The following is a list of calls for pitches directly from editors and publishers.
We’ve included payment rates when available, as well as contact information. You’ll notice that payment rates vary widely, though many of these publisher pay $1 per word.
If you want full access to a database of almost 2,000 publishers, plus hundreds of listings like this every month, then I encourage you to join Writing Launch. However, they’re not currently open for enrollment. You can join the waiting list here.
Please only approach these publishers if you are confident in your ability to send a pitch.
– Jacob Jans
Glorious is “a global membership platform that uses women’s sport as a catalyst to uplift & inspire.” They will launch in winter 2020. Their lifestyle editor is looking for freelxance writers. Pay will be £200 to £300 per article. If interested, email annabel@glorioussport.com. Read their lifestyle editor’s Tweet here and view their website here.
Greatist is a health and wellness brand. Their newly appointed food editor has tweeted, “Are you an up and coming food writer? I’ve got some stories that need writers. Feel free to drop a link to your portfolio in the replies or slide into my DMs with questions if you’re interested!” They usually pay around $200 to $250 per piece. Read their food editor’s Twitter thread here and contact them here.
Superdrug magazine is seeking health, fitness, and beauty pitches. “Reader is mainly female late teens to early 30s” and “tone is chatty and relatable.” Rate: “£300 DPS (approx 800 words), £150 more listicle style one pager.” If interested, email jhoare@therivergroup.co.uk. To learn more, refer to this Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
GamesIndustry.biz is a website about the games industry. They cover “every facet of the games industry, from design, development, publishing, marketing, distribution or retail, all the way through to media, freelance, and studying.” They are looking for pitches on the business of making games. They accept pitches for investigative pieces, interviews with industry figures, academy articles, and editorials. They would love to see pitches from marginalized writers. Their standard rate is £150 per article. For more information, read their senior staff writer’s Twitter thread and their pitch guide.
The Denver Post is a newspaper and website that is a source for breaking news and information about Colorado. The Know is The Denver Post’s entertainment website. They are seeking an LGBTQIA+ freelance journalist (preferably in/near Denver) to work on some assignments for them. They generally pay $150 to $300 per story. If interested, send your pitches to brankin@denverpost.com. For details, refer to this Tweet. To contact The Denver Post, refer to this page and to contact The Know, refer to this page.
Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities is a project about practicing solidarity. They are looking to commission a piece for their November column. They are looking for a Black or Asian American political writer. They want to “work with someone who is interested in one of two lenses for this piece: 1, a quick-turnaround response to the outcome of the presidential election, or 2, a broader piece that explores + uplifts how we continue to engage politically in this moment regardless of outcome.” Pay is $300. If interested, contact sentisojwal@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread. To read their previous work, refer to this page.
Deadline: October 16th, 2020
Writers on the Range is a nonprofit that is dedicated to lively discussion about the West. They cover public lands, agriculture, water, natural resources, and economic institutions of the West. They are looking for writers. They are seeking submissions from youth, women, people of color, and indigenous people. They want pieces (up to 750 words) about the West that are preferably written by writers who live and work in the West. They will pay $200 per column. If interested, send pitches to david@writersontherange.org. For details, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Lady Science is a monthly magazine about “women and gender in the history and popular culture of science, technology, and medicine.” They are open for features submissions in 2021. They love working with newer writers and especially encourage pitches from “WOC writers, LGBTQ+ writers, and/or writers with disabilities.” They can offer $150 per piece. Email your pitches to sarah@ladyscience.com. To learn more, refer to their Twitter thread and this page.
NAZAR is an independent journalism project that covers surveillance. The project was launched by a Black Muslim journalist, Vanessa Taylor. They are open for pitches. They pay $75. Send your pitches to nazarnewsletter@protonmail.com. Read their Tweet here and learn more about them here.
Deadline: October 16th, 2020
The Texas Observer is a bimonthly magazine and website that offers sharp reporting on news, politics, and culture of Texas. They are looking for freelancers. They want pitches that are “thoroughly researched, timely, and tailored to the Observer.” They publish short news stories (500 to 1,000 words), political commentaries and opinions (500 to 1,000 words), book reports (800 to 1,200 words), features (1,500 to 4,000 words), culture features (2,000 to 3,500 words), essays (1,000 to 1,500 words), postcards (2,000 to 3,500 words), and poems (30 lines or shorter). According to payment reports, they pay up to $0.50/word. If interested, email your pitches to pitches@texasobserver.org. For details, refer to their Tweet and freelance writer’s guide.
