Allyson Waller is a newsletter writer for The Texas Tribune based in Austin, Texas. She’s has written for top publications such as The New York Times, Miami Herald, and Teen Vogue.

A journalism graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, Allyson started her career as a general assignment reporter, covering an array of topics, particularly politics and state government for The Texas Tribune. During her college career, she interned with notable publications such as the Miami Herald and The New York Times. Allyson now works as a newsletter writer for the Tribune, authoring their flagship newsletter, The Brief, while working across audience and product teams to inform content strategy.

Outside of her full-time job, Allyson enjoys quality time with her dog, Theo. Other joys include freelancing, taking on various passion projects such as organizing a monthly book club for Black women in Austin, keeping her pulse on the latest pop culture insights via excessive podcast listening, and consuming an unhealthy amount of romance novels. She also trying to take up knitting, but that’s still a work in progress.

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Resume

  • The Texas Tribune
    Fall 2018; June 2021 - Present

    • Newsletter Writer

      • Write and manage The Brief (+65k subscribers) and Brief Weekly (+14k subscribers). Both provide readers with a summaries of the Tribune’s latest stories. related to state government and policy. The Brief is delivered daily, Monday through Friday. While the Brief Weekly is delivered on Saturday mornings, providing a weekly recap of the Tribune’s biggest stories. The average open rate for both newsletters is around 50%.

      • Develop strategy around newsletter launches, sunsets and daily practices

      • Keep track of KPIs, including a monthly summary of metrics like open rates and click-thru rates for The Brief newsletter

      • Contributed to planning and launching of 2023 audience survey for The Brief newsletter, which generated 700+ responses from readers. Applied reader feedback and communicated updates to subscribers.

    • General Assignment Reporter

    • Investigative Fellow

    Black Women on the Same Page Organizer February 2023 - Present

    • Organize monthly meet-ups for Black women to discuss books by Black women and non-binary authors

    • Engage with the public via Instagram account @blkwomenbookclub with 100+ followers

    • Design invite graphics via Canva for monthly meet-ups

    Swoon
    Newsletter author/owner
    September 2023 - Present

    • Owner, creator and writer behind the indie newsletter, Swoon— a curation of commentary on pop culture and books, which currently has 70+ subscribers. Each edition of Swoon includes an opening essay/write up, book reviews, and a list of news and entertainment stories.

    • Craft social media posts on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram

    Steamy Lit Newsletter freelancer December 2023 - Present

    The Daily Dot
    Freelance reporter/editor
    September 2022 - Present

    • Write recaps of trending moments online, particularly as it relates to TikTok

    • Edit and fact-check articles, ensuring they include AP style and are ready to published online

    The New York Times
    Reporting Fellow, Express/Breaking News Desk
    June 2020 - May 2021

    Miami Herald - Reporting Intern
    Summer 2019

    • Covered city and local government for the city of Miami and city of Miami Beach

    • Attended monthly city council meetings and wrote stories based on city agenda items

    • Assisted with breaking news 

    Houstonia Magazine - Editorial Intern
    Summer 2017

    • Wrote online articles for food, arts and culture, style and news sections

    • Fact- checked articles for print magazine

    • AP Style

    • Multiplatform editing

    • Newsletter writing and management

    • Proficinecy in email marketing software (MailChimp and Beehiiv)

    • Canva

    • Proficient in basic HTML

    • Google Suite (Docs, Slides, Sheets)

    • Fact-checking

    • Interviewing/Source building

    • Audience research

    • Product thinking

    • Content creation (TikTok, Facebook, X, and Instagram)

    • Rising Star Award, Friends of The Daily Texan - 2023 Recipient

    • Linguistic Society of America's Linguistic Journalism Award - 2021 Recipient

    • Chips Quinn Scholars Program for Diversity in Journalism - 2023 Fellow

  • University of Texas at Austin
    Bachelor of Journalism with a Business Minor, and Certificate in Public Policy
    Moody College of Communication | McCombs School of Business
    August 2016-May 2020