Tech News Reporters wanted | 20-25 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: LIFEWIRE

Rob LeFebvre, Senior News Editor of Lifewire, is looking for a reporter:

We’re looking for diverse voices for our tech news program and would love to see your resume! Rates are $175 for 750-word reported stories (one direct, one indirect source) or profile pieces, $50 for short “timely” news stories, occasional $300 for 1200-1500 features with extensive expert interviews or personal expertise. We work on ET time.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Lifewire, one of the largest tech sites on the web, is looking for a number of experienced freelance technology news reporters who share our passion for discovering and explaining the biggest tech news of the day. We’re looking for reporters who can find the unique, inclusive, and justice-centered angles in big technology stories, and turn that into a compelling, well-written article for Lifewire; BIPOC writers are strongly encouraged to apply.

At Lifewire, we want to demystify consumer technology news for the tech-interested, not the tech-obsessed.

ABOUT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS:

• You follow technology news on more than just other news sites; Reddit, Twitter, even Facebook are your friends
• You enjoy finding the unique take on every news story; you’re never satisfied with the standard angle
• You have a well-connected list of contacts in the technology industry
• You know the difference between a PR puff-piece and an actual sourced story and can implement the latter
• You know how to make strong pitches that turn into solid stories

The audience we want to speak to is intelligent, but not as deeply invested in the industry as you are. They want you to help them suss out what’s going on and why it should matter to them. We never talk down to our readers, and we're allergic to snark.

WHAT OUR ARTICLES LOOK LIKE

We’re looking to you to help us create 2nd-day articles on the biggest current news stories. Word count matters, but so do clear explanations and journalistic practices like inverted pyramids and nut graphs. If you don’t know what those are, this job may not be for you.

ABOUT YOU:

• 5+ years demonstrable experience writing about consumer-facing technology in a news capacity
• Experience writing for a web-based publication
• Ability to write on a breadth of technology topics, across popular platforms and devices
• Strong research skills
• High comfort level and demonstrable experience writing about the technology industry
• Willingness to work closely with a News Editor on both form and higher-level story
• Terrific skills in finding great images for your content
• Ability to adhere to and meet deadlines while juggling multiple assignments.
• Experience with a WordPress-style CMS
• A working Google Account and familiarity with Google Sheets

NICE TO HAVE:

• Experience working as a remote freelancer
• Experience working with a News Editor and Copy Editor
• Demonstrable experience documenting processes
• Active social media following

In case it isn't clear yet, we're not your normal news-oriented tech site. We have a large corpus of evergreen, instruction-driven content in addition to our news. Our ultimate goal is always to inform and educate. Just because you know technology and can also write does not necessarily mean you can write great news stories. You need to identify as much as a reporter as you do a writer!

IMPORTANT

You must be authorized to work in the US.

Our freelancer contracts last for up to one year and may be renewed.

We will encourage several pitches a week, with a potential of one or more approvals per week. A solid, quality piece of writing can be from 750 to 1500 words, but we’re not looking to word count as a metric. Quality stories will be the length they need to be.

We offer competitive per-article rates.

JOB SUMMARY:

• Looking for: Freelance Tech News Reporter
• Location: Remote
• Compensation: $175 for 750-word reported stories (one direct, one indirect source) or profile pieces, $50 for short “timely” news stories, occasional $300 for 1200-1500 features with extensive expert interviews or personal expertise.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Original job posting: Click here

Website: https://www.lifewire.com/