Looking for Freelance Pitch Opportunities? Start Here.

November 19, 2020 Cierra Bundy

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

By Tonya Abari

Navigating the world of freelance writing can be challenging, especially for beginners. First, there’s craft. Learning which interests and styles suit you best. And then, there’s pitching. Ahhh, the joys of pitching! Figuring how to write a good pitch that will land you assignments is the one thing, but what about finding opportunities? There are many digital (and print) publications that accept pitches from freelancers, but it can be tough discovering the who and when.

Look no further! Here are a few communities that offer freelance pitch opportunities that will help you to secure the bag:

1. the craft (created by Permission to Write) Is it gloating if we mention our own newsletter first? But it’s true. Our newsletter, the craft, delivers a plethora of writing opportunities to your inbox weekly. Make sure you sign up to get the goods!

2.Opportunities of the Week (created by Sonia Weiser, journalist and freelance aficionado) is a weekly, sometimes bi-weekly, newsletter chock full of calls for pitches. For only $3/month, the bulletin gathers submission calls from editors and writers alike from across the internet. Weiser also includes space for advertisements, helpful tips, and is adamant about including as many payment details as possible. In addition to the newsletter, Weiser manages the Black Therapy Relief Fund in a partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation which “provides free career advice and resume/portfolio edits for emerging journalists.”

3.Freelancing with Tim (created by veteran journalist Tim Herrera) is a newsletter and education series aimed to demystify the world of freelance journalism. Along with an archive of more than 50 industry pitch guides, Tim’s weekly 90-minute Zoom conversations with industry professionals are certified gold.

4. The Digest (created by Study Hall) is $2/month and provides a weekly recap of industry news, original interviews, essays, and insight to media organizations. Study Hall also offers several other subscription plans. For $4/month you can subscribe to the Digest and Listserv which includes a weekly email with job/freelance opportunities, editor Q&As, and a Listserv of thousands of media workers. Finally, there is an $11/month account which bundles all packages and gives access to a private Slack community of freelancers.

5. The Freelance Beat was created by Chicago-based freelance journalist Tatiana Walk Morris. She triumphed over many obstacles early in her career so she created the blog to explore the challenges that early and mid-career freelance journalists often face. Subscribe to Tatiana’s newsletter and get the latest industry news, including a weekly digest of freelance gigs.

6. Where my freelance travel writers at? The Black Travel Alliance is a group of Black travel content creators across the world. The website includes a jobs tab and you can subscribe to their newsletter for curated freelance opportunities specific to travel writers.

7. Galleyway (created by Camille Wanliss) compiles opportunities that champion diverse voices in literature, poetry, television, film, and theater. The site provides freelance writing calls that fall outside the realm of digital media. So, if you’re looking to pen essays, short stories, and screenwriting or find a place to submit your work, Galleyway is the place to look!

8. Although Submittableis notoriously known for literary magazine calls, there are some digital media platforms, like Bitch Media, who accept pitches through the submission management software. When you’re logged in, remember to check out Submittable’s Discoverpage for even more writing opportunities.

9. Entropy Magazine runs a Where to Submit column, a generous roundup of presses, chapbooks, journals, anthologies, and fellowships. Again, not necessarily pitches for media publications, but writing opportunities nonetheless.

10.Pitch opportunities on social media – Several groups on social media house calls for pitches. On Twitter, Writers of Color tweets and retweets pitch opportunities for BIPoC freelancers. Facebook has top-secret writing communities (rhymes with minders) where pitch calls are shared amongst its group members. Another fruitful tip is scouring Twitter and Instagram for hashtags like #callsforpitches and #freelancewritingopportunties.

Pitching consistently is one of the best ways to grow your portfolio as a freelancer. Crafting great pitches and knowing where to submit is the combo that will have your inbox full and your content calendar glowing.

Tonya Abari is a former teacher turned multigenre writer and book reviewer for Publishers Weekly. Her intersectional words, including book musings and author interviews, can be found in Good Housekeeping, Romper, The Writer Magazine, AARP’s Sisters Letter, Trip Savvy, The Rumpus, ZORA, and many more! Abari is a 2020 SCBWI New Voices in Nonfiction award recipient as well as a 2020 Hurston Wright Foundation Writers Week participant in creative nonfiction. She is hard at work on a series of essays as well as several children’s book projects.