Want to write for Bustle? We want you to write for us, too. Read on for our general pitching guidelines, as well as current needs and guidelines for each of our verticals: Books, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Fashion & Beauty, and News & Politics. Please only send pitches; do not send full drafts of stories/op-eds.
In any pitch to Bustle, please include the following:
- A sample headline for the piece.
- A 2-3 sentence description of the angle of the piece.
- Your plan for photos, if applicable.
- Sources for the piece that you know you have access to.
- Clips, if you have not written for Bustle before.
- Your standard rate.
BOOKS
We are currently accepting the following types of pitches for JANUARY 2019:
- First-person essays about literature and identity pieces about your relationship to literature.
- Reported pieces with a minimum of three sources.
- Author profiles.
Coverage of new books, preferably by women and gender nonconforming authors, will be prioritized.
We are not currently accepting pitches for:
- Reading lists.
- Anything for DECEMBER 2018
- Q&As
Examples of past freelance stories that have appeared on Bustle:
- Why Saying My Book About Immigration Is “So Timely” Erases The Experiences Of Millions Of People
- The Sweet Valley High “Evil Twin” Books Were So Blissfully Weird & I Still Can’t Stop Thinking About Them
- Cora Harrington’s “In Intimate Detail” Is An Inclusive Guide To Lingerie That Reframes The Conversation About Intimate Apparel
- 12 Women Of Color & Native Authors Open Up About Why They Write About Mental Illness
- LGBTQ Diversity In YA Novels Is Getting Better, But Queer Girls Are Still Being Left Behind
Contact: Senior Books Editor Cristina Arreola: cristina+pitches@bustle.com
LIFESTYLE
We are currently accepting the following types of pitches for JANUARY 2019:
- Personal essays and reported pieces (reported pieces must include at least 3 sources) about health, mental health, relationships, and identity.
We are not currently accepting pitches for:
- Listicles.
- News stories pegged to new studies or viral trends; however, if it’s a unique take or first-person essay related to a news story, we will consider it.
Examples of past freelance stories that have appeared on Bustle:
- I Almost Didn't Tell My Chinese Parents I Was Going To Therapy — Here's Why I Did Anyway
- I Did A Random DNA Test To Learn About My Ancestry. Then I Found Out I Was BRCA Positive
- What I Want You To Know About The Travel Ban, As A Muslim-American Woman
- What I Learned About My Mental Health From Being My Mother’s Caretaker
- My Boyfriend & I Tried Meditating For 30 Days To Improve Our Sex Life & It Worked... Sort Of
Contact:
For sex & relationships and general lifestyle pitches, Deputy Editor Michelle Toglia: michelle+pitches@bustle.com
For health, mental health, and identity pitches, Associate Editor Melanie Mignucci: melanie.mignucci+pitches@bustle.com
ENTERTAINMENT
We are currently accepting pitches for:
- First-person identity pieces based on timely entertainment news or TV/movie events.
- Reported entertainment features.
- Festival or junket coverage.
We are not currently accepting pitches for:
- Entertainment watch lists (Ex: "13 Rom-Coms To Watch On Netflix").
Examples of past freelance stories that have appeared on Bustle:
- Why The 'Insecure' Lawrence Hive Needs To Buzz Off For Good
- The Real Effect Of ‘Insatiable’s Fat-To-Thin Narrative, According to 3 Fat Activists
- Why ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Matters So Much To Non-American Asians Like Myself
- Writing Trans Roles Is Great, But I Want To Be Seen In Characters Already Written, Too
- 'Disobedience' Shows It's Possible For A Lesbian Sex Scene To Be Filmed With Respect
Contact:
For movies pitches, Movies Editor Sage Young: sage.young@bustle.com
For TV pitches, TV Editor Sam Rollins: samantha.rollins@bustle.com
For trending and timely entertainment news and music pitches, Entertainment News Editor Rachel Simon: rachel.simon@bustle.com
FASHION & BEAUTY
- We are currently accepting the following pitches for JANUARY 2019:
- For an upcoming project, personal essays from women/non-binary people who have 4C hair
- For an upcoming project, personal essays from trans individuals about skin care
- Reported features for our Let's Take It From The Top series, which are deep dives into the most beloved products and pop culture phenomenons of our time
- Reported features on a trend or community in the fashion/beauty space
- Timely fashion/beauty-related reaction pieces to news stories and award shows
- Exclusive fashion/beauty-related interviews with celebrities, influencers, and other interesting people in the fashion and beauty industries.
We are not currently accepting pitches for:
- Beauty or fashion experiments
- Product roundups or listicles
- Product reviews
- Tutorials
Examples of past freelance stories that have appeared on Bustle:
- Inside The Fantastical World Of Disney Fashion Bloggers
- Why The "Glass Skin" Trend Feels Problematic To Me As A Tan Asian Woman
- Vanessa Hudgens Is Designing A Suit Line & You're Going To Love Her Reason Why
- Dancehall Artist Spice's Alleged Skin Bleaching Speaks To A Larger Beauty Issue In Jamaica
- Family Comments At Holiday Gatherings Made Me Believe Only Straight Hair Was Beautiful
- Being Called 'Chubby' Made Me Hide By Body For Years, But Now I'm Showing It Off More Than Ever
- My Mother Always Projected Her Style Rules Onto Me, Making It Hard To Be Myself
To pitch, contact Fashion & Beauty Features Editor, Kayla Greaves: kayla.greaves@bustle.com.
NEWS & POLITICS
We are currently accepting pitches for:
- Op-eds and essays (600 to 800 words) that are tied to the news of the day.
We also accept pitches on a rolling basis for the Without This Woman series.
Examples of past freelance stories that have appeared on Bustle:
- I Can't Stop Thinking About Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's One-Piece Swimsuit
- I’m A Chicana Reporter Covering Femicide In Mexico & I Won’t Let Women’s Stories Be Erased
- Unsafe Abortion In Latin America Is A Health Emergency & It's Time To Treat It Like One
- My Iranian Family Was Helpless While My Uncle Died. Thanks To Trump, It Could Happen Again.
- I'm A Disabled Woman. Here's Why Ohio's Down Syndrome Abortion Ban Disgusts Me
- Without This Woman, I Wouldn’t Remember My Home Country
- Without This Woman, I Wouldn’t Know How To Tell People’s Stories
Contact:
For timely news and politics op-ed pitches and the Without This Woman series, Senior Editor Celia Darrough: celia+pitches@bustle.com
