Interview with Writer Dawn Allcot
1. How long have you been writing?
I’ve been published professionally since 10th grade when I wrote an article about a personal development workshop for high schoolers. It was published in a local weekly newspaper - back when every community had such a thing.
I had a fan-fic zine back in the early ‘90s. In the mid-90s, I started down the magazine publishing route and edited a few different national trade publications in the audiovisual technology and music instrument (MI) industries.
In 2001, I realized that to make real money as a writer and editor, I’d probably need to go into the city rather than stay on Long Island where I grew up. In the wake of 9-11, I didn’t like that option. So, I started calling industry contacts and became a freelance trade journalist for a few years.
In 2004,the Editor-in-Chief position opened up close to home for Paintball Sports Magazine. I edited that for a few years, boosting subscription figures and revenue exponentially.
So I guess you could say I’ve been writing and/or editing for my whole adult life to date and then some.
2. What drew you to becoming a freelance writer?
I got married in 2003 and decided if we had kids, I wanted the freedom to set my own hours and work from home. I’d gotten a taste of that in 2001 and if the position at Paintball Sports hadn’t been so enticing, I never would have stopped freelancing.
In 2007 or so, just before having my daughter in October 2008, I started freelancing again just as content writing started to become a viable and very lucrative career.
3. How did it feel when you first got published?
So, I still actually do remember that first article published in 10th grade. I just remember my mom pointing out a grammatical error that I didn’t write - the editor had changed my words! What a start to a career.
I’d like to say that seeing my work published for the first time was a huge thrill or something. But to me it always just seemed … inevitable? Ever since 8th grade, when I learned freelance journalism was a thing people did, I knew it was what I wanted to do. So yes, seeing my name on mastheads is always really cool. Maybe I shouldn’t take it for granted?
I do get excited, now, seeing my byline on major websites like SI Showcase or Parade. In the midst of Amazon Prime Day last year I had the home page of Parade for one of my product round-ups! My editor texted me at midnight to show me and we were both dancing! I took screen captures and shared that one with everyone.
4. What are some of the challenges you ran into when you started freelancing? How did you overcome them?
When I first started freelancing in 2008, rates were fairly low for content writing so you really had to hustle and write fast to make a decent living.
I basically built my career up to six figures with two children under 5. That is a whole book of challenges by itself!
But, I will say, my biggest challenge with freelancing, even today, is just staying focused and disciplined to do the work. When you’re a business owner, you don’t have anyone telling you to sit down and get your work done. But if you don’t - you won’t get paid.
So I had to break through those mindset stumbling blocks to really become my most productive self! I use exogenous ketones to help me with focus and energy, too.
Sharing exogenous ketones from Pruvit is my second business. The parent company provides a lot of mindset training that has helped me so much. I’m going to see Jay Shetty speak in New York City at the end of February with some of my partners in that business.
I watch a “mind movie” inspired by Joseph Dispenza’s work every morning just to get me going and excited about all the possibilities I can create in my life - that ANYONE can create in their lives with focus, drive, and positive belief in themselves.
5. What are some of the things you use to help you with freelance writing?
I have multiple systems in place that help me stay on track. I’m a big fan of Brendon Burchard and his GrowthDay app, which is a digital planner and journal that helps me stay motivated.
From a practical standpoint, I use Grammarly to give my work a quick run-through before submission. I love SEMRush for SEO and ideas. And I track all my assignments through Excel and a giant whiteboard above my desk.
My biggest recommendation is a dual monitor set-up. My productivity probably tripled once I added a second monitor. And it only cost like $79; it’s not anything fancy.
I’m getting set to add a third monitor, but I want one that connects directly to my laptop and folds down when not in use. That way when I’m writing on the road - I travel frequently - I will have two monitors and three at home!
6. Are there any books you can recommend to anyone interested in becoming a freelance writer?
I think I had said this to you earlier, Dawn, that I believe to become a freelance writer, someone really needs to have that innate talent for writing or the ability to learn how to write.
I have a course for beginning writers that I’m getting set to launch after I ran a beta version in 2020. It focuses on marketing, organization, pitching, dealing with clients, and even a little bit about SEO, because I know I’m not going to teach someone HOW to write in six weeks.
