As expected its a BIG week here in freelance-land.
In spite of some massive personal turmoil, I’ve put together another stellar list of freelance and full-time jobs and gigs for those of you in journalism, writing, editing, video & television and communications–and there are some serious powerhouse outlets on this list.
This week’s newsletter is CHOCK-FULL of great opportunities across the board. Calls for pitches are coming from everyone from Cosmo, and MIT Technology Review, to the New York Times, The Guardian, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic and Vogue.
On the full-time front, there are opportunities with CNN, The Autopian, Lucid, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Food & Wine, and Yahoo. Comms folks, you’ve got some opportunities with Ducati, Sony and the LA County MTA.
As always, all the gigs in this week’s newsletter pay AT LEAST $1 a word or more, and offer a minimum of at least $100,000 per year in pay (unless otherwise noted, which is rare). If they pay under that range, I’ve noted it as it may still be a great opportunity. I’ve also included all editor’s email addresses so that you can pitch or reach out directly to the folks doing the hiring without having to search up their contact information. In addition, I’m including any insights I have about working for these outlets (as it turns out I’ve worked for a lot of them), to help you make better choices, and career moves in the space.
I’ve also started including Dishonorable Job of the Week, highlighting just how heinous some large and well-known outlets are whether they’re paying absolute trash or simply exploiting skilled journalists and communications staff.
So if you’re looking to jump ship, dip your toe into the freelance world, or just want to get the inside scoop on what its really like to work for some of the biggest and most recognized media brands in the world, this is the newsletter for you. Choose an option below and I’ll send you this week’s newsletter, ASAP.
Welcome to a shortened work week! I’m off to Las Vegas this week for some hosting work for Fast Company and Inc. Magazine, so I’ll be a bit laggy in my responses if you reach out.
I’m surprised by how robust this week’s newsletter is (as I mentioned last week, things generally start to pick up in the fourth quarter when companies have money to burn before the end of the year).
If you’ve been a subscriber for a while, you already know that all of the opportunities in this newsletter are remote (unless noted next to the listing), and pay a minimum of $1 per word, more than $100,000 per year, OR offer a REALLY good byline opportunity. I’ve noted the ones that fall below the threshold but offer good bylines.
This week features jobs and gigs from everyone from Nike (a contract position for you sneakerheads!), USA Today, Vox, Autodesk, National Geographic Society, The Obama Foundation, the NRDC, Sports Illustrated, Nike, Byrdie, Michigan State University, AP, Quartz, the LA Times, The Street Insider and a whole lot more. While good freelancing gigs are relatively sparse this week, there are a ton of solid full-time remote positions that you might be able to freelance on the side with. Pay is up to $286,000 per year, and at least a $1 per word. Become a paid subscriber to take a look.
Also! If you attended one of my free monthly freelance advice sessions over the last few months, you know that I share some tips and tricks for the best way to leverage free tools and find great stories. Most recently, I talked about the value of LinkedIn for Journalists. If you’re a full-time freelance journalist with public clips over the last six months, you can get LinkedIn Premium for free. I wrote a short post about this recently (and included how you can sign up and get access,) so go check it out and SIGN UP! I can’t stress how worth it, this is.
Oh, and speaking of my free monthly freelance advise sessions – come to one and ask all the questions you want! I have one coming up next week on September 13 (Wednesday) at 12 pm PT. Sign up through the link–or share with your friends if they’re thinking of making the jump.
Also, given how many AWFUL job postings I look through, I’m going to start regularly including the Dishonorable Mentions of the Week at the end of the newsletter (I was surprised how many of you liked it in last week’s newsletter!), and this week I’ve included TWO terrible postings. You’ll have to become a paying subscriber below and scroll all the way to the end to find out how media companies (and others) are exploiting skilled journalists for pennies or to just know more about what to avoid.
Not a paid subscriber yet? You’re missing out! Get the most recent jobs listings when you become a paid subscriber, below!
