What to pitch
We’re always looking for Berlin-related stories with strong angles and on-the-ground reporting. We run features and cover stories that reflect all aspects of Berlin life – the absurd, the important, and the intriguing.
Always welcome: meticulously researched investigation pieces on hot-button issues or ongoing topics; profiles featuring interesting, colourful protagonists; deep-dives into overlooked Berlin subcultures or cultural phenomena, photography spreads that make you see the city differently. Is there an initiative we should care about? An unusual meetup where people come together over a niche topic? A piece of Berlin history that’s been overlooked? The scope is broad, so go wild and pitch anything you think will work.
Only occasionally: first-person experiential pieces or essays.
For the love of god, no: “I just moved to Berlin and have some witty observations about public nudity and traffic lights!”
A few tips
- We’ve been around since 2002, so please do some online recon to find out if we’ve already published a similar story before contacting us.
- All the stories we run are directly connected to Berlin. If it doesn’t touch the ground here or tell you something about the city, it probably won’t work as a feature for The Berliner.
- While we absolutely write about evergreen and ongoing issues, it helps to know if what your pitching has a time peg – an upcoming event, a news hook, et cetera.
- We’re often planning our issues in advance, sometimes by months. If you pitch us something that’s happening in a few days, we’re less likely to accept your pitch.
Target audience
Our readers are people in Berlin – curious visitors, newcomers and longtime residents.
How to pitch
Send a concise paragraph to [email protected] outlining the basics of your story (including a proper angle) and identifying potential sources. Tell us why you’re the person to handle the story, how you’d break it down, why it’s relevant to our readers and why it’s important right now. If you have in mind how it could be visually represented, even better. If you haven’t worked with us before, please include links to or samples of your previous work.
If your pitch is accepted, you will be contacted with a fee and a word count.
