We accept pitches from experienced reporters, subject-matter experts, and op-ed contributors. The Digital Weekly is not a guest-post mill. Every piece we publish is edited by our staff, fact-checked, and held to the same standards as work by our own reporters. See our Editorial Guidelines for the bar.
This page explains what we publish, what we don’t, how to pitch, how the editorial process works, and what we pay.
What we publish
Reported features (1,500–4,000 words)
Original reporting on a question worth answering. The writer talks to multiple sources, reviews primary documents, and constructs a narrative that takes the reader somewhere they couldn’t have gone alone. Features are our strongest format. Pitches should identify the central tension or question and explain why the writer is the right person to investigate it.
Examples of feature topics that work: the internal politics of an industry shift; a specific consequential decision and the people who made it; a complex market dynamic explained through specific cases; a profile that illuminates something larger than the subject.
Analysis pieces (800–1,500 words)
Informed perspective on a current event, market move, regulatory change, or technology development. The writer should have demonstrable expertise — academic credentials, professional background, or a track record of accurate analysis. Analysis is not opinion: it’s a reasoned interpretation of evidence available to the reader.
Examples that work: a market-structure shift explained by a former trader; the implications of a regulatory ruling by a former regulator; a technical architecture decision and what it tells us about the company’s strategy.
Op-eds (700–1,200 words)
Strong, defensible arguments backed by evidence. The writer takes a clear position and defends it with logic and citation. Personal essays welcome if they connect to broader stakes — we want the reader to learn something general from your specific story.
Opinion content is labelled Opinion at the top of the page. Op-ed authors are introduced with a bio that establishes their standing to opine.
Investigations (3,000+ words)
Original reporting that uncovers something not already in the public record. Investigations require documents, named sources, and (often) months of work. We work with you on document acquisition, sourcing, legal review, and pre-publication outreach. Rates for investigations are negotiated based on time commitment and risk.
Reviews and criticism
Reviews of films, books, services, and products. Reviewers must have first-hand experience with the subject and disclose any complimentary access (advance screenings, review copies). We do not publish promotional reviews disguised as criticism.
What we don’t publish
Some categories of content we reject without further review:
- SEO-driven content: listicles built around search-engine keywords rather than reader value, “best X of 2026” filler with no original analysis, definition pages explaining basic concepts
- Affiliate-driven content: “buying guides” whose primary purpose is monetisation through affiliate links
- Gambling promotional content: casino guides, sports-betting strategy, “best gambling apps” — regardless of disclosure
- Cryptocurrency hype: “X coin to the moon” pieces, unsolicited token coverage, promotional content for ICOs or new launches
- Promotional content for your own product or company without clear disclosure — and even with disclosure, we’d direct you to sponsored content
- Recycled reporting: pieces that aggregate or rewrite published reporting from elsewhere without substantial new contribution
- AI-generated drafts: we can tell, and we don’t publish them. See our AI policy.
- Generic thought-leadership: “5 ways to be a better leader” without specific evidence or new perspective
How to pitch
Email pitches@thedigitalweekly.com with the subject line: Pitch: [proposed headline].
Your email body should contain, in this order:
- One-sentence story summary. The pitch in one sentence. If you can’t summarise the story in a sentence, the story isn’t ready yet.
- Why now? What’s making this story timely? What’s the news hook or the moment in which this argument matters?
- What’s new here? What does the reader learn that they couldn’t read anywhere else?
- Reporting plan (for features and investigations): who you’ll talk to, what documents you’ll seek, what questions you’re trying to answer.
- Your bio (one paragraph): relevant background, expertise, prior publications, conflicts to disclose.
- Clips (2–3 links): links to your strongest published work that is relevant to the proposed piece.
- Proposed word count and timeline.
Length: 200–400 words. We read every pitch. Longer pitches are not better pitches.
What we look for in a pitch
Strong pitches share these qualities:
- Specificity. “AI is changing everything” isn’t a pitch. “The new export-control rule on Nvidia chips just rerouted half of OpenAI’s training capacity to Singapore” is a pitch.
- A clear question the piece will answer.
- Evidence the writer can deliver: sources lined up, documents in hand, or credentials that make this writer uniquely positioned.
- Honest about uncertainty. “I think this might be happening, but I’d need to do reporting to confirm” is welcome. “This is definitely happening” without evidence is not.
- Awareness of what we already publish. Pitches that engage with prior coverage are more credible than pitches that look like they were sent to a hundred publications.
