no. 40

from previous editions

food

DC, Boston, + New Orleans Dining Scene: Jonathan Smith, senior editor at The Infatuation, is commissioning freelance writers in DC, New Orleans, and Boston, “who are deeply knowledgeable about their city's dining scene — from the longtime classics to the buzzy newcomers, and everything in-between. Generally, we're looking for freelancers who want to author both guides and reviews, are allergic to food writing cliches, and have an intuitive ability to recognize use-cases for different restaurants, sometimes for absurdly specific situations.” Rates: $750 for guides and $150 for individual reviews, “with final rates determined based on the length of a guide, amount of additional research required, and experience.” E-mail pitches to [email protected] with “PITCH:” and the proposed headline.

Grocery Diaries: Stephanie Pitera Statile, Lifestyle/Entertainment editor at Business Insider, is looking for fresh pitches for their Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe’s grocery diaries. Rate: $175. Pitch here.

Food: Gastro Obscura is open for pitches. They have a very in-depth breakdown of how to pitch them, including examples of what they’re looking for. Pay: $.50/word.

Food: Taste Cooking is looking for a variety of topics, including recipes and food culture features. "We’re most interested in your well-reasoned idea. A story with a strong point of view that is backed by clear reporting and/or supported by proven expertise." With your pitch, please include "why you are qualified to write this story. And if we don’t know you, we’d like to see some of your work. Links are great. The pitch should outline the story in detail, with specifics. For us, the excitement comes from not just colorful copy but substance to back it up. A wise turn of phrase is not a substitute for detailed observation and reporting. If you pitch a feature involving recipe development or sourcing from chefs, clips of similar work are required." E-mail pitches to Matt Rodbard at [email protected].

Food: Vittles Cooking is opening the cooking section for pitches for the first time. Although there are no restrictions on what you can pitch – beyond the need to be related to home cooking in one way or another – they’re especially interested in stories on “the rules don’t matter” (the pleasures of ignoring the ‘right’ way of doing things), “..maybe they do” (techniques and approaches that transforming/optimize cooking), “cooking and work” (fitting cooking into daily life), “cooking and climate crisis” (impact of ecological disasters and seasonal disruptions in markets and the kitchen), “cooking under duress (what it takes to keep yourself/others fed during illness, grief, turmoil), and recipe sets. They’re also particularly interested in hearing from people whose work challenges the traditional European and/or American-centred perspective of mainstream food writing. Rate: £150/40p a word for shorter pieces, £500 for 500 - 800 word essays. Pitch: [email protected] with the subject, COOKING PITCH.

Hospitality: Pre Shift, a newsletter from Eater and Punch by and for the hospitality industry, is looking for pitches of “first-person essays or narrative reporting from within the hospitality industry (chefs, bartenders, servers, bouncers, etc.). They are “especially interested in hearing from writers of color and writers outside of NYC.” Rate: $0.50 per word. E-mail pitches to [email protected]. Use “Pre Shift Pitch” in the subject line. 

Whisky: Glug Magazine’s sister, Stramash, is looking for contributors with fresh, interesting things to say about the whisky world. Rate: $.25/word. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

travel

Appalachia: 100 Days in Appalachia is always looking for pitches of reported, personal, and visual stories from 13 - to 25-year-olds in Appalachia for its Generation Zeitgeist column. “We believe young journalists, creators, and young people in general should be paid for their work and have sustainable platforms to house what they create.” Rates begin at $50 - $100 for opinions and more for reporting and multimedia works. Submit pitches through this pitch form.

First-person food and travel: Lydia Wang, a new Lifestyle/Entertainment editor at Business Insider, is looking for first-person essays about “travel, food, cooking, and moving with strong takeaways/service angles.” Rates start at $230 for around 600 words. Submit pitches through this form.

