Art Direction and Audience Growth Roles Hiring in Media Today

The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.

4 min read • Originally published March 18, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Mediabistro

The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.

4 min read • Originally published March 18, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026

The Audience Question Is Reshaping Every Creative Role

Something worth watching across today’s job listings: the line between “creative” and “audience growth” keeps dissolving. An art director at a regional magazine is expected to think about digital engagement. An audience strategist at a storied newsroom needs to understand editorial voice. A media strategy director at a streaming company has to connect content discovery to subscriber retention.

These aren’t hybrid roles born from budget cuts. They reflect a genuine shift in how media organizations think about the relationship between making things and getting those things in front of people. The companies hiring right now want professionals who can hold both ideas in their heads at once.

Today’s featured roles span print, digital news, and subscription streaming, but they share that common thread. If you’ve spent your career building audiences through strong creative work or creating strong creative work informed by audience behavior, this is your market.

Today’s Hot Jobs

Art Director at Virginia Living

Why this one matters: Regional lifestyle magazines that are thriving in 2026 tend to have one thing in common: a distinct, ownable visual identity. Virginia Living is hiring a hands-on Art Director to lead design across print and digital, with real creative ownership over everything from conceptual photography direction to typography and layout. This is a genuine leadership role at an award-winning publication, not a production design seat.

Set and advance visual direction for each issue across all editorial content
Art direct photo shoots and manage photographer, illustrator, and stylist relationships
Experience with both print production and digital platform design
Ability to scout locations, source archival material, and build strong visual narratives

Apply for the Art Director role at Virginia Living

Audience Deputy Director at The Forward

What makes this role distinct: The Forward, one of the most important voices in Jewish media since 1897, is looking for someone to grow its next generation of loyal readers and supporters. This isn’t a standard social media management position. You’ll be designing engagement experiments, tracking what drives real community connection, and shaping how the newsroom thinks about its relationship with audiences across newsletters, social, and in-person programming. For anyone who cares about building social media presence with editorial integrity, this is a rare opportunity at a mission-driven publication.

Design and run experiments to test new engagement and retention strategies
Fluency across major social platforms with ability to create compelling visuals
Comfort working in audience dashboards, analytics, and data-informed decision-making
Collaborative instincts to work across editorial, membership, and programming teams

Apply for the Audience Deputy Director role at The Forward

Director of Media Strategy at Gaia Inc

The compensation picture: Gaia is posting a $145,000 to $165,000 base for this senior leadership role, plus an incentive plan tied to business outcomes. The streaming platform, based in Louisville, Colorado, wants someone who can architect full-funnel media strategies connecting audience discovery to subscriber acquisition and retention. You’ll translate business objectives into privacy-safe, data-informed media plans that scale nationally, working with publishing, creative, data, and agency partners.

Develop audience segmentation frameworks aligned to core member personas
Design cross-channel consumer journeys from discovery through conversion
Lead integrated media planning across brand and performance channels
Partner with data, analytics, and marketing technology teams on measurement frameworks

Apply for the Director of Media Strategy role at Gaia

Paid Media Manager at Avalon Consulting Group

The mission angle: Avalon is a full-service fundraising agency working with nonprofits in environmental conservation, social justice, cultural arts, and progressive causes. This fully remote Paid Media Manager role puts you in charge of executing and optimizing digital advertising campaigns across paid search, social, and programmatic channels. Every campaign you run directly supports organizations raising funds to power their missions. If you want your media buying skills to connect to something larger, this deserves a close look.

Launch and manage campaigns across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, paid social, CTV, and programmatic
Build keywords, audiences, ads, budgets, and bidding strategies aligned with media plans
Monitor campaign pacing and optimize toward fundraising KPIs
Collaborate with creative, analytics, and client service teams

Apply for the Paid Media Manager role at Avalon Consulting

Professional Takeaways

If your resume still separates “creative skills” from “audience and analytics skills” into distinct sections, consider reorganizing it. The roles being posted today reward professionals who can demonstrate both, not as separate competencies but as an integrated way of working. Whether you’re designing magazine layouts or building paid media campaigns, the employers hiring right now want to see evidence that you understand who the work is for, not just how to make it.

Tailor your portfolio and case studies to show the audience the impact of your creative decisions. That single shift in framing can be the difference between landing an interview and getting passed over.

Topics:

Hot Jobs

media-news

Publishers Are Finding Out What They’re Actually Worth

From Google's shifting traffic pipes to a landmark subscription milestone, the market is pricing news media in real time.

By Mediabistro

The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.

5 min read • Originally published March 19, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Mediabistro

The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.

5 min read • Originally published March 19, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026

The media industry is getting priced, story by story and deal by deal. Google is redirecting traffic through new channels while starving the old ones. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount are discussing a merger where CNN might be treated as a secondary asset.

The Times of London says digital subscriptions now cover the cost of its entire 700-person newsroom. And the UK government just reversed course on weakening copyright protections against AI training.

Distribution economics, consolidation math, subscription proof points, and intellectual property rights are all converging on one question: can professional journalism build a sustainable business, or does it become a loss leader for entertainment conglomerates and AI companies?

Google Giveth (Differently)

Google Discover is emerging as a real referral channel for breaking news, even as organic search traffic continues to crater. According to data reported by Press Gazette, US publishers are seeing genuine traffic gains from Discover for time-sensitive stories.

