How to Obtain Food Writing Jobs: Tips for Success as a Food Writer
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Whether you're a foodie with previous journalism experience or not, obtaining freelance food writing jobs is a competitive task.
To help you launch your career as a food writer, we've put together this guide to obtaining freelance writing jobs along with implementable tips for success.
Continue reading to learn more.
Contents
Where to Find Remote Food Writing Jobs
While print magazines have reigned for a long time in the food industry, there are so many other ways to contribute and create original content as a food writer today. We explore the many places to find remote food writing jobs below.
Food Blogs
Not all food writer jobs will be listed on an online job board. The most successful freelance writers actually cold-pitch ideas to potential clients.
As food blogs continue to grow in popularity, the opportunities to develop content for these websites are also increasing. This is a great opportunity for you to contribute your writing skills and ideas to existing food blogs.
Research different food blogs and find out what's out there. After you've compiled a list of websites you would like to write original content for, reach out to them and pitch your stories.
While not all of your pitches will be successful, keep your focus and continue pitching stories that you are confident other readers would like to see on their favorite food blogs.
Food and Travel Magazines
In the print world, the most common place to look for freelance food writer jobs is through food and travel magazines.
Food magazines are considered some of the most prestigious to work at as a food writer. They are often where freelance food writers aspire to work.
Popular food magazines include Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Taste of Home.
Additionally, consider the travel industry when looking for jobs as a food writer. Trying the local cuisine while traveling is a key component of the overall tourist experience.
Writing food and dining content for travel destinations is another great way to find more jobs as a food writer.
Online Job Boards
Online job boards remain one of the most popular ways to look for jobs, even for freelance food writers. However, with so many online job boards to scroll through, it can be time-consuming and difficult to find the perfect freelance food writer jobs for you.
Sometimes, the jobs you're looking for could be on a different job board from the one you're looking through. Diversifying the job boards you browse through can help you find the right opportunity for your skillset.
To help you search for food writer jobs online, we recommend using FlexJobs as your online job board of choice.
FlexJobs is a great tool for finding remote jobs as a food writer. The platform ensures high-quality job listings by vetting employers, has an easy-to-use advanced search function, provides customer service that's based in the U.S., and so much more.
For all of these reasons, FlexJobs is a great place to start looking for jobs as a food writer. Check out our in-depth FlexJobs review for more information.
Specialty Food Brands
Specialty food brands are launching on the market almost every day. When these companies launch on the market, they are each going to have evergreen marketing strategies for creating content that educates their audience about their products.
This is the perfect opportunity for you to provide your services as a food writer to these brands.
Whether it's writing the best guide for cooking Chinese noodles for a chili crisp brand or providing education on the benefits of a non-alcoholic Aperitivo for booze-free companies, there is so much content to be created in these specialty spaces.
Recipe Writing
Recipe writing is a very important niche within the world of both print and digital publishing.
The recipes that you see in cookbooks, print magazines, and food blogs need to be written, tested, and perfected by someone. That someone is typically a specialized food writer with experience developing and testing recipes.
Beyond considering traditional food blogs, consider other types of blogs that would need recipes to be written for them. Here are a few examples:
- Mom blogs that provide daily meal plans for busy families
- Fitness blogs that offer weekly meal plans to help people stay healthy
- Travel blogs that create recipes you'd find at a variety of popular tourist destinations
- Lifestyle blogs that provide allergen-free recipes
No matter the medium in which the recipes are being published, recipe testing jobs are a great way for freelancers to find more writing jobs in the food industry.
How to Obtain Remote Food Writing Jobs
Now that you know where to find freelance writing jobs, we explore how to obtain them below.
Build Your Portfolio
When applying for freelance food writer jobs, you will have to submit your portfolio. Spend this time at the beginning of your career building your portfolio so you have a robust sampling of food content, dining content, and pitch ideas to share with your future employer.
An important part of building your portfolio is also considering the additional skills an employer is looking for in their ideal candidates. Gone are the days of only being a writer.
In today's fast-advancing world, you should have additional skills like photography, SEO, cooking, and more.
Depending on the budget a publication has, they could ask you to not only pitch ideas and write articles but also to cook and photograph the dish for digital publishing.
Many of these skills could come about naturally as you're building your portfolio. For example, taking pictures for your Instagram can help you develop your photography skills.
Additionally, having experience writing content for your own food blog can improve your knowledge of SEO.
