Get Unruly is a Lagos-based cultural media & publishing platform documenting culture as it is lived, shaped, and remembered. We publish features, essays, cultural commentary, dialogues, and archival work rooted in African and diaspora creative life.
If you are thinking about pitching to us, this page will tell you what we are looking for, what we are not, and how to reach us.
Our editorial territory is culture: the people making it, the traditions behind it, the conditions shaping it, and the ideas moving through it. That means we are interested in music, fashion, film, art, design, architecture, food, identity, creative practice, and the cultural histories that sit underneath all of those things.
A story belongs at Unruly when it is rooted in a specific person, place, tradition, or moment, and when it has something genuine to say about how culture is being made, experienced, or understood. The best pitches we receive are specific, culturally grounded, and built around an argument or a point of view rather than just a subject.
We document and archive. We do not advocate or campaign. Our editorial identity is that of an institution that takes culture seriously, not a platform that tells people what to think about it.
Features: are reported pieces anchored in a subject, a person, or a cultural moment, built outward into a larger argument. They run between 900 and 2,000 words depending on scope.
Essays: are argument-led pieces written from a clear point of view. They engage with cultural questions directly and arrive somewhere specific. They run between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
Cultural Commentary: is shorter, more immediate, and more opinionated. These pieces live on our Substack and respond to something happening in the culture right now.
Dialogues: are extended conversations with practitioners, conducted in a Q&A format and edited for publication. Subjects are selected by our editorial team.
Archival and Historical: pieces recover stories, traditions, or figures that have not received the attention they deserve. These require thorough research and clear sourcing.
We are not a promotional platform. We do not publish press releases, product launches, brand announcements, or any content whose primary purpose is to market a person, product, or company. If a story exists because someone wants coverage, it is not an editorial story for us.
We are also not a political or policy publication. When our essays engage with systemic conditions, governance, or social structures, the argument is always rooted in how those conditions shape creative and cultural life, not in policy recommendation or political analysis.
We do not cover:
Promotional or sponsored content in any form. Road infrastructure, public safety, and urban planning as primary subjects. Technology and education policy as primary subjects. Geopolitical or moral philosophy as primary subjects. Event coverage as standalone editorial content.
If your pitch is primarily about institutions, policy, government, or civic infrastructure, it is likely not the right fit for us, regardless of how well it is written.
A good pitch to Unruly tells us three things: what the story is, why it belongs here, and what your specific argument or point of view is. We do not need a completed piece upfront. We need to understand what you are trying to say and why you are the person to say it.
Pitches that arrive without a clear argument, or that are structured entirely around a subject without a point of view, are harder for us to commission. The subject is not enough. Tell us what you think about it.
Include any relevant clips or published work. If you are pitching a reported feature, tell us who you plan to speak to and what you already know about the subject.
We read every pitch. We try to respond to all, but prioritize the ones we want to develop further. If you do not hear from us within three weeks, the pitch is not the right fit for this cycle.
All pitches should be submitted via our contact form, selecting Story Pitch as the reason for contact.
Get Unruly has a specific editorial identity. Not every strong piece of writing belongs here, and a decline from us is not in any way a judgement on the quality of your work. It is a question of fit. We encourage you to read the publication before you pitch, because the best pitches come from people who understand what we are building and want to be part of it.
