Quick reminder on how this newsletter works, since we run two different pitch calls on two different days:
Tuesdays → Pitch calls for writers — journalists and publications looking for people to write and submit their own stories, essays, or bylines.
Thursdays (today) → Pitch calls for business owners — journalists working on stories who need sources, experts, products, or founders to feature.
A note for business owners: several outlets here are open to writing pitches from people with real-world expertise, not just career journalists (that means you can write about something you know). If you run a business, the trick to pitching credibly is to lead with insight, not promotion. Instead of pitching “why my company is great,” pitch the trend, tension, or lesson you’re positioned to explain better than anyone else: a shift you’re seeing in your industry, a mistake you learned from, a data point only your work exposes. Mention your business once, briefly, as your credential, not as the subject.
Against this week's calls, here are ideas to help you brainstorm:
for Business Insider, not "I hired a meal service" but "hiring a weekly meal-prep service freed up 10 hours a month. I used those hours to build my $1,000/month side-hustle"
for Inspire the Mind, not "as a founder I care about mental health" but a first-person account of the specific burnout that forced you to change how you worked
for Narratively's "The Personals," the phone call or afternoon you decided to quit your job and start the business.
Pitching opportunities (deadline items listed first, soonest to latest)
Motley Bloom — looking for first-person pieces on neurodivergent-friendly living systems — $300. ⏰ Deadline this week — August 5, 2026
Cosmere RPG — looking for narrative writers for the Cosmere TTRPG line — $0.12–$0.18/word. ⏰ Deadline this week — August 5, 2026
Campfire Labs — looking for senior B2B narrative/journalistic writers — $0.50/word. ⏰ Deadline this week — August 6, 2026
MIT Technology Review — looking for narrative features, profiles, and reported essays for the Breakthroughs Issue. ⏰ Deadline this week — August 7, 2026
PRB+ Magazine — looking for camp, parks, and rec facilities stories for the November issue — $400. ⏰ Deadline this week — August 7, 2026
Waterford Poetry Prize — looking for poetry entries from writers living in Ireland — $690 top prize. Deadline August 14, 2026.
Beyond the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes — looking for 5,000–10,000-word sequel stories for a Doyle-inspired anthology — $100 + paperback. Deadline August 15, 2026.
Northern Woodlands — looking for Spring issue stories on Northeast forests, ecology, and land connection — $0.25+/word. Deadline (assumed) October 8, 2026.
Rock Paper Shotgun — looking for distinctive PC gaming features, reviews, and industry interviews — $270
BBC Travel — looking for fresh, US-pegged late-summer travel stories with a strong sense of place
Xhale Magazine — looking for journalistic cannabis-culture features for three commissioned pieces — $175–$300
Travel + Leisure — looking for freelancers with Europe travel expertise for the news/deals team
The Margin — looking for sharp, opinionated stories where money meets culture — $0.40–$1.00/word
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives — looking for research-driven analysis of Canada’s political economy — $500
tobspr Games — looking for sci-fi worldbuilding proposals for a new factory-automation game — $460
Grizzle — looking for long-form B2B/SaaS content on an ongoing freelance retainer
It’s Not The Work — looking for weekly workplace-culture deep dives grounded in behavioral science — $100–150
National Geographic — looking for health, wellness, and brain-science pitches — $1/word
RUNHER Magazine — looking for reported, publication-ready features for Issue 006
Business Insider — looking for stories on household help, hired or hustled — starting at $240
Inspire the Mind — looking for lived-experience mental health articles and short stories — $230
Provision Grounds — looking for critical essays on Caribbean disaster and recovery — $200
Narratively — looking for “The Personals”: short, scene-driven first-person stories — $300
Fierce Pharma — looking for freelance biopharma industry reporting
PsychWrite — looking for mental health article writers with clinical expertise, building a 2027 roster
JRNY America — looking for an in-depth Maine destination guide — $670–$810
Other opportunities (speaking gigs, creator programs & press trips)
Wellness Creator Trip (South Korea) — looking for travel content creators for a sponsored 3-day trip — content publishing fee + cash prizes
Amsterdam Eco-Resort — looking for UGC video creators to capture the property
Merrell “It Starts Outside” — looking for global filmmakers for a storytelling program — $20,000 per filmmaker
Girls Who Eat — looking for a junior freelance short-form video editor (CapCut)
Women & the Wind — looking for women-led expedition/creative projects to fund — $50,000 grant pool
Marriott Vacation Clubs — looking for travel creators for a partnership program
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