Canada: Rosie Long Decter, editor-in-chief at Maisonneuve Magazine, is seeking pitches for narrative-driven stories relevant to Canada for its Fall 2025 issue. “The stories can be locally specific but need to be connected to broader ideas that are interesting to a general audience. We typically work with Canadian writers but are not opposed to others, as long as the stories are in some way relevant to a Canadian readership." Rate: $0.15 CAD/word. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Beach Travel: Charity De Souza shared that Beach.com is now open to ideas as it prepares to relaunch. They’re looking for authentic, well-researched travel content that helps travelers plan their next beach trip. Rates: $250 for 1,500 words, $300 for 1,500 + personal photos. Submit through this form.

Travel: Fodor’s has opened to pitches for spring 2025. Please pitch topics that are not already covered on their site. Remember, they do not accept destination service/SEO content. Ideal pitches are for “serviceable” stories that teach readers something new. Pitches through this form.

Travel: Stephanie Pitera Statile, editor at Business Insider, is looking for pitches of essays on ferry trips, flight and cruise upgrades, retirement travel, and moving to/from the US. Rates start at $200 for 600 words. Pitch using this form.

Food/Drink/Travel: Christie Rotondo, senior editor for Vox Creative, is always commissioning writers “for assignments in the food, drink, and travel space.” She told Study Hall that Vox is “constantly creating Eater heatmaps and Thrillist local guides and want to grow our roster of local writers.” Rate: $750 for maps or guides. E-mail bio and 2 -3 clips of relevant work to christie@[email protected] with subject line: Local Writer Pitch From [Your City].

Food/Drink/Travel: Daria Smith at Late Checkout seeks travel, food, and drink stories with Gen Z energy. Pitches must be newsworthy/have a news angle (why does this story need to be told now?) and have accompanying visuals. Successful pitches also focus on one specific column, are 200 words max, nail Late Checkout’s voice, and have a fleshed-out concept. Rate: $200. Read full pitching guidelines here. E-mail pitches to: [email protected].

New England Travel: Jen Rose Smith, editor at Seven Days, is always looking for pitches for a travel series “about visiting Québec aimed at people living in Vermont.” “We're next-door neighbors, so stories can assume some basic familiarity. (i.e., this is not the place for ‘Montreal!! A cosmopolitan wonderland with Euro flair!!’)." They generally cover places within a few hours of the Vermont border — Montréal, the Eastern Townships, Québec City, etc., “but we're also open to big, dreamy stories that showcase how vast and diverse the province is.” Rate: $250-$325 for 1,200-1,800 words. Pitch: [email protected].

Travel: Off Assignment seeks submissions for their "Letter to a Stranger," "Under the Influence," "No Equivalent," "What I Didn't Say," and "Witching Hour" columns. Only completed drafts are considered for publication. Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Pay range: $100 (Witching Hour) - $300.

Outdoors: Ryan Wichelns, founding editor at Trails Magazine, is looking for pitches from through-hikers or members of the Appalachian Trail Community about Hurricane Helene, its impact on the trail/trail community, or its recovery. Pitch: [email protected].

Outdoors: Stasia Stockwell, managing editor for Trails Magazine, is looking for pitches on backpacking food. “We need recipes as well as stories: Think a profile of a backcountry chef or a review of a unique piece of camp kitchen gear. Rate: $.50/word. Pitch: [email protected].

home + garden

Groceries: Mara Weinraub, Senior Editor at The Kitchn, is looking for pitches from new writers who have “ingenious advice and strong opinions about the groceries we buy and the retailers and we buy them from.” She is looking for personal essays, reported features, expert-approved tips, noteworthy trends, cultural phenomena, and more. Rate: $150/300-word story. Pitch: [email protected].

Moving: Paige DiFiore, Deputy Editor of Lifestyle and Entertainment at Business Insider, wants pitches from “folks who moved away from a place they loved living in for years, moved for a job or a partner's job, unexpectedly fell in love with living in a place they never thought they'd love or have lived many places until finding one that they adore.” Rate: $240 for 600 - 700 words. Submit pitches here.

Renovations: Paige is also looking for stories from writers who “recently did renovations and remodels and have regrets. Outdoor spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, fixer-uppers — you name it.” Rate: $230 for 600 - 700 words. Submit pitches here.

