** NOTE: I accidentally linked to the wrong article in a recent email. For those interested, here’s the link to 22 Magazines & Websites that Pay $1000 Per Article. Sorry about that! — Jacob

Here’s a list of 32 magazines, websites, and blogs that pay freelance writers up to $500 per article, and sometimes more.

Don’t know how to actually get published by these publications? Then I recommend you sign up for this free webinar.  You’ll learn how to win over an editor in 150 words or less. Learn more here.

— Jacob Jans

1. Defector is a sports blog and media company. They pay at least $1,000 for longer essays and reported pieces, and at least $500 for shorter pieces. You can submit your pitches to pitches@defector.com. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide and freelancer policies.
2. The News Station is a national alt-weekly that covers the war on drugs, prison and criminal justice reform, CBD, the innovations in health and wellness, culture, politics, and more. They welcome pitches from freelancers. Regarding the rates, their managing editor tweeted: “my interns get $75 for short pieces explaining new science/research, then about $150 for a researched news piece or $200 for features; then we’ll usually be $250 for day of, non-breaking news pieces, and as much as $500 though usually around $300 to $400 for features.” Learn more here. Read their styleguide and journalistic standards here.
3. Life & Thyme is a print magazine and website that specializes in culinary storytelling and food journalism. They welcome contributors from all over the globe. They typically pay $200 to $500 per story. To become a contributor, refer to this page.
4. GreenBiz is a business-to-business media company that focuses on corporate sustainability practice and strategy. They are looking for both shorter (500 to 800 words) and longer (800 to 1,200 words) pieces across a range of topics. Their target audience is senior leaders in large corporations. These senior leaders’ “firms are driven by hardcore business goals as much as by sustainability ones, and they’re seeking to align the two.” According to their editorial director, they pay $200 to $500 per piece. To learn more, refer to this page.
5. Via Magazine is a magazine and website that serves AAA (American Automobile Association) members in nine western states. They offer travel tips and inspiration. They also offer practical life advice about managing your money, living well at home and away, and taking care of your house and car. They pay $200 to $500 per piece. To contact them, refer to this page.
6. Sisters From AARP is a weekly newsletter that celebrates Black women. They cover style, health, relationships, culture, work, money, and more. According to their contributing editor, they generally pay $500 per post. To contact them, refer to this page.
7. Phenomenal World is a publication that features research, analysis, and commentary on social sciences. The publication is managed by staff of the Jain Family Institute (JFI). They publish content by JFI staff and fellows, as well as by external researchers and writers. They “welcome submissions on any topic in the social sciences, particularly economics, history, philosophy, sociology, economic history, and kindred fields.” Their interests are very broad. According to this Tweet, they pay $500 for longform pieces and $250 for interviews. Details here.
8. Contently is “a technology company that helps brands create great content at scale.” To help freelancers during the coronavirus pandemic, they have decided to frontload their freelance content budget for The Content Strategist (Contently’s publication about content strategy and content marketing). This will allow them to accept more freelance work. They will pay a flat rate of $500 for a story. They will pay $300 for Q&As (published occasionally). For details, visit this page.
9. Wethos deploys “responsive teams of creative and marketing specialists to help meaningful brands stay competitive in a rapidly-evolving digital landscape.” They are interested in pieces on the following topics: “business development tips for freelancers, building teams with diverse perspectives, Gen Z and digital entrepreneurship, imagining a more ethical gig economy, distributed teams and leadership, the future of agencies and workplaces.” They pay $50 to $500 per piece. Details here.
10. Distiller Magazine is a publication of the American Distilling Institute. They cover the art and business of craft distillation. They welcome queries for articles. They pay $500 plus $75 per image for topical features of 1,500 to 2,000 words. They pay $100 plus $25 per image for single-topic, narrow-focus blog-style articles of 300 to 500 words. For details, read their submission guidelines.
11. Study Hall is “a media newsletter & online support network for media workers.” They are looking for “media criticism, reported media-adjacent stories, etc.” They especially encourage pitches from trans, queer, and people color. They pay $100 to $500+ per piece. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread. You can pitch them here.
12. Honeybadger is an error monitoring company that helps developers find and fix bugs quicker. They are looking for developers to create several series of articles. A series will consist of 3 to 5 stand-alone articles of 500 to 1,000 words each. Payment for one article will start at $500. Payment will be higher for longer pieces. For details, visit this page.
13. Prism is a nonprofit that is working in tandem with Daily Kos. They elevate “stories, ideas, and solutions from leaders, thinkers, and activists whose voices are critical to a reflective democracy.” They are seeking pitches for articles, essays, and op-eds. They pay 40 cents per word. They are also seeking comics, graphic stories, or other illustrated work, for which they pay $150 to $500. To learn more, refer to this Twitter post and their call for pitches.
14. Color Bloq is a platform for queer and trans people of color. They are “building a safe media space online, and safe community spaces offline.” They pay up to $500 for nonfiction articles/ essays of 1,200 to 2,000 words. They pay $200 for personal essays of 600 to 800 words. They pay $300 to the writer and $100 stipend to the artist for visual artist features. To learn more, refer to this page.
15. The Revelator is “an online news and ideas initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity.” They cover climate change, endangered species, wildlife, conservation, pollution, and more. For about 1,000 words, they pay $300 to first-time contributors and $350 to returning contributors; they publish one freelance article per week at this rate. They also publish one slightly more involved story per month, for which they pay up to $500. Details here.
16. Contingent Magazine is a nonprofit online magazine for “everyone who asks questions about the past.” They pay a base rate of $500 for features (2,000 to 3,000 words), $250 for shorts (800 to 1,500 words), $250 for field trips, and $350 for reviews. To learn more, refer to this page.
17. Southerly is an independent media organization that covers ecology, culture, and justice in the American South. They are looking for news analysis, short features, profiles, and photo stories. They pay $500 for 700 to 1,000 words, and $750 for 1,200 to 1,600 words. To learn more, refer to this page.