The underlying problem remains brutal. Organic search traffic to 64 publishers has dropped 42% since AI Overviews went live. Discover isn’t reversing that. It’s a new pipe that delivers some flow while the main artery gets systematically throttled.

Key Takeaway: Organic search traffic to 64 publishers has dropped 42% since AI Overviews launched. Google Discover provides some breaking news traffic, but it’s a dependency relationship where Google controls the terms.

This creates an operational dilemma. Do you optimize for Discover’s algorithmic preferences, which favor breaking news and high-velocity content? Or keep investing in SEO fundamentals that now increasingly serve Google’s own answer boxes rather than sending clicks?

Traffic doesn’t flow where journalism is best or where audience need is highest. It flows where Google’s product priorities direct it. That’s not a partnership.

What CNN Is Worth (and What AI Disinformation Costs)

CNN may not be a priority asset in the ongoing merger discussions between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. As Axios media reporter Sara Fischer told Poynter, deal conversations appear centered on streaming services, sports rights, and entertainment IP rather than the news division that defined the Turner Broadcasting era.

CNN’s revenue model looks fragile next to the annuity-like economics of sports rights or the licensing potential of entertainment libraries. The network still generates cash flow, but the growth trajectory points down as cable subscriptions decline. For dealmakers, that makes CNN something to manage or divest.

If the most recognized brand in cable news isn’t a priority in the biggest media merger of 2026, how does the market value journalism relative to other content categories? Studios and sports leagues can raise prices. News organizations mostly can’t, not without losing audience to free alternatives.

Meanwhile, the information environment keeps deteriorating. A viral video showing a toddler crying at the casket of a fallen US service member was generated by artificial intelligence and shared across social platforms as engagement bait. Poynter’s fact-checking team documented how the fake spread during ongoing military operations, exploiting genuine grief for clicks.

This is the compounding problem. Trustworthy journalism becomes more necessary as disinformation proliferates, but the economic model for producing it erodes simultaneously. Publishers are competing for attention against AI-generated content that costs nearly nothing to produce and is optimized purely for emotional manipulation.

Two Proof Points for the Long Game

The Times of London reached a milestone most publishers have chased for over a decade: digital subscriptions now cover the full cost of running a 700-person newsroom. Editor Tony Gallagher shared the figure at a Press Gazette event, and it’s the single most concrete proof point of reader revenue in years.

Plenty of publishers have subscription programs. Few can say those programs actually pay for the journalism. The Times hasn’t just built a subscriber base; it’s built one large and stable enough to fund serious reporting infrastructure.

Key Takeaway: The Times of London’s digital subscriptions now cover the full cost of its 700-person newsroom, proving subscription economics can work at scale for differentiated journalism.

The model depends on advantages not every publisher can replicate: a 200-year brand, a wealthy core demographic, a defined national footprint. But the principle generalizes. If you produce differentiated work that readers can’t easily get elsewhere, some meaningful percentage of your audience will pay.

On the policy front, publishers scored a rare win when the UK government backed down from plans to weaken copyright protections in favor of AI firms. According to Press Gazette, the reversal followed unanimous opposition from the UK news industry, which argued that allowing AI companies to train on copyrighted content without licensing would gut the economic foundation for professional journalism.

The copyright battle is about leverage. If publishers control access to their archives and can negotiate licensing deals with AI companies, they have a revenue stream that doesn’t depend on reader attention or advertiser spending. If copyright gets weakened to the point where AI firms can scrape freely, publishers lose that leverage and end up competing against systems trained on their own work.

The UK decision doesn’t resolve the broader question, but it preserves publishers’ ability to negotiate from legal standing rather than after the fact.

Subscriptions and copyright. One is the economic pillar, the other the legal one. Neither is a complete solution. Both are necessary.

What This Means

The through-line is valuation. Google is deciding what publisher traffic is worth by redirecting it through Discover. Merger dealmakers are deciding what CNN is worth relative to sports and streaming. The Times is proving what reader loyalty is worth when converted to subscriptions. The UK government is deciding what intellectual property protections are worth in an AI-dominated landscape.

If you’re working at a publisher that still depends primarily on search traffic and display advertising, you may be on a declining curve of unstable publisher economics. The organizations building durable foundations are diversifying revenue, investing in differentiated coverage, and protecting their IP.

If you’re evaluating new opportunities, look for organizations that can articulate a clear answer to the valuation question. What is this publication worth to readers, and how does the business model reflect that?

As newsrooms consolidate and business models shift, professionals who can demonstrate reader impact, revenue contribution, or product expertise become more valuable. If you’re building a team that can execute in this environment, post a job on Mediabistro. If you’re looking for your next role, browse open positions where these strategic questions are being answered.

This media news roundup is automatically curated to keep our community up to date on interesting happenings in the creative, media, and publishing professions. It may contain factual errors and should be read for general and informational purposes only. Please refer to the original source of each news item for specific inquiries.

Topics:

media-news

Hot Jobs

Nonprofit Media and Independent Publishing Jobs Hiring Now

Today's standout roles prove that mission-driven organizations and scrappy indie publishers are competing hard for senior digital talent.

By Mediabistro

The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.

4 min read • Originally published March 19, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Mediabistro

The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.

4 min read • Originally published March 19, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026

Small Teams, Big Ambitions

Something worth watching in today’s listings: independent and mission-driven organizations are posting roles that would have lived exclusively at large agencies or corporate media companies just a few years ago. Full-funnel paid media strategy for nonprofits. Digital marketing leadership at an indie book publisher. Remote content management with a direct line to revenue.

These aren’t junior positions padded with aspirational language. They’re senior, strategic roles with real ownership, posted by organizations that need people who can build and execute without a 40-person department behind them. For experienced media professionals who want autonomy and visible impact, this is the part of the market to watch.

Three of today’s featured roles are fully remote or remote-friendly, and all three sit at the intersection of content and performance, where creative instincts meet measurable outcomes. That hybrid skill set is quickly becoming the price of entry for mid-to-senior digital roles across the industry.

Today’s Hot Jobs

Paid Media Manager at Avalon Consulting Group

Why it deserves your attention: Avalon works exclusively with nonprofit clients in areas like environmental conservation, social justice, and cultural arts. This role manages campaigns across Google Ads, paid social, CTV, and programmatic channels for organizations that depend on fundraising to operate. You’re not optimizing click-through rates for a product launch. You’re helping causes stay funded.

The fully remote setup and the breadth of channels make this especially appealing for paid media professionals who want variety without the chaos of agency life. Avalon’s client roster means you’ll work across multiple verticals and campaign types simultaneously.

Experience managing paid search, paid social, and programmatic campaigns
Proficiency with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and social advertising platforms
Ability to build keywords, audiences, ads, budgets, and bidding strategies aligned to media plans
Comfort collaborating across creative, analytics, and client service teams

Apply for the Paid Media Manager role at Avalon Consulting

Associate Director, Digital Marketing at Topix Media Lab

What makes this role unusual: Topix is an independent publishing house with a catalog spanning gaming guides, graphic novels, food and drink titles, card decks, and children’s books. The Associate Director of Digital Marketing will lead full-funnel campaigns for frontlist and backlist titles while also mentoring an Associate Publicist. It’s a genuine leadership position at a company small enough that your decisions will be felt across the entire list.

The emphasis on direct-to-consumer marketing, influencer outreach, and platform-native engagement (Amazon, TikTok, Instagram) reflects where book marketing is actually headed. If you’ve been honing influencer and social media marketing skills, this is the kind of role where that expertise translates directly into business outcomes.

Proven track record developing and executing direct-to-consumer marketing programs
Experience with digital strategy, influencer outreach, and partnerships in publishing
Ability to strategize, budget, and execute digital advertising and social media campaigns
Strong relationships with authors, agents, influencers, or others in genre book publishing

Apply for the Associate Director of Digital Marketing position at Topix Media Lab

Content Manager at The Vomela Companies

The opportunity here: Vomela is a full-service visual communications company that works with both global and local brands. This remote Content Manager role sits squarely at the intersection of storytelling and demand generation, covering everything from quarterly e-books and customer stories to daily social posts and SEO-driven web content. The direct connection between content output and revenue growth objectives gives this position a strategic weight that many content manager roles lack.

For writers and editors looking to move into content marketing without abandoning the craft of storytelling, this is a strong fit. The range of formats alone, from long-form e-books to email campaigns to social content, will keep the work from feeling repetitive.

Experience creating content across web, email, e-books, direct mail, and social media
Ability to produce SEO-friendly content that drives traffic and engagement
Skill in developing demand generation content tied to revenue and retention goals
Storytelling instincts paired with a data-informed approach to content strategy

Apply for the Content Manager role at Vomela

The Takeaway for Job Seekers

If your resume still separates “creative skills” from “performance skills” into two different sections, it’s time to merge them. Every role featured today asks for someone who can write compelling content or build strong campaigns and connect that work to measurable business results. The organizations hiring right now, particularly smaller publishers and mission-driven groups, can’t afford to split those functions across multiple people. They need one person who understands both sides.

That’s good news if you have it. Professionals who can demonstrate content creation alongside analytics fluency and revenue impact are commanding real leverage in this market, especially in remote roles where trust depends on showing your work. Sharpen both edges of that skill set, and make sure your portfolio reflects them equally.

Topics:

Hot Jobs

Climb the Ladder

Millennials and work-life integration, why college students love work

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

3 min read • Originally published September 30, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

3 min read • Originally published September 30, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026

Robin Levine, founder of Scouted, has noticed a value shift in how the Millennial generation views work.

About previous generations, she said, “It used to be all about an end-goal. You’d do grunt work in a low-level job with the knowledge that it would pay off with promotions and more money in the end.”

But for Millennials, she said, “It’s about the journey. They care less about the end results. They want to enjoy the work itself.”

Levine’s observations are backed up by data. As I’ve written about before, the2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey found that millennials, more than previous generations, prioritize their overall wellbeing when evaluating their work satisfaction. In other words, they want to maximize their wellbeing on their work “journey,” not just the financial payoffs.

0-kuodqslgngbxcvlb — Wellbeing in a general sense is taking over the old paradigm of worker satisfaction: work-life balance. Over the past few years, work-life integration has become the buzzword. Work-life integration acknowledges the fact that, with blackberries and universal wifi and smart-watches and all of that, work time and personal time no longer have the strict boundaries “work-life balance” policies aimed to establish. People answer emails on the treadmill, make calls from the bathroom, organize their calendars in bed. Work is a part of life just as much as everything else is.

Companies need to acknowledge and embrace this work-life integration to maximize the employee wellbeing millennials require.

