Pitch to Black Ballad

Pitch To Black Ballad

We accept pitches from Black women, Black transwomen and Black non-binary people at all stages of their careers. And we pay, of course!

Black Ballad was created for and is powered by Black women. As such, we only commission those with the lived experience of being a Black woman, Black transwoman or Black non-binary person to achieve our mission and vision.

We have been publishing original writing since 2014, covering a range of topics from politics and pop culture through to beauty, careers, relationships and family life which explore the multi-faceted nuances of Blackness.

We love “niche” stories, we love nuanced perspectives, we love articles that expand on conversations that are taking place in our communities or that we’ve covered previously. We are always looking to commission fresh perspectives that enlighten, entertain and engage our audience.

We are open to pitches from writers at all stages of their careers, but please familiarise yourself with our guidelines below to give yourself the best chance of getting commissioned.

 

 

What We’re Looking For

    For 2026, our commissioning focus is health and wellness, explored in the widest, most expansive sense. As always, we are looking for stories that dive deep into the nuances of our lived experiences; fresh perspectives that you won’t read elsewhere that will also serve our readership in their quest for healthier lives and holistic wellbeing. 

    For examples of the breadth that we are exploring, please see the articles below, but also remember to access the full Black Ballad archive for a more comprehensive view of what we’ve published before.

     

    Beryn Orera

    How Black Women Embrace Life In The Face Of Terminal Illness

    Tuesday 14 October 2025 8:00 AM

    Black Ballad

    How Sickle Cell Affects Black Women And Their Dating Choices

    Sunday 22 September 2024 9:00 AM

    Sabrina-Maria Anderson

    What Black Women Do When The NHS Fails Them

    Thursday 20 April 2023 8:00 AM

    Angela Kahuru

    We Need To Address Rising STI Rates Amongst Black Women

    Thursday 17 July 2025 8:30 AM

    Dr Yvon Guest

    Why Mixed Race Women Come To See A Therapist Like Me

    Tuesday 7 October 2025 1:30 PM

    Raheemat Elewade

    How Black Women Regained Their Sex Drive After Child Birth

    Thursday 15 May 2025 8:00 AM

    We are also looking for utility-focused articles spanning careers and finance. We already know some of the challenges that black women from all backgrounds face in these areas, so we don't just want stories rehashing experiences we know intimately.

    We ultimately want to publish articles that equip our audience with more than vague inspiration – what are the practical tools and steps that they can walk away and with and use immediately? Backing this up with data, expert insights and lived experiences will also make pitches in this vein an easy win.

    As always, please familiarise ourselves with our careers and finance archive to see the type of articles that we have published before, and the conversations that we have already had.

     

    Joanne Oguntimehin

    How We Blend Our Passions With Successful Corporate Careers

    Wednesday 14 January 2026 8:00 AM

    Lateefah Jean-Baptiste

    Why Black Businesses Fail When It Comes To Finance

    Tuesday 18 November 2025 8:00 AM

    Tabby Kibugi

    Yes, Money Dysmorphia Is Real & More Common Than You Realise

    Wednesday 7 May 2025 1:50 PM

    Guidelines:

    • Familiarise yourself with Black Ballad before pitching. It is easy to spot when writers have never read Black Ballad before and have no idea the type of writing we publish and what we've already covered.
    • Move beyond the op-ed. We love original reporting with statistics, data, expert interviews and contributions from relevant interviewees (if applicable).
    • Our readership is global but our core audience is Black British. Stats, data and interviewees should reflect that as much as is possible.
    • We do not accept articles that are already written, ghostwritten, have already been published or are pitched through third parties (i.e. publicists/PRs).
    • We try our best to respond to all pitches. Given the volume of pitches we are not always able to provide personalised feedback on why your pitch was rejected.
    • Our editorial team do not monitor our social media channels. Do not pitch or follow up on pitches via these platforms – that includes personal social media channels.

     

    Ready To Pitch?

    Send us your ideas here.

     

     

    Book Publicists & PRs

    We love books and all things literary at Black Ballad, as do our audience. We accept proofs/review copies of books by black authors for consideration, but we do not publish straight reviews. Instead we try to cover books and authors in creative ways over our social platforms and website.

    We do publish features from authors (please see pitching guidelines above) and we also work with authors and publishing houses on events and promotional activities across our platforms. Please email [email protected] to start a conversation.

     

    Commercial Partnerships

    Black Ballad has a track record of successful partnerships across various sectors. For more information on ways that your brand or organisation can work with Black Ballad please email [email protected].