So you want to be a (paid and published) food writer?
How to get published with your favourite publications and start earning hundreds – or thousands – of pounds for your food writing
“Hugh's supportive guidance, teaching and constructive mentoring gave me the confidence and pitching skills to help me achieve my first commissioned piece of food writing. I was at a crossroads in my career and had the opportunity to change my specialism to food writing – the buzz from that first published piece was incredible”
– Jamie Ellis, So you want to be a food writer? student
Are these the sorts of results you’re looking for?
You know, becoming a real actual food writer, published in your favourite newspaper, magazine, or blog. Not only that, but a paid food writer too.
Well, let’s cut to the chase then – by enrolling in this short course, following the (pretty straightforward) directions, and working with an established food journalist (that’s me) by your side, I guarantee you’ll become a paid and published food writer within 3 months. Or I’ll give you your money back.
Yeah, that wasn't a typo – within a few months, and with the right guidance, anyone interested in food can become a food writer and get paid for their trouble. And, if you happen to prove me wrong, then it won’t cost you a dime.
Let’s be real, though. While I’ll show you how to land articles that pay anywhere between £150 and £400 (and sometimes even more), this isn't totally about the money or the subject. It’s about the lifestyle. Ever dream of eating out on someone else’s bank account? Or writing up your stories and experiences from the comfort of your own home, wherever you are in the world?
Well, that kind of lifestyle is entirely possible. I should know – I live it.
In order to become a paid and published food writer, you must think like – and learn from – a paid and published food writer
Allow me to reiterate. Getting your food writing published for the first time is a milestone for a lot of people. The equivalent, even, for getting married or having kids.
I’m serious – the achievement can unlock a world of possibility, whether it’s finding a consistently large and engaged audience for your stories and perspectives, or shaping it into a lifelong career. A career that involves working where you want when you want, even to the point of jetting across the world, on someone else’s dime, to eat at and write about some of the most interesting gastronomic destinations (I’m not exactly talking about the Hard Rock Cafe here).
That’s what I did. Already a decent writer, I got my first proper break when I started pitching stories to pub trade magazines. When those stories landed a paid article, one thing led to another, and I became a food journalist for half my time and a food content writer for the other, working with brands like OpenTable, Farmdrop, Boxpark, and HG Walter. Even McCain.
Not to brag, but you can probably guess what kind of paychecks those amounted to.
But that’s enough about me for now. Really, all this is about where you’d like to go – whether it's a full-time career in food writing, a fairly lucrative side hustle, or just finding a platform for your voice – and how this course can help you get there.
Pitching pedagogue
I’m Hugh – food journalist, writer, and your mentor for the duration.
In my first pitch ever, I landed a piece with The Guardian. 1,000 pitches later, I was writing for the Independent, Time Out, and more specialist titles like Great British Chefs and Ferment.
I know what makes a good pitch. And as part of the course, I’ll share that knowledge with you. Together, we’ll develop your ideas and land your food stories with paying publications. As well as learn the fiddly bits of this dark art, like negotiating better fees, managing rejections, and summoning the confidence to send people your ideas in the first place.
How easy is it to become a food writer?
Just to put things into perspective (and as I wouldn’t be a proper food journalist if I didn’t have some kind of evidence to back this up), but the average earnings of a food writer – according to career website Vault – is $62,170 a year.
That's not bad. Especially if you end up as part of the top 10% who can pull in $121,670 or more a year.
The stumbling block for many though is that it can take on average 5 to 6 years, according to Zippia, to become a food writer. And that’s after you’ve spent a lot of money on university or college fees, if not other training.
Well, my course will help you become a food writer not within 5 years, but within 3 months. And at a fraction of the cost of more formal tuition – £500*, to be more exact.
I’ve looked around, and I honestly can’t find a better deal than that (if you do, please let me know).
The realities of food writing
You’ve probably tried getting your ideas into magazines, newspapers, blogs and the like already. And I totally get it – it can be hard. Like, oh-my-god hard. It’s an art that can take years to perfect, often leading to frustration, figurative black holes, and fears of rejection.
But don’t let that put you off. Getting a ‘yes’ from an editor is one of the most rewarding things you can get out of freelance food writing (not to mention all the avenues it could potentially lead).
