Pitching and writing for Latitude Media
About Latitude Media
Latitude Media covers the new frontiers of climate technology, with stories geared toward well-informed practitioners in the climate and tech industries.
Our stories fall into one or more of the following sections and topics:
- Tech: grid edge, solar, energy storage, artificial intelligence, data centers/cloud, carbon removal, hydrogen, and emerging tech
- Markets: U.S. market, global markets, policy, regulation, and research
- Deals: venture capital, project finance, mergers and acquisitions, and government funding
Coverage priorities and tone
Latitude Media’s audience is made up of a wide variety of practitioners: clean energy executives, technologists, engineers, analysts, developers, and financiers. Accordingly, our coverage is more technical than many climate sites geared toward a more general audience. It is rigorous, practical, and provocative.
Rigorous: Climate tech is a large and rapidly growing industry, with a strong influence and importance in global business and politics. So we treat climate tech companies with the same reporting depth that business journalists apply to tech or fossil fuel giants: seriousness and skepticism, rather than cheerleading or reverence. We want to cover the industry with clarity, accountability, and excitement.
Practical: Readers should come to Latitude Media for context and nuance that will influence their work and the industry more broadly. Our reporting is based on a sense of mutual understanding between writer and reader; there is no need to over-explain terms or science that the audience is certainly acquainted with. We publish technical stories with a climate element, not climate stories with a technical element.
Provocative: Technical writing should not be stuffy; rather, it can and should be playful and a pleasure to read. We encourage writers to embrace their distinct perspective and style, as well as rational skepticism in the reporting process. We are unafraid of “takes” on the news when justified.
Above all, we publish authoritative stories with a casual confidence and mutual understanding of the industry. Think: smart and loose.
What is a story for Latitude Media?
We primarily commission analysis pieces (600-1,200 words) and features (1,200-2,400 words) from freelancers, as well as (on occasion) news stories (300-800 words) and written explainers (600-1,200 words). We also commission illustrated explainers.
All stories should be relevant, interesting, and impactful for climate tech practitioners.
While our audience is largely North American, we welcome stories that cover other parts of the world, provided their industry relevance is clear; we would cover novel or otherwise market-moving developments, or international case studies that have big picture implications.
How to pitch
All pitches should be sent to Lisa Martine Jenkins, editor for Latitude Media (lisa@latitudemedia.com), with “PITCH” included in the subject line.
Pitches should clearly lay out both the type of story (news, analysis, written explainer, or feature), and topics it would slot into.
The ideal pitch is no more than a few paragraphs. It should quickly articulate what the story is, why it is relevant to Latitude Media’s readers, and what’s new about it. Good pitches have an incisive top-line, and give the editor a sense of both what the nut graf might look like and what the reader’s take-away might be.
Before you pitch, please make sure you are well-acquainted with any recent coverage of the topic, especially coverage published on Latitude Media.
If your pitch represents your first time getting in touch with Latitude Media’s team, please also briefly introduce yourself and include links to a few previously published stories.
Analysis pieces:
The bulk of stories we commission from freelancers will feature a blend of news and analysis. These include research write-ups, takes on developing news, trend interpretation, and data visualizations. These should contextualize and offer insight into subjects relevant to climate tech professionals. Pitches should make it clear what the stakes are. If the topic is time-sensitive (for instance, a take on a developing news story), we would expect a quick turnaround.
Features:
We publish many types of features, including: analytical deep dives, company or human-interest profiles, magazine-style narratives, and data-heavy visual stories. The important thing is to make it clear in your pitch why the story merits the space of a feature, and how you’d approach telling the story in a way that is compelling to a climate tech business audience. Feature pitches require more than just a subject that interests you; they need clear direction, and a sense of why the reader should devote time to the story. Strong pitches will give us a sense of who you plan to talk with, and some background links.
Explainers:
While most of our commissions are for analysis pieces and features, we will also occasionally commission written and illustrated explainers on topics relevant to Latitude Media’s audience. Written explainers take a simple structure (question-and-answer, or lists in the “five things to know about…” mold), and apply it to complex topics that need deeper explanation for our audience. Illustrated explainers are even simpler, and use drawings to walk the reader through how a technology works.
Keep our audience in mind if you are pitching an explainer; an explainer on home vehicle charging would be too general for Latitude Media, but an explainer on the status of solid state batteries and what they could mean for mobility and the grid could fit better. Explainer pitches should include a general outline of your sourcing and research plans.
News stories:
We would only rarely commission a straight news story from a pitch. However, if you have advance notice of an upcoming development that is highly relevant to Latitude Media’s readers, feel free to reach out with both what the news is, and what layer of analysis you would plan to add. Please try to give us at least a week of prior notice, and (if relevant) include the embargo date in your pitch.
How much does Latitude Media pay?
Rates for Latitude Media are always agreed-upon with the commissioning editor once the pitch is accepted and an anticipated word count is established.
While Latitude Media typically pays by the story rather than by the word, rates generally work out to between 50 cents and 90 cents per word, depending on the type of story, reporter’s experience level, and the depth of reporting required.