18. Tastings is the quarterly electronic member newsletter of Food and Culinary Professionals, a dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. They are accepting queries for CPEU (continuing professional education units) articles. They pay $500 for an article of 2,000 words. To learn more, visit this page.

19. Religion & Politics is an online news journal covering the convergence of religion and politics. Their premise: “for better and for worse, religion and politics converge, clash, and shape public life.” According to one report, they paid around $500 for a feature length article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
20. The American Scholar covers public affairs, literature, history, and culture. They have been around since 1932. They are published quarterly by the Phi Beta Kappa Society. They pay up to $500 for print articles, and up to $250 for articles only published on their website. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
21. Organic Lifestyle Magazine publishes in-depth educational articles about natural health, healing, the environment, food, and more. They pay $150 per article, plus up to $500 in bonuses if your article goes viral. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
22. The Counter, formerly known as The New Food Economy, is a nonprofit website. They are interested “in new business and funding models, food safety, nutrition, economics, policy and the great, wide-open middle of the food supply chain: everything that happens between farm and fork.” Multiple payment reports reflect a payment rate of $300 to $500 per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
23. Boundary Waters Journal is a Canadian print magazine that features articles that “help readers enjoy their trips to canoe country.” What ‘country’ is that? The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), Quetico Provincial Park and Superior National Forest. They pay up to $500 for features. They also pay $50 to $150 for photos. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
24. Better Humans offers a collection of self-help and self improvement articles. They accept pitches for commissioned articles, which usually pay $500. To learn more, read their submission guidelines. (See section 4.)
25. Hoof Beats Magazine is one of the top harness racing publications. They exclusively cover harness racing and the Standardbred industry, and freelancers are welcome to submit queries for such articles. The magazine is 70 percent freelance written. They pay $100 for departments and $500 for features. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
26. PTO Today is the magazine for leaders of parent-teacher organizations. They’re published 6 times a year. They publish articles about parental involvement, leadership, fundraising, working with school staff, etc. They pay $125 to $500 (down from $200 to $700!) for features. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
27. Source pays $200 to $500 “for introductions and walkthroughs of tools developed in and for newsrooms, along with detailed case studies and examinations of specific issues in news development and data journalism.” To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

28. Vox is seeking personal narratives for their “First Person” section. They are seeking “provocative personal narratives that explain the most important topics in modern life. ” Reports indicate they pay around $500 per essay. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

29. Huck Magazine explores “independent culture; people and movements that paddle against the flow.” They publish news, profiles, interviews, reportage, opinion pieces and photo essays across digital and print. They also commission documentaries and films. According to our research, they pay up to $500 for articles — though expect low-end rates, in general. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
30. The Open Notebook is a “non-profit organization that provides tools and resources to help science, environmental, and health journalists at all experience levels sharpen their skills.” They welcome pitches for brief guides, story-behind-the-story interviews, and reported features. They pay $500 for brief guides (750 words), $750 for interviews (1,500 words), and $1,000 for reported features (1,500 words). For details, read their submission guidelines.
31. The Earth Island Journal is a quarterly magazine that discusses the environment and how it relates to present-day issues. They pay 25 cents per word. According to their guidelines, an in-depth feature of 4,000 words pays $750 to $1000. To learn more, make sure to read their full submission guidelines.
32. Analog is the magazine of “science fiction and fact.” They publish stories in which some “aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. ” They pay 8-10 cents a word, up to 7,500 words. That means payment up to $750. They also publish serials and novellas, up to 80,000 words, at 6 cents per word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.