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How to Pitch an Article to a Magazine

Bryan Young
avril 10, 2025 | 4 lire la lecture

Want to write for magazines and online publications? Here's how.

As you become entrenched in the industry and develop relationships with editors, the process can vary widely. But at the start of cultivating those relationships, it’s usually very much the same.

I write for many magazines and online publications, and I was the founder and editor-in-chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot! My writing credits include Huffington Post, StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider magazine, SYFY, /Film, and more.

Here's my quick walk-through of the process of getting published in a magazine or online publication.

1. Find out if they're taking pitches.

Many editors are on social media asking for pitches; be on social media looking for them.

Most outlets will have submission pages on their website explaining what they're looking for, what they pay, and who to submit pitches to. 

2. Read the outlet.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than sending a pitch for an article identical to one they just published, so be sure you've read the last few months of their work before putting your pitch together. It’ll also give you an essential sense of their editorial voice.

3. Write your pitch email.

Once you have an idea, it’s time to email that idea to the editor. This is your "pitch." You'll need to include an introduction to yourself and your work. If you haven't published anything yet, let them know what makes you the right person for this particular article.

Include a short snippet about the pitch, the angle you'd take, and how you’d approach the subject.

Don't write the entire article, just give them enough to get the idea without wasting their time. Or yours. It's an unspoken truth that pitching articles is the great unpaid labor of a freelancer. You might cast dozens of baited hooks into the water before landing that one paid fish.

You might cast dozens of baited hooks into the water before landing that one paid fish.

4a. Follow up on rejections.

Got a rejection? Thank the editor for their time and ask if it would be all right if you continued pitching them.

When I sent my first pitch to Star Wars Insider, I asked if I could pitch again and ended up sending a document with about ten pitches quarterly for almost two years before they finally bought one. After that, I was in just about every issue for the next two years. Be persistent, but not pesky.

Be persistent, but not pesky.

4b. Follow up on an acceptance.

Got an acceptance? Great! Now ask some key questions.

  • What’s my word count?
  • What’s my deadline?
  • How would you like me to invoice you?

Those are the three most important things you need to know: what you need to deliver, when you need to deliver it, and how you get paid for it. Especially since every magazine and website has a completely different system. It's difficult to keep track.

Those are the three most important things you need to know: what you need to deliver, when you need to deliver it, and how you get paid for it.

Bryan's 3 Rules of Freelancing

The best advice I can give you for doing this freelance work is simple.

First, hit your deadlines.Be early if possible. If you have to be late for a deadline for any reason, communicate that. You don’t want a reputation as the deadline-missing ghost.

You don’t want a reputation as the deadline-missing ghost.

Second, be an easy person to work with.Don't be a jerk, don't yell. Don't stomp your feet. Listen to feedback with an open mind and be willing to make changes.

Third, know when to say no.Is the deadline too tight? Are you genuinely not interested? Is it something you're decidedly not qualified for? Say no and recommend someone who could be right. I've been offered work I had no business getting and was able to pass it off to other folks who’d be much better suited for it. I've also had friends say no to work and pass it off to me because they knew I could enthusiastically do it in my sleep if I had to. As writers, we're all on the same team, and we're all looking out for each other.

That’s really my last bit of advice: It's not a competition.Other writers are your colleagues, so don't treat them as people to step on or screw over. Play nice. You don't want that kind of reputation either.

Trust me.

Word gets around.

Being nice, easy to work with, and a writer who delivers on time goes a long way in this industry, and a pretty good pitch will get picked up from a writer with those qualities a lot faster than a writer with a great pitch who drops balls, doesn't communicate, and stomps their feet over the simplest editorial change.

Have you been published in a magazine or online publication? Share it with the Freewrite team at hello@getfreewrite.com.

juillet 08, 2025 3 lire la lecture

How does a USA Today bestselling author use Freewrite? Chelsea Conradt takes us inside her writing process.

juin 19, 2025 4 lire la lecture

What's a romance author to do when a global pandemic hits?

For Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, the answer was to start writing horror.

Carolina was writing romance when she first signed with her literary agent six years ago. But, Carolina explains, when the pandemic hit, she pivoted to horror.

"There was something about being isolated at home, living through the literal nightmare that COVID-19 was, that made me want to dive into a haunted house book," she explains. And it's a good thing she did.

That horror novel, Bochica, sold to Simon & Schuster at auction. (Trust us, it's a big deal.)

In fact, switching genres changed her life in more ways than one. "Writing Bochica made me want to move to an old manor in the woods," Carolina says, "so I now live in a house that I’m pretty sure is haunted."

Read on to learn how this Freewriter uses her four-year-old Freewrite Traveler to draft.

ANNIE COSBY: What does your writing process look like?

CAROLINA FLÓREZ-CERCHIARO: My writing process varies depending on the project, but generally, I start with some brainstorming before drafting. I’m not a heavy outliner, but I do make a rough roadmap — usually marking where the character starts, the midpoint, and a general idea of the ending.

It’s often just a list of bullet points to give me some structure. I don’t always know how I’ll get from point A to point B, and the outline changes as I go. I usually re-outline after drafting to make better sense of the story. I don’t treat the outline as strict — I let myself get lost in the story once I’m in it.

It’s really important for me to get the words on the page, even if they’re messy. You can’t edit a blank page, and revising is actually my favorite part of the process. So I focus on finishing that first draft so I can dig into the part I enjoy most.

For projects like Bochica where the historical backdrop is essential, I research before drafting, and continue to do so while writing and revising.

"I don’t treat the outline as strict — I let myself get lost in the story once I’m in it."

AC: How long did it take you to write Bochica?

CFC: The first draft took me about three months to write, and I revised it for another six to eight months with my agent before we sold it to my editor.

AC: That's really fast! How did Freewrite factor into your writing process?

CFC: My Freewrite Traveler is an essential part of my writing process, for every project I work on. It helps me get the juices flowing when I’m stuck, but it also helps me get those words on the page faster. I call it my little magical device!

I not only use it when I draft, but also when I’m revising, and I need to rewrite or add new passages, chapters, or scenes. I use it ALL the time.

"I call [Traveler] my little magical device!"

AC: Why do you prefer to draft on a Freewrite?

CFC: There’s a literal freedom that I get from using it as I’m drafting, similar to when I write by hand, but way more convenient. It’s quick, it keeps me off the internet, and I can easily upload it to my computer!

AC: Let's dig into your publishing journey. How did Bochica get published?

CFC: Bochica isn’t the first book I ever wrote, and it’s also not the book that got me my agent. I was actually writing romance when I signed with my literary agent almost six years ago, and when the pandemic hit, I decided to pivot into writing horror which had always been my favorite genre to read.

When the book was ready for editors, my agent sent it out, and I got an initial offer within days, then we got more offers, and the book ended up selling at auction to Simon and Schuster.

"Writing Bochica made me want to move to an old manor in the woods, so I now live in a house that I’m pretty sure is haunted."

AC: How has the publishing process been so far?

CFC: It’s been quite an experience; you go from hitting the lowest point to feeling on cloud nine the next second.

To sum it up in one word: WILD.

I’m lucky to have an amazing team behind me, both with my literary agent, and with my publishing team at Atria/Primero Sueño Press, to help me navigate this road, to get through the good, and the bad.

"[Publishing] has been quite an experience; you go from hitting the lowest point to feeling on cloud nine the next second."

AC: And before we sign off, what is Bochica about?

CFC: After her father is accused of murder, a young woman returns to her haunted childhood home — turned luxury hotel — and is forced to face the sinister shadows of her past, and unearth the truth of her mother’s mysterious death.

Think Mexican Gothic meets The Shining.

AC: Wow. I'm in!

If Bochica sounds like a wild ride to you, too, check it out here

juin 10, 2025 14 lire la lecture

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