If you’re not a subscriber yet, choose from one of the two options and get all the details of this week’s calls-for-pitches and the latest jobs. You can choose to access this post for just $3, or get four a month for just $5.
I do all the work for you and send you a weekly email newsletter with details of these gigs, how to apply, what editors to email (with their email addresses), and any insider knowledge I have about the employer and the environment. You can cancel at any time and as soon as you subscribe I’ll send you the most recent jobs newsletter.
When I first began in television, I used to have to go down to the public library in New York City and pull public records to get in touch with everyone from the Governor of New York to my next-door neighbor to book them on the show I worked for. It was labor intensive, frequently difficult, and almost always a pain in the ass.
These were the days when you maintained a massive Rolodex (which I had!) and protected it at all costs, taking it with you from job to job, because you never knew when you might need to call up the head of the UAW, or reach out to that popular stylist that worked with a guest on your show.
If you’re a freelancer or a full-time journalist, you know far too well how much work it takes to track down contacts, get anecdotes, and find the right person to connect with to book an interview. Just trying to find and connect with the right expert can take hours of research and more than a few wrong turns.
The Evolution of the LinkedIn Pay Wall
Yet, ever since the advent of LinkedIn, (which admittedly has its pros and cons in the modern era), that task has become as simple as typing a few keywords into a search bar and hitting enter. At least, it was much more convenient until LinkedIn started pay-walling the stuff you really need and want as a journalist–like contact information and free messaging with people you’re not connected with.
During my tenure at CNN, LinkedIn introduced a system tailored for journalists. They verified us as professionals and granted free access to the previously restricted features. This access led to numerous exclusive stories, as our team could spot key company movements or executive changes. LinkedIn became an indispensable tool for trend stories and leads and a must-have for every journalist.
How to Get Free Access to LinkedIn Premium as a Freelance or Full-Time Journalist
When I transitioned to freelancing a decade ago, I feared losing this invaluable access and facing steep subscription fees, which now go into the $30 and up per month range. However, my former colleagues, now leading LinkedIn’s editorial side, recognized the significance of freelancers. They ensured our continued access to the LinkedIn for Journalists Program with an annual renewal process.
If you’re wondering what the Premium tier of access gets you versus what the free model gets you, check out the table below, courtesy of LinkedIn. By far, the most valuable services are the free InMail credits and the ability to get more details about someone you’re not connected with directly.
I’ve been a part of the LIJP for the last ten years, and I cannot say enough good things about it. Sure, I’ve accidentally let it lapse, but it’s always been easy to re-up when the application period opens each quarter. It’s worth the five minutes of work you have to do and the (now) three-month wait to find out if you’ve been accepted. When you get accepted into the program, you get a premium code that unlocks your access.
Applications are Open Through October 31, 2023
Applications are now open, and it’s well worth putting together five links to current stories (dated within the last six months) and a few words about yourself to get access to one of the most valuable databases of professional contacts in the world. You can learn more about the application process here and fill out the form, here. Applications close in October, so make sure you don’t miss the window.
This week’s newsletter for paid subscribers is now in everyone’s inbox! It includes paid full-time and freelance opportunities with The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chase Travel, Food & Wine, Essence, Daily Beast, CNN, USA Today, Rivian and The Verge. Pay is up to $1600 per story, and salaries go into the high $180,000 range.
As always, I’ve included editor contact information for you in the newsletter so you don’t have to go hunting for email addresses!
Sign up below and I’ll send you this week’s newsletter ASAP!
Hey there Freelancing Friends,
Thanks again for being a paying subscriber! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it as this takes quite a bit of time and effort to put together each week. I hope that you’re finding these weekly notes beneficial and getting some solid leads and great work out of it.
This week seems to be a bit light on the big opportunities but there are still some really good ones on the market. I suspect this is largely because we’re coming to the tail end of the third quarter, and everyone is looking at their budgets and freaking out a bit. As someone who’s managed very large budgets and teams, I know this time of year can be a real bear.