Sustainability: Lynn Freehill-Maye, managing editor at Hudson Valley Viewfinder, is looking for pitches on reported stories on “sustainability, agriculture, science, wildlife, outdoor recreation, green transportation, and more” related to the Hudson Valley. Rate: $500 - $700 for 500 - 700 words. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

parenting + relationships

Parenting: Rosemary Donahue, Health & Parenting editor at Business Insider, is looking for pitches of personal essays on “co-parenting, nontraditional engagements, parenting in 40s or older, not following milestones in relationships in the traditional order, supporting a family financially/being the breadwinner,” and more. Rate: starts at $225 for about 600 words. Pitch: [email protected] with [Pitch: Your proposed headline] as the subject line.

science, environment, health, wellness

Bereavement and Grief Support: TalkDeath is always looking for pitches of articles, fiction, and creative non-fiction on “bereavement, grief support, the funeral industry, death positivity, and anything related to death. They are especially interested in hearing from writers who can “speak to death practices and traditions from equity deserving groups, the Global South, and Indigenous writers.” Rate” $.20 for 800 - 1,000 words. Email pitches to [email protected].

Environmental Injustice: Scalawag is always looking for pitches on “environmental (in)justice, green transition, and American reindustrialization’s path through The South” for its new series, “Dirty Energy, Dirty South.” They are looking for long and short-form essays, photo essays, op-eds, reported pieces, and poetry. Specifically, they want submissions “that will offer our audience continued analysis of disaster capitalism in the South, with a special emphasis on ‘dirty energy’ and how it manifests as environmental racism and state abandonment.” Rate: $.40 per word (2,500 limit) for writing and $300 for poems. Send pitches to [email protected].

Health, Culture: Starlight Williams, editor at Nat Geo, is open to “smart (not academic), interesting (not just to you), and relevant (to a global audience)” pitches. Some examples include hidden histories, health explainers, health debunkers, or “I wonder” stories. Be sure to include a sample hed/dek that matches Nat Geo style, plus a Nut Graph that answers the 5 W’s, emphasizing why you are telling this story, and your bio plus relevant clips. E-mail pitches: [email protected].

Midlife Women’s Health: Emily Cegielski Gianakos, Health Editor at Flow Space, is always looking for pitches of reported features and first-person columns on “midlife women’s health (women aged 35 - 65).” Note that “health and wellness is the overarching topic, but “we also cover verticals that may not seem like traditional health coverage (fashion, beauty, career, self, family, relationships, entertainment, culture, etc), assuming there's some relevance to midwife women's health that's made clear in the pitch/piece.” Rate: $200 - $800. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Men’s Health: Alyssa Bereznak, GQ’s new Wellness & Grooming director, is always looking for pitches on “the latest men’s health/grooming trends, psychedelics, strength training, dating, diet, and AI health.” Rates: “vary based on experience and scope.” E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Science and health: Shannon Palus, features writer at Slate, is always looking for pitches of health and science features “that will shift/challenge how readers see the world and how it works.” Rates: $1,500 for reported features of 2,500 words. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

lifestyle + culture

Animal Welfare: Current Affairs is always looking for pitches of articles on “issues related to animal welfare” aimed at “any literate person with a high school education.” Rate: $250 for online, $350 for print. $75 per poem. Submit pitches through this form.

Book Culture: John Maher, news director at Publishers Weekly, is looking for pitches of industry news, trend pieces, and reported features on “book publishing, comics and graphic novel publishing, manga/manhwa/manhua publishing audiobook publishing, bookselling, libraries, copyright law, generative artificial intelligence, [and] large language models.” He's especially interested in stories that are at the “intersection of technology and the book business; comics, graphic novels, and manga; trends in genre publishing including science fiction, fantasy, romance, and horror.” Rate: $0.50 per word for print; “web rates vary.” Pitch: [email protected].

Brookline, MA living: Sam Mintz, founding editor at Brookline News, is always looking for pitches of “unique, interesting, creative, unusual” reported stories related to Brookline, MA. Coverage areas include business, art, sports, development, education, police, crime, health, housing, transportation, and more. Rates start at $250 and can scale up according to the project's scope. Email pitches to [email protected].