Motherwell is an online publication about parenting. They have posted their call for submissions: “Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, most of us will be home for the holidays this year. Motherwell is looking for original essays about how you are celebrating a little differently in 2020, but also any reflections on past holiday experiences. All formats welcome and please include a word count (we tend to cap at 1,200).” They pay $50/selected featured essay. To learn more, refer to their Tweet and this page.
Positive News is a London, United Kingdom-based website and quarterly print magazine that “publishes good journalism about good things.” Their editor-in-chief is looking for “sparky, smart, unique ideas for solutions-focused features” for their next issue which will come out in January. They usually pay 25p per word. Email your pitches to editorial@positive.news. For details, refer to their editor-in-chief’s Tweet and their pitching guide.
Deadline: October 14th, 2020
Romper is a website for millennial moms. Their newly appointed editorial director has tweeted, “please pitch me with your excellent ideas on the state of parenting right now, hilarious, moving, sad, crazy, or otherwise!” According to one payment report, they paid $150 for a profile or interview of about 1,000 words. Send pitches to elizabeth.angell@bustle.com. Read their editorial director’s Tweet here and their pitch guide here.
Yes! Magazine is a nonprofit and independent publisher of solutions journalism. They are accepting pitches for their Spring 2021 issue. They are seeking “leads and pitches for reported stories on community initiatives or groups that move us toward an ecological civilization.” They are “looking for themes of human rights, environmental stewardship, decolonization, racial equity, food justice, economic fairness, localization, and well-being and caretaking.” For reporting, they pay writers 50 cents per word. If interested, email your pitches to spring2021@yesmagazine.org. For details, read their Twitter thread and call for submissions.
Deadline: October 16th, 2020
Bitch Media is a nonprofit, independent, feminist media organization dedicated to providing and encouraging an engaged, thoughtful feminist response to mainstream media and popular culture. Their senior editor is seeking timely pop culture and politics pitches. They pay $150/$175 for digital stories. If interested, email your pitches to rachel@b-word.org. For more information, refer to their senior editor’s Twitter thread and their contributors’ guidelines.
The Femedic is a media and research platform for women’s health. They are commissioning. They have 2 content streams: Medical and Editorial. Their “Medical stream is content written by medical professionals and responds to questions that are clinical in nature.” They usually commission their medical writers to write on these topics rather than accept unsolicited pitches. Their “Editorial stream covers all aspects of health that are non-clinical in nature” which includes “social and political factors, identity, culture, discrimination, gender, lifestyle, and sharing particular women’s experiences.” This content doesn’t require clinical knowledge or expertise to investigate. The types of editorial content that they publish are: “first-person essays and narratives” and “features.” They pay £150 per feature (700 to 900 words). If interested, send your pitches to monica@thefemedic.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Insider Reviews is a division of Insider that publishes reviews of products and services. Their style & beauty guides editor is seeking “a diverse group of freelancers to help out with style & beauty buying guides — writing new ones and updating old ones.” They are especially seeking BIPOC, plus-size, and LGBTQ+ writers. Priority will be given to those writers who can contribute more than once per month. Their rates “start at $250 for a new guide or for fully updating an old guide.” If interested, email mdelrusso@businessinsider.com. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Twitter thread. To read Insider Reviews, refer to this page.
The Face is a British magazine that covers style, music, TV, film, fashion, culture, and more. Their US editor has tweeted, “Looking for pitches re: Claudia Conway, Marxist TikTokers, Pokemon go to the polls playlists, Trump’s ‘reckless joyride’, if you do/don’t care about the election, any guides/explanations about politics people don’t understand.” According to payment reports, they pay £150 to £500 for features. If interested, send your pitches to trey@theface.com. Read their editor’s Tweet here. Learn more about them here.
Bdaily is an online publisher of regional business news in the UK. Their editor has tweeted, “Wanted: freelancer pitches on all things tech! Looking for well-researched yet accessible pieces for an engaged audience of entrepreneurs/business leaders. If AI, robotics, IoT or any emerging tech is your thing then I’d love to hear your pitch.” Pay is £80 per article (800 to 1,200 words). Email your pitches to jane.imrie@bdaily.co.uk. Read their editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.
