Publication: Allrecipes
Topics: Food, personal essays, family, home, grief, relationships, food memories, storytelling
Rate (USD): Approximately $0.50+ per word (negotiable)
Deadline: Ongoing
Editor: Bridget Olson, Features Editor
Submit Via: Email Bridget Olson
Get Paid to Write Personal Essays for Allrecipes
Allrecipes is looking for compelling personal essays that explore the connections between food, memory, family, identity, and relationships.
Bridget Olson, Features Editor at Allrecipes, wants stories that go beyond familiar narratives about food bringing people together. She is particularly interested in essays with an unexpected turn that makes readers see the story differently.
For example, an essay about a family recipe could explore more than nostalgia or a connection to home. The strongest pitch might reveal an unexpected truth about the recipe, the person who made it, or the writer’s relationship with their past.
Your story does not need a dramatic twist. It needs an honest, surprising development that gives readers a reason to remember it.
What Allrecipes Wants
Allrecipes is interested in personal essays about subjects such as:
- Food and home: How food connects you to a place, culture, or childhood.
- Food and grief: How meals, recipes, or food traditions help you remember someone you’ve lost.
- Family and relationships: The complicated connections between food, identity, and the people in your life.
- Unexpected food memories: Experiences that challenge your assumptions about a person, relationship, or tradition.
- Personal transformation: Stories in which food plays a meaningful role in an unexpected realization or change in perspective.
The editor emphasizes that a strong essay should not follow a predictable path. Writers should identify the moment when their story takes an unexpected direction and build the narrative toward it.
How Much Does Allrecipes Pay Freelance Writers?
Reports indicate that Allrecipes pays approximately $0.50 or more per word, with rates negotiable.
At that reported rate, an 800-word essay would earn approximately $400, while a 1,000-word essay would earn approximately $500.
These figures are estimates, not guaranteed rates. Discuss compensation with the editor before accepting an assignment.
How to Pitch Allrecipes
Before submitting, read the official Allrecipes Features Pitch Guide.
Send one pitch at a time to Bridget Olson at bridget.olson@people.inc.
Your pitch must include four elements:
- Subject line: Include the word “PITCH” and a working headline for your proposed essay.
- Format and bucket: Identify the format of your submission and the relevant editorial category.
- Story excerpt: Include an excerpt that draws the editor into the story and demonstrates your writing voice.
- Published clips: Provide one or two links to previously published work written in a similar style.
Before submitting, make sure your pitch has a clear narrative direction. Identify what makes the story unexpected and why readers will care about the outcome.
Bridget Olson says she reads every pitch and responds whether she is passing or offering an assignment. Responses may take a few weeks, so allow time for the editorial process.
Writers who are not yet on the publication’s writer list can complete the Allrecipes writer interest form.
Tips for Getting Your Pitch Accepted
Lead with the story, not just the recipe. Explain the personal experience and emotional stakes behind the food.
Avoid predictable conclusions. A story about a grandmother’s recipe, for example, becomes more memorable when the writer uncovers something unexpected about the family history or their own assumptions.
Show your writing voice. The requested excerpt should give the editor a sense of how you tell stories, rather than simply summarizing the proposed essay.
Make the unexpected turn clear. Consider what readers might initially assume and how your story complicates or challenges that expectation.
Follow the submission guidelines. Include all four required elements and send only one pitch at a time.
Submit Your Pitch to Allrecipes
Allrecipes is an opportunity for freelance writers with distinctive personal stories about food, family, memory, and relationships.
Review the official pitch guidelines, prepare your pitch, and email Bridget Olson.
Additional resource: Allrecipes official website