Culture: Douglas Greenwood, film editor at i-D, is looking to commission across “culture, fashion, art, and photography for i-D this month. op-eds, new talent profiles, left-field looks at what’s cool rn, and introductions to what will be cool tomorrow.” Pitch: [email protected].

Etiquette and Advice: Paige DiFiore, Deputy Editor of Lifestyle and Entertainment at Business Insider, is looking for first-person pitches of thank you note “hot takes” (people who do not write cards, people who don’t like them); wedding guest “hot takes” (loving weekday weddings, refusing to go without a plus one, etc); advice from a parent/grandparent/older relative you followed or plan to follow (retirement tips, tips for making relationships last, etc). Rate: $230/600 words. Pitch: this form.

Feminism and Culture: Nora-Biette Timmons, contributing editor at Jezebel, is looking for pitches of stories on politics, feminism, culture, fashion, and identity “that may be considered too controversial, too brash, too out-of-the-box, or too risque for traditional women’s magazines or mainstream media outlets.” Rates are listed as “competitive” but have been reported by writers to be as low as $50 for 800 words. E-mail pitches [email protected].

Great Lakes news: Lisa John Rogers, news editor at Great Lakes Now, is always looking for pitches of “longer, in-depth, well-researched pieces on issues affecting the region, shorter features on a person or event in a specific location, and articles about how current policies or dynamics are impacting Great Lakes residents and businesses. Rate: $.50 per word. Email pitches to [email protected].

Local Community: New Public is always looking for pitches of newsletter-length pieces on “community stewardship, local online groups, decentralized/alternative social media, civic health and clubs, and where journalism and social media intersect.” They are not interested in tech reviews, personal essays, investigative reporting, or marketing. Rate: “typically” $500. Send pitches to [email protected] with “Writing for the newsletter” in the subject line, and up to three links to relevant samples of your writing.

Internet + Pop Culture: Manisha Krishnan, senior editor at WIRED, is open to tips and original, surprising, and wacky pitches tied to internet culture, pop culture, tech, online dating, gaming, and more. E-mail [email protected].

Journalism: International Journalists' Network (IJNet) is always looking for pitches of articles on “tips and tricks that can help journalists globally.” This includes current media trends in your country, a journalism tool or resource they haven’t covered yet, or stories about innovators. Pitches and written pieces can be in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Russian. Rate: $200 per article. Submit pitches through this Submittable form. 

Lifestyle (Travel, Moving, Wedding Guests): Mykenna Manience, freelance associate editor at Business Insider, is looking for pitches of first-person essays on relationships with older relatives, moving or traveling post-divorce, travel mistakes and lessons learned from living abroad, moving for love, unique living situations, and hot takes from wedding guests. Rate: $230/600 words. Submit pitches through this form.

Lifestyle: Conz Preti, senior editor at Business Insider, is always looking for pitches on "parenting, health, relationships, retirement, and more." Rates: typically $220 for 700 words. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Literary Life, Culture: LitHub is always open to pitches about "literary life and culture," especially "the ways that books or their authors fit into the culture at large.” They also note they “enjoy rigorous criticism for a general audience." Send pitches (2 - 3 paragraphs outlining your idea) to [email protected].

Living with disabilities: Rooted in Rights is looking for pitches for blog posts from disabled writers interested in “sharing resources ranging from organizing tips, strategies on getting basic needs met, highlighting a direct service organization, to things that bring you joy, books, comedy, or media recommendations, accessibility workaround, tips for finding community, strategies for rest, and strategies for resistance.” Rate: $400 for 500 words (w/ option to publish anonymously). Pitch here.

Movies: Jared Keller, managing editor of Military.com, is looking for pitches of “compelling analyses of war movies, new and old” for “Theater of War,” a new column. Analysis can focus on “a certain character, a particular scene, or broader theme.” Rates: start at $400. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Neurodivergent Living: Lauren Quinn, managing editor at Motley Bloom, is always looking for pitches of “voice-driven pieces that feature lived experiences of neurodivergence” on “travel, beauty, home design, work and career, product reviews–anything that falls under the umbrella of Neurodivergent Living.” Rate: $300 (short articles) to $500 (longer researched and/or first-person pieces). Pitch: [email protected].

