Want To Write for Well+Good? Start Here

First things first…

Interested in writing for Well+Good? Great! We’re happy you’re here. Each month, a large percentage of Well+Good’s content comes from freelancers, and we’re always excited about new, fresh voices and perspectives.

(If you’re a publicist, potential advertiser, or are looking for information regarding pitching video or events talent, please visit our Contact Us page.)

Before pitching, please review the guidelines below and do the following:

• Spend some time reading Well+Good. While we’ve briefly outlined below the topic areas and story formats we publish, the best way for you to get a sense of our tone and scope is to cozy up for some quality time with the site. While you’re there, please also check to see if we’ve already covered the idea you’re about to pitch—by far, the top reason we turn down pitches is because we’ve published similar pieces in the past.
• Google your own idea. It might seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised by how often we’re pitched stories that are very close to articles we’ve seen in other health and wellness publications. We’re looking for original stories and angles, so if your pitch has been widely covered in a similar way by other titles, we likely won’t approve it.

Also note: We do not accept stories on spec; please submit pitches only, not pre-written articles. Once your pitch is approved, you’ll begin a collaborative editorial process with your assigning editor. This will include no more than two rounds of revisions.

Pitching format

We accept all pitches on a rolling basis. Your pitch should include the following:

A working headline: This will give us a sense of the story’s tone and angle. What’s your unique hook?

A brief description: What will the story cover, how will it be framed, and what questions are you hoping to answer? We understand that some of this will be determined during your reporting and writing process, but a few sentences on what inspired the piece (a trend? a study?) and how you are conceptualizing it is important.

We solicit and publish personal essays, “I Tried It” pieces (like this, this, and this), multi-expert reported features, market and commerce roundups, and op-eds. We do NOT accept previously published articles or blog posts.

Sources: The vast majority of the content published at Well+Good includes original reporting. Who would you like to speak to for your story? Please name specific people and brands or types of people (e.g., an OB/GYN, a chef, an LGBTQ+ advocate, a women’s history scholar, et al.).

A brief bio and clips: You should include a line or two about who you are and what you bring to the table as a writer, including any certifications or degrees (i.e., why are you the best one to tell this story?). Also include samples of your past work (links, not attachments, and/or a portfolio website).

Topic areas

Health and mental health:

Mind, body, and community health are crucial to one’s overall well-being. We’re looking for stories that use expert intel, research, and real-life experience to inform our audience about the health issues that most affect them, with an emphasis on removing stigma around “taboo” topics.

We do NOT publish stories that are overly medical, diagnostic, or fear-mongering. Ask yourself: Would this article feel at home on WebMD? If so, it’s probably not for us.

Contact: Betty Gold, Senior Food Editor; [email protected] or Jennifer Heimlich, Senior Fitness Editor; [email protected]

Food and Nutrition:

Food is often one of the most personal expressions of people’s values, cultures, and traditions. At Well+Good, we believe that healthy eating can and should be accessible, simple, and joyful—and that there is no one way of eating that’s right for everyone. As such, we’re looking for expert-driven nutrition stories, personal essays or experiences, and well-researched thought pieces about how food, health, and culture intersect. We’re not interested in stories that encourage or provide advice for dieting in order to lose weight.

Contact: Betty Gold, Senior Food Editor; [email protected]

Lifestyle:

Lifestyle is a broad umbrella covering relationships, sex, career and financial advice, astrology, and meditation and mindfulness practices. As with all our content, we’re looking for stories that capture how these areas impact one’s physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being.

With our sex content, we prioritize pleasure for all and are looking for pitches that share tips from sex-positive, inclusive thought leaders with backgrounds in sexual health, psychology, and relationship therapy. For instance, we are not interested in telling our readers to “Learn These 9 Sex Moves To Blow His Mind,” but we’d love to bust myths about masturbation, explain how porn can be a healthy addition to partnered and non-partnered sex, or share foreplay tips for enhancing your pleasure without having orgasm as the goal (to name a few).

Contact: Erica Sloan, Senior Lifestyle Editor; [email protected]

Travel:

Well+Good’s travel coverage highlights wellness-oriented destinations and activities around the U.S. and abroad; how travel can act as a means of self care, empowerment, or growth; and personal stories of how travel has impacted your life and well-being.

Please note that we unfortunately cannot guarantee coverage in order to secure freelancer spots on press trips.

Contact: Erica Sloan, Senior Lifestyle Editor; [email protected]

Beauty:

Our beauty coverage emphasizes the health of your hair, skin, and nails, taking a deep dive into products’ ingredients lists and using expert intel and new research to explain the science behind how and why they work. We’re also looking for pitches that speak to beauty as a form of self-expression or self care, highlighting how our highly individualized beauty routines (at every price point!) make us feel.

Contact:

Fitness:

There are lots of reasons to sweat—mental health, strength, just feeling good—and we’re looking for stories that speak to each and any of them. We know that fitness can be cost prohibitive and intimidating for some readers, so we like pitches that offer affordable alternatives and help break down complex concepts into easily accessible and informative stories. At the same time, we know that fitness is at the heart of many people’s wellness routines, so we welcome trend-forward features that shed a light on innovative new technologies, ways to sweat, and trainers who can make fitness easy.

We do NOT focus on fitness as solely a weight-loss measure, and “bikini bodies” and “six-pack abs” have no place at Well+Good.

Contact: Jennifer Heimlich, Senior Fitness Editor; [email protected]

Other:

Have an idea that doesn’t fit into one of the above buckets?Contact: Alexis Berger, Deputy Editor; [email protected]

Have an idea that centers around a product or products? (Do you want to pitch a “shoppable” story?)Contact: Frankie Krempa, Commerce Editor; [email protected]

For SEO writing opportunities:Contact: Jamie Thilman, Senior Growth Editor; [email protected]

Rates

Your rate will be agreed upon at the time of assignment. While our standard rates are noted as a reference point below, we understand that not every article fits nicely into one of those buckets, and accordingly, all rates are subject to editor discretion and negotiation.

If, after two rounds of revisions, your editor decides not to move forward with your article, you will be paid a “kill fee” equivalent to 50% of your agreed upon rate.

For reported pieces:

Tier 1: $150-$350 (500-800 words, 0-2 sources)Tier 2: $350-$500 (800-1,200 words, 3-4 sources)Tier 3: $500+ (1,200+ words, heavily reported)

For personal essays and op-eds:

Tier 1: $200-$400 (600-1,000 words)Tier 2: $400+ (1,000+ words)

Thank you—we look forward to reading your pitches!