It will be interesting to see what happens as we enter the fourth quarter of the year next week. It’s always been my experience that things come roaring back at the end of the year because editors suddenly have all this cash they have to spend (or risk losing for next year).
A handful of jobs and gigs stand out in this week’s newsletter for paid subscribers, including a really unique opportunity for freelance work at the NY Times, some calls for pitches at Essence Magazine on a multitude of topics, and a handful of opportunities for a byline or two in the Daily Beast. On the full-time front, there’s a mix of opportunities from everyone from CNN and USA Today, to Rivian and The Verge. Some pay up to $1600 for a story and salaries go into the high $180k range.
For fun, paid subscribers can read all the way to the end of this week’s newsletter for another doozy of a job listing that definitely deserves a dishonorable mention.
As always I’ve included editor’s email addresses to make pitching easy, and cut down on the administrative work you have to do to successfully land stories with these publications. I’ve also included a section for those of you in PR (or looking to get into PR), just to keep you up to date on the latest options in the space.
Oh, and just in case you’re tired of the summer doldrums (and the heat), Starbucks has declared that fall is here, and they’ve started selling their PSL extra early…
I have mixed feelings about this, as a non-fan of the PSL, and someone with a summer birthday. I greeted this news with a mix of resentment at this early fall push, and I also cannot believe that we’re already heading into September.
Since Monday is a holiday here in the states next week, I expect some slimmer pickings on the job/freelancing front. As always, I’ll keep you all updated and see you next Wednesday!
Happy Hunting!
If you’re not a subscriber yet, choose from one of the two options and get all the details of this week’s calls-for-pitches and the latest jobs. You can choose to access this post for just $3 or get four a month for just $5. I do all the work for you and send you a weekly email newsletter with details of these gigs, how to apply, what editors to email (with their email addresses), and any insider knowledge I have about the employer and the environment. You can cancel at any time and as soon as you subscribe I’ll send you the most recent jobs newsletter.
I wanted to share a recent story (and upcoming series) that one of my subscribers landed with Vox! I am so thrilled for them! You can check out the first installment of their coverage of the Hawaii wildfires, here.
J. happens to be an incredible photographer and writer with a keen sense of climate justice and human rights. They are also a dear friend who I met through yoga. We keep up over text, mostly, and connect about whatever latest project or pitch we’re working on. Keep an eye on J. and their work, via Instagram.
If you landed a story or a job by pitching someone or applying to a job on my weekly list, hit me up! I’d love to share and promote your work and make sure that it gets all the eyeballs it deserves.
This week’s list includes some great gigs from a whole bunch of UK based pubs (Guardian US, Daily Express, etc.), Thrillist, Reader’s Digest, Robb Report, Fox, People Magazine, Men’s Health, USA Today, ProPublica, Cars.com, Google, Meta, Instagram, Snap and more. Some salaries are up to $325,000 per year, and there are lots of calls for “trending news” and automotive coverage. There are also some interesting leads from companies I’ve never heard of, but they pay pretty well.
As always, I’ve included editor email addresses in this newsletter so you can directly contact the right person for your pitch. It’s definitely worth the $5 per month.
I hope the work-hunt is going well for you this summer as the media business continues to change. Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions or want me to help promote your work!
If you’re not a subscriber yet, you should be. Choose from the below options. Cancel at any time.
I’m on the road this week for some work at the annual Car Week events in Pebble Beach, but thought I’d get this week’s newsletter into paid-subscribers inboxes so those of you in the know can take advantage of these solid opportunities.
I’ve been pressed for time this week, so the list is a bit shorter than usual, but it still includes a ton of really high-paying and high-profile jobs.
This week’s list includes jobs and requests for pitches from everyone from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Economist, Daily Beast, Men’s Health, The Seattle Times, Rivian, Volvo, Cosmopolitan, Blue Bottle, and more. This week is heavy on the freelance jobs and lighter on the full time jobs, interestingly enough. Pay ranges from $1 per word and up to $70 per hour to to $217,000 per year.
Topics include travel and adventure to business, personal finance and breaking news.
