We’re always on the lookout for engaging news stories, op-eds, guides, and features here at The Loadout about competitive and console gaming.
If you think you have just the story for us, you can find out how to pitch it below.
Where to send pitches
News, op eds, features, and reviews
Jamie Hore (he/him) – [email protected]
Our deputy editor Jamie is the person to go to if you’ve got a spicy take that you want to shout about, if you want to review an upcoming game, or if you have a tasty scoop for a news story.
It’s rare we commission news pitches, so if you’re considering sending something over, make sure it’s original and source-based, and highlight that in your outreach.
For features and op eds, we again value originality. Pitch us viewpoints, anecdotes, or investigations into aspects of a game or genre that haven’t been widely talked about before. Or give us your spiciest take on a big upcoming console title or whatever is currently the talk of the town.
While The Loadout team reviews a lot of the big upcoming console and competitive games in-house, there is certainly scope for freelancers to review games for us too. Be sure though that you come armed with past review work if you have it, and highlight your expertise around relevant games/ series/ genres.
Guides
Echo Apsey (they/them) – [email protected]
For guides pitches, our guides editor Echo is the person you need to get in touch with. We’re looking for well researched pitches on the biggest games both in the competitive and console world. The latest triple-A releases and popular multiplayer titles will be our biggest hitters, but if you spot a gap and have Google Trends data to back your pitch up, we want to hear from you.
Bipoc and other underrepresented backgrounds
We are committed to increasing the visibility of unrepresented voices in the industry. As a company that cares deeply about diversity and inclusion, we want to take an active stance against racism and injustice. As part of that commitment, we have a separate budget for commissioning writers from underrepresented backgrounds, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with any pitches or questions you might have.
It’s also worth noting that while we’re more than happy to receive pitches on the things defining the gaming industry right now, we’re also open to pitches about your personal experiences as a writer from an underrepresented community.
Pitching tips
Have you had a lightbulb moment? Here’s the best way to pitch it to us.
Do your homework
One of the biggest pitfalls freelancers fall into is failing to do their research on the site they want to write for. If you’re planning on sending a pitch over, please do spend some time reading the site and getting to know our audience. If, after doing that, you think your pitch is suited to us, send it over, and explain why!
Label your email and lead with the headline
An editor’s inbox is busy at the best of times, so when you’re planning on sending a pitch, make sure to title your email appropriately so it doesn’t get lost in the mix. We quite like the format ‘PITCH: [headline]’ as this is clearly signposted and gives us a clear idea of what it is that you’d like to write.
Give us the key details
To really catch our attention, you need to include all the key details. Are you planning on speaking to someone specifically for this pitch? Do you need to be given some time to organise an interview? What’s the crux of the story? What’s your main argument?
All of these details might seem obvious, but without them we’re left with half the picture. Get these into your pitch and it might just clinch you a commission.
Stick a number on it
Your idea might be great, but what we also really want to know is how long (or short) it’ll be. While not mandatory, including an estimated word count in your pitches can be helpful, especially in a busy month when there are lots of pitches to consider.
Tell us about you
We’re a friendly bunch here at The Loadout and while we’re keen on diversifying our content, we’d like to get to know you better too. In your pitch, make sure to add some details about yourself, like what games you’ve written about before, and where. If you’ve got some sort of specialist knowledge from a previous job or a university degree, then tell us – it could make all the difference.
You don’t need to be overly formal either, injecting your personality in an email is great and gives us an idea of what your writing might be like should we commission your piece.
Don’t be afraid to nudge us
The freelance grind is tough. If we haven’t replied to your pitch within a week, please feel free to give us a gentle nudge by email – especially if the pitch is time sensitive.
We’ll always do our best to come back to you with a response, but this can take some time.
