What we’re looking for at Matador Network
At Matador Network, we’re looking for people with stories, not broad information on a general topic. Before sending a pitch our way, be sure the idea you have covers the following:
Angle: Each story needs to have a strong angle that hasn’t been widely covered elsewhere. It should provide an answer as to why a destination, event, or thing is being covered.
- Yes: “The two types of ways that travelers approach PTO. This is how to know the one that’s right for you” — Americans are notoriously bad at taking vacation days, and recent studies show it was even worse in 2020. This article will make the case for and against the two main ways that people can take advantage of PTO: one long vacation or many short vacations.
- No: “I’d like to write about PTO.” — Lacks a reason for why now makes for a good time to publish a story about PTO.
Audience relevance: All story pitches should be relevant to the Matador Network audience of travelers and have a travel angle We cover a broad variety of stories with a connection to travel, places, and cultures. The best pieces also include serviceable information people can use to experience the place or think you’re writing about for themselves. Please keep that in mind, even when pitching experiential or nuanced stories.
Before sending a pitch, ask yourself: who is this story for and how does it serve Matador Network readers?
- Yes: “The best ways to start a campfire, regardless of the conditions” — This story is clearly geared toward people who love camping and exploring the outdoors, and provides a service to those readers by explaining campfire starting methods.
- No: “The best at-home fire pits” — This is geared toward people who are looking for home inspiration.
Have a specific idea for your story in mind: Stories should focus on something specific rather than a broad topic. One way to know if the story has a clear and specific enough angle is to have a succinct and well-crafted title in mind that accurately describes what the story is about.
- Yes: “The best Route 66 stops in Texas, from 72-oz steaks to the ‘Grand Canyon of Texas’” — Focuses on one section of Route 66 that’s less famous than other stretches and answers the question of why people should road trip along the part of Route 66 in Texas.
- No: “I’d like to write about what to do on Route 66” — Too broad of a topic that lacks an answer as to why this story is different from the many Route 66 guides out there.
Know what we cover: Matador Network has several specific verticals: Travel, Culture, Outdoor, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, and Entertainment. Stories should naturally fit under one of those verticals. If your pitch doesn’t make sense in one of those categories, it probably means it’s related to a topic we don’t cover as a publication.
Trip planning: Travel is about experiences, and Matador Network stories have some element of how to experience the thing being written about. Each piece needs to have some explanation that covers why this topic is being written about, followed by ways someone can see for themself why we wrote about the topic.
- Yes: “The best places in Alabama for boiled peanuts, the South’s iconic road trip food” — This story explains why boiled peanuts are a Southern staple and then offers suggestions of how and where people can experience boiled peanuts for themself.
- No: “I’d like to write about why people eat boiled peanuts in the South” — This has the cultural angle, but is not right for us because it doesn’t provide places for people to try them after reading about them.
Pitch stories, not places: Please do not ask “I’m going to place/city/country — do you need any stories?” Pitch us an actual specific angle or story. And please wait until after you’ve returned from a trip to pitch us ideas around it. Press trips are okay, but please disclose that it was a press trip when you pitch.
Current editorial needs
Please use this link to pitch (do not pitch editors directly via email) (Jan/Feb ’24)
Articles we’re always looking for:
We are not currently looking for:
- Photo essays (unless specifically requested in a pitch call)
- Profiles of people or businesses
- Bloggy or overly promotional pitches. Matador Network is not a blog. We want honest editorial content, not text that sounds like it was written by a tourism board.
- Family travel stories, single hotel reviews or stories, current events/news stories, or straightforward guides to destinations (for example, “the 10 best restaurants in Madrid.”) These are all done in house.
- Pitches for places you’re going — please, wait until you’re back to pitch us.
- Hotel, lodging, or dining listicles
- Please avoid pitching any personal narratives that lack a broader appeal. We’re not interested in diary-style trip reports without a greater takeaway.
- Please do not pitch any destination, hotel, or topic with which you have a professional affiliation or that may otherwise be a conflict of interest