Chicago, United States
Magazine grade storytelling published under your own masthead. Our Chicago bench is made up of specialists who live and work in Illinois, write in the spelling and register buyers here expect, and already know the sectors that drive the local economy. You brief once, we match you with a named brand journalist, and every deliverable is edited before it reaches you.
The short answer
You can hire a vetted freelance brand journalist in Chicago through The DRAFT ROOOM. We hold a bench of native American specialists working in Chicago business hours, briefed by email, reviewed by a senior editor and invoiced in one place. Engagements start from USD 950 and quotes can be issued in USD. Terms are 50 per cent upfront and 50 per cent on delivery.
At a glance
Magazine grade storytelling published under your own masthead. Trained reporters and press writers for newsroom grade work, announcements and executive bylines.
The bench
First name and surname initial only, because every specialist is contracted to us and their client work stays confidential. Email us and we introduce you by name.
18 years experience, Chicago
Brand Journalist based in Chicago
Sectors: property and construction and travel, hospitality and events
Works in: English, Spanish
Identity verifiedNDA on fileEditor reviewed
Available from next week, one retainer slot open
Email to connect with Cole A. →15 years experience, Chicago
Brand Journalist based in Chicago
Sectors: property and construction and manufacturing and industrial
Works in: English, Spanish
Identity verifiedNDA on fileEditor reviewed
Available from next week, one retainer slot open
Email to connect with Savannah S. →13 years experience, Chicago
Brand Journalist based in Chicago
Sectors: health, wellbeing and clinics and education and training
Works in: English, Spanish
Identity verifiedNDA on fileEditor reviewed
Available now, taking two new briefs this month
Email to connect with Dylan N. →11 years experience, Chicago
Brand Journalist based in Chicago
Sectors: health, wellbeing and clinics and professional services
Works in: English, Spanish
Identity verifiedNDA on fileEditor reviewed
Available now, taking two new briefs this month
Email to connect with Nicole J. →13 years experience, Chicago
Brand Journalist based in Chicago
Sectors: education and training and B2B software and platforms
Works in: English, Spanish
Identity verifiedNDA on fileEditor reviewed
Available from next week, one retainer slot open
Email to connect with Jordan D. →Local fit
Hiring a brand journalist who is actually based in Chicago changes the work in ways an offshore hire cannot copy. Fifty markets in one, with huge search volume and equally huge competition. Bolder claims are normal, Spanish language content is often a growth lever, and state level regulation can change what a page is allowed to promise.
Practically, that means your brand journalist writes in the spelling, currency and legal conventions used across United States, references Chicago and wider Illinois accurately, works inside your hours so a question does not cost a day, and quotes in USD. Languages on the bench for this market: English, Spanish.
Related hiring searches
Explore project types, costs, local fit and ways to work with a specialist.
Terms and trust
Plain terms, written down before you commit to anything.
You are a client of The DRAFT ROOOM, not the personal client of the specialist. The contract, the invoice, the confidentiality agreement and the copyright assignment all sit with us.
If a specialist becomes unavailable for any reason, including leaving our bench, we reassign a peer level specialist from the same market and the same discipline at no extra cost. Your brief, your voice guide and your work in progress stay with us, so nothing restarts.
Project work is 50 per cent on acceptance of the scope and 50 per cent on final delivery. Retainers are 50 per cent before the month starts and 50 per cent at the end of that month.
Full commercial copyright transfers to you on final payment. Every specialist has signed a confidentiality agreement and an intellectual property assignment with us before taking a single brief.
Every deliverable is reviewed by a senior Draft ROOOM editor against your brief and your voice guide before it reaches you. Two rounds of revision are included as standard.
Process
Email first from brief to final file. Nothing here needs a meeting.
Step 1
Use the form on this page or write to us directly. Tell us the deliverable, the volume, the deadline and any budget range. No call is needed at any point.
Step 2
You receive a named specialist, their relevant background, a fixed price and a delivery date. If the match is not right, say so and we send an alternative.
Step 3
A short written scope covers deliverables, revisions and dates. Work starts once the deposit clears.
Step 4
Drafts come by email or into your client dashboard, already reviewed by a senior editor. You reply with comments in the same thread.
Step 5
You receive final files, full copyright and, for ongoing work, next month's plan.
Related specialisms
Announcements written the way a newsroom expects to receive them.
Open specialism →The full press kit around a story, not just the release.
Open specialism →Trained reporting: interviews, verification, balanced structure.
Open specialism →Long form narrative features with a real arc.
Open specialism →Bylined opinion placed under a founder or executive name.
Open specialism →Pitches journalists open, because the angle is genuinely news.
Open specialism →Fast, careful statements when the story is already moving.
Open specialism →Words written to be said out loud, to a room that is watching.
Open specialism →Other cities
Prefer to write directly? Email hello@draftrooom.com. You can also browse every specialism in Chicago.
Questions people ask
Short, direct answers to the questions we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it over and a real person replies within one business day.
Send the brief and you receive a named, matched specialist with a fixed price and a delivery date within one business day. Most Chicago engagements start within three working days of the scope being agreed.
Lead level engagements start from USD 950 and we can quote in USD. Subject matter leads and strategists trusted with named and regulated work. Price depends on volume, research depth and turnaround, and you always get the number in writing before anything starts.
Yes. Everyone presented for Chicago lives and works in the market, writes in the local register and works in local business hours. We publish a first name and surname initial only, because our bench is contracted to us and their client work is confidential.
You are a client of The DRAFT ROOOM, not the personal client of the specialist. The contract, the invoice, the confidentiality agreement and the copyright assignment all sit with us. Full commercial copyright transfers to you on final payment. Every specialist has signed a confidentiality agreement and an intellectual property assignment with us before taking a single brief.
If a specialist becomes unavailable for any reason, including leaving our bench, we reassign a peer level specialist from the same market and the same discipline at no extra cost. Your brief, your voice guide and your work in progress stay with us, so nothing restarts.
Project work is 50 per cent on acceptance of the scope and 50 per cent on final delivery. Retainers are 50 per cent before the month starts and 50 per cent at the end of that month. Invoices are issued by The DRAFT ROOOM and can be paid by bank transfer or card.
No. This bench runs email first by design. Briefs, questions, drafts and approvals all happen in writing, which keeps a clear record and suits teams across time zones. Write to hello@draftrooom.com whenever you prefer a human reply.
Typical deliverables include Feature stories, Customer documentaries, Newsroom sections, Editorial series. If what you need is not on that list, describe it in the brief and we will confirm whether the Chicago bench covers it.