MC-Guide
Content Writing
Website 06: Theverge.com
How Can You Earn Money Writing For “theverge.com” Website
This guide shows you, step by step, how a beginner can learn to pitch and sell stories to theverge.com.
You will learn what Theverge.com wants, how to test your idea, how to write a pitch, and how payment roughly works. You can use this like a small SOP.
Guide: How to Get Paid to Write for The Verge (Step by Step)
This guide shows you, in simple steps, how you can learn to plan, report, write, and pitch stories for The Verge — even if you are a beginner writer but already follow gadgets, apps, games, and internet culture.
You will learn what The Verge wants, how to choose a Verge-shaped idea, how to prepare a strong outline and pitch, how payment roughly works, and how to use a Verge byline to grow your income from blogs, guest posts, and client work. Sentences stay simple. You can treat this like a small SOP.
Section 1 · Understand the publication
What The Verge actually wants from writers
The Verge is a major site from Vox Media about technology, science, and culture. It publishes breaking news, reviews, explainers, and longform features across beats like Tech, Reviews, Science, Entertainment, AI, and Verge Shopping.
Their Write for The Verge page explains that they are looking for original, reported stories and sharp criticism. They want pieces that show how technology and science shape the world, not generic “what is 5G?” style posts. They ask you to pitch stories, not topics, with a clear angle and reporting plan.
Strong Verge pieces usually fall into these buckets:
- Big reported features about people living with technology — for example, an investigation into Facebook content moderators like this story about moderators’ mental health.
- Policy and power stories on how tech companies and governments use algorithms, data, and surveillance — see the feature on automated tenant background checks: “Automated background checks…”.
- Culture stories about creators, fandoms, and online communities, like the piece on romance writers and Kindle Unlimited: “How a cabal of romance writers…”.
- Critical essays and reviews that say something new about a product, show, game, or trend – not just “I liked it” but why it matters now.
- Explainers that unpack a complex story (like AI regulation or streaming fights) with clear structure, history, and human impact.
Ask: “After reading my piece, will Verge readers understand something new about how tech and science touch real people?”
The typical Verge reader is:
- Comfortable with phones, apps, games, and gadgets.
- Curious about how tech affects politics, health, money, work, and pop culture.
- Busy — they want clean, sharp, well-structured stories, not long rambling posts.
So your article should feel smart but clear: strong reporting, simple language, and a clear point of view.
| Story type | Verge area | Depth | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big, reported feature | Features | Longform, multiple sources, narrative | Exploring systems, companies, or communities in detail |
| News-adjacent explainer | Tech / Science | Context, timelines, diagrams, quotes | Helping readers understand a complex issue behind the headlines |
| Review or criticism | Reviews / Entertainment | Hands-on testing + opinion | Showing if (and why) a product or story really matters |
| Culture or internet-life story | Tech / Entertainment / Creators | Interviews, screenshots, history | Connecting niche communities or memes to bigger ideas |
Section 2 · Fit your idea
Is your idea a Verge-shaped idea?
Don’t start with “I want to write about AI” or “I want to write about Netflix.” Start with a specific situation, person, or conflict. Use these three checks to see if your idea feels like a Verge story.
Is it a story, not just a topic?
“AI and jobs” is a topic. A Verge story might be: a specific warehouse, city, union, or startup where automation is changing daily life. Ask: Who is affected? What is happening? What will change next?
Does it connect tech to people and power?
The Verge loves stories where technology meets power, money, or culture:
- How background-check software decides who gets to rent a home.
- How a small group of authors reverse-engineered Amazon’s algorithm.
- How a social platform’s rules change one community’s daily life.
If your idea only describes features of a product, it is more like a review, not a big feature or investigation.
Do you have a path to real reporting?
Verge editors expect reported work:
- Names of people or experts you can interview.
- Public records, reports, posts, or documents you can review.
- Online communities, Discords, subreddits, or forums you can study.
If you cannot imagine at least 3 solid sources, your idea may still be too early. Do a little research, then tighten your angle.
Section 3 · Prepare yourself
Build a small base before pitching The Verge
You do not need to be famous to write for The Verge. But editors are more confident if you already have a small track record: finished stories, basic reporting, and clear writing.
- Start with your own blog or platforms like Medium or Substack.
- Write about one specific tech, game, or online community you know well.
- Use screenshots, links, quotes, and simple structure (intro → 3–5 sections → conclusion).
- Experiment with small investigations: interview a creator, review a device you own, or explain a niche trend.
These posts become your first “clips” — proof that you can finish and structure a story.
- Read the whole “Write for The Verge” page carefully.
- Explore Tech, Science, Entertainment, Games, and Features.
- Pick 3–5 stories you love and outline them: opening, nut graf, sections, ending.
- Subscribe to at least one newsletter, like The Verge Daily or Installer, to feel their rhythm.
When you pitch, your idea and outline will automatically feel closer to what Verge editors already publish.
| Step | Where | Main goal |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Your blog / Medium / Substack | Practice clear structure, voice, and basic reporting |
| Middle | Smaller paying blogs / zines | Collect clips, learn editing process, try more complex stories |
| Higher | The Verge & other big outlets | Create flagship pieces that help you earn from freelancing and opportunities |
Section 4 · Practical workflow
Step-by-step Verge pitch plan (for beginners)
Now we connect everything into one simple workflow. You can also reuse this flow for other magazines and news sites. Think of it as your compact Verge pitch SOP.
