We’re looking for smart, talented writers to contribute to The Peak. If you’re interested in pitching us, please read our guidelines below.
If you’re a PR rep looking to pitch us on behalf a client, please see this guide.
We are looking for stories that a) have some connection to business or the economy in Canada, b) are interesting enough that a reader would send it to a friend.
Here are some examples of the types of stories we might publish: a deep dive on a mysterious industry, a profile on an interesting business that has not been profiled elsewhere, or revelations about a corporate trend.
Recent articles we’ve published include an analysis of what’s ailing Canada’s cycling industry and a report on the print media resurgence.
First of all, the topic needs to be well chosen. But beyond that, a good pitch should demonstrate that you have a real understanding of what you’re going to write about, a sense of the structure of the story, and a plan for how to report it.
For example, here is a not-so-great pitch: “I’m going to look into the rise of prediction markets in Canada.” While this may be an interesting topic, it tells me very little about what the end product you’re delivering will look like.
Here is a better pitch: “I want to look into how Canadian power users (people with more than $25000 of trading volume) are using prediction markets. Are they winning money? Are they just gambling? How did they get started, and how do they decide what to bet on? I will pull back from these individual profiles of users to look at why prediction markets may be catching on now, and how that connects to the overall conditions of the economy. I’m thinking around 1,500 words will be the sweet spot. I have one user who will talk to me about this, and I am confident I can get at least two more through warm intros.”
Email [email protected] with your pitch. If you haven’t written for us before, please include a link to something you have published.
We don’t want opinion, or pieces that could be described as op-eds. We are less interested in pieces that contain no new information (like analysis that just synthesizes already-reported information). We don’t want stories that don’t clear the two filters mentioned previously: a) have some connection to business or the economy in Canada, b) are interesting enough that a reader would send it to a friend.
We will try to respond to all pitches, but don’t be offended if you don’t hear back, and don’t take it as a sign that we don’t want pitches from you. We read all pitches, but sometimes don’t have time to reply to every one. You don’t need to follow-up with us to check if we’ve received your pitch.
If your pitch is accepted, we will agree on a word count, deadline, and rate. If you have a word count in mind, please let us know in the pitch.
One of our editors will work with you on the draft in Google Docs. Once it’s in good shape, we’ll queue it for publication and let you know when it runs.
Longer features with significant reporting (1200+ words): Minimum of $1000.
Shorter stories with minimal reporting (Under 1000 words): Minimum of $500.
We pay all invoices within 10 business days via e-transfer or credit card.
Our kill fee is 25% of the agreed-upon fee for the piece.
Please do not send us anything generated by AI — we are not interested. By contributing to The Peak, you certify your work is 100% human-written.
If you use AI in the process of research for your piece, we expect you to disclose this to us.