How to Succeed as a Sportswriter

Mar 15, 2011
Cherie Burbach

A Unique Voice is Key to Sportswriting - Zii Yen

Many freelancers would like to get paid to write about sports. Consistency, marketing, and writing skills will give you an edge.

Writing about sports for a living is a dream for many freelancers, but it is a competitive field. To get an advantage, you have to be persistent and unique. Getting a paid sportswriting job is only a small part of success. If you really want to stand out, you need readers who follow your work. Here's how to get them.

Consistent Sports Blogging

In order to develop both a voice and an audience, it is important to develop a regular blogging or writing routine. Successful sports bloggers today actually write several posts a day. That might not be possible in the beginning, especially if you have other paid work you have to complete, but if you can write five times a week that will help attract a steady stream of readers that know you will have something to say on a regular basis.

Market Yourself

Sportswriting is a competitive field, so you have to get the word out about your writing skills. One way to do that is by marketing your posts. Developing a Twitter or Facebook account solely devoted to sports is a good way to do that. Don't just promote, but get into discussions and promote other bloggers. It may sound counter-intuitive, but by promoting other sports writers you will also get more attention for yourself.

Another way to get traffic for your posts is by submitting them to social bookmarking sites. Sites like Stumble Upon, Digg, and Reddit will help you spread the word about your posts.

Develop a Unique Take on Sports

It can be difficult to differentiate yourself from the rest of the sports world, but in order to stand out you have to create posts that are unique. If you just reiterate news from the main sports outlets, you won't garner new readers.

Instead, take the hot buttons in sports today and add your own twist to them. Describe how you feel about a situation, in addition to the facts. The sports world is all about emotions, so use that as a guideline. Write posts that are thought-provoking and original.

Other good options are lists. Top ten lists of: greatest plays by a certain team, best calls by an official, longest hold outs, most come-from-behind wins, and the like, will put a unique spin on the current news of the day. This way you won't be re-hashing what has already been written, but offering a debate for readers to add their opinions to.