Wine Journalism & Niche Reporting with Freelance Writer Shana Clarke

Pitchin' and Sippin' with Lexie Smith

Shana Clarke is a wine, sake, and travel writer and author. Her work has appeared in Decanter, Saveur, Fortune, NPR, Wine Enthusiast, Vinepair, Conde Nast Traveler, and Hemispheres. She was shortlisted for the Louis Roederer 2020 International Wine Writers’ Awards and ranked one of the “Top 20 U.S. Wine Writers That Wineries Can Work With” by Beverage Trade Network. She holds a Level 3-Advanced Certificate from Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is a Certified Sake Sommelier. In addition, she is the author of 150 Vineyards You Need To Visit Before You Die and the contributing author to the North America section of The Wine Lover’s Bucket List.

In this episode, Lexie and Shana discuss how she got into wine journalism and career cliff notes. Shana walks listeners through how she got into wine journalism and what it took to succeed in such a niche category. Shana talks about her process as a wine journalist and how she curates her stories. She discusses the importance of reading and events that help pique her interest in stories on specific brands, vineyards, and more. She advises aspiring journalists specializing in niche topics and how to get hyper-focused in that niche.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

• Examples of how Shana Clarke finds/curates different stories
• What wine journalism looks like today
• Tips on how to become focused as a writer in a certain niche
• Shana’s career cliff notes and other types of writing she’s done before
• Tips for aspiring journalists wanting to enter in a more niche type of journalism
• What niche reporting is good for
• What themes and stories Shana is working on this Spring
• Her story ideas on why the wine industry might be struggling in this day and age and other big and broad topics she is interested in writing about
• Shana’s pitching preferences
• And more!

Listener Links:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanaspeakswine/
• Threads: https://twitter.com/shanaspeakswine?lang=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanaclarke/
• Website: www.shanaspeakswine.com
• For book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/150-vineyards-you-need-to-visit-before-you-die-shana-clarke/18477518?ean=9789401485463
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