Ghosting is a term that essentially describes the scenario where someone you were in contact or communication with suddenly starts to ignore your messages.

As freelance journalists, we are all used our cold pitches going ignored but what happens when an editor who actually commissioned you to do some work suddenly stops answering your emails? Does it mean you do not actually have the commission, that they do not like your work or that you have somehow offended them? What do you do when you are being professionally ghosted?

The first thing to say is that this is incredibly common and all freelancers will have examples of this happening at some point in the commissioning process, both before and after they have submitted their copy. It is not usually because an editor is being rude but simply that they are overwhelmed and not keeping on top of their emails. They may have made a mental note to find an answer to your question, then just forgotten all about it or they may not have seen your message at all. The trick is to not take it personally, be professional and take the following steps to get the answer you need.

The first thing to understand is that editors get a lot of emails.

Pro insight: one section editor on a national newspaper told us she receives around 2,000 a day. So it is no surprise that messages from freelancers get missed, even from people they work with regularly.

If an editor appears to be ghosting you the chances are they have not seen your email, have not had a chance to reply or are waiting for a decision to be made at their end. They could be waiting on final pagination numbers or the outcome of a news conference meeting.

The easier you make it for an editor to reply the quicker they can do it. For example, put in an email subject headline 'Quick query about word count' and then keep your email content brief and to the point.

Pro tip: "Keep it all in the subject line: URGENT quick q about the story you wanted” - freelance writer, Jill Foster.

You can also offer solutions. If a case study has fallen through, list three different options and ask the editor to pick one. This........

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