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Lifting the lid on freelance life. Experienced freelance journalists Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson guide you through everything you need to know about working for yourself. From where to get work, to how to get paid and everything in between. Each episode features two guests who have made freelancing a success. From film reviewers, to travel writers to bitcoin experts and current affairs broadcasters. Packed with trade secrets, top tips and amusing anecdotes this is an unmissable How To guide for anyone interested in freelance journalism life. Contact us via email [email protected] or find us on Facebook and Twitter @freelancingfor @lilycanter @emmajourno. You can find out more about FFJ at our dedicated website here: https://freelancingforjournalists.com/ Love the podcast? Then why not buy us a virtual cuppa here: https://ko-fi.com/freelancingforjournalists Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to get all the latest podcast news plus additional resources: https://tinyurl.com/y6j7kx7d For the full Freelancing for Journalists experience you can purchase our book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freelancing-Journalists-Media-Skills-Canter/dp/0367135558 You can also sign up to our freelancing course here: https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/freelance-journalism-online-course/s43/a750959/ And check out our webinar training series here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freelancingforjournalists We also offer a range of bespoke training packages under the Freelancing for Journalists brand. Email us for details.

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Check latest episodes from Freelancing for Journalists podcast

Andre Lombard

2026/10/07

In the final episode of the series broadcast journalist Andre Lombard talks about stepping into freelance life after working as a news editor for BBC Africa. He talks about the challenges of international reporting as a freelancer and his hopes for the future. Guest links LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrelombard91/ Journalist.net https://journalist.net/andre.lombard Recommendation The Wembley Point mystery: who was the woman who jumped to her death? https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/27/the-wembley-point-mystery-who-was-the-woman-who-jumped-to-her-death

Vikki White

2026/09/30

In today's pod Vikki White talks about taking the leap into freelance journalism and how her first year is going. She regularly writes for the Sun, Metro, Bella and Chat and moved into freelancing after 13 years in a staff role. Find out how she is making it work. Guest links Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikki-white-8276b746/ Recommendation Donkeys stolen and slaughtered to make wellness products on Amazon https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/donkeys-sold-killed-wellness-amazon-37202392

Tom Matsuda

2026/09/23

In series 17 we chat to new freelancers about how they are developing their journalism careers. In today's episode we chat to Tom Matsuda about his range of income streams, why he went freelance and the skills he is learning along the way. Guest links LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommatsuda/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_tommatsuda/ Resource links The Freelance Writing Network https://www.thefreelancewritingnetwork.com/ Study Hall https://members.studyhall.xyz/sign-up Recommendation Can I make more money working for myself? https://www.ft.com/content/02076f10-8da0-4e42-8e6c-9bf2d37fa952

Mariam Amini

2026/09/16

In this week's show we chat to Mariam Amini who is a new freelancer writing about faith, travel and diaspora culture. She talks about starting out as a freelance, how she has built up her portfolio and the challenges of creating financial stability when starting out. Guest links LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariam-amini/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aminiarchives/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@aminiarchives/video/7355413066328182048 Recommendation To be transgender and religious is to live a life of tension https://hyphenonline.com/2025/03/18/muslim-transgender-religion-faith-tension-parents-reaction/

James Banyard

2026/09/09

We continue our series delving into the working lives of new freelance journalists finding their way in the first couple of years. In this episode we speak to James Banyard about securing bylines with the Guardian, i and Positive News and setting up his own newsletter Pitch Fail Club to help other freelance writers. Guest Links Website https://jamesbanyardwriter.wordpress.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-banyard-446612290/ Pitch Fail Club newsletter https://pitchfailclub.substack.com/about Resource links Freelancing for Journalists webinars https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freelancingforjournalists Freelancing for Journalists workshops https://payhip.com/FreelancingforJournalists Recommendation Phones on the dance floor: where do we go from here? https://djmag.com/features/phones-dancefloor-where-do-we-go-here

Emma Truscott

2026/09/02

In the latest series of the podcast we're digging into what life is like for newbie freelance journalists. We kick off with Emma Truscott who works permanently as a house sitter while pursuing her career as a travel journalist. She tells us about her breakthrough article and what it's like to always be on the move with no fixed abode. Guest links Substack https://wheresems.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-truscott/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wheres_ems/ Resource links Travel Writing Academy https://www.thetravelwritingacademy.com/masterclass Trusted Housesitters https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/ Recommendation I travelled 2,160 miles from London to Lanzarote without flying https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/canary-islands/train-travel-london-to-lanzarote/

Annual Appraisal 2025

2026/01/21

In this special bonus episode Lily and Emma sit down to do an annual appraisal together. They discuss what went well over the past year and what their ambitions are for 2026. They also scrub out previous goals and chat about what is important to them in the short and long term going forward. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Our previous appraisal episodes: 2021: https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/how-to-appraise-yourself 2022: https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/how-to-appraise-yourself-part2 2024: https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/time-for-a-self-appraisal