News (Feel-Good, Crime, Health): Jenna Amatulli, deputy head of news at The Guardian US, is always looking for pitches of trending news, health stories, crime tales, feel-good news, and more “with a strong news peg.” Rate: $.50 per word “for what’s commissioned.” E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Older Millennials + Midlife: Marquita Harris, senior editor for Gloria, told Study Hall they are looking for “essays and reported features on topics that are relevant to women who are midlife. Think: pop culture, entertainment, relationships, and beauty. We also love original, compelling, quirky, and relatable ideas” for “women who aren’t yet old but aren’t still young.” Rate: $400 for 800 - 1200 words. Pitch: [email protected] with PITCH in the subject line. 

Personal Stories: Jennifer Beck, editor at Business Insider, is always looking for pitches of personal essays on parenting, relationships, and personal stories. Currently, she’s especially interested in au pair experiences, parent behavior at kids’ sports, and hot takes on kid birthday parties. Rate: $200 for 500 - 600 words. Send pitches to [email protected].

Personal Stories: Jessica Reed, head of narrative at The Guardian US, is always looking for pitches about “normal people. Normal people who go on, endure, preserve, resist.” Think: “Walmart workers, broke teachers, gentrifiers meeting the gentrified, struggling surgeons, hard-working farmers, taxi drivers on the brink, unhoused people who choose to go to jail, etc.” Pitch: [email protected].

Political Commentary: Jeremy Schulman, Senior News Editor at Mother Jones, is looking for good essay pitches that make sense of the political discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark, Sydney Sweeney, and Taylor Swift. Rates start at $1.75/word for print and $0.75/word for online. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Rare Books: Allison C Meier, editor at Fine Books & Collections, is always looking for pitches of “timely tales about rare books and ephemera.” No further info was given, but the recent issue includes “tales of literary Portugal, people who love endpapers, poisonous books, Route 66 maps, and more.” The rates range from $200 to $600, depending on length/reporting needs.” E-mail pitches to [email protected]. 

sports, fitness, games + gaming

Crosswords: The New York Times is always accepting submissions of “intelligent, literate, entertaining and well-crafted crosswords that appeal to the broad range of Times solvers.” They are looking for “lively fill, with words, phrases, and names that solvers know or can infer from the crossings; original, on-target clues, pitched at the puzzle’s intended difficulty level, including a variety of cultural reference points; and more." Rates: $500 for Monday to Saturday 15x15 puzzles, and $1,500 for Sunday 21x21 puzzles. Submit puzzles through Submittable.

Running: Ashley Mateo, founder of RUNHER, is looking for pitches of “deeply reported stories about women’s running that invite readers to immerse themselves in the sport and its community.” Please, no prescriptive service stories or gear roundups. Investigative features will be prioritized over first-person essays. Rate: $0.50 - $2/word for 1,000 - 1,500 words. Deadline: May 17. Submit through this pitch form.

Gaming: Jack King, British GQ contributing editor, is always looking for writers (including US-based) to help expand gaming coverage. “I'd love to meet some great writers — especially with experience across profiles and in-depth feature reportage, and a distinct voice — in the space.” Pitch: [email protected].

Sports Business: Meredith Turits, the editorial director at Front Office Sports, is always looking for pitches of “features and featurettes on topics at the intersection of sports, business, and culture.” These can be evergreen or timely but “must include a strong business angle.” Rate: historically $.50/word. E-mail pitches to [email protected] with “Pitch” in the subject.

gender/identity/sexuality

Girls and women: Sarah Little, founder of More to Her Story, is looking for more pitches on under-told stories about girls and women worldwide. Their focus isn’t just what’s in the headlines but the stories slipping through the cracks in mainstream media. Pitch here.

LGBTQ+ History: QueerAF is looking for pitches for 700-1000-word history articles for Trans+ History Week. They want 'think piece’ style histories, aiming to be thought-provoking and speculative, focusing on the lessons we can learn from history. To pitch, you must provide examples of previous work, a working headline, and four to five bullet points about what your article will cover. One of these bullet points should tell us how the piece will conclude and what learning there is from this history lesson. Pitch here.

