Why my article pitching course is £900 (and is still better value than all the others)

Recently, I upped the fee for my pitching course, So you want to be a food writer? by £500. 

Not because I’ve added new modules or it’s suddenly lumped in extra time to my life, but because of the value of what it now promises in helping people kickstart a career or paid side hustle in food writing.

The course is now firmly out of its two-year ‘pilot’ stage, and so has a fee that better represents that. With multiple students having become paid and published food writers directly from the course, it can fully, and more confidently, back up its promises. 

Besides, it’s still about £500 cheaper than courses offering similar. And wins out on many of its differences. Like, for example, its flexibility on time commitments (most courses – even online ones – require you to be available at a specific time), its ongoing 1-on-1 support from a prolific food journo (with other courses, this is only temporary) and the guarantee that students emerge as paid and published food writers by the end of it. Show me another one that does that.

Sure, there are other courses much much cheaper than what I’m offering. Some as low as £75. But they’re very generalist, are more aimed at hobbyists, and don’t promise much other than an understanding of what makes good food writing. Rather, So you want to be a food writer? focuses on the essential skill of pitching food stories, is aimed at aspiring food writing professionals, and promises to equip students with the knowledge in not just what is good food writing, but how to sell good food writing. Pitching stories is an integral skill in starting or progressing a career or side hustle in food writing – that’s why it’s at the heart of this course. 

Generally, I’m finding students land their first publication within 2-6 months of enrolling in this course. Which is telling, as it suggests the ‘one and done’ nature of all other similar courses is a bit flawed. A three-day intensive course with a highly experienced food writer is great and will teach you a lot, but if you don’t get any support from them beyond that, there’s very little between you and an unsolvable dip in confidence, the uncertainty that what you’re doing is correct, and an absence of anyone experienced who’s willing to fight your corner.

Come to think of it, with the course’s promise to help you land your first paid commission with a publication and set you up for a potentially lucrative career or side hustle in food writing – or your money back – I wonder if you can really put a price on that at all?