Eater Detroit Is Seeking New Contributors #DetroitFood

11:57 AM ,

Here’s how Detroit-based freelance journalists and food writers can pitch to Eater Detroit

Eater Detroit is a local news site based in Detroit reporting on restaurants and bars, dining and dining trends, food pop-ups and food trucks, and the business of food and drink throughout metro Detroit. It is part of the Eater network and under the Vox Media umbrella. Please read this guide thoroughly before sending in a pitch.

What We’re Looking For

At Eater Detroit, we’re always looking for insightful pitches from reporters on a range of topics related to the industry. We are especially interested in working with those whose voices are often underrepresented in media and those with knowledge of particular food cultures that tend to be overlooked in the metro Detroit media landscape. With the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Eater Detroit has also pivoted to cover a wider range of topics including grocery stores, beer, and wine. Carryout and delivery have become emphasizes of coverage, whether it’s third-party service or how restaurants transition from dine-in to take out.

Eater Detroit accepts pitches on the following:

  • Dining and drinking maps, guides, and food crawls related to neighborhoods, cities, and cuisines in the metro area. During the pandemic, these stories will be focused primarily on takeout and delivery options.
  • Reported features on local restaurants, bars, chefs, food trends, etc. Eater Detroit is giving particular preference to pitches that focus on changes in the world of eating and drinking during the pandemic. We’re also open to agriculture, urban farming, and grocery pitches.
  • Photography and illustrated stories featuring local restaurants or dining with a strong reported angle
  • Opinion pieces with a strong news hook and voice for our Eater Voices column
  • Timely news not already on Eater Detroit’s radar

Do’s and Don’ts

Eater Detroit is especially looking for stories that haven’t been told elsewhere with a strong angle that appeals to everyday readers. We are not a trade magazine. Writers preferably have expertise in journalistic reporting as well as passion for the pitched topic. Reporters with expertise from other fields are encouraged to pitch. Again, COVID-19 has altered the landscape. Maps about road trips into states where COVID-19 has surged are unlikely to be accepted. However, to-go boozy slushies would work.

The site does not accept pitches regarding recipes, food holidays, nor does it conduct restaurant reviews. Please note that we’re currently assigning stories two months out.

Eater Detroit does occasionally accept local restaurant and dining-driven opinion pieces and personal narratives through our column Eater Voices. Those pitches must come with a strong writing voice, clear conclusions based in fact or with solid evidence, and/or personal experience. The author should expect to and must be comfortable with being edited in line with Eater’s editorial standards. Generally, we do not assign stories to people who are primarily employed by the restaurant industry with the exception of Eater Voices.

Plan Your Pitch

All pitches should include a subject matter with a clear angle along with how the story will be structured, what the story hopes to conclude, and why the story is relevant to the dining scene in Detroit and to Eater Detroit readers (That comprises both diners, industry professionals, and people interested in culture and policy in Detroit and the state of Michigan). Writers are encouraged to read the Eater ethics statement to identify any potential conflicts of interest.

Some stories may not be right for our local audience but could still potentially be a good fit for our national site. Check out Eater.com’s pitch guidelines for more information.

Send pitches to brenna@eater.com. Please provide a short summary of who you are and your professional writing background. In your pitch, we ask that you clearly explain your angle on the topic and tell us why you’re uniquely positioned to report the story. Please also include links to prior work. If a particular chef or business has a back story that’s interesting or timely, find that out ahead of time and include it in your pitch. If you’re observing a trend or have a reported piece in mind, please include suggestions for who you would interview. For maps, please include a suggested angle and a few locations that you would include.

Examples of Stories on Eater Detroit

The best way to get familiar with what we do and what we’re looking for is to read our stories. Here’s a taste of stories that have run on Eater Detroit and Eater National that fit the criteria above.

News stories

Maps/Guides/Food Crawls

Reported features

COVID-19 Coverage

Eater Voices

We try to answer all pitches that come in, but if you don’t hear from us in a couple of weeks, feel free to send a follow-up email.

If you don’t fancy yourself a writer but have a lead on a great story, feel free to send tips to brenna@eater.com or detroit@eater.com. And for especially sensitive information, there are several ways to reach out detailed here.



from Eater Detroit - All

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