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 the ‘Things To Note’ below to give yourself the best chance of getting commissioned.


We are currently looking for stories and investigations related to

  • Current events, pop culture and the news cycle (and can be written within 24 hours)
  • Black women’s health and wellbeing (with strong data/research/expert-driven angles)
  • Careers, the workplace and Black women
  • Queer Black communities
  • Black European identities and experiences
  • Regional Black British identities and experiences
  • Sustainability and Africa/the Caribbean

Ready To Pitch?

Fill out the form below.

 

 

Things To Note:

  • Familiarise yourself with Black Ballad before pitching to understand the type of writing we publish and ensuring that we haven’t already covered your pitch before – and if we have, how is your article going to be different to the one we’ve already published?
  • We love original reporting with statistics, data, expert interviews and contributions from relevant interviewees (if applicable).
  • We have a global readership, but our core audience will always be Black British (and not just London!), so 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, even if we reject them, but 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, so do not pitch or follow up on pitches via these platforms.

Great pitches that turned into great stories

Rachael Twumasi-Corson

Why I'm Saying Goodbye To Afrocenchix After 15 Years

Thursday 21 December 2023 9:00 PM

Nora Shumba

I Set Myself A Dating Challenge & Here's What It Taught Me

Tuesday 18 July 2023 8:00 AM

Foyin Ejilola

The Problematic Impact Of The Saying ‘Black Don’t Crack’

Wednesday 22 March 2023 8:00 AM

Chloe Lovell

These Black Women Left London Behind & Thrived

Tuesday 9 May 2023 8:00 AM

Michaela Makusha

Why Don't Black Women Own Black Hair & Beauty Shops?

Friday 15 September 2023 8:30 AM

Orlene Badu

Lessons Learned As A Black Headteacher In The UK

Wednesday 19 July 2023 8:00 AM

Faith Zvorufura

What They Don't Tell You About The First Year Of Marriage

Friday 20 January 2023 8:00 AM

Seun Matiluko

UPDATED: What On Earth Happened At Grass-Fields?!

Friday 28 April 2023 8:00 AM

Samantha Dube

How Job-Hopping Changed My Career For The Better

Tuesday 3 January 2023 8:00 AM

Ezimma Chigbo

What I Learned From My White Male Therapist

Thursday 2 February 2023 8:00 AM

Jamila Pereira

What It's Honestly Like Dating A Younger Man

Tuesday 4 July 2023 8:00 AM

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].