ASJACon2025 Day One Recap: Stay Optimistic in an Era of Uncertainty
It’s always been hard to be a freelancer, but in 2025 it’s getting even harder.
Outlets are drying up. Rates are shrinking relative to the cost of living. AI tools pose an existential threat. First Amendment freedoms are being tested by a presidential administration that treats journalists that don’t toe the line as the enemy.
On top of all that, competition is increasing. A recent editorial hiring survey found that for the first time, more writers who participated identified as freelancers rather than staff writers.
Despite the challenges, speakers who opened the ASJA 2025 conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York on Feb. 24 encouraged the writers in attendance to preserve, be optimistic, and lean into the qualities, background, and experiences that make them different. Above all, speakers exhorted the approximately 300 writers and FIT students attending the opening sessions not to underestimate the power of their ability to tell stories, and to tell their own stories.
“You have so much more of an impact than you know,” said Versha Sharma, editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue in a keynote to open the conference. “It might exceed your wildest dreams. There may be failures along the way, but that’s okay.”
Other opening day speakers discussed what it will take to succeed in 2025, including updating how you approach pitching book ideas, content marketing writing, and working as a freelance journalist.
Freelancing in a Time of Uncertainty
Given the uncertainties of the present, being a writer, journalist, and storyteller is one of the most important jobs that anyone can be doing, said Sharma, who worked in politics, for online news outlets, and video news specialist NowThis before joining Teen Vogue. A new era of distinct challenges facing society “requires writers who are dedicated to truth and accuracy,” she said.
Sharma also applauded ASJA’s commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. “It’s really inspiring and reassuring at a moment when too many companies and leaders are lacking” in the ability or will to continue supporting diversity.
Depending on your freelance business model, succeeding in 2025 could mean pivoting to different storytelling formats, picking up new skills, or switching what you write about.
Books. People are burnt out and want books that are “cozy” or meet them where they are, said Anna Sprout-Latimer, a literary agent, founding partner and president of Neon Literary. “What’s clicking for fiction and nonfiction is work that goes down deep, not fake happiness or glib solutions,” she said. The best way to get the attention of books agents or publishers, she said, is to build a clips portfolio and social media presence that shows you know how to write for your audience and not just for yourself.
Content marketing writing. Because there’s more competition than there used to be, it’s incumbent on freelancers to concentrate on what you’re really good at, said Chandra Turner, founder of the Talent Fairy, a boutique editorial recruiting agency. It was Turner’s annual hiring survey that found the preponderance of freelancers over staff writers. “Do the thing that the person sitting next to you can’t do,” she said. “That’s where you’ll find traction in a competitive landscape.”
Writers who can diversify will be successful, said Turner, who worked as a magazine editor for 20 years before making her own pivot to talent acquisition. “If you are still writing for traditional media you have to add something else. It can be content marketing or brand publishing,” she said.
Journalism. Freelance journalists can add to their income by offering services related to written reporting, including branching into photojournalism or podcasting. “Being able to offer multiple media (types), especially for online markets ups your value,” said Shia Levitt, a longtime freelance journalist who has reported for NPR, Marketplace and other outlets from the US, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Freelancers can also consider pitching collaborations that involve multiple media outlets in a single market, which could provide more resources for a project.
Newsletters are another option for additional revenue streams for freelance journalists or content writers. Sproul-Latimer’s Substack newsletter is primarily subscription-only because she has book publishing expertise that would-be book authors will pay for.
In 2025, events are happening so fast and technology evolving so quickly, being able to research, write, and pull together a project quickly is another way to set yourself apart as a freelancer, said Stephanie Chang, content strategy and operations director for The Trust, the creative studio that produces custom content from the Wall Street Journal.
“Now more than ever, being able to think on your feet and pivot and churn out copy based on the latest headlines” is an asset, Chang said. “We’re heading back to an era that prizes the 5 Ws that get news out fast,” she said. “The more you can do that and pivot to writing for different formats like those we use, that’s helpful to us.”