As always, I’ve included the editor’s emails where I can find them, which makes pitching ideas (even if you don’t have them right now) that much easier! Basically I build and maintain your Rolodexof editor contacts every, single week. I always suggest that subscribers archive these emails so that when inspiration strikes, they’ve got the right contact for the right outlet.
Want access to the best high paying freelance and full-time journalism jobs out there (with editor’s email addresses!)? Choose an option below and I’ll send you the latest newsletter ASAP! Cancel at any time.
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind of a week this week and the newsletter has been in paid subscriber’s inboxes since yesterday morning!
This week’s post includes jobs and gigs from Vox, The New York Times, The Today Show, MoneyWatch, Rover, Harvard (NeimanLab), The Mayo Clinic, Hasbro (Dungeons & Dragons), Airbnb, Popular Science, The Points Guy, Bob Vila, USA Today, Financial Times Magazine, The Unversity of Washington, Guardian US, Johns Hopkins, Lonely Planet, Meta, CNN, Rover, and a whole bunch of others.
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Pay ranges from around $200+ per hour, and $1 per word, to $250,000 per year.
Most importantly, as always, I’ve included editor emails and social media handles when I can find them.
🔥Hot Tip🔥 You can easily archive these emails (don’t just delete them!) so you can go back and search for the right contact when you have the perfect pitch.
In case you’re curious about how this newsletter differs from others out there I just got a message from one of my paid subscribers. It’s a common theme that I hear weekly either via email, text, or DM, and it makes me so happy to know that this newsletter is helping other hard-working journalists find their path in these strange media days.
“Great newsletter this week! You have a LOT of posts that are not on the other newsletters I get!”
I didn’t get around to writing a blog this week (as it was my birthday, and I did my best to stay offline to celebrate), but I plan to have one for you next week before I head out for a week in Carmel Valley, California, celebrating all that the automotive world has to offer. If you’ll be there for Car Week, hit me up! I’d love to connect and learn how this freelance life is treating you!
If you want to get these newsletters every week on Wednesdays, subscribe for just $5 per month. Cancel at any time.
Once you subscribe, I’ll send you the most recent newsletter and add you to my weekly list. You can also reach out if you want a past issue (or past newsletter).
As always, you can email me with any questions and concerns. Reach out if you landed a gig through the newsletter and want to be featured in next weeks’ post using the form below!
Get in touch
Don’t hesitate to reach out with the contact information below, or send a message using the form.
Today’s newsletter for paid subscribers includes opportunities from the LA Times, Vox, Grist, Bustle, US News & World Report, Yahoo!, Intel, Axios, Insider, Peloton, Specialized, Meta, Ford, Stripe, Sonos and a whole bunch of others. It also includes editor’s email addresses!Pay is up to $2 per word, and more than $373,000 per year (which, WOW).
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While the freelance side of this feels a little lighter than it has in a few weeks, we are entering into the final month of the slowest time of the year for most of us, which is always a bit of a nailbiter.
I hope you’re enjoying my candid takes on all these postings, outlets and opportunities. I enjoy putting this together for you each week. If you’re a subscriber and having a hard time finding your newsletter, check you spam folder. A few of you reached out to let me know you didn’t get last weeks and it turns out it got spammed. Mailchimp doesn’t always play well with certain email providers, so the message might very well be in that dreaded folder. Be sure to mark the email(and my email address) as “NOT SPAM” so when the newsletter goes out next week, you’re the first to see it!
Hit me up with any questions or thoughts on your freelance life. I’d love to hear about your wins as well as any of your complaints about the changing nature of this freelance beast. Happy Hunting!
If you’d like to become a subscriber, it’s just $5 per month or you can give this week’s newsletter a try for just $3. Choose your adventure and come explore the #freelancelife with someone who’s been doing it for a LONG time.
What do you do when the job opportunity you’re interested in wants story ideas and “sample” work before they decide to interview or pay you?
It’s the age-old question: Do you do a whole bunch of free work to possibly land a gig? The answer is frequently fraught and often frustrating–but here’s what you need to know.
