Dear Writers,
Here are 13 editors that recently called for pitches directly from freelance writers. All of them included calls for essays or opinion pieces. Keep in mind that the specifics varied significantly.
When one editor was asked for their “submission guidelines”, they responded by saying the best guideline is to carefully study the publication, and then send something the audience would want to read. That’s a good rule of thumb, but there is a lot that goes into sending a successful pitch. Before sending a pitch to any of these editors, please watch this free lecture.
— Jacob Jans
PS: Thanks to Fatima Saif for her research on this article.
Akin Magazine is “a fiercely independent lifestyle publication championing stories of creatives from around the world.” They are seeking pitches for their new issue covering the theme of ‘New Beginnings’. They are accepting opinion pieces, personal essays, and interviews/features. They will pay £50 per piece. Pitches should be sent to helloakinmagazine@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to their founder’s Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
Punkee is an Australian entertainment and pop culture news website. Their editor has tweeted, “Punkee is doing a dating app themed week in August and I am looking for a couple of more articles! Email me if you have a dating pitch/opinion you’re wanting to blast out into the world: tahlia.pritchard@junkeemedia.com.” This opportunity is only for Australian based writers. Rate is $200 per article. Read their editor’s Twitter thread here and learn more about Punkee here.
Mic is a digital news company that “chronicles our generation’s most compelling stories at the intersection of culture, impact, and identity.” They are gearing up for a re-launch, and seeking pitches for featured articles. Rates start at “$400 for short essays and 50 cents a word for reported features, depending on a writer’s experience and expertise.” To learn more, read their pitching guide, and the editor’s Tweet.
HuffPost Personal is a personal stories section in HuffPost (a news and opinion website). They are seeking personal essays from Latinx writers for Latinx Heritage Month. Personal essays can be “in any subject area as long as they somehow intersect with the topic of Latinx identity.” Their rates start at $125. Pitches should be sent to emily.mccombs@huffpost.com. To learn more, read their deputy editor’s Tweet and their pitch guide.
The Media Co-Op is a Canadian network of progressive news cooperatives. They are currently “looking for investigative reporting, historical analysis, essays, and feature articles. We’re always interested in publishing more pieces on strikes, abolition, and land defence.” They pay up to $200 per article. To learn more, read their Tweet and this page.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a daily newspaper for Philadelphia. They are looking for op-ed pitches. Their editor loves pieces on climate, energy, and aliens. Their rates for op-eds usually start at $100. For more information, read this Tweet and their opinion submission guidelines.
The i Paper is a British national newspaper. Their assistant opinion editor is looking for pitches. They will pay 25p/word. If interested, send your pitches to baptiste@inews.co.uk. For more information, read their editor’s Tweet and their opinion section’s pitch guide.
The Flock is a digital space for “smart, enquiring women who want to lead a good life.” Their founder is looking for news or opinion pitches. They pay £100 per feature. If interested, email your pitches to hello@flockmag.com. To learn more, refer to their founder’s Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
The Atlantic is a magazine that covers news, politics, science, technology, culture, education, health, and more. They are looking for pitches for “America In Person, a new section with stories that explore what it means to be American, including American identity, cultures, and subcultures.” They are especially interested in stories rooted in reporting. They will also accept personal essays. According to one payment report, they paid $400 for a 1,200-word reported story with multiple interviews. Pitches should be sent to mrodriguez@theatlantic.com. To learn more, refer to their senior editor’s Twitter thread. To read America In Person, refer to this page.
Chron is the website of the Houston Chronicle (the largest daily newspaper in Houston). They are seeking feature pitches for their site as they move to increase their culture and lifestyle reporting. They want profiles, first-person essays, cultural commentary pieces, listicles, trend coverage, and more. They pay $0.50 per word. To learn more, refer to Chron’s senior editor’s Tweet and Chron’s Twitter thread and feature guidelines.
Wear Your Voice is “a digital feminist magazine for and by LGBTQIA+ Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).” They are “covering a wide range of topics from queer/trans Black folks and other POC, topics include music, pop culture, abolition, sex & health, social/political issues, and more.” They will pay $150 per essay. If interested, email your pitches to dashaun@wyvmag.com. For more information, read their managing editor’s Twitter thread and their submissions guide.
The Good Trade is “a community dedicated to sustainability, self-love, and slow living.” They are reviewing pitches for their fall editorial calendar. They are seeking personal essays and how-to guides for any and all of their “verticals (sustainable living, politics, relationships, parenting, self-care, culture, and more).” They would love to hear from BIPOC and other underrepresented voices. They will pay $200 for 800 to 1,000 words. Send your pitches to editorial@thegoodtrade.com. To learn more, refer to their senior editor’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Deadline: August 4th, 2021
Metro.co.uk covers news, lifestyle, health, food, sex, entertainment, sports, and more. They are looking for first person and comment pieces. They pay about £100 per 800 words. Send your pitches to zesha.saleem@metro.co.uk. To learn more, refer to this Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