With that in mind, I always recommend Strunk & White’s Elements of Style and William Zinsser’s On Writing Well. For inspiration, I love Stephen King’s On Writing. And for the actionable insights on how to build a freelance writing career, Make a REAL LIVING As a Freelance Writer by Jenna Glatzer has changed so many lives, including my own!
7. Please describe your typical workday as a freelance writer.
There really is no typical, for me, and that’s one of the things I love about freelance writing! I’d get bored doing the same things, day in and day out.
But I start every morning with my GrowthDay app, when possible, and that helps me plan the day and week.
I’m a regular contributor to GOBankingRates, so my morning is devoted to writing regular news for that website. After around 11 or 12, my day gets weird. I try to plan any client calls for the afternoon, so it varies based on deadlines and other business commitments.
Sometimes, around that time, I’ll work on my second business.
I may have team meetings, or just check in with my team, as I love them and consider them my virtual co-workers. I may spend time talking to customers or scheduling posts.
Network marketing, especially focused on health and wellness, really complements my writing business because it’s using my writing, marketing, and other skills I use to run my content agency.
Plus, let’s face it: Being a writer is not the most active line of work. So my lifestyle helps me stay healthy and encourages me to move, drink water, and make better food choices, since I run challenges based on those things in my group, Keto Journey with Dawn.
Anywhere between 2:30 and 5:30 PM, depending on after school activities, my kids come home. Their ages are 14 and almost 12.
If I have deadlines, I will keep working. When the weather’s nice, they usually come home from school, grab a snack, and go right back out on their bicycles, anyway.
But if everyone’s home around 3, I will wrap up for the day and then pick back up working around 8 PM in the evening. I usually write until around midnight. That’s the time I’m at my most creative and focused. I’m trying to get to bed earlier, but I really do treasure that time.
8. What was the hardest market for you to break into and how did you succeed?
I’ve been very fortunate in my career - I picked up whatever niche was profitable at the time. My key niches right now are personal finance, technology, and commercial real estate.
Parenting was a difficult one for me. One of my first online writing gigs was BabiesOnline, but the pay was awful. I’d love to do more parenting writing, but it hasn’t been very lucrative for me.
For newer writers, I would recommend choosing a mix of profitable niches and the topics that make you want to jump out of bed and write. It makes it a lot easier to succeed financially if you can break into tech or finance. Then, with time and clips under your belt, you can try to find higher paying jobs in fields you love.
9. What's one thing about freelance writing that surprised you after you were at it for some time?
That it would be so damn hard to write with young kids!! I think we all see these “influencer” moms doing it all. Homeschooling, chasing toddlers, building a business, keeping a clean house and riding the Peloton in their free time. That. Is. So. Not. Me.
I realized when my kids were very young that I needed help if I was going to make a decent income and be a good parent.
When the kids were very young, we had babysitters come in so I could work quietly in my office and actually be productive. When the kids were old enough, they went to nursery school.
It’s very different now that my kids are older. I intentionally schedule family time because they have grown into these cool people I want to spend a lot of time with!
10. What advice do you have for a writer thinking of becoming a freelance writer?
I’m going to go back to the mindset stuff.
Focus on your ideal niche. Really narrow it down to the specifics, right down to the market, and visualize it happening. Think about the things you have to do, and the type of writer you have to be, to make that happen.
Every time I have ever done this, from writing for Chase Bank and Forbes to Sports Illustrated, it has happened for me eventually.
At the same time, be open to anything. You never know what amazing opportunities the universe will offer if you are open to them.
ABOUT DAWN:
Dawn Allcot is the owner and founder of Allcot Media, Inc., a boutique content marketing firm, as well as the owner of travel and entertainment website GeekTravelGuide.net. A food and fitness enthusiast, she also runs a keto community on Facebook.
Allcot primarily covers finance, technology, real estate, HR, marketing and insurance. Her work has appeared on sites such as MSN, Forbes, Bankrate and the award-winning Chase website. She regularly writes for Sports Illustrated / SI Showcase, GoBankingRates, Business.com, Crediful, The DBL Center, and TheStreet.com.
Allcot comes from a 20+ year editorial background as the editor of technology trade and niche consumer magazines, including Paintball Sports. (Yes, she plays!) She lives on Long Island with her husband, their two children, and an unusual family of cats and reptiles.