As freelance writers, we sometimes struggle with the decision to attend professional development conferences. Can we afford the travel — and the time off? For AHCJ’s Health Journalism conference, I have discovered over the previous decade that I can’t afford not to go.
There are several ways freelancers can try save travel dollars upfront: Apply for the various fellowships offered through AHCJ, register and make your travel plans early, and/or check the message boards for others looking to share hotel rooms.
You also can follow my lead to try to cover travel costs. Each year, I play a little return on investment game with myself: Can I find a story idea to pitch successfully, or make a good contact for potential writing assignments that will cover or at least offset my out-of-pocket travel costs? I can almost always do it.
Besides the great learning opportunities offered at health journalism conferences, there are multiple ways to make contacts, glean story ideas and land assignments. Here are some that have worked for me and other freelance writers I know:
- PitchFest – PitchFest is a huge draw for freelance writers to attend AHCJ’s annual Health Journalism conference and with good reason. Where else do you have the opportunity to sign up for seven uninterrupted, face-to-face minutes to pitch yourself and your story ideas to editors from some two dozen media sources? Over the years, I have had some success landing assignments this way. Some outlets I wrote for just a couple of times, while others became long-lasting clients. I’m still working for one editor I met at the Atlanta meeting in 2012, even though he’s since changed jobs twice.
Tip: If you don’t leave PitchFest with an assignment, don’t fret. Sometimes the relationship-building takes time. I once got a call from an editor about a year after meeting at PitchFest, asking if I was still interested in assignments. Another time, I really liked an editor I met but couldn’t seem to connect with her afterwards. So, I signed up for a new PitchFest slot with her at the following year’s conference to reintroduce myself and ended up working for her for several years.
- Sessions – Each year’s conference features panel presentations/discussions on a wide variety of interesting and timely topics. I have pitched and written articles on phage therapy for bacterial infections, video games that teach children about cancer treatment, and Denver Health’s initiative to expand access to patient-centered medical homes, among other stories, all based on ideas I got from attending sessions.
- Keynote speakers/newsmaker briefings – These talks by heavy hitters in the health care arena also can provide great story ideas. The 2016 meeting in Cleveland featured a breakfast briefing with a previous U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs leader. He made an offhand comment (not included in his slides) about how a pharmacist-led program to help manage patients with chronic diseases at the Veteran Affairs hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, was going to be replicated at other centers. I contacted the VA to learn more and turned that into a cover story for one of my clients, a magazine for pharmacists.
- Exhibit hall – More than a convenient place to stop for some free swag or a cup of coffee, the exhibit hall features many hospitals and health care organizations who can turn you on to interesting work going on at their institutions. One of my freelance writer friends swears by this as a method for finding great untapped story ideas.
- Field trips – AHCJ field trips offer packed days touring labs, research units and innovative health care sites at local hospitals and medical schools, usually along with some hands-on opportunities. There’s great networking with other writers and plentiful story ideas along the way. You’re bound to walk away enlightened about some new areas of medical research and care, and the investigators and health care professionals who speak to the group can be good sources for future stories.
- Around the conference center – You never know who you might sit next to at a session or meal, or bump into during a reception or in the hallways. Another friend of mine has even met editors on elevators and escalators! Keep your eyes peeled for name tags and your business cards handy.
- Transportation – At Health Journalism 2017 in Orlando, I posted a note on a message board looking to share a ride back to the airport. Another writer who had rented a car graciously gave rides to me and an editor she met at a session. We all had a nice conversation, and she wound up with an assignment from that editor. At other writers’ meetings, I have made good contacts at the airport and on a shuttle van from a Washington, D.C., metro stop to a meeting site. Following up with those contacts netted me some well-paid writing jobs.
- Other freelancers – Since I spend most of my days working in my home office, one of the things I really enjoy about Health Journalism is meeting and getting to know other freelance writers doing interesting work. I now have a monthly check-in call with three other writers I met through AHCJ, where we talk about story ideas, dealing with difficult sources, etc. A couple of years ago, one of them suggested I call a friend of hers who was editing a university research magazine and looking for a writer for a feature story. That writer ended up being me.
Feel free to share your own tips in the comments. Good luck, have fun and I hope to see you in Austin!
Karen Blum is AHCJ’s core topic leader on health IT. An independent journalist in the Baltimore area, she has written health IT stories for publications such as Pharmacy Practice News, Clinical Oncology News, Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News, General Surgery News and Infectious Disease Special Edition.
