AHCJ – Association of Health Care Journalists
05/09/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 05/09/2025 16:11
New guides for pitching to Huffpost Personal, Business Insider and Women’s Health
Do you have a great story idea but not sure which publication is the right fit? Or, do you want to write for a certain outlet but don't know how to best reach out? AHCJ's Freelance Market Guides include tips for pitching over 50 publications - including the New York Times, NPR, Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, Wired and others - based on interviews with the editors who field them.
Over the past few months, I've added three new guides to the site: HuffPost Personal, Business Insider and Women's Health magazine. Here are summaries of each:
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HuffPost Personal : This vertical publishes personal essays on everything from facing an unusual medical diagnosis to falling unexpectedly in love to coping with family estrangement. Since most contributors aren't professional writers, fees are relatively low (beginning at $150 a piece) and all stories are accepted on spec - meaning writers need to draft the whole essay before founder and director Noah Michelson can tell if it's a "yes."
Journalists may find the site to be a match if they want their story to reach a wide audience. HuffPost Personal essays often get millions of views, and some have landed authors book and movie deals.
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Business Insider : This online publication geared towards "disruptive go-getters" isn't only about business. Deputy executive editor Mia de Graaf also commissions health and lifestyle trend pieces and features, and typically pays between $0.50 and $1.00 per word.
Like many editors, de Graaf said pitches should go beyond a topic and propose a story that's "unique, intriguing and/or subversive to an extent." They should also reflect BI's voice, which de Graaf describes as "your smart friend at the pub or the dinner party who says, 'Let me break this down in a way that isn't going to bore the entire table.'"
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Women's Health : This digital and print magazine strives to feature "the newest, most innovative stories in the women's health sphere," whether it's a surprising trend, an investigation into a disturbing health issue or a profile of a women's health trailblazer, News & Features Editor Currie Engel said.
It's usually helpful, she added, if pitches include some data or quantitative measure, plans to interview "real women" and a service element to fulfill the magazine's mission to help women live happier, healthier lives.
For more pitching advice and other resources for freelance health journalists, check out this recap of our March Lunch and Learn, during which AHCJ freelance members shared tips for pitching their ideal publication. Our last session, on April 17, encouraged participants to crowdsource advice on their freelance challenges, like how to handle being ghosted by an editor, deal with "scope creep" in an assignment or find a home for a cherished story idea. You can check out that summary here.
Make sure your profile on AHCJ's freelance directory is up-to-date, too, so editors seeking your particular skill set can find you - no pitching required. And, of course, join us in LA May 28 through June 1 for AHCJ's annual conference, including its flagship event for freelance journalists: PitchFest, an opportunity to meet and pitch dozens of editors face to face.
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