Think about it like this. Millennials evaluate work in a similar way to how we evaluate our romantic relationships and workout routines. If I want to get married and have kids eventually, but I don’t like the person I’m dating, I’m going to move on to someone else. If I want six pack abs, but I find my 4am crossfit class incredibly painful, I’m going to switch to another program (I got remarkable results from this video!)

In the same way, if I want to make a certain amount of money, and become successful in a certain field (blog writing, for example), but my employer expects me to make edits on drafts immediately, anytime they are suggested, even at 3am on a Sunday, I’m going to find a different employer.

The other part of this is that we have the internet now, so the “finding a different employer” step is easier than ever (and so is the finding another date and fitness program). A simple search on LinkedIn will show me an overwhelming amount of companies looking for blog writers.

Millennials want work to be a source of fulfillment, and they hold work to the same standard as everything else in their lives. That’s the inevitable result of work-life integration. So, instead of helping employees balance personal and work-lives, employers should find ways to make work fit into an integrated life. Let people work where and how they want, and let them set their own limits. Give them work that is meaningful. Let them know you care.

In the end, this will probably help with productivity. Stew Friedman, writing for his book and for Harvard Business Review, claims that many successful people — Sheryl Sandberg, Michelle Obama, Bruce Springsteen — have succeeded precisely because they don’t separate their lives into work and life, but integrate work into everything else.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

5 Ways Communications Jobs Are Evolving in Today’s Workforce

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

2 min read • Originally published October 18, 2022 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

2 min read • Originally published October 18, 2022 / Updated March 19, 2026

Communications is an umbrella term for a wide range of jobs, including PR, writing, social media, marketing, fundraising, and more. And while these types of communications jobs can vary in their day-to-day tasks, they all have one thing in common: spreading a message to consumers or businesses. As the job market evolves, so do communications jobs. Think about it. Do we communicate in the same way we did 10 years ago? Of course not.

Here are some ways communications jobs are evolving.

1. As Technology Evolves, Communications Jobs Evolve With It

The main reason communications jobs evolve is due to technological advancements. There are more tools to communicate today than there were even five years ago. For example, jobs within social media evolve as social media does. In fact, over the last decade, social media has evolved from one platform to 17+ with over 300 million active users.

2. Gen Z Is Bringing a Fresh Perspective

Gen Z is bringing a fresh perspective to communications jobs. About one in four workers are part of this generation, and since they’ve entered the workforce, they’ve brought a new work culture—one that is more inclusive, authentic, casual, and honest.

Additionally, they are the most tech-savvy generation yet. They’re more likely to understand new workplace communication technologies than older generations.

3. There’s a Wider Net of Communications Jobs Today

As technology evolves in communications, new types of jobs have been created under the communications umbrella. A social media manager wasn’t the same role that it is today.

Today, there are teams dedicated solely to a single social media app.

“Our team has two ‘wings.’ We have what we call the ‘core social’ team, which encompasses Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Telegram. And then we have the Instagram team, which is about 8-9 people focused on IG,” shares Travis Lyles, deputy director of social media at The Washington Post.

4. Communications Jobs Are More Valued Than Ever

Since COVID-19 emerged and companies had to quickly adjust their plans, the importance of communication became clear. Employers had to figure out how to communicate effectively with their employees, and employees in communications had to present messages in ways they hadn’t before.

As companies continue to embrace remote work, writing is becoming more crucial than ever.

5. Communications Jobs Are Predicted to Grow

Communications jobs are not only valued in new ways but are also expected to grow. According to a recent USC Annenberg Study, PR and communications budgets are expected to grow 11% over the next five years.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also published statistics to back this prediction: employment within communications is set to grow at a rate of 14% over the next 10 years—faster than the average for all other occupations.

Topics:

Climb the Ladder, Skills & Expertise

How to Pitch

How To Pitch: AdPro

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

2 min read • Originally published March 24, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

2 min read • Originally published March 24, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

Background: Launched in 1920 as a trade quarterly, Architectural Digest has evolved into a publication that celebrates international design talents and innovative homes. Since then the brand has spawned several international editions as well as AD PRO, a digital division of the brand that focuses on a professional audience, says Allie Weiss, deputy editor, AD PRO.

Visitors to the site will find exclusive content with the quality and authoritative voice that only AD editors can deliver, paired with engaging interactive features—as well as Architectural Digest’s entire 100-year archive.

How to pitch

Freelancers have the best chance of scoring a byline by pitching to the following sections:

Business news: Pitches should cover the operations of design companies, firms, and manufacturers (e.g. businesses shuttering or launching, mergers and acquisitions, changes in direction or company leadership, and new product categories, funding, sales and merchandising techniques, marketing campaigns, or locations.) Word count: 300-500.

General news: Editors want to receive timely news pitches pertaining to the professional design industry in the following categories: product launches, exhibitions, books, awards, studies, events, fairs, auctions, and films. Word count: 500.

Local project spotlights: Editors will accept pitches for new interior design projects (commercial, hospitality, retail, or model units only) in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco. Word count: 500.

Local events: Pitch local design events (dinners, cocktail parties, book signings, screenings, or panels) in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, or San Francisco. Word count: 300-500.

What publicists should pitch — and when [lead time]: Publicists are encouraged to share business news regarding their clients (e.g. designers, firms, interior design companies, or manufacturers). And that “news” can cover everything from mergers and acquisitions to changes in direction or company leadership.

Publicists can also pitch local news pertaining to the design industry in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, or San Francisco. These updates may include events, sales, hires, openings, product launches, real estate news, preservation news, and awards in those cities. Lead time is at least one week before the date of the news or event.

Percentage freelance content: 50%

Percentage of freelance submissions accepted: 30+%

Etiquette: Writers should mention their relevant experience and include links to published articles or their portfolio. If you’d like to send photos along with your pitch, please include a link to a folder with all available high-res imagery and photo credits. Identify the date of when the news will occur, and if an exclusive or interview is available, please let the editors know.

Lead time: At least one week before the news hits (whether a product launch, event, or corporate announcement).

Rights purchased: All rights

Contact info:
Architectural Digest
One World Trade Center, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10007
architecturaldigest.com/adpro
Instagram: @ArchDigestPro
firstname_lastname@condenast.com

Topics:

Go Freelance, How to Pitch

How to Pitch

How To Pitch: Afar

Bypass the touristy fluff and dig into authenticity to write for this luxury travel mag

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

3 min read • Originally published March 24, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

3 min read • Originally published March 24, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

Circulation: 250,000

Reach: 37MM+
Frequency: Four issues per year

Background: AFAR is the award-winning travel media brand that positively impacts the world through high-quality storytelling that inspires, empowers, and enriches travelers who care.

In an Afar survey, almost 90 percent of its well-to-do readers said they “visit places most travelers don’t see” and 74 percent agreed that they “stay in one place longer to experience its culture,” even participating in local events. This isn’t your ordinary Hawaiian-shirt-and-fanny-pack-wearing group. Although their median income hovers just over six figures and they enjoy all of the earmarks of luxury, these folks like the taste of real life with their vacationing. The key to piquing editors’ interest is an understanding of these readers, which spend an average of $4,100 annually on personal travel and, as a result, know their stuff.

“We put emphasis on giving readers a deeper dive, a sort of street-level view of a place,” Cosgrove explained. Freelancers interested in contributing need to bring their A game — think affluence and authenticity — to snag a third “A,” as in assignment, for Afar.

How to pitch

If your pitch is related to a specific issue theme, please note the theme in the subject line of the email.
Please send pitches for feature stories to Katherine LaGrave, Deputy Editor, at klagrave@afar.com.
Please send pitches for middle-of-book stories to Mae Hamilton, Assistant Editor, at mhamilton@afar.com.
Please send pitches for photo essays to Michelle Heimerman, Photo Editor, at mheimerman@afar.com.
Please send pitches for illustrated features to Supriya Kalidas, Creative Director, at skalidas@afar.com.

Topics

Travel News: to pitch an air travel, cruise, or travel news story, email Michelle Baran at mbaran@afar.com.
Culture: to pitch a culture story, email Mae Hamilton at mhamilton@afar.com.
Destination Inspiration: to pitch a destination inspiration story, please email Tim Chester at tchester@afar.com.
Diversity in Travel: to pitch a story about diversity in travel, please email Katherine LaGrave at klagrave@afar.com.
Commerce: to pitch a travel gear story or review, send a two-to three-paragraph email to Lyndsey Matthews at lmatthews@afar.com telling us why this brand/product should be covered by AFAR.
Features and Essays: to pitch a travel gear story or review, send a two- to three- paragraph email to Lyndsey Matthews at lmatthews@afar.com telling us why this brand/product should be covered by AFAR.
Hotels and Sustainability: to pitch a hotel story, please email Jennifer Flowers at jennifer@afar.com. To pitch a sustainability story, please email Tim Chester at tchester@afar.com.
Outdoor Adventure: to pitch an outdoor adventure story, email Katherine LaGrave at klagrave@afar.com.
Travel for Good: to pitch a story about travel as a force for good, email Tim Chester at tchester@afar.com.
Sponsored Content: if you’re interested in being considered for branded content assignments, please send a short bio and clips to Ami Kealoha at akealoha@afar.com.

Percentage of freelance content: 60 percent
Percentage of freelance pitches accepted: 5 percent to 10 percent

Contact info:
Afar Media
130 Battery Street, Sixth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
www.afar.com
Twitter handle: @AFARmedia | Facebook
Email format: FirstName@afar.com or FirstinitialLastname@afar.com

Direct all pitches to:
EDITORIAL at AFAR dot COM

Topics:

Go Freelance, How to Pitch

How to Pitch

How To Pitch: Fortune

Send pitches that analyze the power and cachet of big businesses

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

4 min read • Originally published April 3, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

4 min read • Originally published April 3, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

Fortune.com Reach: 55M

Fortune Magazine Subscribers: 676K+

Background: Fortune has been in circulation since 1930 and has a long tradition of covering the world of business—from in-depth profiles of business leaders to the popular Fortune 500 list of the world’s top performing companies. “[Industrial life] was clearly a force changing American life at the time when we were founded,” says Andrew Nusca, digital editor. “We don’t exist to glorify executives and businesses independently… we’re quite critical with our journalism. But we do believe that business can be a force for good.

Fortune’s target readership includes everyone from recent graduates who are just starting their careers to C-suite executives; and Fortune sets itself apart from other business media by focusing on power—specifically, “who’s got it, who’s lost it, who wants it,” says Nusca.

What to pitch: Fortune has a healthy number of staff writers, but they like to augment their coverage with new freelance voices. Most of Fortune’s freelancers have been writing for the publication for years, but newbies can get their feet in the door by pitching to the following sections:

The Briefing section is a collection of short business-related news items. Word count: 20-100.

