Salary: $55,000–$65,000 based on experience
Location: Chicago, IL (In-Office)
Mainland is looking for an exceptional Staff Writer who loves finding great stories and telling them in a way people actually want to read. Every week, you'll interview founders, franchisees, executives and industry leaders, then turn those conversations into compelling editorial content published across Mainland's media network, including 1851 Franchise and our portfolio of publications.
This is not a marketing copywriter role. This is a journalism-first position for someone who is naturally curious, asks thoughtful questions, uncovers angles others miss and can produce polished stories with minimal editing.
If you're looking for a place where writing is treated like a craft—not a commodity—you'll fit in well.
What You'll DoInterview & Story Development
- Conduct interviews with founders, executives, franchisees and business leaders
- Research industries, brands and trends before every interview
- Identify compelling story angles instead of simply reporting information
- Build trust with interview subjects and make conversations engaging
Writing
- Write feature stories, news articles, profiles, executive interviews and thought leadership
- Produce clean first drafts that require minimal editing
- Adapt your writing style across dozens of different brands
- Meet aggressive deadlines while maintaining quality
Editorial Excellence
- Maintain Mainland's editorial standards across every story
- Ensure every article is accurate, engaging and well sourced
- Collaborate with editors to continually improve your work
- Incorporate SEO best practices without sacrificing readability
Collaboration
- Work closely with editors, account managers, PR and digital teams
- Manage multiple assignments simultaneously
- Communicate proactively about deadlines and project status
- Accept feedback professionally and continuously improve
What Success Looks Like
Within your first 90 days, you will:
- Consistently deliver articles on deadline
- Conduct confident, engaging interviews
- Produce stories requiring minimal editorial revisions
- Demonstrate the ability to identify unique story angles
- Become a trusted writer for multiple client accounts
What We're Looking For
- 3–7+ years of journalism, editorial or professional writing experience
- Excellent interviewing skills
- Exceptional writing and editing ability
- Strong curiosity and news judgment
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Experience writing business, franchise, entrepreneurial or B2B content is a plus
- Comfortable learning AI tools to improve research and efficiency (not to replace original reporting)
- Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, English or related field preferred
You're the Right Fit If You...
- Love interviewing people more than sitting behind a keyboard
- Can take a 30-minute conversation and find the one story worth telling
- Hate clichés and generic business writing
- Write quickly without sacrificing quality
- Take pride in requiring very little editing
- Care about deadlines as much as the quality of your work
- Are naturally curious and ask better questions than everyone else
