Poynter Webinar Provides Tips To Get Your Side Hustle Back On Track

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You started something, but never finished it.

Maybe it was a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel. Or you took a stab and freelancing, but it never gained momentum.

Eventually, you stopped. You’re not alone.

When you’re working a full-time journalism job, it can be tough to maintain a side gig.

But it’s not impossible, says Washington Post’s Social Media Editor Alex Laughlin.

Laughlin — who was the featured guest speaker on a recent Poynter webinar, “Making Your Side Hustle Work for Your Journalism Career” — juggles multiple side hustles.

She is host/producer of The Ladycast podcast and co-founder and moderator of the Slack-based community #PayUp.

If you’re ready to give your side hustle a second chance, Laughlin advises the following:

1. Do your research to determine whether your idea already exists.
2. If you decide to take the plunge, be prepared to make the time commitment.
3. Check to see if you can make a side gig out of a project at work. 
4. Get the word out. Use social media to connect with fellow side hustlers and promote your project.

Check out the entire Poynter webinar for more details on the above, as Laughlin’s shares an inspiring account of how she successfully got in the side hustle game, as well as valuable tips for how to stay in it.

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Brett Simon is PR Newswire’s former director of audience relations and was a television reporter in her former life. Follow her @savsimon.