Great Escape Publishing

Posted November 15th, 2019 by Bel Woodhouse & filed under Travel Writing.

Offering photos and video to editors alongside your articles adds wealth to your writer’s life. It is easy to do and has the added bonus of enriching your travel experiences.

Looking at a place through a camera lens sharpens your focus. Looking at it through video makes you more aware of the surroundings and what’s of interest.

Both of these are huge selling points benefiting you.

Now you have a trifecta of skills on offer. Articles. Photos. Video.

Recently, I landed my first trifecta. A photography shoot, an article, and a promotional video for the best Italian restaurant on the island I call home. My heart was soaring.

In one day, I almost covered my month’s rent with these three jobs. All local and all easy to do within walking distance of my house. And you can easily do it too.

See, it’s not all about the editors and publications. They are a huge part of it but you gain major benefits by learning these other valuable skills. It’s about you investing in you.

These are three major benefits to combining writing, photography, and video:

1. More accepted articles

Editors are more likely to accept your article pitch if you make their job easier by providing what they need. Presenting them with a “one-stop shop” of article, photos, and short video to engage their readers.

It also helps build a good relationship quickly, establishing you as a go-to content provider so they come back to you time and again.

2. More bang for your buck

You triple your income from one destination or story. Not only are you increasing the chances of getting your article accepted, as mentioned above, but you are also getting paid for the photos and video.

My article pitches always include that web compatible and high-resolution photos are available to accompany the article. Editors love this because it covers both digital and print editions while making you look more professional.

Short videos can be easy and fun to make, so are well worth the time.

A lot of online publications want small 10-30 second videos, because people are likely to spend more time on the page if there is a video to watch. This improves the online rankings of the magazine and helps grow their readership.

Plus, there’s even a fourth way to get paid: offering to make a video for the place you are writing about. Nearly every business wants video and by writing about them you already have a relationship, increasing your chances.

3. More freedom

The biggest benefit is that you have these skills for life. That means more freedom. Live how you want. Wherever you want. It can also allow you to change careers, cut back to part-time or maybe retire earlier.

It allows you to travel more because it helps cover the cost of your trips. Now, that place you’ve always dreamed of going could be a reality.

You stand a better chance of funding your dream life.

Yes, you still have to work, but it’s a work smarter kind of deal.

I still have to pitch like everyone else. But the difference is that once you build a relationship and deliver, editors start approaching you. In my trifecta, two out of three jobs came to me. It went like this…

Article: the editor approached me. I still had to pitch but now my chances increased a hundredfold because I knew exactly what they wanted and got the job.

Photo Shoot: the person approached and asked me. Why? Because they loved social media photos I had taken around the island visiting places to write about. While it was out of my comfort zone to do a personal photo shoot, I jumped at the chance and accepted the job.

Video: a referral from a previous video client, it helped me land this top Italian restaurant on the island. I pitched it nearly two months ago but kept in contact following up as the owner was traveling. Good work ethic and persistence pays off. I got the job.

My trifecta was complete.

So, by expanding your skill set to include writing, photography, and video you can triple your payday in your own hometown and every place you visit.