Pitching to Pop Heist
Welcome to Pop Heist! We’re glad you’re interested in contributing to this ambitious site, where content is king and content creators are a rank above king. This guide will help you get started submitting pitches and getting paid for them.
Submitting your pitch
Pitches can be sent one at a time or in a batch — no more than three at a time. Send pitches via email to pitches@popheist.com with this subject line:
PITCH: First Name Last Name, today’s date, subject/s of article/s you’re pitching
Pitch format
In the body of your email, pitch a headline idea and a brief description of what you want to write about. Note any extra work needed to make the article happen — if it will require an interview or extensive research. If you see a potential social angle to your pitch, feel free to include it as well. If this is your first time pitching Pop Heist, feel free to link to a clip or two to give us a taste of your style. Here's an example:
October Means One Thing In My Household: It's Time For Cozy Horror
The Shining, The Brood, Don't Look Now, Rosemary's Baby — these horror movies are my fall moodboard. Hallmark doesn't come close to matching the warm, cozy vibes of The Omen.
- Instagram slideshow of the best coats in these movies
- Lead art of a bunch of snug-as-a-bug potential murderers/victims.
Clips: Heist Guide: Where to Stream Christmas Classics; The Best and Worst Holiday Movies By Streaming Service
Reminder: Headlines are not set in stone so don't stress about getting it perfect right now —they usually change from pitch to publication, because you might not know what you're actually writing about until you're writing it.
Additionally, we're always looking for experts to write a Heist Guide about their topic of choice. Think mini-Wikipedia page, except written in a person-to-person manner. Take a look at some of our Heist Guides to get an idea of what Heist Guides contain. Word count is dependent on the topic, but these generally range between 1,000 to 3,000 words.
Pitch approval
Our editors aim to reply to pitches within 48 hours upon receipt, sooner if the pitch is time-sensitive. If your pitch is approved, we will go over expected word count and deadline, as well as the particulars of any extra work included in your pitch.
Pay
Transparency and equal pay are core to our values at Pop Heist. That means everyone gets paid the same rates* — when we raise our rates, we raise them for everyone. Currently, our rates are as follows:
- $0.06/word
- $50 bonus for same-day turnaround**
- $25 bonus for next-day turnaround**
- flat $50 bonus for Extra Work (interviews, transcription, making charts, crunching numbers, watching over 150 minutes of content)**
*Our hope and plan is to raise these rates — when we do, we'll let you know. Our website is in its infancy (we launched Dec. 2, 2024!), but as we gain paid subscribers, we will pay our staff and raise freelance rates. In full transparency, being a paid yearly subscriber at our lowest level — $70/year — currently pays for 100 freelancer words per month. Like many things, this business works because we all chip in a little bit, to make something great.
**Bonus fees will need to be approved by the Editors at the time of assignment. Same-day turnaround typically involves breaking news drops, recaps, and reviews. Next-day turnaround can involve the similar items with a less immediate deadline.
Our promises to freelancers
- We issue payments at least twice a month, on the 15th and the last day of the month.
- Each time you pitch an article, we'll be transparent with you about your expected pay.
- Your work will appear on a cool website alongside pieces by other writers who are passionate about their work.
- Our hope is to raise these rates in the future — when we do, we'll let you know.