Freelance work seems to be ROARING back (as expected), and there are some very good leads on gigs and calls-for-pitches for the week ending October 27.
Welcome to this weeks’ update with new journalism, writing and communications jobs and calls-for-pitches, all of which are remote, pay at least $1 per word or a minimum of $100,000 per year in salary, and include relevant editor email addresses so you know who to pitch when you have your next great idea!
If this is your first time here, welcome! I send out the newsletter every week on Wednesday around 9am PT. Every week the listings are new and different.
In case you’re curious about why this jobs newsletter stands out above the rest, read this post.
This week, I’ve included calls for pitches with editor emails from everyone from The New York Times, Well Blog, to Vox, Inverse, Fast Company, Slate, Reader’s Digest, Insider, and more. All pay $1 per word or more. There are some great full-time remote and hybrid opportunities too, including Travel & Leisure, Fortune, Seeking Alpha, Architectural Digest, and NBC.
Thought of the Week: Why Pay Transparency Matters & Why We Do What We Do
If you’ve been a subscriber here for a little while, you know that I am a huge NPR fan (and I frequently share available remote jobs at NPR) and regularly listen to a lot of their financial/economics content because I was recently hired to book and host a weekly economics podcast which is launching in the next 3-4 weeks.
Basically, I need to brush up on my business/economics news consumption to stay on top of the topics that I think will be interesting to a very wide population of people. (I’ll keep you posted on when the show officially launches.)
Last week, I listened to an episode of Planet Money that featured a female comedienne who is completely transparent about her earnings, income, and how she pays those who work with her. She had some great advice for negotiating rates (JUST ASK!) and advocating for yourself when it comes to financial topics. I found it really refreshing, and it just underscored a further need for pay transparency across all kinds of sectors. Feel free to check it out on Spotify, here. And yes, it’s funny and entertaining (and it gets to the heart of what I’m trying to do with this newsletter!).
I also sat down and read this David Brooks Op-Ed over the weekend, and wow, did it resonate for me. Being an “illuminator” (as he calls it) is one of the many reasons I love being a journalist. I also really like that term for the way it feels to do the work I do. I’m going to try and pre-order his book (and even look into his Weave Community) because it just feels like we need more of this–especially with how horrific the world has gotten recently.
Welcome to this weeks’ update with new journalism, writing and communications jobs and calls-for-pitches, all of which are remote, pay at least $1 per word or a minimum of $100,000 per year in salary, and include relevant editor email addresses so you know who to pitch when you have your next great idea!
If this is your first time here, welcome! I send out the newsletter every week on Wednesday around 9am PT. Every week the listings are new and different.
In case you’re curious about why this jobs newsletter stands out above the rest, read this post.
Paid subscribers have the details of all these jobs and more in their inboxes as we speak.
The freelance space seems to be contracting a bit more this week as the quality calls for pitches have dropped a bit more from those last week. I suspect it’s just the tightening of Q4 budgets. As we get closer to the end of the year, expect a flood of calls as people try to spend whatever remains of their budget before year-end. There are some really good opportunities on the full-time front, however.
Jobs and calls for pitches are coming from everyone from WHOOP, U.S. News & World Report, The Motley Fool, Johns Hopkins, The Sunday Times, Inside EVs, Food & Wine, Reddit, Yahoo, NPR’s StoryCorps, Forbes, Bankrate, Nerdwallet, NPR (proper), Condé Nast Traveler, Refinery29, Earthjustice and more.
There are also quite a few well-known brands on the list of Dishonorable Mentions, including some frequent fliers, and an astoundingly bad job at a major magazine, but you’ll have to become a paid subscriber to find out more about those.
The Current State of Journalism: Thought of the Week
It’s something I harp on weekly here (thanks to the Dishonorable Mentions), and my feeling is that the only way to change the industry is from three distinct (but inter-related) angles:
We all have to be transparent about jobs and gigs out there–the good the bad and the ugly.
Pay transparency is key. It’s understandable for an upstart or blog to pay badly. Those are jobs that can offer a solid transition from one beat to another, and they’re good for early career communications professionals. It’s unacceptable for major media corporations like those I include in the Dishonorable Mention section who make MILLIONS of dollars a year to pay skilled and talented journalists less than $100,000 a year, or $1 per word.
Sharing leads and contacts is one way to continue to boost up the collective space and offer networking opportunities for people who do good, consistent, creative, and fact-based work.
I also thought this was a VERY telling graphic from Visual Capitalist that shows just how much you have to earn to buy a home in 50 of the largest US cities nationwide. Notice that the places where most media jobs are (LA area and NY), require a minimum salary of well over $100k per year to buy a home.
To that end, I hope you’ll share this newsletter with friends, colleagues, other freelancers, and other people who are looking for great, vetted job leads in the communications and journalism space and who deserve to make enough money to live and work in the top markets in the U.S.
