HOW TO PITCH STORIES TO EATER HOUSTON

Are you obsessed with cocktails, coffee that isn't Starbucks, barbecue, crawfish, tacos, or just about anything else in Houston’s food and restaurant scene? If you also happen to have a knack for writing, there might just be a spot for you at Eater Houston.

We're currently seeking smart, enthusiastic writers to contribute features, news stories, maps, and dining guides to Eater Houston on a freelance basis. Photography skills, plus experience in reporting news and writing about restaurants are a bonus. Please note: Eater Houston does not publish restaurant reviews.

Here are some of the types of pitches we’d love to receive:

Maps, map updates, and guides: To know Eater Houston is to know that we love pointing people to where they should go for different dishes or cuisines and where the best of the best is in their neighborhood. If you have a new map concept and guide that you know Houstonians would use, please pitch it to us! Alternatively, if there’s a map on the site that you believe needs an update and you’re interested in reworking it, please reach out.

Examples:

• 16 Excellent Houston Taquerias
• Dig Into Dim Sum at These Houston Restaurants
• An Eater’s Guide to Houston
• Where to Eat in Rice Village

Scoops, or breaking news stories about restaurants and cuisines — particularly in neighborhoods or cities that haven’t gotten much coverage in the Houston area. If you’ve come across a restaurant, pop-up, or food truck that seems truly unique in some way, and it has not received much coverage, that might be a story for Eater Houston.

Examples:

• This Thai and Native American Restaurant in Kemah Will Take You Back Thousands of Years
• Houston’s Iconic Fried Chicken Chain Frenchy’s to Open New Dream Location
• An Exciting New Chef-Driven Restaurant Will Debut in the Woodlands Next Week

We love feature stories. This includes profiles on local restaurants or chefs, reports on food trends, restaurant-centric personal essays, deep dives into particular cuisines or food communities, and photo-driven stories related to dining.

Examples:

• How a Massive Facebook Group Rose Up to Support Houston’s Chinatown
• A Chinese Puerto Rican Restaurant Is Drawing Diners to Katy
• This MasterChef’s Journey in Cooking Began as She Lost Her Eyesight. Now, She’s Raising Awareness.

From a geographic standpoint, we’re interested in pitches about all of Houston. This includes areas and neighborhoods both inside and outside of the loop, restaurants that reflect Houston’s diverse communities and immigrant population, and select coverage and developments in the surrounding suburbs.

How to submit:

Still interested? Shoot us a brief email at [email protected] with the subject line “Eater Houston Contributor.” Include a few sentences about yourself and any relevant professional experience, and be sure to include a writing sample or two. (If you have a personal blog, Twitter, and/or Instagram, links to those would also be helpful).

Please note that you must live in the Houston metropolitan area to write for Eater Houston.

If you’re serious about getting started, include three pitches that you think would work for the site. If we like what we see, we’ll be in touch quickly.

Pitching tips:

Across the board, we’re looking for pitches that give a clear, concise summary of the subject, angle, or thesis of the proposed piece, and your anticipated story structure. We’re looking for pitches that contain answers, not questions. (Or, if you don’t have answers yet, an explanation of why you don’t — and the reason shouldn’t be “I haven’t started the reporting.”) Your pitch should also serve as an example of your writing style and tone. Please familiarize yourself with our archives to get a sense of the kind of stories we publish.

All submissions should include a very short explanation of who you are and why you’re qualified to cover this story, along with links to previously published pieces and/or your online portfolio. We appreciate all pitches and aim to respond to each one as soon as possible. Note that we do often receive pitches that are similar to each other or our existing assignments. If we’re interested in your pitch, we’ll discuss rates, deadlines, scope, kill fees (if applicable), and other expectations with you upfront. All accepted stories are paid at competitive rates based on the scope and type of work. If we have not responded to your pitch within a month, please resubmit.

Publishing on Eater Houston:

If we decide to work with you, you’ll receive an email back from the editor and an agreement with key terms clearly defined, typically sent through our freelance management platform called Shortlist. Through the editing process, we believe clear, thoughtful communication is both our responsibility and yours. Freelancers are expected to follow both Eater’s statement of ethics and our Vox Media Values, which include collaborating well and giving and receiving feedback respectfully. We also follow those standards: If you experience a problem working with us, we encourage you to discuss it with your editor or our legal team. We also offer a hotline for reporting concerns about conduct anonymously.

We commit to appropriately crediting all contributors. After publication, we pay promptly in accordance with your agreement (typically within 30 days via the Shortlist platform), including reimbursement for any agreed-upon expenses.

2022-06-23T19:20:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd