A Brief History of Maggie Slepian's Industry Burnout
It wasn't the outdoor industry that did it, but the SEO chokehold that reduced my work to clickbait and gear roundups.
After more than 10 years in the professional writing world, I had such a big meltdown this spring that I almost left my career to become an animal caretaker. It was March, and I was writing my ninth gear roundup for a generic news site looking to cash in on early-spring shopping.
The listicle was about fishing sunglasses, it was 7,000 words long, and I wanted to scream every time I opened the outline designed to trick search engines into landing the article at the top of results. I used the words best fishing sunglasses three times in the Buying Advice, repeated the exact same information with structure changes in the FAQs, and made sure all of the sunglasses were available at Amazon so the publisher could get the highest kickback on clicks.
I loved my outdoor-industry writing job — I was so grateful for the opportunity to be creative in an industry I valued. But the state of publishing had been spiraling for a while, and this was my final straw.
When people ask why I became a writer, my honest response is, “I didn’t really want to do anything else.” I wish I had a better answer, but this initial draw did eventually turn into something more noble.
I wanted to tell stories that matter, put into words what people might have been thinking, encourage readers to extrapolate on their own experiences, and create through-lines that start conversations. I also did not want to have a schedule. Or a boss.
For a while, it worked. I was telling stories I cared about and I definitely didn’t have a boss. The money was bad (it still is), but it was rewarding. I had a Backpacker Magazine column for two years, wrote the occasional feature, published some notable essays and reported work, and maintained around a dozen solid clients in the outdoor industry. I was interviewed on NPR, made a lot of podcast appearances, and supplemented with lots of questionable gear articles.
Around a year ago, publishing and media started circling the drain in a big way. I still had the occasional feature pitch accepted, but publications shuttered, editorial teams were slashed, the pay somehow got worse(!!), and the bulk of my work became these godforsaken gear roundups.
Even when I landed an assignment that wasn’t direct SEO or affiliate-link bait, my natural voice was changed to fit a brand. It was smoothed over, with the burrs sanded down and the balls chopped off. All of this compiled until I couldn’t handle seeing another listicle of shopping recommendations with my own byline splashed across the top. Feeding pigs and fixing sheep fences at Rocky Creek Farms seemed like a more rewarding option.
In an effort to regain my enthusiasm, I dropped most of my workload, only accepted assignments that progressed my writing, and supplemented with enough editorial work to pay the bills. I had more free time and less dollars, but I was happier. Then, right when I was making this change, Nicole reached out with a proposal to become a founding member of the editorial team for The Westrn. Right time, right place, might still have bandwidth to take the pig-feeding job.
Storytelling is how I process my own experiences and the world around me. I want to find the right combination of words to evoke the exact image or emotion I'm trying to portray, and I want to keep doing that. Storytelling is how we relate to each other and bring others into our own experience, and it’s also how we form connections with each other and the world around us. Even before it became a job, writing has been how I process my feelings and relationships. From journals scrawled in my childhood bedroom to humiliating high-school poetry, it’s always been there — whether I’m getting paid or not.
Working with The Westrn team has been a bright spot during the blight of the recent media downturn. I am stunned to find myself here now, in the company of such incredible and important voices. We have a lot of time and energy in a brilliant writing and editing team who wants to share stories with you, and when you read the work of these writers, I hope you’ll be inspired to take a look at your own story.
Thanks for joining us, I’m so glad you’re here.
If you’d like to see more of my writing, the work I’m proud of can be found at Longreads, Outside, Backpacker, and Huffington Post.
For more links and contact info, here’s my website, essay newsletter, and Instagram.
Hi Maggie,
It’s nice to see women like you have found each other and are raging against the machine! Sweet! It will be nice to see you all come together to create writing that has a soul. And I’m very impressed that you’re able to get a coat on your cat. That says a lot...can’t wait to meet you!
Nicole’s mom
I can imagine it's terrible. I'm in the medical field and that SEO style chokehold is getting its grip on our industry too.