“Send me three well-researched pitches…” and Maybe I’ll Pay You for Them, or Maybe I’ll Assign Them to my Full-Time Staff
I was recently trolling the job listings and came across a freelance ghostwriting gig that looked promising on LinkedIn. It was an “Easy Apply” gig, but upon reading the description, it turned out that the poster wanted applicants to email them directly with as many as 10 (!!!) links to relevant bylines, a cover letter, and a resume.
“Ok, fine.” I sighed and got to emailing. I also clicked that “Easy Apply” button, just to indicate that I was a serious applicant and interested in the spot.
A few hours later, I got a note in my LinkedIn Messages. There, the job poster enumerated a proposed “exercise” assignment, as he called it.
He requested that I come up with a “provocation,” which immediately set alarm bells off in my head. In today’s hotly partisan world, that generally means an “unpopular opinion,” or “hot take,” that frequently smells of rage baiting, a common technique to boost views and interactions on a website. He even went through a list of questions I should ask myself about the topic (cue the deep side eye from experienced journalists).
His note went on to say that once the company approved my “provocation,” I “will find an excellent expert on the matter,” who could argue that point of view, then I’d reach out to that “expert” to “get their interest,” (MLM anyone?). At that point, the hiring company would decide if I should proceed to “work with that person to write the article.”
The kicker? “We can offer you $500 if we decide to publish the article based on the assignment.”
Um…
The Issues Around the Unpaid-Work Interview
If you subscribe to my weekly freelance and full-time journalism job listings, you know I pull no punches about how journalists are paid and what professional-level writers, editors, television producers, podcasters, and broadcasters deserve for their experience and work.
I advocate for a fair, living wage to be paid to those of us who are professional journalists working hard to dig up the truth about the world and share knowledge because I sincerely believe (to quote my CNN sweatshirt that hangs on the back of my office chair) The World Needs Journalists.
All of this brings me to the core issue of the “Unpaid-Work” interview: Sharing story ideas, pitches, and even doing “exercise” assignments before an employer has even decided if they want to interview or hire you is a SCAM that’s perpetuated by corporate overlords who aim to suck every ounce of creativity out of the largest number of applicants.
Read that again. The Unpaid-Work Interview Is. A. Scam.
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How do I know? I’ve seen it happen–from both inside and outside major media outlets.
I’ve watched a number of major media outlets (who will publicly remain unnamed) put applicants through the “Unpaid-Work” rigamarole because they’ve burned out their own journalists and content creators so fiercely that the full-time employees are mere shells.
I’ve seen those stories, pitches, and “exercise” assignments sent in by job seekers, stolen by management, and assigned to junior staff reporters just so those managers can tout how they have their “finger on the pulse” of what’s happening in the world. “Hey, look at how great our numbers are,” they pronounce, knowing full well they mined hard-working job applicants for the ideas.
I’ve also seen it from the job seekers’ side of the equation–both in freelance and full-time opportunities. I’ve even gone so far as to do one or two of these Unpaid-Work Interviews because I really did want to work for the outlet or publication.
Sadly, after doing a couple of them and later discovering that my ideas had been stolen by the outlet or publication and assigned to someone else, I refuse to do them anymore. I also have put those outlets (and the editors I dealt with there) on no-fly lists, meaning that I will not work for, write for, or publish with those people or publications.
How to Handle an “Unpaid-Work” Interview?
There are a couple of ways you can handle the Unpaid-Work Interview:
Decide to go for it, expecting your content to be stolen if you are not hired.
Decide to pass, and wish the job poster well. (i.e., “Thank you so much for the opportunity to move forward in the interview process, but unfortunately, I’ll need to withdraw my application for this position. Best of luck in your search…”
At this point in my career, the Unpaid-Work Interview is a major red flag that immediately takes that publication and editor off of my radar. It’s really up to you how you choose to proceed, but if you decide to go for the Unpaid-Work Interview, know that your work will likely end up under someone else’s byline.