Dazed is a British style magazine and an online platform that covers music, film, TV, fashion, art, culture, photography, politics, science, and technology. Their editor has tweeted, “I’m working on commissioning some longreads and things for Dazed digital in the lead up to the US election, and keen to platform new voices and stories on the site. Most interested in human experience-led stories that speak to wider issues and solid reports on underreported issues – from LGBTQ stories and marginalised communities, to climate, abortion, healthcare, the opioid crisis, mass incarceration, activists on frontlines or trends, analysis, sharp interviews – like how a faction of internet culture will influence the election, or investigating an interesting (exciting, sinister?) activist or cultural movement, a profile of an underdog candidate running on a unique ticket.” Pay is at least £150 for shortest pieces (e.g. a Q+A) and around £300 for a reported longread. If interested, email your pitches and clips to anna.cafolla@dazedmedia.com. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Rest of World is a new international nonprofit journalism organization that is focused on “the impact of technology beyond the Western bubble.” Their newly appointed senior editor is accepting pitches. Rates start at $1 per word. If interested, DM their senior editor on Twitter. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
People with Disability Australia (PWDA) is “a national disability rights, advocacy and representative organisation that is made up of, led and governed by people with disability.” They are seeking pitches from disabled and d/Deaf Australians for Disability Royal Commission blog. Blogs can be “written (500-700 words) or delivered in audio or video format (3-4 minutes).” Pay will be $200 per blog post. Send pitches to naomic@pwd.org.au. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Fen + Field is a human/nature magazine that publishes stories of wildhearts and wilderness. They are accepting pitches. They would love to hear from sustainability, travel or lifestyle writers or photographers with “an eco edge.” Their “ideal pitches delve into modern human experiences that are sensitive and in balance to the wild world.” They pay up to £150. If interested, contact them at hello@fenandfield.co. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Transformations is an online magazine of narrative essays. The magazine is “published by the Narrative Storytelling Initiative at Arizona State University and is a publishing channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books.” They are looking for personal essays on political awakening or transformation. They want completed essays of 600 to 800 words. They will pay an honorarium of $75. Email your submissions to transformations@asu.edu. For details, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Deadline: October 18th, 2020
Verywell Health is an online resource for health and wellness information. They are seeking freelancers to pitch/cover news stories for their Fit/Family/Mind brands. They are “not a breaking news site but do require same-week turnaround w/expert interviews (2+ per story) to respond to current news while providing context and actionable steps.” They pay $200 for 700-1,000 words, $250 for 1,001-1,500 words, and $300 for 1,501+ words. If interested, contact them at writeforus@verywell.com. To learn more, refer to their senior editor’s Twitter thread and this page.
City Bureau is a civic journalism lab based on Chicago’s South Side. They have tweeted, “We’re launching our first public series today: How a Community Heals. In the wake of a global pandemic, an economic downturn and a historic uprising, Black and brown Chicagoans are working to mend the wounds left behind. Have a story you want to share?” Pay is $200 per story (800 words or less). Email your pitches to healing@citybureau.org. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Fostering Families Today is a print magazine that offers “expert opinions, practical advice, and information on the latest evidence-based best practices for supporting children and youth who come from traumatic backgrounds.” They are seeking story pitches from foster youth in the Bay Area about foster care or juvenile justice. They are accepting pitches from San Francisco and Sacramento. They will pay $100 per essay (600 to 800 words). To learn more, refer to their Tweet and pitch submission form. To contact them, refer to this page.
Bernard & Hawkes is a Boston-based startup that curates local getaways near you and shares information and inspiration to help you relax at home. They are accepting pitches from New England writers. They are seeking “New England travel features, Q&As with notable people based in New England, and unique self-care stories.” They will pay $150 to $300 per piece. Email your pitches to jackie.homan@bernardandhawkes.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Alma is an online community for Jewish millennial women who are trying to figure the “whole adult thing out.” Pitch them if you are “a Jewish person who has chosen to freeze your eggs, especially in light of the pandemic.” Pay starts at $250. Send pitches to molly@heyalma.com. For details, refer to their editor’s Tweet. To learn how to write for them, refer to this page.
No Patient Left Behind is “a non-profit dedicated to making medications affordable for everyone in America.” They are looking for “freelance journalists to help harness words and stories to ensure all patients can get the drugs they need and change healthcare in America for the better.” They will pay at least $1 per word. If interested, send resume and clips to their executive editor, Lynda Gorov. For details, refer to this Twitter thread. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
The River publishes independent news stories about the Hudson Valley. They are seeking pitches on “voter suppression in New York, preferably with an upstate angle.” They are looking for “reports on acute instances, deep dives into systemic issues, Q&As with experts, and anything in between.” Pay is $0.25 per word. Send pitches to phillip.pantuso@chronogram.com. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