These additional skills could be the difference between earning the job and receiving a rejection.
Determine Your Niche
At the beginning of your career as a food writer, you'll want to keep your work broad to gain a wide range of experience writing content. Then, as your career progresses and you gain more experience, focus on finding your niche.
Here are a few examples of food writing niches:
- Travel: Write about restaurants in various tourist locations or the best way to enjoy new cuisines while traveling.
- Recipe Writing: Create, develop, and test recipes to make sure they're ready for publication.
- Nutrition: Write about all things related to healthy eating and lifestyles.
Once you figure out the type of content you would like to focus on, continue building your portfolio in this specific niche so you can impress the companies you want to write for.
Cultivate an Online Presence
Even though you're an independent freelance writer, the social following you can provide each publication you write for is enticing for editors looking to hire you.
Build your social media presence as a food writer to make yourself more appealing to publications.
As your following continues to grow, you might even notice you're able to find a job through social media. When you work on cultivating an intentional social presence, your social channels can do the work for you!
Create Your Own Food Blog
Remember, you don't need an outside employer to have a successful career as a food blogger. You always have the option to be your own boss and start a food blog that's all yours.
When learning how to start a food blog, there are going to be many decisions for you to make on the direction of your publication.
From monetization methods to content strategies, there is so much information to navigate as you build your independent blog.
Food Blogger Pro was created for this very reason. This informative site teaches aspiring food bloggers how to start, grow, and monetize their food blogs.
You're not in this process alone. There are so many resources available to you through the Food Blogger Pro website to help you get started.
Check out our food blog name ideas and food blog slogan ideas for help with branding your project.
And don't miss our full interview with Food Blogger Pro founder Bjork Ostrom!
Tips to Become a Successful Food Writer
Let's get you that extra edge you need to make it as a freelance food writer with these tips below.
Consider All Types of Media
People often consider working at a print publication to be the pinnacle of success as a food writer. However, this isn't necessarily the case anymore.
Jobs at print publications are limited and, therefore, highly competitive. Meanwhile, the online world of freelance food writer jobs is continuing to grow.
Consumers are looking to social media, video, and regular web stories to find food content. From YouTube to Substack, there are a variety of other mediums for finding work as a freelance food writer today.
For example, food writer and bestselling cookbook author Alison Roman has also found success in sharing her recipes on YouTube.
The current state of the world communications industry means you need to be open to working in all types of media. However, there is a major benefit to considering the world of digital publishing.
It most likely means you can work remotely from anywhere, which opens up so many more jobs for you. In today's remote world, you don't have to live in New York NY, Chicago IL, or San Francisco to have a career as a food writer.
Be Persistent
As with almost anything in life that you're working toward, you have to be persistent.
Rachel Tiemeyer and Polly Conner run the successful food blog Thriving Home, which earns more than $10k per month through cookbook sales and email marketing.
Their advice to other food writers growing their career as a writer is that it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Do something every day, no matter how small, to push your career forward. These small, steady steps add up to larger success in the future.
Landing a job as a freelance food writer takes persistence and determination in the face of rejection. You will most likely go through many rejections throughout your career. You'll need to have confidence in your abilities and the drive to keep going.
When it comes to networking with other people in the industry, you'll want to be persistent without becoming a nuisance to them.
If they offer to give you a few minutes of their time, use it respectfully and send a thank-you note afterward. If you receive a rejection, use your best judgment in advocating for yourself.
Remember that the food industry can be a small world, and people will network and talk with each other.
If you want your freelance career to soar, it's important to establish yourself as someone awesome to work with! You want people to be eager to collaborate with you and have a stellar reputation that precedes you.
Be Open-Minded
One of the best ways to open yourself up to more jobs as a food writer is by being open-minded to the opportunities that are presented to you.
We all have preconceived biases about different cuisines, but the ideal candidates for food writer jobs are open to trying all types of food.
Even though you already have your own food likes and dislikes, as a food writer, you have to be open to trying a variety of dishes, restaurants, and recipes. You're writing for your readers, not your personal taste.
When editors are assigning projects, they are going to expect you to deliver exceptional writing and meet deadlines regardless of your own personal food preferences.
Starting Your Career as a Food Writer
Navigating the start of your career is intimidating. Whether you've always had a passion for food or you're pivoting from a different industry, a career as a food writer is fun and exciting.
With these tips for finding food writing jobs, we wish you the most success in your career!
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