seminar. How To Do PR. €20 to €50, small enough that it’s within the budget of those small groups.
Participants can learn how to write a headline, or a lead, or the secret behind creating a story pyramid. How to take better photographs. How to get your point across in a local radio interview.
Journalists know these things. We shouldn’t be shy about marketing our knowledge.