Queerness and Christianity: Tyler Huckabee, managing editor at Sojourners, is always looking for pitches of “good, thoughtful pitches on queerness and Christianity.” They accept reported pieces, analyses, and commentary that address social justice issues or appeal to a well-informed faith audience. Rate: $150 - $300 on opinion + reviews, $300 - $500 for reported articles. E-mail pitches to [email protected].

Beach.com’s sister site, Yacht.com, is seeking freelance travel writers to help create yacht travel and coastal lifestyle content. You will be responsible for contributing 2–3 articles per month (around 1,500 words), including destination guides and listicles tailored to yacht travelers. Priority destinations include the Caribbean (St. Lucia, the BVIs, Grenada, etc) and the Mediterranean (Greece, Italy, Croatia, Mallorca, Ibiza, etc). To apply, fill out this form.

Bustle Digital Group is hiring a part-time affiliate shopping writer (fashion & women’s lifestyle) for their Commerce and Affiliate Marketing Team. You will be responsible for writing articles, reviews, and round-ups aimed at helping BDG’s audience make “informed purchasing decisions,” with successful articles earning affiliate revenue. Ideal candidates have 3+ years of experience in writing, editing, or creating content in a digital publishing and/or affiliate marketing environment. Rate: $22 - $25/hr.

Eleven is adding more freelance Topic-Expert Writers on a rolling basis. Ideal candidates have “subject-matter expertise as demonstrated by a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent or 3+ years’ industry or relevant writing experience,” plus familiarity with SEO, research skills, and the ability to take constructive feedback. Pay: monthly basis.

Everyday Health is looking to hire more freelance editors. Ideal candidates have experience working on clinical and lifestyle content. They should also be able to write assignment briefs, edit new and updated content, and perform minor updates to optimize existing content. The rate is $30/hr. 

Launch Potato is hiring an Editorial Assistant to join their FinanceBuzz team to help publish new content, update published content, and help with fact-checking and copyediting. Ideal candidates have at least one year of experience in a fast-paced environment.

McClatchy is looking for a part-time writer to write and pitch a high volume of articles for US Weekly’s brand-new Watch With Us vertical, focusing on TV and streaming programming. Ideal candidates have at least three years of proven ability and experience writing a high volume of smart, ready-to-publish stories (4 - 6 articles). Rate: $20 - $30/hr.

Observer Media is hiring a Freelance Reporter—Business of Media to cover major social media and streaming companies. Ideal candidates are early-to-mid-career business journalists (2+ years) familiar with writing breaking news and the ability to attend and cover industry events. Rate: $250 - $400 per article (600 - 800 words). E-mail resumes to [email protected] with three to five writing samples or a link to a personal website/portfolio.

Raw Story also wants to add a Night and Weekend Newswriter to their ranks to cover breaking news in national politics, criminal justice, social justice, extremism, and more. Ideal candidates can find new stories or different angles on events/mainstream issues, have a deep interest in the breaking news cycle, and have the ability to work independently on nights and weekends.

Seahawk is looking for a full-time Content Writer to join their team. You will be responsible for creating blog posts, social media posts, and other digital materials. Ideal candidates have over four years of experience in content creation, good knowledge of SEO tools, and experience using Google Docs, Google Analytics, WordPress, and social media tracking software.

Static Media is hiring remote contract Lifestyle Writers to join one of their many teams, including House Digest and Tasting Table. Responsibilities include pitching relevant and timely news stories, claiming news and evergreen articles, and writing content on a quick turnaround. Ideal candidates have a minimum of three years of editorial experience. Rate: $21/hr.

The Nerd Stash is looking for part-time weekend Entertainment and Celebrity reporters. Ideal candidates have a proven track record in covering celebrity news, soap operas, reality TV, and related entertainment verticals at established media outlets.

The Travel is adding more Freelance Travel Writers to their team. These writers have experience, especially as a travel writer, with exceptional research skills, in-depth knowledge about travel trends, and strong writing skills.