Read the “Write for The Verge” page slowly
Go to Write for The Verge. Note down:
- How they describe their mission (“technology, science, and culture”).
- The difference between features, tech, science, entertainment, games, reviews, and illustration pitches.
- Which email or form to use for your idea (for example, techpitches@theverge.com for many tech stories).
Keep that page open while you design your pitch.
Choose a desk and a clear angle
Decide which desk your story fits: Features, Tech, Science, Entertainment, Games, or Reviews. Then write one sentence:
- “This story for the Tech desk shows how …”
- “This story for the Science desk explains why … matters now.”
- “This story for Entertainment follows one community …”
If even you are not sure which desk fits, keep reading their recent stories and adjust your angle.
Pre-report: gather sources and proof
Verge editors like pitches that show you already started reporting. Before you email:
- List 3–6 potential sources (people, experts, documents, data, communities).
- Collect links to posts, court filings, research papers, or announcements.
- Note any special access you have (for example, you work in that industry or know a key source).
This tells the editor, “I’m not guessing — I know where this story comes from.”
Draft an outline and a “nut graf”
In a doc, write:
- Headline idea: a short, punchy line that shows the conflict.
- Nut graf: 3–5 sentences that say what the story is really about and why it matters now.
- Outline: 4–7 section headings, each with 1–2 lines of what you will do there.
- Reporting plan: who you will talk to, what you will read, and what you hope to show.
Most of this will go into your pitch email, in shorter form.
Write the actual pitch email
Use a subject line like: “PITCH: [desk] – [short hook]”. Example: “PITCH: Tech – The landlords trusting AI more than humans”.
Your email body can follow this simple template:
- 1–2 lines saying who you are and what you write about.
- Nut graf (what the story is really about, and why now).
- 4–6 bullet outline of the story.
- Short reporting plan + any access you already have.
- Links to 2–3 of your best clips (blog posts, other articles, or reported pieces).
Keep it under one page. Make life easy for the editor who is reading quickly.
Send it to the right editor and follow up politely
From the “Write for The Verge” page, copy the correct contact:
- Features: usually the features editor (listed on the page).
- Tech / policy: often techpitches@theverge.com or the desk’s address.
- Science, entertainment, games, illustrations: editor emails listed there.
If you don’t hear back in 1–2 weeks, you can send one short follow-up. If it’s a time-sensitive story, say that politely (“If I don’t hear back, I may pitch elsewhere after X date”). Then reuse the pitch for another outlet if needed.
Section 5 · Money side
How you actually earn money from The Verge
The Verge says they pay freelancers at competitive rates and work under a Vox Media freelance agreement. Public writer reports suggest they pay per word, and the exact rate depends on the story, desk, and experience. You always confirm the fee with the editor before you start.
- Payment per assignment (usually a per-word or flat rate agreed in advance).
- Professional editing, headline work, fact-checking, and production support.
- Placement on a huge site, plus newsletter and social promotion when applicable.
- A respected byline you can show to other editors and clients.
So each piece is both cash now and a portfolio investment that can bring more work later.
- Track how many hours you spend researching, interviewing, drafting, revising.
- Divide your fee by hours to see your real hourly rate.
- Use Verge clips as “hero samples” when pitching other sites, agencies, or brands.
- Turn one story into more: spin off a newsletter issue, a YouTube explainer, or a talk.
Over time, a few strong Verge stories can help you earn from freelancing, consulting, and even job offers.
| Type of piece | Typical shape | Where it might run | Strategy for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short, newsy explainer | 1,000–1,500 words, focused angle | Tech / Science / Policy | Good first assignment to learn their process |
| Deep feature or investigation | 2,000+ words, many sources | Features / Tech / Culture | Make this a flagship sample you show everywhere |
| Culture / entertainment piece | Story about a fandom, show, or game | Entertainment / Games / Audio | Show your understanding of internet culture and communities |
Section 6 · Ethics & safety
Very important: ethics, sources, and using AI carefully
The Verge follows Vox Media’s standards and has its own Ethics Statement and Community Guidelines. Your work must be accurate, fair, and transparent. Editors expect honest reporting, not rewritten press releases or AI spam.
- Do not fabricate quotes, sources, or numbers.
- Do not copy text from other outlets without permission and proper credit.
- Do not present PR language as your own reporting.
- Do not rely on AI to generate whole drafts you barely edit or verify.
- Do not put sources at risk by revealing private information without consent.
Editors can usually feel when a story is generic or copied. That can end the relationship quickly.
- Use AI to brainstorm angles or questions, then rewrite everything in your voice.
- Use it for simple language clean-up, not for reporting or facts.
- Double-check all code, numbers, and claims in official docs and with human sources.
- Keep notes of your research so you can explain every claim if an editor asks.
Final rule: you are responsible for truth, fairness, and safety. Tools can help, but they cannot take that responsibility for you.
Section 7 · Micro-SOP
Final checklist before you pitch or apply
Use this checklist every time you pitch The Verge (or similar outlets). It keeps you prepared, professional, and calm.
Section 8 · Quick answers
FAQ: Beginner questions about writing for The Verge
- Write for The Verge – official contributor / pitching page
- About The Verge – what the site covers and why
- Contact / Tip Us – forms for tips, bugs, and pitches
- The Verge Ethics Statement – how they handle conflicts and reviews
- Who Pays Writers – anonymous pay reports (search for “The Verge”)
- Freedom With Writing – lists of magazines and sites that pay writers