9 Publications That Are Paying $100 Or More During The Pandemic
Get your pitches ready — the right way.
COVID-19 has negatively affected every industry. This, unfortunately, includes us writers and content creators. Since people are unemployed and buying less, Google’s ad rates have plummeted, which means that many websites are getting paid less per click now.
Since most companies aren’t going to cut into their bottom line, writers are being paid reduced rates.
Just last week, one of my gigs cut my pay by 30 percent. While that stings, I’m grateful to still be on their payroll at all. Some websites have stopped publishing altogether — or have gone on an extended hiatus — and writers are scrambling to secure new gigs, full time or other wise.
Good news? There’s still a ton of work out there for writers that pay reasonable rates. You just have to know where to look. Don’t believe me? Check out these 9 publications that pay at least $100— right now! (And get your pitches ready!)
Well And Good — $150 +
Mental Floss — $125 +
Goodreads — $400 +
Craft Industry Alliance — $400
Digital Trends-$ 3,000
High Country News — $400
Explore Archive — $100
Women Who Write Are Dope — $100
How To Successfully Pitch These Publications
- Know the publication you want to write for in and out.
- If you’ve never read their work, STOP here — any good editor will immediately know that you’re pitching blind.
- Instead, go read 10–20 articles and let them marinate for a day or two. If you’re already familiar with the work they publish, proceed.
- Come up with a unique pitch, according to the guidelines listed. The editors’ Tweets lay out exactly what they’re looking for, right now. But if you click on the general pitching guidelines I’ve compiled below each Tweet, you will learn how to pitch more general stories.
- Locate the Editor’s contact email (usually located in their bio), unless they’ve asked for pitches via DM, and send them your pitch. But make sure that you address them by their title (Managing Editor, Senior Writer, etc.) and spell their name correctly. Otherwise, your pitch might be instantly trashed.
- Wait for a response (that may never come). This is the hard part, I know. But it’s crucial that you give the editor 5–7 days to get back to you, unless they outright request a longer waiting period from the beginning. After that time’s passed, you can follow up no more than once a week.
- Remember to be respectful at all times. No matter how frustrated you may get, you can not be rude to the editor for any reason. Editors are humans with feelings and egos like the rest of us. If you make them mad, they will not work with you and may possibly even send your name around their network. You don’t want that to happen.
- If you don’t get a response after 2–3 weeks, you can assume that your pitch has been passed over but the editor decided not to send a rejection. At this time, it’s okay to shop it around to other places.
- Don’t give up! One publication’s trash is another publication’s treasure. Just because one place didn’t want you doesn’t mean that another won’t! You’re one step closer to becoming a published author (or adding another clip to your archive). Just keep trying!
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