Oh, and funny enough, I got the exact same, word-for-word, email in my inbox about 12 hours after the note landed in my LinkedIn messages about that job.
This week’s newsletter is now in the inboxes of paid subscribers! With more than 50+ new freelance and full-time well-paying opportunities on the market, it’s definitely prime time to launch your freelancing career. I just added 10 more really solid leads this morning!
That being said, it’s been a rough week in media. As I am sure you know, last week Hearst laid off 41 staffers (including some good friends), and the cuts keep coming. That means that the freelance space will continue to be hyper-competitive, and client demands are going to change considerably, at least for the foreseeable future.
The good news is there are more than 50 jobs and gigs on this list. I hope you find something that tickles your fancy and opens doors of opportunity! As a bonus for those of you who make it all the way to the end of this newsletter, this week, I’ve included a random job posting that is so strange it made me laugh.
This week there are jobs and gigs from everyone from Rolling Stone, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, CNN (my old employer), Tesla (in case you’re itching to work for Elon), Real Simple, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Tom’s Guide, Time Out, Business Insider, Angi, Nerdwallet, Birkenstock, RAND, Morning Brew, Yahoo!, AARP and more.
Pay is up to a whopping $2 per word, $12,000 per month (!!!) or yearly salaries of as much as $240,000 per year.
Subscribe for $5 per month or get access to this newsletter each week. Or get just this week’s job postings for just $3. I’ll send it to you ASAP!
Drop me a note if you want some advice or have noticed a shift in client demands! I may be able to offer some advice. After all, I’ve been doing the freelance thing for nearly ten years and have a ton of experience in the space.
FREELANCE JOURNALISTS: LEARN HOW TO GET STARTED WITH A FREELANCE JOURNALISM CAREER VIA THIS FREE 30-MINUTE LIVE WORKSHOP!
(Plus, get free access to the job listings for 1 month!)
Did you miss July’s free freelance journalist workshop? No need to worry, I’m planning on having another in August!
Whether you need help honing your story ideas or want to know how to find resources or what the current state of freelancing is, I can help! These small group Zoom conversations can be a great way to meet other freelancers, and glean information so that you can find the right gigs and jobs for you!
The first 30-minute Zoom session is free and I’ll be offering these workshops once per month at 12 pm PT! Attend and you’ll get a free month of access to these listings!
If you have something you’d like to see on this list, feel free to email me directly and I’ll add it. Many of the people who read this and subscribe to the mailing list are high-caliber, professional freelance journalists with tons of experience, ideas and awards. Drop me a note here.
In addition to her freelance career, Abigail spent ten years as a senior producer at CNN in New York, a when she began her successful freelance journalism career ten years ago. Abigail is a skilled moderator, interviewer, and on-air and podcasting host with credits and appearances at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, SXSW, the JBL Fest, Reuters Automotive Events, Electrify Expo and other top-tier, household name events and publications.
The jobs list newsletter has been curated by Abigail. She subscribes to a number of pay-for-access job sites and newsletters, and she digs up these gigs on everything from Twitter and LinkedIn to FlexJobs, Glassdoor, and Indeed because she believes in two tenets:
Experienced freelance journalists should be paid a fair wage for their work.
Freelancers need to stick together and help each other out. This is her way of doing just that.
The first portion of the job description has been copied and pasted into the newsletter and the direct application link is included, making it WAY easier for you to quickly find and apply for well-paying, high-profile journalism jobs and freelance opportunities.
If you want to see more of Abigail’s journalism work including her bylines with Elle Magazine, National Geographic, Travel & Leisure, TechCrunch, Fortune, Forbes, Maxim, Car & Driver and more, head over to her portfolio site at abigailbassett.com.
Follow her on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram or Twitter, (for however much longer that lasts…) to find out more about her current assignments. And yes, she does apply for a lot of these jobs (in case you’re wondering). Mostly, she just wants to make the world a little bit better for journalists trying to make a living in the age of AI. She is available for commissions, so reach out!
