4 Health & Wellness Markets Open to Writers

With all things cozy on my mind, I want to explore health and wellness markets open to freelance writers. After all, there are few things more comforting than the thought of a healthy mind and body, and the following markets endeavor to help their audiences navigate both health and wellness, whether through personal experiences, medical experts and studies, reviews of products and services, or just the latest news and techniques. 

What was once a robust print magazine market—even just a few years ago—is shifting into a more digital experience. There is still an audience for reading advice, but many people also like to consume their health and wellness content via podcasts and videos, which opens new opportunities for writers willing to adapt to the changing landscape. Here are four health and wellness markets to get you started.

ADDitude is a quarterly magazine covering attention deficit disorder for families and adults living with ADHD. Freelancers looking to break into this market will find their best opportunities through ADDitude’s blogs and webinars. 

The editors say, “The editors of the ADDitude web site are always seeking fresh voices to tell the story of living and thriving with ADHD. We are looking for blog posts by parents, adults with ADHD, educators, spouses, and experts. The best bloggers write about their personal experiences and share the strategies/tools that work best for them.” 

Potential writers can send blog post ideas along with a 500- to 800-word sample blog post to submissions@attitudemag.com. That email address is also where experts can pitch possible webinar topics. Please note that webinar contributors should hold an M.D., Ph.D., or M.S. degree and be a recognized authority in the field. 

The editors say, “ADDitude.com hosts 2–4 online webinars each month. These are available to our audience at no cost and promoted via email newsletters, social media posts, and online advertisements. Webinars last one hour and draw 10,000–20,000 registrations on average. Webinar audio is then converted to podcast format and posted on ADDitude’s ADHD Experts podcast on iTunes.”

Founded in the 1970s, alive is a magazine that has editions for both Canada and the USA. alive Canada is a monthly publication focused on natural health and wellness, while alive USA is a bimonthly publication geared to the eco-conscious consumer. 

The editors say, “alive has been the leader in natural health for a very long time—more than 45 years! We love that we’re the first-choice resource for millions of people who take responsibility for being engaged and informed about their own health and wellness.” 

Prospective writers can send general queries to editorial@alive.com; but they can also directly query Editor-in-Chief Tracy Peternell (tracy.peternell@alive.com) for both the Canadian and U.S. editions. Note that articles submitted on speculation will not be read or receive a response. Writers with accepted queries will receive a requisition form, contract, and blank invoice. 

The editors say, “We invite you to submit unique, creative, and inspired queries that align with the health focus or theme of each scheduled issue. Please be sure to include a distinctive perspective and a unique concept, practice, or groundbreaking area of research.”

Originally a print magazine, SELF has evolved into a health and wellness brand that reaches millions of people each month across a wide range of platforms, including web, video, and social media. 

The editors say, “Our goal is to help people take good care of themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Sometimes we do that by reporting on individual actions that can make a difference; sometimes we do it by highlighting efforts to make systemic or institutional change. We pride ourselves on publishing trustworthy content that exemplifies our core brand values of inclusivity, accuracy, autonomy, and empathy.” 

Prospective writers can pitch stories for the SELF website in the following core verticals: health, fitness, food, beauty, love, and life. Send emails to Alisa Hrustic (alisa_hrustic@condenast.com) for general health and health features; Theresa Tamkins (theresa_tamkins@condenast.com) for health stories through a condition-specific lens; Christa Sgobba (christa_sgobba@condenast.com) for fitness, sports, food, cooking, and nutrition; Cathryne Keller (cathryne_keller@condenast.com) for wellness lifestyle; and Abbey Stone (abbey_stone@condenast.com) for shopping-related pitches, including gift guides. Subject lines should follow the format of “PITCH: Working Headline Here,” and queries should include a working headline or two, a couple paragraphs about the proposed piece, and a little bit about the writer. Fees currently start at $450 for short and quick news stories, $500 for reported service stories, and $800 for features. 

The editors explain, “We’re making an effort to standardize our rates as much as possible. As a general rule, we may pay more based on the amount of reporting expected for the piece, turnaround time, and special expertise.”

Founded in 1981, Shape was (like SELF) originally a print magazine but is now an online destination serving millions of readers every month. The site is divided into the following categories: Fitness, Beauty, Health and Wellness, News and Trends, Food and Nutrition, What to Buy, and Apparel and Gear. 

The editors say, “At Shape, wellness is for all. Whether you are working toward a specific fitness goal or just hope to feel better and have more energy, our team of writers, editors, personal trainers, and wellness enthusiasts aims to provide science-backed tools and tips to meet you wherever you are in your health journey.” 

Since Shape does reach so many people, they have a more involved vetting process before writers can pitch pieces. Prospective writers should send a note about their experience with a few sample articles to the editors at write@shape.com to receive more information about their pitching guidelines, rates, and content areas of focus. 

The editors say, “We’re always looking for talented journalists and expert contributors to help bolster our mission to create a more equitable, accessible, and approachable culture of wellness.”

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