It’s the only way we can work together to ensure that we are paid fair and reasonable wages and not forced into terrible working situations under abusive, tyrannical bosses and organizations that only exist to exploit our skills, talents, and experience.
Become a paid subscriber today and I’ll send you this week’s job listings ASAP. You can choose from either option below!
As we get deeper into Q4, the economic picture gets even more muddled thanks to the latest war in the Middle East, questions about the stability of our own government (thanks, Congress) and their commitments, the ongoing confusing numbers coming out of the latest jobs report, and the questions around inflation, the media world (read as hiring, calls for pitches, etc.) is going to get weird in the coming weeks and months.
The best insight and advice I can give you, based on my 20+ years in journalism both as an employee of big companies and as an independent freelancer, is: Be Ready to Pivot. That means that you’ll need to think and act fast on calls-for-pitches, have your contacts on speed dial, and be ready to cover a wide variety of topics that may be a bit of a stretch outside your comfort zone.
This week’s listings feel strange to me–there were a bunch of calls for pitches that resurfaced as editors didn’t get the responses they wanted, there seems to be a lot of book-focused calls, and not a lot of other feature stuff out there right now. It’s normal for calls for pitches to fall off in Q4, so don’t worry–just be aware.
The full-time list has a lot to offer. Many of the gigs are hybrid, with a handful of remote options. Like always, everything in this newsletter pays either $1 per word or more, or pays at least $100,000 or more. There’s no other newsletter on the market like it so become a paid subscriber below!
I offer a couple of options whether you want to become a regular subscriber or just see this weeks listings. You can choose and you can cancel at any time. All payments are processed through Stripe.
In this week’s newsletter there are open gigs and calls-for-pitches at places like People Magazine, Guardian US (which has been a frequent flier on this list lately), Tom’s Guide, The 19th, Politico, Atlas Obscura, Insider, International Business Times, ESPN, The New Yorker, PBS Frontline, Bloomberg, Paper Magazine, the AP, Barnes & Noble, National Geographic, and more.
As you know, this newsletter isn’t complete without the Dishonorable Mentions, section, but you’ll have to subscribe to find out who’s ended up on that list this week.
PAY: All Freelance gigs and calls-for-pitches offer at least $1 per word or a really great byline opportunity. This is especially great if you’re looking to transition to another vertical and really tired of seeing super low rates. All full-time work pays at least $100,000 in salary or more. I note if these jobs are worthwhile or a load of hooey. I’ve worked a lot of places for a lot of people in my nearly 20 year career. I’ll give you the inside scoop on what the environment is really like.
CONTACTS FOR EDITORS: I include actual email addresses for the right editors to pitch. I spend a lot of time each week making sure that I have the right email addresses for these folks.
All work is REMOTE: Apparently, that’s hard to find these days (according to this Insider story that I just read this morning…) I’ve been a remote worker for a long time–well before Covid shutdowns, so I know how to find these kinds of jobs.
Today’s post will be short as I’m under a bunch of deadlines, but suffice it to say that this week’s paid newsletter is PACKED with tons of great opportunities–plus more.
This week, there’s freelance work from Vox, IBT, The Guardian US, Al Jaz, Audubon, and Bob Vila all that pay $1 per word or more. On the full-time front there are jobs from Apple, Cars.com, Headspace, Morning Brew, Seeking Alpha and Zillow, all with pay well above the $100k mark.
I’ve included a new section at the end of this week’s newsletter that includes links to past newsletters (for those of you who are brand new and who want to see some past weeks’ content), and finally, the Dishonorable Mention category has grown significantly this week–you’ll have to become a paid subscriber to find out more about these absolutely atrocious outlets paying BELOW minimum wage. Surprisingly enough, they’re household names, too.
You can choose one of two options to get the latest freelance & full-time journalism, writing, editing and communications gigs in your inbox. If you’re wondering how this newsletter differs from the thousands of others out there you can read this post. Otherwise, read on below.
Top Three Reasons This Jobs Newsletter Stands Out From Others on the Market
PAY: All Freelance gigs and calls-for-pitches offer at least $1 per word or a really great byline opportunity. This is especially great if you’re looking to transition to another vertical and really tired of seeing super low rates. All full-time work pays at least $100,000 in salary or more. I note if these jobs are worthwhile or a load of horseshit. I’ve worked a lot of places for a lot of people in my nearly 20 year career. I’ll give you the inside scoop on what the environment is really like.
CONTACTS FOR EDITORS: I include actual email addresses for the right editors to pitch. I spend a lot of time each week making sure that I have the right email addresses for these folks.
All work is REMOTE: Apparently, that’s hard to find these days (according to this Insider story that I just read this morning…) I’ve been a remote worker for a long time–well before Covid shutdowns, so I know how to find these kinds of jobs.
