Content writers are in high demand in Sacramento!
Sacramento is well-known as the historical center of California, but aside from a couple mentions in professional basketball circles a few years back and Sutter’s Fort (which is a good hour from where gold actually was first discovered), the town is a bit of a mystery for outsiders. Interestingly, the region is a perfect model for marketing testing because those who are in Sacramento predominantly live there and stay there for a long time. Despite being at the crossroads of two major interstates, Sacramento has very little transient populations or seasonal fluctuations due to tourism, for example. As a result, it makes a great location for testing products and services before launching them nationwide.
Making a Living as a Sacramento Writer
Sacramento has generally become a major bedroom community for the Bay Area, closer to San Francisco, because of real estate pricing. While homes and rentals are outrageously expensive further southwest, Sacramento is much more affordable, particularly for younger families. With home prices in reach and the cost of living lower, the area attracts even those willing to drive two hours each way daily for work outside of the area. And travel they do, with an international airport, Sacramento makes it easy for workers to commute to Los Angeles or New York daily if not every few hours.
One of the biggest hiring entities in Sacramento for writer is, no surprise, government. A ton of publications, reports, commentary and communications happen daily by writers all over time employed in or related to government. The town is home to multiple federal agencies, it operates as the State Capitol, and both county and city agencies call Sacramento home as well. There are also numerous offices for education systems, non-profits seeking to influence policy, and private advocacy offices representing clients. And this is just the governmental side of the market.
The private side market includes multiple financial institutions, multiple advertising and marketing agencies, auto dealers, tourism and hotels, real estate, and more. All of these employers utilize writers regularly as well, particularly experienced personnel with a proven track record. In terms of journalism the two main papers in the region are The Sacramento Bee and The Sacramento News & Review, but there are a handful of field offices for other newspapers, and there are dozens of magazines as well. Finally, like many larger towns, freelancers can generate a viable amount of work in town as well if they build a good portfolio of local clients.
Educational Opportunities for Writers to Advance in Sacramento
One booming aspect of Sacramento is the fact that it is becoming a major higher education hub. Sacramento has almost a dozen major institutions located in the area, which insures there is always an influx of new generations to the area, and new thinking every 10-20 years as well.
Writers can pursue formal training from the University of California Davis, California State University Sacramento, and at least six different junior colleges (four in the Los Rios College District, Sierra College in Rocklin, and Woodland College), and also choose from private institutions like University of San Francisco and Phoenix University. There were also numerous pay-as-you-go workshop-style classes put on via local calendars, the most popular of which were provided by the Learning Exchange, but that organization shut down abruptly in 2017 without any replacement.
Writing Meet Up Groups in Sacramento
- Sacramento Suburban Writers Club
- Capital Film Arts Alliance Workshops (including screenwriters)
- Shut Up & Write / Sacramento Chapter
- Sacramento Creative Writing Workshops
- California Writer’s Club / Sacramento Branch
Sacramento Conferences for Writers to Consider in 2019
- The SummerWords Creative Writing Conference
- The Annual Sierra Writers Conference
- Society for Technical Communication Conference
- Our Life Stories Writers Conference
Workshops, Classes and More for Writers in Sacramento
- The Sacramento City Library Events
- Gold Country Writers Meetings (foothill area)
- Sacramento City College Monthly Workshops
- CSU Sacramento Continuing Education Workshops
- California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Workshops (focus on young writers)
- Elk Grove Adult and Community Education (EGACE)
The Best Places for Writers to Write in Sacramento
Location-wise, Sacramento appeals to both those who like to write with a loud din around them as well as writers who want natural silence. Whether it be sitting out on a hill east of Folsom or in the hub-bub of a downtown café, writers can find their heavy fill of inspiration. Coffee houses are ideal for writer groups and informal get-togethers as they provide an abundant flow of humanity. If it gets too hot in the summer, there’s always the American River to hang out at and cool down or float along. The town has its share of night life, archaeology seminars, protests, and athletic events as well. Even professional cycling writers can find their muses here when the annual AmGen Tour and other races tear through town.
Local Companies Hiring Sacramento Writers
A number of opportunities and long-term career positions exist in Sacramento, and it really depends on which industry a writer wants to work in whether more or less success will be realized. For example, current hiring ads include copy writer positions for athletics, tourism, website content, social media development and maintenance for marketing, journalism, technical writing for the IT field, healthcare report writing, and legal work.
Grant writing is a heavy area that sees a lot of work in Sacramento if one has the right experience. Non-profit agencies are particularly sensitive to good talent as grants are oftentimes the lifeblood for these entities. Good grant writing experience in both federal grant writing as well as large private philanthropic support will get people’s attention very quickly in terms of landing regular employment.
Marketing and advertising writing is not as well represented in area. While there are a number of independent agencies and few larger branch offices of bigger advertising houses, they are few and far between in terms of opportunities. Technical writing will instead be a much stronger career path for writers, especially if they have a strong background in the area they are writing about. Instructional technical writing is a growing field as big data and database management demands are taking off in the area in multiple arenas.
Digital Marketing Agencies
Sacramento is no stranger to boutique marketing and small business digital marketing. A number of firms call the California river town their home, handling both local and national business on a regular basis:
- Alfredo Media
- Capitol Tech Solutions
- Emerge Marketing Strategies
- Digital Marketing Labs
- OnPoint Internet Marketing
- Three29
Join the Ranks of Some of the Best Writers in the World!
So, obviously, there are great writers all over the country and around the world, but Sacramento also has its own dedicated share of WriterAccess authors and creators as well. While a small group compared to other locations, these are folks who generate writing that covers everything from taxes to romance to real estate to technical guide writing as well. Find out for yourself touring some of the many points of talent WriterAccess brings to a computer near you. You might be inspired to join us and become a top digital writer yourself!
