Why Should You Write For Yatta-Tachi?

We all know what it’s like starting out. You face one of two main issues: you either lack the education or you lack the job experience. To overcome this, maybe you dive into the area you’re focused on and are hoping for the breakthrough that would get your name out there. We know that feeling all too well.

I’m gonna be honest, when I started up Yatta-Tachi back in 2015, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how to manage a group of people from all over the world, located in three different time zones. I didn’t know how to promote our articles or generate organic traffic. What the heck is Bounce rate? Average time on page? Whaaaa? The only advantage I had is the fact that my career is based on UX (user experience) visual design, but that wasn’t going to cut it when it comes to the marketing & business of running a site. I had to be a quick learner and hope to pick up the knowledge I needed along the way (which thankfully I did).

Fast forward to today and Yatta-Tachi is becoming one of the more recognizable websites focused on Japanese culture, with a fantastic team of writers and editors from 5 different countries. Our hard work is paying off, allowing us to make a name for ourselves and opening many doors. For example, we just had a mini collaboration with Crunchyroll last week for their 2016 Anime Awards, and we hope it is the beginning of much more!

This site was built by a handful of volunteers during their free time, outside of jobs and school, and who’ve worked their damnedest to produce fantastic content for our readers to enjoy. We would love for some of you out there to help us grow. We welcome writers from all walks of life and from around the world who want to get their names out there into the industry.

Don’t just take my word for it. Here are what detrop, Cindy, and Greg have to say:

“If you love writing and contributing your knowledge or opinion on Japanese culture, Yatta-Tachi is the place to be! The TBT series is the fruit of my pangs of nostalgia for shows, manga, and games that I grew up with. Rediscovering, researching, writing, and sharing my fond memories drives me to write for Yatta-Tachi. I love reading people’s responses as they find out interesting tidbits about their childhood shows, or when they share other findings of those classic games. Bonus point: we are all chill people but we always put our best out!” – detrop

“My reasons for writing for Yatta-Tachi have changed over time. At first, I thought it would be good for experience and resume-building (it might still be, though I never ended up with my desired job in publishing). Then it turned into “being able to interact with others who share my interests.” That’s still one of my reasons, but now that I’m in Japan via the JET Program, I also want to try sharing some of Japan with anyone who’s interested. That’s what’s great about writing for Yatta-Tachi. It’s a site that lets its writers’ ideas evolve.” – Cindy Caraturo

“Yatta-Tachi is an awesome place to be a writer. I got the chance to share opinions and ideas with a lovely community of readers and be part of an incredible team of writers and editors that helped me grow every day while having a great time. If you’re eager to share your knowledge about a certain topic you’re passionate about, Yatta-Tachi is what you’re looking for.” – Greg Vendramini

If you want the same thing, then you should seriously consider becoming a Yatta-Tachi contributor. The vast majority of contributors started by emailing us a pitch for an idea that they had or just filling out the form we put together. All of the staff are volunteers, myself included, but we have made sure that our contributors get something back in return for writing for us.

Are there perks for volunteering? Heck yeah there are, with more to come!

• Career exposure: When we share your articles on social media, we make sure to tag you and get your name out there!
• Broaden your readership: Thousands of your peers (and potential employers, clients, or publishers) will see/read your work.
• Recommendation letters: Whether you’re applying for a job or the JET program, we would gladly write a recommendation for you! Keep in mind, you must be working with us for at least 6 months.
• Get extensive feedback from our team: You will get to work closely with an editor on revisions to ensure your article is at its best.
• Website Training: Learn about SEO, Google Analytics, WordPress, Accessibility, Readability and other marketing/web aspects that you can put on your resume or even utilize on your own blog and/or website.
• Get press passes to your local anime conventions: Got a local convention you want to go to? Awesome! We are always down for convention coverage (interviews, cosplay photos, etc.) so we will do our best to get your weekend badge taken care of! Keep in mind, you must be working with us for at least 6 months.
• Invitations to exclusive industry events: Funimation has been known to hold special events/screenings for anime movies in Los Angeles & New York City. If you live in either of those cities, we would love for you to go!
• Free swag/promotional merchandise: We are slowly yet surely rolling out promotional items for all of our contributors to receive.
• Our fanbase: Involvement with our fantastic fans from all around the world.
• “Team Building” Events: We hope you’re a fan of games, because we like to hangout via Skype and play online games like Don’t Starve Together on Steam.
• Cats & Dogs Memes Galore: We are avid animal lovers, so don’t be surprised if we send you a funny cat video collage or cute animal of the day.

Sound enticing? Why not join us? The Yatta-Tachi team is ready and waiting to start working with you! To find out more, like where to apply, please visit our Become a Contributor page!