The number one question I get from people is “How do I get published in National Geographic?”

That is often followed by “How do I travel for work?” and “How do I make this into a viable career?”

My answer is often disappointing for many. There isn’t a magic formula to follow to become a successful travel photographer or writer overnight. There isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme that would make your dreams come true in a matter of days.

Tips For Beginners And Advice On Pitching For A Travel Journalism Career

The real method is way less sexy. It involves putting in consistent time and effort, day in and day out, taking action every single day, and being systematic with what you do on a regular basis so that it brings you results over the long run.

If I had to start all over again right now, here are the four pieces of advice I’d give myself:

• Set realistic expectations, there is no quick and easy way to do this overnight

• Put an effort into developing real, authentic relationships with editors

• Read the publication you’re pitching: this may sound simple, but many don’t and their pitch suffers because of that

• Answer in your pitch: why are you the one to tell this story and why does it need to be told now?

Let’s dig into each one of these below.

Would rather watch it?

Go in-depth on these four areas in my video below:

#1: Set Realistic Expectations

Do you want to quit your job, travel the world, and make a living selling your stories?

Great. Now, don’t quit your day job just yet.

The magic doesn’t happen overnight. You can’t expect to figure everything out in a matter of days or weeks. Understand that when you’re entering into a new industry, it takes time to get your footing, to start publishing your stories, and making a name for your work.

When I started in this industry, I gave myself six months to figure everything out. What I learned is that it takes much longer than that to understand a) how the industry works b) what the magazines are looking for and c) how one can approach editors and start pitching stories.

This doesn’t mean you stop pursuing your dream. It just means that you have a realistic outlook on how long it might take you to build a name and a reputation so that you get work on a regular basis.

#2: Put Effort Into Editor Relationships

This is one of the reasons why getting established in this industry is not an overnight process. It takes time to develop relationships with editors — who are the gatekeepers at publications you want to get work in.

When I quit my job, I went on the National Geographic website and found an address listed on the site where queries could be sent. And so I did.

I sent my query for a story in and… never heard back from them again.

Editors are humans just like you and me. And when you’re approaching an editor cold, they’re less likely to consider what you have to offer if they’ve never heard from you and don’t know anything about you or your work.

It’s just human behavior. We tend to gravitate towards what we know and that applies to editors assigning stories too. It makes their lives easier working with a few photographers and writers they know, rather than taking a risk on an ‘unknown entity’ every time.

So what does that mean for you?

Put effort and time into developing real, authentic relationships with editors. Start pitching your stories. Let them see what ideas you have and what type of work you can do. After several pitches, if the editors like your work, they are likely to start including your email in their regular calls for pitches. And that’s how a relationship starts.

Consider also going to several industry conferences and meet-ups. Editors go to these events too and it’s a great way to introduce yourself in a casual way (and follow up with a solid pitch after).

#3: Read The Publication You’re Pitching

This may seem like a simple and straightforward advice, but you would be surprised to learn how many people don’t follow it. They may see a big brand name — like Lonely Planet or Conde Nast Traveler — and want to be associated with these brands, and so they reach out without ever thumbing through an issue.

Believe it or not, it’s really easy for an editor to see from your pitch if you’ve read their publication.

If you did, you’d catch up on the publication’s voice and use this voice in your pitch. You’d also imagine where in the publication this story you’re pitching might fit in. You’d make sure that your idea fits with the publication’s overall theme.

The goal for your pitch is to make the editor’s job easier. They indeed have a difficult job: finding great stories that fit with their publication’s priorities and making sure their content pipeline is always full (it’s even more stressful to do so for an online publication, where the pipeline never ends). So the easier you can make it for the editor to say yes to your pitch, the better it is for you. One way to do so is by reading the publication prior to pitching it.

If you’ve read the publication, you’ll be more likely to nail its voice and fit into its themes with your pitch. And that would make your pitch more successful, signaling to the editor that you’ve done your homework prior to reaching out.

#4: Your Pitch Should Answer: Why You, Why Now?

This is often overlooked, but if you’re able to answer in your pitch why you should be the one telling this story and why this story needs to be told now, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Remember, it’s the editors’ job to fill their pipelines with stories and to make sure that they have the people best suited for telling those stories on their pages.

What does that mean in practice?

Imagine two people approaching an editor with the same idea about the Bedouin culture in Jordan. One person has traveled to Jordan close to 20 times and spent weeks interacting with the communities there and learning more about them. The other person has gone to Jordan once on a three-day trip.

Which of these two people would be more qualified to tell this story?

When you’re writing your pitch, think about what gives you the authority to tell the story you’re pitching. You DO have authority, just make sure you’re mentioning that in your pitch ;)

Like these tips?

Check out The Storytellers Kit, a clear playbook that I’ve developed over four years of trial and error as I went from a corporate employee to a published travel photographer and writer