Best Investigation Will Coldwell

2026/01/14

Today we speak to the winner of Best Investigation at the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025. Will Coldwell's investigation into the death of an offshore worker raised important questions about industry safety and was highlighted by judges as a significance piece of freelance work. Will discussed how to win the trust of sources when reporting sensitive subjects and how to craft long reads to keep the reader engaged to the very end. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guest willcoldwell.com @willcoldwell.bsky.social https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/09/22/petrol-pints-and-pasta-meet-one-of-the-lorry-drivers-plugging-britains-shortages

Best Feature Harriet Grant

2026/01/07

We are kick starting the New Year with a fascinating discussion with Harriet Grant, winner of Best Feature in the 2025 Freelance Journalism Awards. Harriet impressed judges with her deep dive into the impact of porn algorithms on men. In today's episode she explains how she tackles issues of online child abuse as a freelance journalist and the ethical and legal issues she has to grabble with. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guest Harriet Grant https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriet-grant-5a797b25/ Resources Harriet’s deep dive into the impact of porn algorithms on young people was praised for its research and persistence Safer Lives https://www.saferlives.com/

Best Specialist Journalist Rebecca Pitcairn

2025/12/31

Just in time for New Year's Eve we speak to freelance English wine writer Rebecca Pitcairn. A regional journalist turned wine writer, Rebecca was winner of Best Specialist at the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025. She explains how to develop a niche, within a niche and the benefit of hosting your own podcast series. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guest Rebecca Pitcairn https://www.instagram.com/theenglishwinediaries/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-pitcairn-a0546127/ Resources Rebecca impressed judges with her passion and quality reporting on the UK’s wine industry. She also hosts “The English Wine Diaries” podcast.

Best Early Career Journalist Yvette Cook

2025/12/24

Today we speak to Yvette Cook who was winner of Best Early Career Journalist at the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025. Yvette, a former civil servant, has made a successful shift into travel writing, and is loving her new career. She is brimming with enthusiasm and great advice, including how she secured her award-winning feature on tourism and women in Saudi Arabia. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guest Yvette Cook https://www.instagram.com/yvette.travels/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvette-cook-09929b2a7/ Resources Yvette’s evocative piece on tourism and women in Saudi Arabia inspired her own career change Adventure Travel Networking https://www.adventuretravelnetworking.com/

Best News & Opinion Journalist Hannah Fearn

2025/12/17

On the podcast today we talk to the first of our Freelance Journalism Awards winners from 2025. Hannah Fearn won Best News Story and Best Opinion Writer for her work on social affairs. In this episode she talks about how she investigated a report from inside a children's prison. She also shares her invaluable tips on how to pitch to opinion desks. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guest Hannah Fearn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahfearn/ Bluesky @hannahfearn.bsky.social Resources Hannah’s powerful story on lockdown in child prisons stood out for its impact and writing Hannah’s columns on social affairs were called “well-researched and passionately argued” Freelance rights guide https://www.womeninjournalism.co.uk/guidelines/oldo7g1jr7say9zn95edt9agt3kviw Inside Housing https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ Health Service Journal https://www.hsj.co.uk/

Interview with a book publisher

2025/10/29

In this special bonus episode we chat to Martin Hickman the director of Canbury Press. The independent publisher specialises in working with journalists and publishes a range of non-fiction books. Canbury Press championed Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport - the book written by podcast hosts Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson. In this episode Martin shares trade secrets on how to impress a publisher and what he is looking for from journalists. Resources Canbury Press Tik Took Boom! by Chris Stokel-Walker Ultra Women by Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson

Using AI

2025/10/22

In the podcast today we dig into the hot topic of using AI as a journalist. We have expert advice from AI Media trainer Harriet Meyer and award-winning freelance health journalist Rosie Taylor. We talk about AI generated content, whether the robots are coming to take our jobs and how to use AI to your advantage. It's a meaty episode! Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guests Harriet Meyer https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriet-meyer-63508b40/ AI for Media newsletter https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/ai-for-media-7304783376857587712/ Rosie Taylor https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosietaylor/ Get Featured Substack https://rosietaylor.substack.com/ Resources ChatGPT Otter.ai Perplexity Claude Notebook LM Google Gemini Fathom AI for Media course with Harriet Meyer https://www.harrietmeyer.com/ai-courses/ Recommendations https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/virtual-reality-the-widely-quoted-media-experts-who-are-not-what-they-seem/ Adele Waters award-winning freelance journalist

Transcription apps

2025/10/15

In the podcast today we talk to two experts about transcriptions apps. How, where and why to use them, and what some of the pitfalls may be. Sage Lazzaro a freelance tech journalist shares her tips on getting the best out of Otter.ai while Jack Dearlove explains why he developed a transcription tool for Journo Resources. Get your free portfolio today. We also have a special offer for our FFJ community. Sign up via the link above to any paid plan for 20% off for the first year! Guests Sage Lazzaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/sage-lazzaro/ Jack Dearlove, Journo Resources https://www.journoresources.org.uk/ Resources JR Transcribe https://www.journoresources.org.uk/membership/jr-transcribe/ Otter.ai https://otter.ai/home Trint https://trint.com/ Whisper https://www.whispertranscribe.com/download Descript https://www.descript.com/ Recommendations Francis Cade https://www.youtube.com/c/FrancisCade Tekendra Parmar https://www.motherjones.com/criminal-justice/2025/08/axon-police-ai-draft-one-foia/