How do I get my content on the big media outlets?
Recently my footage of an incident in Northern Ireland was purchased and broadcasted on ITV / UTV.
It was reported that a suspicious object was found in the Lecky Flyover area of Derry shortly after 6.40 pm on Sunday the 3rd of July 2022. Residents had to be evacuated from their homes as PSNI and Ammunition Technical Officers attended the scene. Police were attacked with petrol bombs during the security alert.
This isn't the only time I've been successful in getting news outlets to purchase my footage. Keep reading to find out more.
Here is some context:
- I set up a Facebook page in April 2019, following the murder of local journalist Lyra McKee. The Facebook page is called 'Derry Footage' and the purpose of the page is to share news, stories and memories from around Derry, Northern Ireland.
- I have stayed consistent in uploading posts; now my Facebook page has over 20,000 followers and my Twitter recently hit 3,000 followers.
In the past 28 days at the time of writing:
- My Facebook page had a post reach of 110,000 reach, 97,100 engagements and 78,000 video views.
- My Twitter has 315,000 tweet impressions and 121,000 views.
And that's only in the past 28 days. Imagine what the numbers are like on a yearly basis!
So how do I get my work onto the big media outlets as freelance?
There is no one way that you can get your content on the big media outlets but I can share a few tips with you based on my personal experience:
- I stayed consistent with posting high-quality material on my social media.
- I built up an audience over time.
- I was confident in my work, so I connected with and spoke to everyone in the industry, and they followed me.
- I usually bump into other people working in the media when I'm at different incidents or scenes. These people would usually be digital journalists or top correspondents - I made sure all of these people got my number.
- I have a good eye for a story and anytime I post newsworthy work I usually get contacted by a news outlet wanting to purchase my videos and images for TV, articles or radio. I also have to be the one who rings or messages people sometimes - It doesn't always come my way.
- I entered my documentaries in film festivals, which helped me win awards; then I sent press releases to local newspapers to gain traction.
- Early on, I realised not everything would be paid work. Even if it's unpaid, doing the work has no downsides because:
Sometimes when you go to certain incidents, there are so many people who are recording and uploading to social media that it lowers the value of your work. There is nothing wrong with letting news outlets use your work for free in exchange for your name on the article or screen because it's good for your portfolio and it also gives you more reputation, especially when people google your name - the news articles with your name on it is the first thing people see.
- I didn't give up.
The best part about this is I'm only 19 years old. I don't study journalism and I started off doing this before I was even an adult. I've been told countless times by top people in the industry that I'm "way ahead" of people my age.
It just goes to show that even if you don’t study certain topics at college or at university - there are always still routes into the industry. As long as you’re good at what you do, you build up the experience and you get out there and simply talk to people - you’re unstoppable.
Please watch my showreel below to see some more of the newswork that I’ve done over the past few years. You can also visit my journalism portfolio here.
