How to Pitch Stories to Wirecutter

Last updated September 20, 2024

Everyone at Wirecutter is obsessed with helping our readers find the best things. We know the disappointment of spending money on something that just doesn’t meet expectations. And we expect our freelancers to bring the same passion and attention to detail to every article they write for us, from a personal essay to a how-to. We are always looking to meet more journalists who are as passionate about our mission as our staff is. After all, it is only through a diverse pool of writers that we can ensure we are inclusive in our coverage of what’s best for most people.

Much of our work is handled by our staff of expert journalists, who are constantly testing and retesting items to update our already-published reviews. That said, we occasionally accept pitches for shorter pieces, and we build relationships with freelancers to work on long-form guides. Here’s what you should know.

How we work

When assigning reviews, we look at a mix of data and trends in our effort to decide which types of products readers need and want the most advice about. (We aren’t ruled by numbers, though—we also use good old common sense.) Because of this process, we don’t take many pitches for reviews, which members of our staff typically write. Updates to already-published guides follow a similar process, though they can sometimes entail much less work. That said, different editors can sometimes have a need for writers with beat expertise who can update or rewrite an existing guide, and we also publish shorter, less work-intensive pieces. For these articles, we’re open to meeting new writers and receiving pitches.

What types of pitches we accept

We take pitches for shorter reported pieces, odes, and how-tos related to the products we already cover. We don’t accept cold pitches for long-form reviews, which we usually assign to our staff, but we are always open to meeting freelancers with beat expertise to whom we might assign guides or updates in the future.

What we pay

For shorter pieces, we generally pay $500; that can increase depending on the work involved. We also often pay an extra $100-$300 for photographs and videos. For long-form reviews, our rates vary substantially based on the work involved. We pay $300 for a scout report (initial research on a product category), and a relatively light update to an existing review is around $500. We pay as much as $1,500 for more involved updates, and for new reviews or substantial rewrites, we pay at least $2,500 and up to $4,000 for challenging reviews with demanding testing needs.

Who we’re looking to work with

We want to form relationships with freelancers who have beat knowledge in the areas we cover. Are you a cookbook author obsessed with kitchen equipment? A networking specialist who lives to optimize people’s crappy internet? A trained industrial designer who loves to geek out over desk or chair design? An equally qualified type of expert writer? We want to hear from you.

How to introduce yourself and who to pitch

If you’re a beat reporter and you would like to introduce yourself to one of our editors, please email us at [email protected].

If you want to pitch a news piece, an ode, a how-to, or some other shorter post, following are the editors currently accepting pitches:

Claire Perlman, accessibility editor, is interested in pitches for odes, a blog post-type format that tells the story behind the writer’s favorite product as it relates to their disability and independence. She’s specifically looking for pitches from people with disabilities, older adults, and caregivers. All pitches should have an actionable takeaway that ties back to a product (don’t bury the lede) and a headline that conveys a clear purpose.
Jason Chen, deputy editor (style and accessories, PC/networking, smart home, home audio/video, home office, pets, and beauty), is interested in short-form, voice-driven odes to products, and hearing from writers with a great sensibility for stylish, beautiful, and unexpected gifts.
Marguerite Preston, senior editor (kitchen and dining), is interested in gear-focused how-tos for home cooks (think organization and general skills, not recipes), taste tests or odes to equipment by uniquely qualified experts, and writers on the coffee beat who can go from covering $1,000 espresso machines to discussing $30 coffee makers.
Christine Ryan, senior editor (cycling, outdoor activities, traveling), is interested in hearing from writers on the cycling beat who can put themselves in the shoes of novice cyclists and help them figure out what gear they really need.
Grant Clauser, senior editor (smart home, audio/video, home theater), is interested in hands-on how-to pieces on living with smart home devices, plus unique and helpful uses for popular products (Alexa, doorbell cameras, etc). Grant is also looking for experienced freelancers to test gear that may require some installation, such as smart thermostats and garage door controllers.

Please begin your subject line for specific pitches with Freelance pitch: to ensure we will see it.

How to pitch

A good pitch should be little more than a compelling headline and anything from a few sentences to three paragraphs of explanation. We’re interested in stories about products and how to live with them: deeply reported features, counterintuitive takes, or a letter of recommendation for a product our readers might not know about. A successful pitch makes you wish the story were already written so you could read more.

Sample pitch:

Why do so many hand sanitizers suddenly smell so awful?

Purell, Germ-X, and many in-house drugstore brands have traditionally dominated the hand sanitizer market, and previously none were noted as unpleasant to use. But with recent shortages, a slew of new, no-name brands have popped up to serve demand. Every new sanitizer brand I've tried during the past few months has smelled unpleasant (friends surveyed echoed this observation).

Amazon, Target, and other online retailer sites are filled with negative reviews about the smell of hand sanitizer brands; smaller companies that have switched to producing hand sanitizer, sourced from distilleries and skincare manufacturing sources, are also failing in the scent department, note recent customer reviews. I have samples of both isopropyl and ethyl alcohol brands, purchased pre-pandemic, and neither one smells unpleasant (both Purell and RiteAid, in-store). Even matching similar percentages of alcohol, I found that the smell was markedly stronger and unpleasant.

I have some ideas why this is so after looking at the additional-ingredients list, but I wanted to investigate further by contacting the likes of Gojo (owner of Purell), some indie startups, and maybe even a scent chemist to explain what changed.