The Focus section is comprised of four sub sections: Tech, Invest, Venture and Passions.

Tech articles must have a tech angle, but stories need not be about so-called tech companies. Editors see technology as the future of every industry, so they’re interested in running stories about people, companies, and trends in a mix of industries: retail, energy, transportation, business services, etc…

All Invest stories must have an investment angle. Editors run traditional investing stories (where to put your money), as well as articles about trends (e.g. changes in corporate reporting rules and the recent effects of the economy on second homes).

Venture is the place to pitch articles about entrepreneurship, and Passions is all about the finer things in life (e.g. fine wines, fast cars, beautiful hotels). The pitch angles can vary from reported pieces and profiles to Q&A stories and trend pieces. Word count: 450-1200 ea.

Freelancers can pitch to the Feature well, but editors have one major rule: “It must be a good yarn,” says Nusca. “We want great stories.” He notes that Fortune’s bread and butter is the corporation as an entity. Extraordinary startups are valid feature subjects from time to time, but stories tend to go big when the companies are big, too—if not the industry as a whole. Features are dedicated to the most important people, companies, and industry trends of our time, says Nusca, so they need to have a big impact.

Word count: 3,000-4,000.

What not to pitch: The Last Bite section is covered in house.

Online opportunities: Fortune.com covers a variety of topics, including design, energy, autos, entertainment, finance, health, leadership, luxury and tech.

Word count: 450-1200.

What publicists should pitch, and when: Editors look to publicists to provide access to authors, celebrities, etc… who are relevant to the Fortune audience. There’s no need to pitch story ideas. Lead time is 2 months (print); 2 weeks (online)

Percentage of freelance content published: Print: 30-40%; Online: 70%

Percentage of freelance pitches accepted: 25%

Recent freelance stories pitched and published: How to Get a Job in the Cannabis Industry capitalized on spiking interest in the topic and was pitched by a long-time contributing writer who specializes in workplace issues. And Streaming Could Change the Video Game Business Forever was pitched by a writer who is well sourced in the video game industry. He noticed a shifting industry business model and pitched this trend story, which helped our readers stay abreast of change, says Nusca.

“Power to the Peeps—From Humble Easter Treat to Big Peep” is a good example of seemingly lighter annual holiday content, which nonetheless highlights the big business involved in the viral emergence of Peeps as a heavyweight brand.

Etiquette: When crafting your pitch, please make sure you have a clear sense of why the pitch is important for Fortune, and why the editors should run the story now. And please remember that editors are interested in receiving pitches about stories not topics.

Nusca prefers that potential freelancers first reach out to inquire about his current editorial needs. Since the majority of freelance writing does not come from cold pitching, he believes that “it’s better to get on the same page about what you can do and how we can work you into our needs.”

Fortune doesn’t have a separate editorial staff for print and online, so they do not have section editors. Therefore, when you pitch, please make sure you reach out to the editors that cover that specific topic.

Lead time: 2 months (print); 2 weeks (online)

Pay rate: Print rate is generally $2/word, but it varies by editor and section. Online is generally .50-$1/word.
Payment schedule: 30 days once invoice is received
Kill fee: 25% but can vary
Rights purchased: All rights

Contact info:
Fortune
225 Liberty St.
New York, NY 10080
Fortune.com

Twitter: @FortuneMagazine

Facebook: facebook.com/FortuneMagazine

Email:
FirstName.LastName@Fortune.com

Direct pitches to:

Please send pitches for lists to Scott DeCarlo.
Please send pitches for features to Verne Kopytoff, Steve Mollman, and Indrani Sen.

Topics:

Go Freelance, How to Pitch

How to Pitch

How To Pitch: Brides

Condé Nast's wedding bible appeals to the bride who wants a classic wedding with modern twists and custom details

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

6 min read • Originally published April 3, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

6 min read • Originally published April 3, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

Reach: 5.4 million

Background: Brides, Condé Nast’s one and only wedding magazine. While much has changed since the publication was launched in 1934 (the introduction of color photography, for one!), there are similarities between then and now, said executive editor Lauren Iannotti. “It was very fashion focused even then, and very service-y and advice focused,” she explained. These days, the magazine’s mission, in Iannotti’s words, “is to give the stylish bride everything she needs to know to plan her wedding, serve as inspiration, and [offer] a little bit of relationship and marriage advice.” And in the past couple of years, since editor-in-chief Keija Minor came on board (and with a bit of influence from artistic director Anna Wintour), Brides strives to elevate its emphasis on style.

“We really are putting the focus on fashion,” said Iannotti. “Now that fashion is so democratic in style, not just talking about the dress, but the details of the wedding, the décor and just the overall style of the wedding. Our readers across the country are more interested now in the cutting edge of what’s chic, and we are trying to give them a lot more of that.”

In terms of the magazine’s audience, Iannotti said editors want to reach all two million of the brides that get married each year in the United States: “Our target reader is the girl who’s getting married within the next year or year and a half. They often come right to us when they first get engaged. Our goal is to keep them around for a little longer and create sticky content that makes them want to keep coming back.”

Added Iannotti, the Brides reader “is not cookie cutter. She doesn’t want everything to be the same, but she certainly wants a nod to what’s classic. She doesn’t want to look at her wedding photos in 20 years and think, ‘What was I thinking?’ — all due respect to Man Repeller, et cetera, who we love. Our bride [wants] a lot of modern twists and influences, and personalization is a big thing for her.”

What to pitch: Iannotti admitted that most story ideas are generated in house by the magazine’s small staff, and then assigned to freelancers with whom editors have established relationships because they “deliver good work with great reporting and crisp writing.” But new writers are hardly turned away. “We’re always looking to add to that stable — new people who are proven or are hungry,” said Iannotti. Stringers in different regions of the country are especially helpful to contribute to roundups, such as the best photographers or best venues across the United States, she said.

Freelancers interested in contributing should pay special attention to the “Real Wedding” section. “We often hear about weddings from photographers. We are anxious to hear more from writers who are attending beautiful weddings and just think they would be perfect for us,” said Iannotti. And they should be diverse. “We’re looking for gay couples and we’re looking for couples of mixed race. We just want to make sure we’re just hitting what is going on in America,” added Iannotti.

Also open to freelancers is the “Beauty” section. “Anytime we do more than our typical beauty pages, if we do a special section, that’s all hired out,” said Iannotti.

Ideas are also sought for “Plan Like a Pro,” a regular feature. “It’s almost like Esquire‘s ‘What I’ve Learned’ for the bridal set,” said Iannotti. “We have a reporter interview someone [a planner or florist or baker] who’s been to a million weddings and seen it all and will tell us their great wisdom.” A favorite of Iannotti’s was a feature on DJ Mia Moretti.

Bottom line is your query will get a second look if it’s hitting on something that’s relatable and that you won’t find in every other bridal mag. Explained Iannotti: “It’s hard to find super new, fresh ideas that aren’t kooky and weird, and we’re challenged to do it all the time. So any fine reporter out there who can get that surprising service-y nugget that doesn’t come out of left field, that sort of feels real and great, we would love that.”

What not to pitch: Iannotti said it doesn’t make sense to pitch visual pages, such as roundups of beautiful cakes or the color palette’s page. Furthermore, wedding style stories (such as a six-page well story on tabletop) are going to be produced in house.

Online opportunities: Similar to the print magazine, Brides.com seeks stories for its “Real Weddings” section. Other topics freelancers should focus pitches on include planning, relationships, fashion, etiquette and travel. “[Because] the turnover is so much quicker, we just constantly need fodder,” said Iannotti. Just stay clear of celebrity, beauty and registry items, which are generally handled in house. The pay rate for online content varies widely, so it is something to negotiate with Web editor Jennifer Cress.

What publicists should pitch — and when: “We’re always looking for stuff for our ‘Want, Need, Love’ page, which is just exciting things that are bridal or not bridal, but could somehow relate to the wedding,” said Iannotti. But publicists should be aware of the book’s long lead time, around five months.

“We just did a bridal line with Baublebar, which we’re so excited about, and of course because we did it we knew about it early so we could have all kinds of fun with it in the magazine,” said Iannotti. “But any kind of stuff like that, we want — new product lines, fashion, fine jewelry, costume jewelry, all these things. We welcome any and all early warning on great stuff coming down the pike,” she said.

Percentage of freelance content published: 40 percent
Percentage of freelance pitches accepted: 10 percent

Etiquette: Send your pitch — and link to existing work — in the body in the email, advised Iannotti, “and if you have a connection to Brides or if there’s some good selling point, put it in the subject line.” Adding “Pitch from a writer” will also help differentiate you from a publicist’s pitch. Final words of advice: “I encourage people to pick up the magazine and look at the masthead and figure out who their mark is depending on the department. And then you can just use the Condé Nast [email convention] to find the person,” said Iannotti.

Lead time: Five months
Pay rate: $2 a word; may be less or more, depending on the amount of reporting involved, writer experience, etc.
Payment schedule: Invoice on acceptance; payment usually received within two to three weeks. “We are really good about this because I’ve been on the other end of it,” noted Iannotti.
Kill fee: 25 percent. “We don’t kill a lot though. We make [pieces] work,” said Iannotti.
Rights purchased: Worldwide perpetual, but negotiable

Contact info:
1 World Trade Center
New York, NY 10007
www.brides.com
Twitter | Facebook
Email format: FirstName_LastName@condenast.com

Direct pitches to the appropriate editor:
For Real Weddings, real weddings editor Gabriella Rello:
GABRIELLA underscore RELLO at CONDENAST dot COM
For Details, service stories and product pitches, senior editor Shelby Wax:
SHELBY underscore WAX at CONDENAST dot COM

Topics:

How to Pitch

Real simple

Helping readers enjoy their lives with easy and accessible tips is the way to earn a byline in this mag

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

5 min read • Originally published April 3, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Jess Focht

@jessfocht

Jess Focht is a writer and content strategist with 6+ years of experience in media, publishing, and brand storytelling. She has contributed to Insider, Grammarly, and The Creative Independent.

5 min read • Originally published April 3, 2023 / Updated March 19, 2026

Reach: 6M

Frequency: Monthly (print), daily (digital)

Background: Real Simple is a lifestyle magazine that aims to make every aspect of women’s lives easier, in a simple, friendly, and accessible way. They aim to help readers of all stripes feel a little more calm and joyful in their everyday lives. The magazine makes it clear that you don’t have to have unlimited time or an unlimited budget to love your home, to enjoy your life and family, and to feel good about the way you look.