After a few weeks enrolled on my course, you’ll know exactly what that sensation feels like.
And here’s the fun part: All you need to do it is a laptop and an internet connection (as mentioned, a decent interest in food and drink certainly helps too).
Why aren’t more people becoming food writers?
I know what you’re thinking. If becoming a paid and published food writer is all so straightforward – aside from one or two challenges – why isn’t the whole world doing it?
It’s a good question. But having worked with several budding food writers, I can pretty confidently put the lack of new writers down to three things:
1. They don't have the knowledge
What is a pitch? How do you talk to editors? Why does a story need a hook? These skills need to be learned, but It’s difficult enough to know where to start.
Obviously though, this is where this course comes in.
2. They don’t have the time
Unfortunately juggling jobs, life, and hobbies – without a decent amount of time left to start to learn about the dark art of food writing – is all too common these days.
While this course seeks to be as flexible as possible around students’ time – often requiring just one hour a week – the unavoidable truth is it’s not going to fit in with everyone’s schedule.
3. They don’t have the confidence
This is the biggest reason why people find it difficult (intimidating, even) to develop their ideas, and pitch and write for food editors. So much so, I have an entire lesson devoted to it.
Things like imposter syndrome are very real, but working with an established food journalist “in your corner”, as student Shannon puts it below, is one of the sure-fire ways of overcoming those kinds of obstacles.
“Working with Hugh absolutely gave me the confidence to be able to pitch. I now have the confidence that I could blind pitch something and get it picked up. It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of as well as understand pitch structure and to overall just be there as a voice in my corner.”
– Shannon Evans, brand ambassador, food writer, and ex-restaurateur
As I said before, there are challenges ahead. But the real tragedy is that new food writers don’t know how to take them on, and end up peddling their services on content mills like Fiverr and Upwork, where they end up writing things they don't care about for audiences who don’t care about them. And what do they get in return? Peanuts.
And yeah, I’ve been there. It’s a race to the bottom – an ugly spiral I wouldn't advise anyone to get into.
Time to start earning good money by doing what you want
That’s one reason why I started offering this course – I’ve seen too many food writers with good ideas and all the best intentions give up before they get going, or turn to content mills, thinking that’s the way they, like everyone else, should start on the food writing career ladder.
But what if I told you there is no ladder? What if I told you that, if you wanted to, there’s no reason why you can’t get your writing into the likes of The Guardian, New York Times, and National Geographic right off the bat?
Because, starting from now, I want you to know that’s very much possible.
How the course works…
Simply put, So you want to be a food writer? teaches you everything you need to know about getting your food stories published online or in print.
It’s conducted remotely via online training lessons, directly with me through 1-to-1 email exchanges, and – from time to time – video or voice calls.
As much as possible, the course is tailored to you and how much time you have, what you want to write, how much you want to earn, and so on.
Maybe that’s not especially concrete. So, to give you taster, lessons as part of the course include:
Overcoming the mental blocks, such as lack of confidence, holding you back from pitching food stories
Finding the best publications – be it audience size or price per word – accepting food pitches
How to become an idea-generating machine
What a successful money-making pitch looks like, with real world examples
Some find this the best part, though – between these lessons, there’s plenty of opportunity to get feedback from me on your ideas, food writing, and pitches.
And if you were wondering, yes, I do still use the techniques in the above list. They’re what helped me land my food writing in The Guardian, Independent, Time Out, and more specialist titles like Ferment and Great British Chefs.
More importantly though, I still successfully use these techniques – which I’ve honed over the years – to this very day.
And I’m ready to share them with you.
So, think you’re ready to become a paid and published food writer?
Click here and we’ll get you started right away:
Immediate access to the lessons, resources, and 1-to-1 support that'll help you become a professional food writer.
What this course grants you long-term
When you’ve completed this course 3 months down the line – or better yet, likely even before then – you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to pitch, and land, your food stories with paying publications.
Like with any skill, the beauty of this is you only really need to learn what to do once. When the relevant techniques are in your toolkit, there really isn’t much limit to what you can do with them.
I also want to reiterate that I’ll be with you every step of the process of this course. Have a question? Stuck on a lesson? Need some help finding an editor’s details? Looking for feedback? My email will be open as a direct hotline for that express purpose.
