Today, Medianet is excited to feature Chris, an experienced Editor for Sydney Travel Guide and the AU Review. With extensive experience in travel journalism, Chris expertly balances content creation for these leading publications. From helping tourists explore Sydney’s vibrant attractions to providing in-depth cultural and travel insights, Chris has a unique approach to editorial strategy and digital media. In this interview, he shares his journey through the media landscape, his experience with content planning, his opinion on the role of AI in writing pitches and his passion for writing about travel, arts, and entertainment.
Hi Chris! Thanks so much for chatting with Medianet! As an Editor for both Sydney Travel Guide and the AU Review, can you share more about your roles in these publications? How do they differ in content planning and production, and what are the ratios of commissioned v pitched content for both?
I joined Sydney Travel Guide recently and they are now my biggest client. I’m serving as the Editor of the digital arm while also helping with print. A lot of super exciting stuff there with a solid distribution network (our two main cruise terminals, thousands of taxis, hundreds of hotels and hundreds of cafes) that targets it more towards arriving tourists who have plenty of money to spread around, but need a bit of direction and are open to suggestions. It’s a new voice for a new Sydney! And given the changes the city is going through, I think it needs a welcome guide like this.
We’re still experimenting with different ideas, given the growth phase, but I’m typically planning content with seasons in mind. So thinking about all the major events we have going on and working from there, zooming in on what our readers respond to—arts, entertainment, dining, shopping—as I go along. I also want to build up more guides on transport and accessibility so tourists have a one-stop for everything they need to know about their visit.
As for commissioned and pitched content, we’re still figuring out that approach so watch this space. I would love to get at deeper stories showcasing Sydney’s nuts and bolts, as well as start to move tourists towards the Western suburbs.
I joined the AU review in 2008, back when I didn’t even know what a “blog” was. It’s now one of the longest-running independent arts and lifestyle publications in Australia and has survived in many places where others have failed. The founder and publisher, Larry, has worked hard to ensure it’s 100% independent so it sustains itself on its strong traffic and ad revenue. I’m largely hands-off with it while Larry runs the show with a team of editors that live both here and in the UK. I’m more of an Editor-at-Large and help the team on an ad hoc basis. My focus on AU is also what brings in the most traffic. Lately it’s been travel, film and tech, so I’m helping them re-focus their travel and product review content. Plus, being with the brand for so long makes it hard to leave so I like keeping it as a side project regardless of how increasingly busy I am elsewhere.
Can you tell us about the beginning of your career? Did you always aspire to be a writer/editor, and which publications did you start with?
I started as a music journalist and still write about music on occasion. Larry started the AU review 16 years ago and needed someone who knew about more genres than just rock and indie-rock. I was raised on hip-hop and R&B, so joined off the back of that. My interests naturally grew as I got older and I expanded into writing about art, film, food, tech and travel. The latter is where my heart is now, so I’ve primarily been a travel writer and editor for the past few years.
After, I joined a men’s lifestyle publisher and was the travel editor there during the pandemic and beyond. I only recently went back out into the freelancing world and went on several work trips around a US travel conference. This is when the Sydney Travel Guide gig popped up.
I’m now at Sydney Travel Guide four days a week (for now) and working on the AU review and other travel clients in the evenings and on my off days. I barely have enough time to do much else at the moment.
What's one piece of unexpected advice about pitching that more people should know? What makes for a good pitch and how do you manage (as a Freelance Writer) pitching different publications?
If you’re pitching to digital, you might want to do some keyword research. SEO is still such an important game and even though Google has messed things up (word on the street is that they are going to start dialling back a lot of the more punitive algorithm changes this year), any good editor will always think about the SEO value of a piece. You could even include keyword volume in your pitches or show how it plays into current Google trends. You need to not only tell them what the story will be about, but subtly work in the value of the piece as well.
A good pitch will go into detail about the theme of the piece, and include an image or two attached so I can visualise it as well. If you’re a new writer, attach a few recent writing examples. Most websites have pitching guidelines too, so be sure to read those before you send an email.
Media is all about networking. Get on some mailing lists, start going to events, and hopefully you’ll make a few connections that can help you get started or share contacts. Also, if you’re in the travel space, join TravMedia.
Could you elaborate on your work as a Digital Strategist? In an increasingly saturated and competitive media landscape, with multiple mediums competing for our shortening attention spans, how do you ensure that content gets in front of readers? Does AI play a part in this at all?
Sometimes it’s all about the smaller details. Good SEO will tell you to try and keep the reader on the page as long as possible, but UX will tell you to give them the information directly and straight away. Balancing these two is tough, and I’m constantly jumping between ideas on how to present content.
Keeping up to date with trends and how other websites are presenting information typically informs my own approach. Especially legacy brands that are now trying to “get with the times” as these changes are more noticeable and you can tell what kind of advice their expensive SEO agencies are giving them.
I’ve admittedly only used AI for keyword research or spellcheck. I really haven’t explored it in depth. Every piece I have asked ChatGPT to help out with has been terrible so far.
Are there any upcoming projects or pieces we should look out for? What types of stories or topics are you most eager to write about in the future?
I did a series of back-to-back work trips in the USA earlier this year so I am rolling out content between now and the end of the year. It’ll be about 86 articles, focusing on both individual businesses and broader travel features. Most will be on the AU review as I have editorial control there while I’ve also sold some and will shop a few more around to try and spread my voice around.
I’d love to write more about Eastern Europe and Japan in general, but I’m trying to position myself as a destination expert for the US, so my personal editorial goals are focused on North America at the moment.
But given my role at STG, Sydney is my top priority and I’m looking forward to getting more closely involved in the local arts scene as we ramp up content there.
With recent layoffs in large media conglomerates, what advice would you offer to emerging writers and journalists? What changes would you like to see in the Australian media and writing industry?
I’ve grown to be quite blunt (years of dealing with PR in different industries will do that to you), so I’ll be honest. The last thing I ever want to do is discourage someone with a great perspective and a story to tell.
But it’s exceptionally tough out there for freelancers now. Particularly in the travel space, where there is money. There’s a lot of gatekeeping in the media industry. And a lot of the time, it's really hard to get your foot in the door without a personal relationship.
Advice: build up a profile. It crushes my soul to tell people to write for free or very little money, but sometimes you need to build up that profile and then be as diligent as possible about pitching to publications with appropriate budgets.
Of course, please be familiar with the publication before pitching to them. Tailored pitches are always going to be more appreciated by editors and, if they do get back to you, they’ll be more motivated to give you some feedback rather than just a flat, ambiguous “no”.
Also, follow up until you get a response, but just leave a reasonable time between follow ups. You don’t want to be pushy but you also deserve some respect. They’re an editor with a stable income, you’re a freelancer likely wondering where your money is coming from next. An editor who sees your pitches but doesn’t get back to you is not doing their job.
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