Pitch Us

Got something you want to write for COYOTE? Before you pitch, read these guidelines and our freelancer policies and rates below.

What are you looking for?

COYOTE roams the Bay Area widely and has three main verticals: Power, which covers politics, money, immigration, and all the other forces that rule our lives; Culture, which includes sports commentary, film reviews, event recaps, style stories, and restaurant highlights; and Life, our home for advice, how-tos, weird histories, and nature stories. 

We’re looking for the following:

• Smart, nuanced, and compassionate pieces.
• Surprising, behind-the-scenes information about things people think they already know about.
• Useful, unexpected information about how to navigate our region, especially on the cheap.

We're currently assigning a very limited number of freelance pieces and prioritizing stories where reporters have a unique take or special access. We're particularly interested in pitches from outside San Francisco and Oakland. 

What info does COYOTE need?

Be sure to include contact information, a brief summary of your idea, and a proposed word count. It would help a lot if you’ve already secured your sources (if any). Feel free to also share a few links to your previously published writing. Note: We do not accept fully written drafts — don’t try to send them. You’ve been warned.

Where do I send my pitch?

Submit pitches through this form. We’ll aim to get back to you within 14 days of submission. If the pitch is time-sensitive, make sure to mark that on the form.

FREELANCE POLICIES

We encourage freelancers to join the Freelance Solidarity Project to share resources, tools, and information (including rates) with fellow freelance digital media workers.

Almost all COYOTE members have been freelancers at one point or another, and we’re dedicated to walking the walk by creating fair practices for freelance writers, photographers, and artists. We developed our language and policy by looking at the National Writers Union’s current model. COYOTE is committed to:

• Writers retaining the rights to their work.
• Clear and transparent editing procedures and limits on the number of editing rounds.
• Promising to indemnify and defend freelancers against third-party claims.
• Offering a graduated payment schedule, including 33% of the rate on signing the contract and the full payment on receipt of the final draft.
• Agreeing to a grievance procedure with the National Writers Union.
• Valuing human work and creativity — we will never ask you to use AI and will never sell your work to the AI goblins. We also ask that you don’t use AI in the work you deliver to us.

 Our rates for assignments right now are:

• Between $150 and $400 for written pieces, depending on length, scope, and number of sources. This includes but is not limited to news briefs, blog posts, Q&As, reviews, profiles, commentary, personal essays, and features. 
• Between $350 to $550 for contributing photographers based on the hours worked, up to a full day. 
• In the case that a story or piece warrants or requires more, we are open to negotiation in good faith.

If you have any questions about our policies, rates, or principles email hello@coyotemedia.org.