April 15, 2021
Mara Allen on Scoring Her First Freelance Writing Gig
This past school year, Marinette campus student and Communication major Mara Allen started working as a regular freelance writer for the WI Sports Heroics blog. With more than 60,000 subscribers and an actual budget for paying freelancers, the blog is an impressive get for a writer new to the professional scene. The Driftwood asked Mara to tell us all about her new job, and her answers are sure to inspire other budding freelancers and Wisconsin sports fanatics.
The Driftwood: Tell us about the WI Sports Heroics blog. How many people read it, where do its readers mainly come from, and what kinds of articles do they publish?
Mara Allen: WI Sports Heroics is a relatively new blog. It was created in January of 2020 and has been growing tremendously ever since. Thousands of people read our articles each day, and our readers come from a variety of different places—mostly from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. We publish anything Wisconsin sports-related: the Packers, Bucks, Badgers, and Brewers are what the majority of our articles focus on, but we also cover Marquette University teams, outdoor sports, fantasy sports, etc.
The Driftwood: What kinds of pieces have you published with them? And do they pay you, if you don’t mind my asking?
Mara Allen: When I was hired, I started out writing about the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team. As I’ve written more articles, I’ve been allowed to branch out and write about other Badger teams. Just this week, I was promoted and given permission to write about the Packers, too! I publish a variety of different pieces, ranging from breaking news stories to human interest pieces. I do get paid; pay is based on views, so it’s really important for us writers to share and promote our work!
The Driftwood: What is your role at the blog? Do you have a title?
Mara Allen: I’m a “contributor” for the blog. I have the ability to decide how many pieces I want to write and publish, as long as I hit the two-article minimum per month. I like this flexibility, especially as a busy college student who already writes a lot.
The Driftwood: I think a lot of college students might think that freelancing, especially paid, is out of their reach, but you’re doing it! How did you approach the blog about writing for them?
Mara Allen: I reached out to the blog on Twitter once I saw that they were looking to add more writers to their team because they were growing so fast. I talked with the site’s founders and eventually went through the hiring process!
The Driftwood: What do you think appealed to them about you?
Mara Allen: I believe that several factors about me appealed to them. I think that they saw that I was a relatively strong writer (editors wouldn’t have to go back and change many things), I was passionate about the material, and I was driven and motivated to produce good work (I wouldn’t have to be told that I wasn’t writing enough or writing flat pieces just to put something out). I believe they said yes to me for all these reasons; now that I’ve been writing for a while and have gotten to know a lot of the other writers, I think they realized I would fit in well and be a strong asset to the team!
The Driftwood: Do you have any other advice for college students who want to break into a freelance market like WI Sports Heroics?
Mara Allen: Go for it! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. The worst someone can say is no, so try any opportunity you have. Be yourself, be honest, and be confident throughout the interview/hiring process, because if you truly think a position/certain blog is the perfect fit for you, your passion will shine through!
The Driftwood: Which article that you’ve written are you most proud of, and why? Can we get a link?
Mara Allen: I’m really proud of all of my articles; I especially like when players like and retweet them on Twitter because it’s cool to get validation that I’m doing a good job! However, if I had to pick one, I’d choose a pretty recent piece. “Thank You, Badger Seniors” was a very extensive article at the end of the season thanking the Badger seniors on the basketball team for their hard work and dedication. I was especially proud of that one because it involved a lot of research and ended up being a heartfelt tribute, and both aspects made it fun to write. It did really well, and it was fun to see people enjoying and appreciating my hard work!
The Driftwood: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Mara Allen: Even though I was a little nervous at first (both to reach out to the blog and to start putting my pieces out), it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I’ve met awesome people, gotten a ton of valuable experience, and have had a lot of fun! If you’re interested in writing, go for it! It might turn out to be one of the best experiences of your life, too!
Editor’s note: Mara’s sister and Driftwood editor Mallory Allen recently started writing for the blog as well, so be sure to look for both of their bylines.