Become a Paid Subscriber Today and I’ll Send You This Week’s Newsletter
Newsletters go out to paid subscribers every Wednesday morning at 9 am PT. Check your spam inbox to make sure it didn’t land there.
Once you become a paid subscriber, I’ll send you this week’s newsletter. I’m sending them manually so there may be a slight delay once your payment is processed.
I’ve been a successful freelance journalist for more than ten years and I have tons of strategies, techniques and talent for finding relevant, high-paying, and worthwhile full-time and freelance journalism, communications, video, television, social media and editing jobs on the market.
Here are seven reasons that this paid journalism and communications jobs newsletter is different from all the others on the market. I’ve been a successful freelance journalist for more than ten years. I have many strategies, techniques, and talent for finding relevant, high-paying, and worthwhile full-time and freelance journalism, communications, video, and editing jobs on the market.
Here are seven reasons why this paid journalism and communications jobs newsletter differs from all the others on the market.
All Freelance Journalism Gigs Pay a Minimum of $1 Per Word
There was a time when $1 per word was a minimum. Today, with the advent of AI, mass layoffs, and more, it’s getting more difficult to find calls-for-pitches that pay this minimum. Each week, I curate freelance gigs and calls directly from editors that pay a minimum of $1 per word or offer an excellent byline opportunity (especially if you’re looking to broaden the type of coverage you do or want to move into a new beat). Paid subscribers to my jobs newsletter get a different curated list in their inbox each week. I also do my best to include outlets you’ve heard of (or those with outstanding reputations).
Editor’s Email Addresses are Included in Calls-For-Pitches
Stop wasting your valuable time trying to construct an editor’s email address. Each freelance call includes a way to contact the right editor. No searching is necessary on your part.
I always recommend that monthly paid subscribers archive these emails as a valuable way to update your contacts and keep the right editor contacts on hand when you have a great pitch that you want to send.
All Jobs & Freelance Gigs are Fully-Remote
I have been a remote worker for most of my career and know that being remote is tremendously valuable as a freelancer and full-timer. All jobs included in this weekly paid newsletter are full-remote unless they offer a fantastic opportunity, in which case, I note where they are located.
In the cases where the job is not remote, I note it at the end of the listing like this:
All Full-Time Journalism & Communications Jobs Pay a Minimum of $100,000 Per Year
Yes. Really. I work hard to find these jobs for paid subscribers and include them in each weekly newsletter. After all, we’re skilled, talented, and highly-experienced professionals.
newsletter, every single week. After all, we’re skilled, talented and highly-experienced professionals and we should be paid professional salaries.
I Have Been Working in Journalism & Communications For More Than 10 Years & Provide Insights You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
Want to know what an office environment is really like? I’ve got you. I have worked in many places with many talented (and, sadly, horribly untalented) people. This newsletter is for you if you want the inside scoop on many major media outlets. I pull no punches (and you can always email me for more details if you have questions about my “Editor’s Notes.”)
I’m so glad to have so many new people becoming paying subscribers! For those of you who have been long-time subscribers, thank you for sharing some of the goofier things from this newsletter on social media. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!
This week there are a whole lot of options for fantastic new jobs, and some solid freelance opportunities. As always, I’ve included editor emails in this newsletter, where they’re available (or constructed them out of what I know about the publication–reverse engineering FTW!). This is an invaluable resource for those of you on a freelance path, looking for quick ways to get in touch with the right editor at your target outlet. I recommend that all my paid subscribers save these newsletters to go back to when they have the right pitch ready to go. It saves SO much time.
All the jobs and gigs in this paid newsletter offer more than $1 per word, or more than $100k a year unless otherwise noted. I do this to help those of us who are VERY busy and VERY successful weed out the low paying trash that seems to permeate the space lately.
This week the newsletter for paid subscribers features jobs and gigs from publications like People Magazine, AFAR, Paper Magazine, NPR, New York Times, Condé Nast Traveller, CQ, USA Today, Kickstarter, CNN Underscored, Vox, and Yahoo, plus a whole lot more.
There are two bonus Dishonorable Mentions (one of which just cracked me up) at the end of this list, plus a nugget of insight on a job that I recommend you avoid LIKE THE PLAGUE, an insight that comes from first-hand knowledge and experience.
Dishonorable Mentions are reserved for outlets, gigs or platforms that pay astonishingly badly, clearly outline an abusive work environment, or simply have no idea what they are doing. This week’s dishonorable mentions fall more into the head-scratching space and came from a lead a friend and paid subscriber sent me early this week. (THANK YOU!)
If you want to take a look at this week’s paid newsletter, you have two options. Choose the one that fits you best, but from a financial standpoint the $5 a month rate is the better deal. You can cancel at any time.
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.
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.
—
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).
…
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.
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!
