Write for Cultured Vultures

“Do I need any experience?”

Nope. You don’t need any shiny qualifications or any of that nonsense to become a part of our team. All you need is a sincere passion for writing and an interest in anything related to the general content of us lot.

We do ask, though, that you provide some links to other work or send a draft while applying so we can get a sense of where you’re at as a writer.

 

“What can I write about?”

A lot of stuff within the following spaces:

Films
Gaming
Television
Books
Wrestling

We do not publish content surrounding recent deaths/tragedies out of respect to those concerned. Any content related to a sensitive story will be published a minimum of three days after the story breaks and will not be monetised with adverts.

We also don’t publish anything on weekends or field emails on Saturdays. Vultures gotta rest.

 

“How long does my work need to be?”

Depends. We have a soft word limit of around 2000 words, which isn’t a mandate. We just recommend that if you go past 2000 words that you check if it’s actually adding to the piece. Longer doesn’t always mean better!

Here are some rough word counts we go by:

Opinion pieces: 750+ words, but closer to a thousand is usually better to get your point across adequately.
Reviews: varies. For instance, game reviews need to be 1000+ whereas film reviews can just be 500.

 

“Which file type should my submission be in?”

Please send every submission through Google Docs so that we can give you feedback more smoothly. Using Docs also avoids any file format issues.

All you need to do is copy your Word/etc document into Google Docs and you should be good. Share it with us using the button in the top right and also give us editing access, and that’s it! You may need a Google account, however.

Some Word files will open directly in Docs for us, but this doesn’t seem to be wholesale. It’s always best to copy and paste into Docs for us.

 

“Do I need to send images?”

Nope! That’s all down to us so that we can stick to house rules and use license-free/press images.

 

“What do you need to know about me?”

We will need less than thirty words on yourself, Facebook and Twitter links, and a photo to flesh out your author bio. We will publish without these, but it’s probably better to market yourself with just these few bits of information. Please don’t include links within your bio text.

 

“How should I rate my reviews?”

A short summary of your thoughts and a score out of 10 is mandatory. Please see below.

Cultured Vultures review

 

“Let’s talk money.”

We aren’t the biggest website in the world, so we pay you what we realistically can in two different ways. The first way is to submit your own ideas, and the second is to ask for commissions.

 

Your Original Ideas

Flat rates:
– £5 for every article published.

Bonus rates:
– £2 per every 200 pageviews accumulated on your articles after it’s published up until the upcoming Sunday. NOTE: does not apply to news posts.

What this means is that every article is guaranteed to earn at least £5 and then an additional £2 for every 200 views within the initial publishing window. If you publish multiple pieces within the same time period, views stack.

Example: your article is published on Friday and earns 200 views. You will then be paid £7 on Monday.

There are no guarantees that your article(s) will hit the payment threshold, or that they will even perform well. If you are approaching CV with the view of receiving a regular, consistent income, please bear that in mind.

It’s worth remembering that we were originally established as a resource for new writers to help with feedback and vital experience. This means that we are a niche, so we may never pull the same numbers as a BuzzFeed or IGN.

Stats are sent and invoices are requested every Monday through PayPal, which may take a small cut. All payments are made every Tuesday. No alternative payment methods are available. Non-UK contributors may have to pay a small fee to Google for international payments and also set their PayPal account up to accept international payments. Google Analytics will be used as proof of total readership.

Copyright
We don’t own your work if it’s your own original idea. No copyright. It is yours. We’re just here to host it.

Once/if you leave Cultured Vultures, you can ask for us to remove your work so it can be published elsewhere. Likewise, if you don’t like something you’ve written in the past, we can remove it at your request.

The only thing we ask is that you do not publish the same content elsewhere while a version still resides on our site. That’s it.

 

Commissions

We can also (budget willing) especially commission work that has SEO in mind that we are specifically looking for coverage on. These typically come in the form of lists, retrospectives, and much more.

These commissions are paid in flat fees that vary from piece to piece depending on length, research, and time commitment required. Current rates are £15 per every 100 words. This may increase depending on the size of the project and timeliness.

We retain copyright on these pieces.

Here are some examples of the SEO-led things we like to commission:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: The Story So Far
The Forgotten History of Fortnite
Ranking Every Mortal Kombat Game From Worst To Best
Battlefield 2042: 8 Things You Should Know
The History of the Vampire: The Masquerade Video Games
20 Best Cheap PS4 Games You Should Pick Up
15 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix
Where To Watch The IT Crowd

Please let us know what franchises, games, shows etc you are familiar with, or if you have any questions.

All payments are made every Tuesday.

 

“Cool. Now where do I send everything?”

Send the following info along to any of these fine people and also Jimmy below:

– Your name and a bit about yourself.
– Your availability to contribute.
– A pitch/submission/request for commission.
– The type of articles (lists, editorials, etc) you would like to write.

Be advised that the best way to reach one of us for submissions is to always CC in Jimmy (jim@culturedvultures.com) as he is available the most.

Business only: info@culturedvultures.com

Editor-in-Chief (any general submission enquiries): jim@culturedvultures.com

Gaming: ashley@culturedvultures.com

Wrestling: matt@culturedvultures.com

Film: natasha@culturedvultures.com

TV: huw@culturedvultures.com

*Please CC in Jimmy for a quicker response as he is always in the office. 

 

“Why haven’t I received a reply?”

We could be busy, but usually it’s because any of the relevant application guidelines weren’t adhered to, or the basics of writing an email (good grammar, pleasantries, getting our name right etc.) weren’t followed. The basics matter!

We CANNOT republish content that is already on other websites, personal blogs included. Likewise, we ask that you let us know if you want to reproduce your piece elsewhere, at which point we will have to remove your piece from the site.

We also don’t do guest posts.

Find out more about us on our, erm, about us page.