Common reasons we reject pitches
- Already covered: the angle is one we’ve published recently. Check our archive before pitching.
- Not new: the pitch summarises information already widely available, without adding new reporting or analysis.
- Not our beat: the topic is outside what our readers come to us for.
- Promotional intent: the writer’s primary motivation appears to be marketing a product, service, or themselves.
- Conflict of interest the writer hasn’t acknowledged.
- Writer lacks credentials for the analysis being proposed.
- Pitches that arrived as a completed draft rather than a proposal — we want to shape stories, not field finished products.
Rates and payment
| Format | Word count | Rate range |
|---|---|---|
| Op-ed | 700–1,200 | $0.50–$0.80/word |
| Analysis | 800–1,500 | $0.60–$1.00/word |
| Reported feature | 1,500–4,000 | $1.00–$1.50/word |
| Investigation | 3,000+ | Negotiated; $1.50+/word baseline |
| Review | 600–1,200 | $0.50–$0.80/word |
Rates scale with writer experience, story complexity, and our budget for the quarter. We pay on publication, by direct deposit (US) or international wire (rest of world). Invoices are processed within 14 days of submission.
Travel and document-acquisition expenses for investigations and features are reimbursed against receipt with prior agreement.
Editorial process
Accepted pitches go through:
- Assignment letter (1–2 days after acceptance): scope, angle, word count, deadline, rate, and editor assignment.
- Outline review (optional, recommended for features): writer sends a structural outline; editor signs off before full reporting.
- Reporting: writer conducts interviews and document review; editor available for check-ins.
- First draft: writer submits the full draft. Editor reads for structure, argument, clarity, and accuracy. Returns notes within 5 business days.
- Revision: writer addresses notes. Number of revision rounds depends on the piece; we aim for one to two substantive revisions, not unlimited.
- Fact-check: a separate editor verifies every factual claim against the writer’s sources. Writer is available for fact-check questions.
- Copy-edit and headline-write: a copy editor polishes language and proposes headlines/decks.
- Author approval on copy-edit changes (within 48 hours of receipt).
- Publication with your byline, bio, social handles, and timestamp.
Typical end-to-end timeline for a feature: 4–6 weeks from accepted pitch to publication. Faster for analysis pieces. Slower for investigations.
Rights and ownership
By default, contributors grant The Digital Weekly first-publication rights and a non-exclusive license to keep the piece archived and republished in our own collections. The author retains copyright and can republish elsewhere after a 30-day exclusive window, with credit to The Digital Weekly as the original publisher.
For investigations and certain features, we may negotiate different terms (exclusive rights for a longer window in exchange for higher rates).
Conflicts of interest
Disclose all financial interests, employment, personal relationships, and prior engagements relevant to your pitch — before we assign, not after we’ve edited. Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a piece; concealment does. We resolve disclosed conflicts case-by-case: sometimes through disclosure within the piece, sometimes through reassignment, sometimes by declining the pitch.
Pen names and pseudonyms
We publish under bylines that identify a real person whose credentials can be verified. We make exceptions only when:
- The writer faces documented professional or physical risk from publication
- The piece is in the public interest and not otherwise obtainable
- The Editor-in-Chief approves the pseudonym arrangement
Post-publication
You’ll get:
- Author bio + photo + linked social handles on the piece
- Inclusion in the next applicable Weekly Brief if editor selects the piece
- Social-media promotion through our editorial accounts
- Performance summary (page views, completion rate, share volume) at 30 days
- Access to reader-feedback emails on the piece
Pitches we want more of
If we’re being explicit: we are particularly interested in pitches on:
- Reporting on regulatory and policy developments that have not yet been adequately covered
- Investigations into companies, sectors, or individuals where the public record is thin
- International business and tech stories beyond the standard US-China-Europe rotation
- Analysis pieces from working practitioners (engineers, traders, executives, lawyers) writing about their own domains
- Cultural criticism that takes the subject seriously and brings a defensible argument
- Long-form profiles where the subject matters in their own right and the reporting actually has access
Response times
We respond to most pitches within 5 business days. If you haven’t heard back in 10 business days, follow up once. If after that follow-up you’ve still heard nothing, assume we’re not pursuing it and feel free to take the pitch elsewhere.
Questions
Pitches: pitches@thedigitalweekly.com
Other editorial: editors@thedigitalweekly.com