Here’s a list of seven blogs and websites that accept pitches and/or queries directly from freelance writers.
Topics include sports, humor, profiles, journalism, news, and politics.
The payment rates listed are based on our best research; use them as a guide when negotiating payment. They are not guaranteed.
— Jacob Jans (Contributions from Fatima Saif)
Deadspin is a blog and a sports news website. They post commentaries and previews of the main sports stories of the day. They also post sports-related anecdotes and rumors. Payment reports suggest that they pay up to ten cents per word. To contact them, refer to this page.
April Magazine is an online magazine for East and South East Asian Women. They “promote role models, share ideas, and raise voices that deserve to be heard.” They want to cover stories by and for Asian women. According to payment reports, they pay $0.10 per word. To learn more, visit this page.
Cracked is an American humor website. They are famous for their list-style feature articles. For an author’s first four accepted articles, they pay $150 each. From the fifth article onward, they pay $250. To learn more, refer to this page.
Religion & Politics is an online news journal that features “articles from scholars and journalists who proceed from a single premise: that for better and for worse, religion and politics converge, clash, and shape public life.” They prefer pitches for potential articles. According to one payment report, they paid $0.26 per word. To learn more, visit this page.
AlterNet is a news magazine and an online community which “creates original journalism and amplifies the best of hundreds of other independent media sources.” They publish narratives, success stories, expert analyses, investigative reports and critiques of policies. According to payment reports, they pay around $200 per story. For further details, read their writer guidelines
The Atlantic features news and analysis on business, politics, foreign affairs, cultural trends and technology. According to payment reports, they pay $0.12 per word. Although, they were recently purchased by a foundation run by the widow of Steve Jobs. Perhaps that means theiir budget will increase. To send a pitch, refer to this page.
Cognoscenti is the opinion page of WBUR-FM (a public radio station owned by Boston University). They publish commentaries on a wide range of topics including “politics, culture, sports, law, medicine, innovation, religion, media, parenting and style.” They do not consider submissions that exceed 1,000 words. 750 is the ideal word count for them. They pay a $50 honorarium upon request. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
