Freelancer pitch guide for Following the yuan ✍️

If you are also passionate about human-centered business stories that shows structural shift of China’s consumer markets, read on.

Hi everyone, you may have noticed a recruitment poster earlier this month. I think having a specific pitch guide may be more helpful.

(For those of you non-writers, please pass this along to someone who might be interested, as it could influence what you'll be reading. And for those who are writers, please keep reading and reach out!)

This petite guide includes our vision, dos and don’ts, examples, the typical pitch structure and our current rate.

At

Following the yuan

, we’re passionate about telling human-centered business stories that shows structural shift of China’s consumer markets. It should be catered to a specific industry as much as possible: food, beverage, hospitality, (luxury) fashion, beauty, pet, tourism, etc.

I started this newsletter partly because consumer trends and news are often overlooked in mainstream publications. I strongly believe that they can offer valuable insights and guidance for business leaders and investors, particularly in an era where reliable information about China is becoming more limited and biased.

An example of instant retail, a new government-backed retail concept that emerged from food delivery platforms incl. Meituan and Ele.me

We don't typically need pitches on the following kinds, though they can serve as contextual information in the pieces:

• Widely covered business stories by either Chinese/Western media (e.g. the rise of Pinduoduo and Temu, etc.)

• Mainstream trends (e.g. how physical and mental wellness takes off post-Covid, etc.)

We do encourage writers to be obsessed about changes in consumer behavior and sentiment that may reflect a wider shift, and about nuances that can add color and news perspectives to an important business issue.

Here are some recent examples:

• How are Chinese beauty brands cracking the code in Japan?

• From pause to progress: China's outbound tourism market and the road to recovery

• How Covid and economic downturn have shaped Chinese consumer spending in 2023

(Feel free to reply or DM me to get a trial)

Additionally, Rest Of World, Sixth Tone’s feature stories and Wall Street Journal’s A-Hed column are good examples of the human-centered angle I’m looking for.

My recent op-ed for Time Ideas about Chinese burger chain Tastien. Image: Getty Images via Time

Every pitch should include:

• Summary (we do make assumptions, but I’d love to hear the reporting angle/potential storyline)

• Sources, brief reporting plan

• Time needed once assigned

Payment: US$0.3 (~2 RMB)/word for published piece of around 1,200-1,500 words.

I look forward to hearing from you! 💗