Your Guide To The Omaha Writing Scene

Omaha, Nebraska is on the cusp of becoming one of the great cities in the U.S. It is home to the Gallup Organization, Berkshire Hathaway and it’s founder Warren Buffet along with four Fortune 500 companies and five Fortune 5000 businesses. Omaha is growing as an artistic culture, as well, and offers writers lots of opportunity for growth.

Making a Living as an Omaha Writer

Glassdoor states that writers living in Omaha, Nebraska can earn on average 45,275 dollars a year and copywriters around 49,750 dollars. Content marketing managers bring home an average base pay of 67,159 dollars.

The digital age is here, and it’s not going anywhere. Every industry makes use of this powerful tool called the Internet to market their brand and promote their services. That means individuals who work providing digital information have an active marketplace with lots of work coming their way.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of jobs in this field continues to rise at a rate of 8 percent – that’s faster than average.

Mainstream, metropolitan cities like Omaha are looking to pull creative talent their way to fuel business growth by offering work opportunities for freelancers along with part-time and full-time positions.

Virtual job sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed tend to have several hundred of writing jobs available to choose from at any one time. Individuals looking to build their brand and create a forward-moving career path in content marketing should consider Omaha, Nebraska as a real contender. The sophistication of this growing business hub ensures there are plenty of ways to hone the craft and find writing gigs.

Educational Opportunities for Writers to Advance in Omaha

Omaha may not be known for its ivy league universities, but they do know a little bit about college football, though. The learning opportunities in Omaha for those who want to make a career out of writing are vast. Omaha hosts 11 separate universities and colleges including the University of Nebraska home of the Cornhuskers.

Of those learning centers, there are five universities and six colleges, all of which offer courses to improve the skills of a budding professional writer.

Writing Meet Up Groups in Omaha

• Omaha/Council Bluffs Writers’ Roundtable, ongoing. This group focuses more on the novelist than the content writer, but it’s a practical choice to pick up tips and tricks for telling a story and writing with creative flair. The Writers’ Roundtable meets once a month at different locations throughout the city and averages 10 or more attendees in each meetup.

Omaha Conferences for Writers to Consider in 2019

• Word Towers Annual Conference,  April 26-27 Location: Grace Central Church. Get a chance to learn from the best at the Word Towers Annual Conference. They offer Skype opportunities with well-known editors; the chance to pitch ideas, attend workshops with freelancers and editors have work critiqued.
• Nebraska Writers Guild Writers’ Conference, April 11-15 Location: Comfort Inn & Suites. Organized by the Nebraska Writer’s Guild and open to its members, the conference focuses on writing for science, research and healthcare industries.
• 8th Annual Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference, April 5–6 Location: The Keneko. Writers can take advantage of this conference to both learn and network with entrepreneurs in every industry. The meeting includes 20 nationally recognized guest speakers, a startup career fair and networking sessions. There will also be a pitch contest and gala.
• Infotec, April 1-2 Location: Embassy Suites. A must-do conference for tech writers. The guest list includes more than 1,000 tech professionals to discuss technology trends, business and innovation in the field. The conference offers workshops, exhibitors and networking opportunities.
• 16th Annual Value Investor Conference, May 2–3 Location: University of Nebraska College of Business Administration, Mannel Hall. Take advantage of having some of the world’s top investors in one room to learn more about financial and investment writing. The conference provides a global list of valued speakers and networking dinner with keynote speaker Kunal Kapoor, CEO of Morningstar, Inc.

Attending business, health and tech conferences provides networking opportunities with companies looking to hire writers both in Omaha and for remote work.

Workshops, Classes and More for Writers in Omaha

Omaha is a city with plenty of ways for writers to learn, so pencil in a few of these workshops and classes for education and to network with local business in need of writing talent.

• Nebraska Writers’ Workshop – Every Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 9:00. The Nebraska Writers’ Workshop meetings are in the public library of one of Omaha’s many suburbs, Ralston. These weekly workshops explore everything from teen writing to readings for feedback. No registration needed, just show up.
• Feedback at KANEKO – April 19 in the evening from 7 to 9 and April 21 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Feedback session sponsored by the Nebraska Writers Collective that provides conversations with well-known writers such as Kristin Walrod.

The Best Places for Writers to Write in Omaha

Everyone needs a special writing nook in their city of choice. Omaha has the obvious options like local coffee shops and libraries. It also has some creative sites such as:

• Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
• Lauritzen Gardens
• Westroads Mall
• Malcolm X Birthsite
• Heartland of America Park
• Tranquility Park

Community Groups for Writers in Omaha

Writers who call Omaha home will also want to check out some of these locally grown community groups for events and classes:

• Nebraska Writers’ Collective – The Nebraska Writers’ Collective is a community of local writers with meetings and networking opportunities along with workshops in almost every genre of writing.
• The Nebraska Writing Project – The Nebraska Writing Project travels all over the state to provide educational options for writers. They offer writing workshops, retreats, graduate courses, writing marathons and teacher resources.
• Nebraska Writers’ Guild – A professional organization for writers in Omaha. This non-profit empowers community building with a variety of literary programs for all writing disciplines.
• Nebraska Writing Project – A network of writing professionals and educators.

Local Companies Hiring Omaha Writers

The expanding business community in Omaha means writers are in demand. As more Fortune 500 and 1000 companies choose this city as their home, freelancers, journalists and other professionals will find an increase of work coming their way. This is especially true in Midwest cities like Omaha where the living is good and the taxes lower. In 2019, expect more focus on personal website content that requires advanced writing skills.

Digital Marketing Agencies

Digital marketing agencies are the bread and butter of the content marketing industry. There are plenty to choose from in Omaha, too, some of the busiest in the country.

• TrueMail Marketing
• Mullen Marketing Inc
• SandStream Marketing
• OBI Creative
• Flywheel

Content Platforms

• WriterAccess – That’s us! Boston-based WriterAccess is one of the leading providers of quality writers able to cover each industry. Our services expand to content strategists, translators and editors, as well. WA also hosts one of the most respected content marketing conferences each year attended by both clients are writers. We currently work in five different countries with many writing opportunities available. APPLY NOW and become a writer at WriterAccess.
• Scripted – Scripted is a content creation platform that focuses on top brands such an Apartment List, Eventbrite and LoanMe.
• ClearVoice – A content marketing platform that opened to writers in 2014

Join the Ranks of Some of the Best Writers in the World

The city of Omaha offers the best of both worlds: small town feel and big city enterprise. The dynamics in this region of Nebraska continually draws in top businesses in every sector and writers able to give them quality content. Omaha is known for more than just business, though. Famous names once called this city home like Malcolm X and President Gerald Ford. Each year there festivals celebrating diversity, arts, music and culture. Omaha is a lively city that continues to expand, making it an ideal choice for any writer looking to build a brand of their own.

For businesses, the search ends here. Hire Omaha Writers at WriterAccess.