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Cooking requires a specific set of skills that are quite different from writing. For this reason, a good chef cannot pass off as a good writer although one person can possess both skills simultaneously.
According to One More Cup of Coffee, all food bloggers have a chance at earning lots of moo-lah as long as they can grow a decent amount of monthly traffic to
their blogs. The top food bloggers in the industry are earning well over $50,000-100,000 per month just from food blogging.
However, if you don’t possess any culinary experience and only want to spend your time writing about food, you can become a food writer. Yes! It’s a highly payable skill that only a few people possess today. And this article will show you the entire process in a simple format.
Who is a Food Writer?
A food writer or a restaurant critic is a professional writer who writes samples and drops reviews about foods. While a food writer basically journeys through different restaurants, their core aim is to discover and outline their judgment of the restaurant’s cuisine.
As a food writer, you might not start off with a high paycheck. Frequently, novice food critics start by submitting unpaid reviews simply to get a byline and build their portfolio of published works. Some other food critics get their start simply by posting about their food and dining experiences on social media.
Many of the big shots in the food critic’s business are the ones going on the tours. Some of these professionals have their own YouTube channels, television shows, and have published their own books. In the food critic business, you can write for magazines, newspapers, and blogs.
What Skills Do I Need to Become a Food Writer?
If you want to become a food writer on a professional level, you will need to gain certain skills that will help you scale easily. Although some of these skills might require you to take certain programs, others are very easy to develop.
Hence, the skills include:
- Excellent oral communication skills
- Excellent writing skills
- Degree in Journalism (Optional)
- Great sense of smell and taste
- Cooking Knowledge
What is the Salary of a Food Writer?
Food writers get a standard remuneration after they’ve rendered their services. Although you can work as a freelancer and charge the blog per content you create or agree to a contract, you can work with a food agency.
According to ZipRecruiter, food writers earn about $49,041 /year in salaries. However, this is exclusive of all additional bonuses and tips they can receive from their place of assignment or where they function.
On the other hand, you can charge 6 cents a word on the low end, to as much as $3. But if you aren’t convenient with this style of agreement, you can agree to a contractual fee.
How To Become a Food Writer in Less Time
Food writing is interesting, especially when you’re personally involved in the process. Although cooking can be an added advantage to help you know the right terminologies you can use, you need to also learn how to communicate it with ink.
To become a food writer in less time, you need to:
Build Interest And Knowledge
Food writing is not a program you can find in any higher institution. For this reason, venturing into this line of work demands you show peculiar interest and passion for the level of stress associated with pursuing this career path.
In building your interest, you can start by reading the reviews of already established food writers. You can watch and subscribe to their tv shows and channels respectively to remain updated with their works.
Furthermore, you can start trying out cuisine in different local restaurants (if you have the budget) and start making certain commentary on the service style and the food in general.
Go for Internship
If you’re inexperienced in any craft, it is difficult to scale in your chosen career path. You would likely miss out on opportunities that would have helped you scale faster and establish yourself among the experts.
Finding an internship opportunity is not so much of a challenge because of the many opportunities that are scattered all over. You only need to pivot your search to the firms within your physical location and you send out applications to them.
Choose Your Niche
There are distinct classes of food, and there are thousands of cuisines as well. To become an expert in all these cuisines is no small feat and will require a lot of work (that isn’t completely necessary especially when you don’t have a huge team.)
If you’re starting out in your journey to become a food writer, then you need to niche down to a particular set of foods that you will critique. Although you might have your niche, you might momentarily criticize other foods.
Write and Get Reviews
Anyone who has become a successful food writer is actually the food writer that writes. In food writing, you get better at the skill by constantly writing about your unique experience with different cuisine in many locations.
Writing is the core of the job, but after writing, you would need to get reviews regarding your disposition from your readers. Your readers can also comment on their thoughts, which will help bring engagement to your blog, magazine, etc.
Conclusion
Food writing is really an interesting line of work. Although traveling and constant moving around can be strenuous, if you’re really passionate about this line of work, you have an enormous market ahead of you.
All you need to do to start your journey would be to take the right steps towards a prolific career by following the rules outlined here.
References
- Wikipedia – Food Writing
- The Muse – How I Broke Into Food Writing
- LeafTV – How to Critique Food
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