Thank you for your interest in writing for SELF. We are always looking for new writers to work with and want to make the pitching process as clear and straightforward as possible. Before you pitch us, please take a few minutes to read the following recommendations and guidelines.
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We look forward to hearing from (and hopefully working with) you!
About SELF
SELF is a service-driven health and wellness brand. Our goal is to help people take good care of themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. We pride ourselves on publishing trustworthy content that exemplifies our core brand values of inclusivity, accuracy, autonomy, and empathy.
To learn more about our brand, including our leadership team, editorial standards and practices, social channels, and newsletters, head over to our “About SELF” page here.
What to Pitch
Since SELF is a health and wellness brand, we’re looking for stories that explore personal, community, or public health, ideally with a service element. When pitching us a story, you should be able to answer the question: How is this helpful to the reader?
Before you pitch us, please search the site and our social channels to get a sense of our brand’s tone and philosophy (and also to make sure that you’re not pitching something we just covered). Our core verticals and areas of focus include: health (news, trends, health conditions, mental well-being, sexual and reproductive health, and sleep); fitness (workout trends, tips and explainers, gear, and women’s sports); food (nutrition trends, and tips); love (sex and relationships of all kinds, including platonic, familial, and romantic); and life (motherhood, money, career, and culture).
Here are some types of stories we’re looking for from freelancers right now:
Reported Service
We focus almost exclusively on service journalism—stories that give people the information they need in order to take action. We’re typically looking for reported pieces that rely on research and expert insights. Think how-tos, tips, advice, and explainers that people can act on. It’s not enough for a story to simply explain why something is the way it is; it should also help people understand what they can do with that information and how to apply it in their own lives in a practical sense. A good service story should tell a reader: Do this, and here’s why.
