How to pitch a freelance story to Fortune

Fortune often works with freelancers, and we are always looking to expand our stable of smart, energetic, and reliable journalists who tell great, original stories that will resonate with our audience.

**What makes a story a Fortune story?**

We’re a business publication, but we define business news broadly. Nearly everyone around the world makes money, spends money, and interacts with our global economy, and we believe that each piece of that is worth exploring. Our stories profile notable business figures, delve into the workings of corporations, hold those in power accountable, help professionals and consumers make better decisions, and shine a light on new and interesting challenges and solutions.

Our key areas of interest are finance, technology, health, crypto, workplace and careers, politics, leadership, and wellness. We also have a vibrant commentary section.

Please click around our website and/or page through the latest edition of our magazine to get a feel for what a great Fortune story is before pitching us.

What are the basic guidelines for a story pitch?

A story pitch should be a succinct summary—less than 500 words—that shows why your idea is original, why it matters, why it’s urgent to tell it now, and why you are the person to write it.

We want specifics. Don’t tell us about a topic you want to explore. Rather, explain the story you want to write: Who do you want to feature and why? Where’s the drama? What’s at stake? Whose feet will be held to the fire? What would readers be excited, surprised, or shocked to discover? Why should they care? You don’t have to know the full narrative arc, but indicate a few of the scenes or data points we can expect.

Answer these questions:

What has the competition done recently that might overlap with this story? What fresh angle or new material would you bring to it to make it distinctive?
What kind of access, if any, do you have to the companies or people you plan to write about?
How much reporting have you already done?
How much time do you think it will take you to do the story?
What scope do you envision for this story? How many words do you believe it will take to tell it?
What if any resources would you need?

And include a few links to your past work.

We do not review pre-written articles. We want to work with you to shape the story.