Pitches wanted (careers, work) | $300 to $600+ per article

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: THE MUSE

Stav Viv, Deputy Editor of The Muse, is looking for pitches:

I’m the deputy editor at The Muse, where we cover careers and work, and I’m looking for freelance pitches.

What are we looking for? Pieces that shed light, provide insight, reframe, and capture zeitgeist when it comes to careers, job searches, work, and work culture. In the form of:

• Advice
• Personal essays
• Opinion/takes
• Features
• Quizzes
• "I tried..." pieces

What are some things we’re particularly interested in right now? *Fresh* takes on the following topics (always as they relate to careers and work!):

• Salary, negotiation, money, pay transparency, etc.
• Mental health
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Unions, organizing, etc.
• Early career
• Productivity

Note: This list in no way means you can't pitch on other topics! But do keep it careers/work-related, please.

What can we pay? Fees will vary based on the scope of the piece, reporting required, etc. But most pieces pay $300-$600 (and we'll consider going higher for the right stories).

How do you pitch? Send me an email with subject line “Pitch: [your headline/idea in a nutshell]” to stav.ziv [at] themuse [dot] com. Include:

• Sample headline
• Brief pitch (1-3 grafs)
• Sentence or two about you
• 2-3 clips (as similar as you have to what you’re pitching)

And now a few examples of pieces that’ll give you a sense of what we’re looking for

• Starting with this guide to dealing with toxic bosses (until you can GTFO) by Claudia Guthrie: https://www.themuse.com/advice/toxic-boss-signs-how-to-deal
• This thoughtful and funny personal essay by Sameer Doshi: https://www.themuse.com/advice/didnt-tell-boss-im-blind-in-my-interview-tech-job
• This voicey, sharp take by Regina Borsellino: https://www.themuse.com/advice/workcations-not-real-please-stop
• This informative and fun resilience quiz by Jason Shen: https://www.themuse.com/advice/resilience-quiz
• This timely advice on a work trend (that allowed me to download this ridiculous stock photo), also by Claudia Guthrie: https://www.themuse.com/advice/rage-applying
• This reported feature about why and how Black professionals are looking to TikTok for the community and advice they're not getting elsewhere by Gregory Dale: https://www.themuse.com/advice/tiktok-black-professionals-corporate-america
• This throwback to an old (like pre-pandemic) "I tried..." experiment by Deanna deBara: https://www.themuse.com/advice/i-tried-30-day-networking-challenge
• This helpful list of career options for those who are interested in law but not in law school by Alison Myers: https://www.themuse.com/advice/legal-jobs-non-lawyer-no-law-school
• This insightful rethinking of classic career advice by Jandra Sutton: https://www.themuse.com/advice/maybe-you-shouldnt-do-what-you-love
• And this beautifully written and super relatable personal essay by Chante Owens: https://www.themuse.com/advice/starting-a-new-job-anxiety-essay

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Submissions: stav.ziv@themuse
• Website: https://www.themuse.com/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: The Muse aims to help people navigate their entire career journey. It offers expert advice and helps users win at work—from professional advancement and skills-building to finding a job. More information here.
• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: Job Search, Career Paths, Diversity and Inclusion, Succeeding at Work
• Review the submission guidelines here. Note that these are the publication's general guidelines to help you refine your pitch. You must still follow the editor's specific instructions above.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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