Here are 20 publications that work directly with freelance writers, and pay up to $250 per article, and sometimes more.
Be sure to carefully study each publication before sending them a pitch.
If you want to succeed with your pitch, the most important work happens when you carefully study the publication, thoughtfully tailoring your idea to their specific needs.
Dollars & Sense is “a progressive economics magazine that explains in a popular way both the workings of the economy and struggles to change it.” They accept articles on a wide range of topics as long as they have an economic theme. According to their editor, they pay $250 for shorter pieces and $450 for features. For more information, refer to this page.
Common Good Magazine is a print magazine about “faith, work, and economics — which is to say, about the seamless life.” They send out periodic calls for pitches. They then try to develop a long-term relationship with the writers they publish. According to their editor, for digital-only pieces, they generally pay $250. For print pieces, they start at $0.50/word. To sign up for their calls for pitches, click here. To learn more about them, click here.
Pride Source is Michigan’s LGBTQ+ news source. They cover LGBTQ+ politics, relationships, sex, health, home, pop culture, celebrities, and more. They publish features, profiles, Q&As, essays, opinions, listicles, and video interviews. Though their focus is on Michigan, they’re open to national stories, especially those with a Michigan spin. They’re interested in stories of survival and perseverance. They pay $100 to $125 for columns/essays and $100 to $250 for news features and other news/pop culture reporting. To learn more, view their pitch guide.
The Blacklight is the New York Amsterdam News’ investigative unit. They are seeking experienced freelance journalists. They primarily work with freelance journalists based in the New York City area but are also open to working with those based outside the region. They pay $250+ for fact checks (500 to 1,000 words, 1 to 2 interviews); $1/word for medium length articles (800 to 1,500 words, 2 to 4 interviews); $2/word or a flat commission fee for long form articles (1,500+ words, 4+ interviews); and $250 to $500+ for data visualizations. For more information, visit this page.
IndigiNews is an Indigenous news platform covering Indigenous communities in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island. They focus on relationship building, uplifting storytelling, and holding colonial institutions accountable. They welcome news, stories, features, investigations, and photo essays. Rate: $250 to $1,000 per story (500 to 2,000 words). To learn more, read their pitching guide.
CRWNMAG is a print magazine for Black women. They exist to “create a progressive dialogue around natural hair and the women who wear it.” They offer paid writing opportunities for their magazine and journal’s print editions. All the submissions should speak to their Brand Pillars which are knowledge of self, self-love, authenticity, sisterhood, and ownership. According to their managing editor, they pay at least $250 per piece. To learn more, refer to their call for submissions.
Hell Gate is a worker-owned news outlet covering New York City. They have relaunched. They are looking for essays, reported stories, features, and photography. They pay $200+ for essays/blog posts (around 700 words), $300+ for reported stories, $400+ for longer features (1,200+ words), and $250+ for photo assignments. For more information, refer to their pitch guidelines.
Allrecipes is a community-driven food brand. They are always looking for new writers, recipe developers, and equipment reviewers to join their team of contributors. Right now, they are accepting recipes, technique-driven service articles, and features (particularly personal essays and food histories). According to their editorial director, their rates start at $250. To learn how to pitch them, scroll to the bottom of this page.
The Tyee is an online news magazine from Vancouver, British Columbia. They accept “pitches for original reporting, personal essays, photo essays, analysis and opinion pieces.” They are interested in all kinds of subjects. They pay a day rate of $250. When they accept a pitch for a story, they work with the freelancer to determine whether it is a one-day, two-day, or three-day story. They don’t usually assign pieces above the three-day rate. For more information, refer to their submissions page.
Health.com is a source for information on fitness, nutrition, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle. The majority of their readers are female. They accept pitches for: personal essays with reporting; explainers; reports/trend pieces; topical service (service content related to current events); as told to (one-on-one interview narrative); social trends; and product reviews. Rates are $200-$1,000 for personal essays and topical service; $250-$1,000 for reports/trend pieces; $200-$500 for explainers, as told to, and social trends; and $150 to $300 for product reviews. For details, read their pitch guide.
The Financial Diet is a cross-platform media company and a digital destination where young women can talk about money. They are always seeking new freelance writers for their website. According to their creative director, they pay $250 for personal essays of 800 to 1,000 words. For details, refer to this page.
CBC Saskatchewan is a source for news stories, breaking news, and viewpoints from Saskatchewan. They are looking for opinion and first person pieces (500 to 700 words) from the people of Saskatchewan. They pay $250 per piece. If interested, send your pitches to sask-opinion-grp@cbc.ca. For details, refer to their pitch guide.
Good Beer Hunting produces “strategic beer brands, intellectually honest editorial, beverage industry analysis, and a deep-dive podcast.” Their voice is “human, friendly, and confident.” They pay $700 for features, $325 for mini-features, up to $200 for Sightlines pieces, $100 for blog posts, and $250 for podcasts. To learn more, refer to their style guide.
Fodor’s Travel is a source for expert travel advice. They love buzzy, zeitgeist-y, and newsworthy stories that are told with a bold voice. According to their editor, they pay $250 to $400 per story. If interested, email your story pitches to pitches@fodors.com. To learn more about them, click here. To read their pitching guidelines, click here.
Borderless Magazine is a nonprofit online publication that covers labor, justice, and advocacy issues affecting the Midwestern immigrant communities. They welcome reported feature story, comics, and as-told-to story pitches from freelance journalists. They also welcome personal essay pitches from immigrants. They encourage pitches from immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ community, and women. In 2020, 93% of their stories were written, photographed/illustrated by people of color. Their rate for reported stories starts at $250. Pitches should be sent to pitch@borderlessmag.org. To learn more, read their pitch guidelines.
Capital & Main is a publication that “reports on inequities related to class, race, immigration, gender, corporate accountability, climate change and energy, education and health, both in California and nationally.” They publish daily and accept pitches from freelance writers all the time. They pay $250 to $500 per story. For more information, refer to this page.
TalkPoverty.org is a project of the Center for American Progress that is “dedicated to covering poverty in America by lifting up the voices of advocates, policymakers, and people struggling to make ends meet.” They are looking for original content of 750 to 1,000 words. They publish personal essays, op-eds, original reporting, and explainers. They welcome submissions from both new and established writers. According to their deputy editor, their rates start at $250. For details, refer to this page.
Science for the People is a magazine and website dedicated to “building and promoting social movements and political struggles around progressive and radical perspectives on science and society.” They welcome pitches from anyone who can offer their readers “reporting, analysis, or perspective on the struggle to ensure science serves the people, not profit.” They pay $100 for short pieces (600 to 1,000 words) which are often published via SftP Online. They pay $200 for slightly longer pieces like reviews, columns, and other articles of 1,200 to 1,500 words, and $250 for feature-length stories of 2,000 words and above. To learn more, refer to their submissions page.
What To Expect is a pregnancy and parenting brand. They offer preconception, pregnancy, and parenting advice. According to their managing editor, they pay $250 to $400 per piece. To contact them, refer to this page.
Strikewave is a publication and newsletter that covers the latest of the shop floor struggle. They “encourage all submissions related to specific struggles, strategic questions in labor, or the state of work in the United States and abroad.” They “particularly encourage pieces that connect worker struggles to big picture questions about worker power and the state of the labor movement, and encourage contributions that speak to issues faced by younger workers, contingent workers, and the unorganized.” They usually publish one outside contribution per month. They want manuscripts of 800 to 1,200 words. They pay at least $400 per submission. Details here.
