Pitches wanted (holidays, careers, mental health, etc.) | $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? Reported features, essays, perspectives, advice, quizzes, even humor pieces that shed light, provide insight, reframe, and capture zeitgeist at a time when careers, job searches, work, and culture are seriously shifting and evolving.

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!):

• End of year, holidays, new year
• Toxic jobs, workplaces, cultures, bosses, coworkers, etc.
• Mental health
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Abortion, reproductive rights, etc.
• Unions, organizing, etc.
• Early career

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@themuse.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 informative and fun resilience quiz by Jason Shen: https://www.themuse.com/advice/resilience-quiz
• This super clickable but also super thoughtful and substantial essay by Dr. Christina Wyman: https://www.themuse.com/advice/i-talked-to-the-boss-who-fired-me-years-later
• This great real talk essay by Saskia Ketz: https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-i-negotiated-with-my-husband-to-start-a-family-without-sacrificing-my-career
• This timely reported feature with a crucial but less-talked-about DEI angle on a major work trend by Ingrid Cruz: https://www.themuse.com/advice/not-everyone-can-quiet-quit
• This comprehensive guide to toxic work environments (what they are, signs to look for, how to deal) by Puneet Sandhu: https://www.themuse.com/advice/toxic-work-environment
• This all-too-relatable essay slash helpful advice on how to avoid toxic cultures before you even apply by April Zimmerman: https://www.themuse.com/advice/spot-toxic-culture-in-the-job-description
• 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 engaging, infuriating, and emotional essay by Chloe Brooks (though caveat: we typically don't publish essays this long!): https://www.themuse.com/advice/employer-failed-me-burnout-essay
• This lively and illuminating list of food careers to explore by industry insider Renee Guilbault: https://www.themuse.com/advice/careers-in-food
• And finally, this list of career change options for teachers who want to leave the classroom by Nandini Balial (we have one more coming up for nurses and are open to others, especially for professions hit hardest by the pandemic): https://www.themuse.com/advice/jobs-for-former-teachers

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 helps 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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