But here’s the point I want to make: In case this wasn’t enough, I’ll be on hand for any feedback or critique you might need on your future story ideas and pitches beyond the duration of this course. Because the goal here is to help people become paid and published food writers – if that means lending a little extra help here and there that’ll help you go the extra distance needed, I’m all for it.
“Within two weeks of reaching out to Hugh, I was pitching to a top food publication and received a response! As a mentor, Hugh was always a step ahead in answering questions I was thinking about. I would highly recommend anyone interested in food writing to partner with him.”
– Lonny Thomas, food writer and artist
Worried you’re not qualified to become a food writer?
All too often, I get people asking me if this course can teach them to write.
But the thing is, as long as you can string a sentence together, you’re most of the way there already.
One of the first things I say in the course is most people, provided they have an interest in the subject, are about 70% of the way to getting published already. It’s the other 30%, which comes with teaching and practice, that this course addresses.
Food writing should not be available only to those who can write flowery prose and are in a romantic relationship with their thesaurus. If it was, we’d have even less diversity of storytelling, and an even larger cohort of food writers who went to private school and happen to have an uncle as an editor at the Financial Times.
Instead, this course is about how to develop your ideas into compelling stories, and how to get those stories in front of an editor. Because honestly, that’s the trickier part that can otherwise take years to get right.
And that’s another reason why I’m slapping a big fat guarantee on this course. I want to give budding writers a piece-of-mind that becoming a paid and published writer can be achieved, whatever their background – or their money back.
If you’re still unsure whether the course can help you, I’m more than happy to answer any questions via email, or hop on a call – free of charge – to help you come to a conclusion.
The course itself comes in at £500, or the equivalent in your local currency.* It’s a one-off fee that covers course materials such as lessons and resources, 1-on-1 tuition, and any further support beyond the 3 month course duration.
So then, ready to get your vocation as a food writer on the road?
Click here to get cracking:
Immediate access to the lessons, resources, and 1-to-1 support that'll help you become a professional food writer.
(In)frequently Asked Questions
When does the course start?
At the moment, and as enrolment is ongoing, whenever you like.
Where does it take place?
It’s all remote, via online lessons and 1-to-1 correspondence with me. Which is to say, completely accessible to anyone with a computer and internet connection.
Who’s it for?
People interested in food and drink who lack the knowledge or confidence in becoming a paid and published food writer, and/or simply don’t know where to start.
Can it be for writers who don’t write about food?
It’s not designed to be – there’s a few resources that won’t be relevant. Then again, most of what’s learned in the course can be applied to any other sector. Hit me up and we’ll see what could work for a reduced fee.
How does it take shape?
The course starts with immediate access to the lessons that’ll help you become a published food writer. More specifically, it teaches you how to find the right confidence to put your ideas out there, what publications might be best for you to target, what stories they want to hear about, and – ultimately – the strategy of how to pitch them.
How long does it last?
That depends on how fast you want, and are able, to work. Only got half an hour a week of spare time to learn the art of pitching? No problem. Have an entire week available? That might be all you need to become a paid and published food writer.
What if the guarantee isn’t fulfilled?
There is a basic service agreement we’ll stick by, but essentially, if within a 3-month period the criteria isn’t met, you have the option to continue receiving my tuition and the course or get your fee refunded.
Have another question? Send it right this way.
*I’m giving priority to marginalised and otherwise underrepresented writers – if you find £500 is too much more than what you’d like to pay, email me and we’ll try sort something out.
Course specifics
Teaching everything you need to know about getting your food stories published online or in print, this programme is conducted remotely with me through one-to-one email exchanges and video/voice chats.
The course is entirely tailored to you and how much time you have, what you want to write, how much you want to earn, and so on.
Lessons as part of the course include:
Overcoming the mental blocks holding you back from pitching
Finding the best publications accepting food pitches
How to become an idea-generating machine
The anatomy of a successful pitch
Pricing
The fee for this course is £500.*
This comes with a guarantee that, during it, your pitches will bag a paid commission from a publication. Or you get your money back.
*I’m giving priority to marginalised and otherwise underrepresented writers – if you find £500 is too much more than what you’d like to pay, email me and we’ll sort something out.
Immediate access to the lessons, resources, and 1-to-1 support that'll help you become a professional food writer.