“We try to stay true to our name in all things,” says Real Simple deputy editor Anna Maltby. “We want our readers’ lives to be simpler, and we want it to be easy for them to get the information and advice they need to make it that way. Our readers love our organizing, food, health, and family stories, and they appreciate that we come to them on all topics from an accessible, friendly POV.”

What to pitch: Truth be told, Real Simple staffers produce a lot of content in house. “Many of our stories are based on the market work and research our editors do themselves,” Maltby explains. But editors are always interested in hearing from writers who know the magazine’s voice and coverage areas well.

“A successful pitch will almost always come from a writer who truly knows our magazine—loyal readers who know what we’ve covered and how we’ve covered it,” Maltby says. “We cover evergreen topics, so coming at them in special new ways is crucial. A clever spin we haven’t done before and wouldn’t have thought of ourselves is a pitch that stands out.”

Consider trying to pitch these entry points:

Real Simplifier, a short (500-700 words) how-to guide that breaks down something that feels overwhelming—like building a campfire or running a marathon—into five bite-sized steps. These are typically projects that wouldn’t be covered elsewhere in the magazine.

Pitches for Moneywise (500-1200 words) should feel actionable and empowering; readers are looking for smart and surprising advice about investing, budgeting, and saving for retirement.

For Career Coach (800-1200 words), keep in mind that RS readers are often confident mid- and senior-level managers, so pitches that help with tricky things like delegating, giving feedback, and dealing with work stress are more intriguing than those about resumes and interview tips. Real Simple’s career coverage also has a strong emphasis on work-life balance advice for men and women, and recognizes that many readers have (or want to have) flexible or nontraditional work situations.

Health, parenting, and family service stories (1200-1500 words) are usually written by freelance writers. For health, ideas should be based on strong science and reputable experts—RS gives only tried and true health advice, focused on positive (not fear-based) strategies to fit in exercise, eat healthfully, reduce stress, and otherwise live a healthy lifestyle. The magazine does not chase health trends or diets.

Parenting and family stories should apply to as wide a range of readers as possible, so pitches that cover multiple ages, stages, and relationships are best. The opener of the Relating section (900 words)—five interesting experts and authors’ answers to the same question—is also a freelance piece, and editors consider both the uniqueness of the suggested question and the potential people to include.

Well and FOB features run at about 1500-1800 words, but occasionally longer. The editors look for profiles of real people giving back and making a difference in their communities, service packages (anything as it relates to making readers’ lives easier), and trend stories. Some recent standout features pitched by freelancers have included a reported personal essay on backyard beekeeping, a profile of a Texas historically black college president who turned the football field into a farm, and a guide to modern dress codes.

In the home department, most stories are written by editors, but they will consider ideas for one-off home-focused feature stories, especially pitches that include multiple visual examples (or, for a proposed home tour, multiple photos of the potential space).

Digital editors accept freelance pitches for evergreen content in home, food, beauty, fashion, careers, money, and holidays. When pitching, keep in mind that the website’s mission is the same as the magazine’s: to simplify people’s lives.

What not to pitch: Three areas that print editors (almost) never take freelance work are food, fashion, and beauty, which are typically done in-house (or by a small pool of trusted and trained contributors).

Little Helpers, Now What?!?, New Uses for Old Things, and Making it Work are always written in-house as well.

What publicists should pitch: Maltby’s advice for publicists is much the same as it is for writers—that is, know the book and know it well. Pitching with a specific section of the magazine in mind can help, too. “We have a section of products called ‘Little Helpers,’ which are products that make life easier,” Maltby says. “Be familiar with what’s run and what’s appropriate for us.”

Other factors that increase a publicist’s chances of landing a placement? Seasonality certainly helps (the magazine runs gift guides in the summer and holiday seasons), as do pitches for products that are “surprising, clever and problem-solving”—for which Real Simple is known.

Percentage of freelance content: About 40 percent

Percentage of freelance pitches accepted: 15 percent

Etiquette: Maltby says a working hed and dek is helpful, shorter is better, and most editors prefer not to receive attachments (other than the home editor, who likes to see visual aids). But, ultimately, the ideal anatomy of a pitch is predicated by the actual story being pitched—in other words, if the story always includes five tips, show what those tips would be.

Lead time: About eight months

Pay rate: $2 a word for print. Digital rates vary depending on the story.

Payment schedule: On acceptance

Kill fee: 25 percent

Rights purchased: All rights

Contact info:
Real Simple
225 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10281
www.RealSimple.com
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Email format: FIRSTNAME dot LASTNAME at MEREDITH dot com (If you receive a bounce back, try an underscore instead of a period between the names.)

Direct pitches to:

For food, food editor Samantha Leffler: SAMANTHA dot LEFFLER at MEREDITH dot COM

For home, home editor Katie Holdefehr: KATIE dot HOLDEFEHR at MEREDITH dot COM

For health and wellness, health and wellness editor Maggie Seaver: MAGGIE dot SEAVER at MEREDITH dot COM

For beauty and fashion, beauty and fashion editor Hana Hong: HANA dot HONG at MEREDITH dot COM

Topics:

Go Freelance, How to Pitch

The Audience Question Is Reshaping Every Creative Role

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The Takeaway for Job Seekers

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4. Communications Jobs Are More Valued Than Ever

5. Communications Jobs Are Predicted to Grow

How to pitch

How to pitch

Topics

Ramunas Kovalskis