If you’re a freelancer looking for lifestyle blogs that pay writer, it can feel like a chore. You know you can write and you have a great idea, but where can you send an article and get paid for it?
Endless Googling, trying to escape the content mills, and offers of unpaid guest posts–it can all be frustrating when you’re trying to make a living as a writer or blogger. It can feel even tougher for new writers.
The good news is, it doesn’t have to.
To help you find your next publication, we’ve researched 18 lifestyle blogs that pay writers. This list includes the type of content they pay for, their rates and their pitching process. The goal? To save you time (and Googling) so you can focus on writing and how to make money as a full-time freelance writer.
| Publication | Starting rate |
|---|---|
| Eating Well | $1/word |
| Earth Island Journal | $0.25/word for print; $150 per article for online |
| WellBeing Magazine | $600 AUD per feature |
| Gastro Obscura | $0.50/word |
| Belt Magazine | $100 per article |
| The American Gardener | $150 per article; $300 per feature |
| Bon Appetit | $250 per short story |
| DAME magazine | $150 per essay; $300 per reported feature |
| Popular Woodworking | $1,000 per article |
| The Threepenny Review | $200 per opinion piece; $400 for long stories |
| Long Island Woman | Not shared publicly |
| Vibrant Life | $100 per article |
| Gray’s Sporting Journal | $600 per feature |
| Sierra Club | Not shared publicly |
| Food & Nutrition Magazine | Not shared publicly |
| Longreads | $500 for personal essays; $1/word per feature |
| Listverse | $100 per list |
| American Craft | $0.50/word |
Lifestyle blogs that pay writers in 2022
If you’ve ever asked yourself “can I get paid for writing blogs?” the answer is definitely a big yes!
If writing about lifestyle topics is your freelance writing niche, this list will help you to make a living writing, pointing you in the direction of writing jobs for lifestyle publication. Some of them don’t need experience either, making them perfect for beginners.
Here’s a round up of the best lifestyle blogs that pay writers for their work.
1. Eating Well
Eating Well is a website and print magazine that pays up to $1 per word for cooking, nutrition and food-related stories. This includes stories that relate travel, culture and food together. This can be recipes, nutrition, healthy food ideas, food stories, food sustainability and trends.
Don’t forget to read their writer’s guidelines carefully first for more information on what they cover and what they’re looking for. They want to know why they should cover your idea, as well as what it is.
Pay: $1 per word.
Contact: Use this form to send a pitch.
Byline given? Yes
2. Earth Island Journal
Earth Island Journal is a lifestyle publication that focuses on environmental issues. This includes a host of topics, such as wildlife and land conservation, innovations in science and technology, public policy and politics, climate and energy, animal rights, public health and environmental justice.
They also want pitches on environmentally related film, music, and book reviews. Prior to pitching, check out their submission guidelines.
Pay: $0.25/word for print (about $750-$1,000 for an in-depth feature story of 4,000 words), or $150 for online reports
Contact: Send pitch enquiries to submissions@earthisland.org
Byline given? Yes.
3. WellBeing Magazine
WellBeing Magazine publishes articles on holistic health, sustainability and spirituality. They’re looking for bloggers from all walks of life who are passionate about natural health and wellness.
Pay: Feature articles are usually 2,000-2,500 words and pay AU $600-$700. Shorter experience articles of up to 800 words pay around AU $150, whereas travel articles with photographs and special reports pay between AU $750-$1700 (depending on detail).
Contact: Use the email form on this submissions page.
Byline given? Yes.
4. Gastro Obscura
Gastro Obscura wants you to wow them with pitches on food and drink that offer curiosity, interest and insights. As their pitching instructions state, “Our goal is not to keep readers in the know about industry or food trends; our goal is to delight them with stories that tell them something new and surprising about a part of the world.”
Pay: Rates vary depending on story length and amount of reporting required, but usually start at $300/$0.50 per word for an 800 to 1,500 word article.
Contact: Send a few samples of your writing to gastro-pitches@atlasobscura.com. (Hint: the publication says that telling them you can source photos for the article “makes it easier for them to say yes”).
Byline: Yes.
5. Belt Magazine
Belt Magazine pays up to $1,000 for features on life in the Rust Belt and the northern Midwest of the US. The lifestyle publication pays between $100-$200 for first person essays on topics related to the Midwest. They’re especially interested in pieces on the environment, arts, culture, development, inequality and economy.
Find more information about their submissions process before you pitch. They encourage women, writers of color, LGBTQ+ writers, Native/Indigenous writers, and writers of all abilities to pitch.
Pay: $100-$200 for essays; up to $1,000 for featured stories.
Contact: Send pitches for features or completed essays to editorial@beltmag.com using the subject line “STORY PITCH” or “ESSAY SUBMISSION.”
Byline given? Yes
6. The American Gardener
The American Gardener is the official publication of the American Horticultural Society. They’re looking for plant-related pitches and gardening stories–here’s the complete rundown.
Pay: They pay between $300-$600 for feature articles and $150-$200 for department articles.
Contact: Send pitches and proposals to editor@ahsgardening.org with samples of your work and details of your experience or interest in gardening.
Byline given? Yes.
7. Bon Appetit
Bon Appetit is looking for stories around cooking, shopping, culture and restaurants. You can find more information, specific contact details for each story type, and tips on how to pitch on this submissions page.
Pay: Standard rates start at $250 for stories around 400 words and increase depending word count, experience, complexity, and amount of reporting.
Contact: Your pitch idea dictates who you get in touch with. Read the above guidelines carefully before you send it through.
Byline given? Yes.
8. DAME magazine
DAME magazine is an independent women owned and edited publication. They cover politics, societal and cultural issues, such as reproductive rights, civil rights, policy, race, sex, gender, and more.
Think creatively and look for stories that need to be told to support marginalized groups. As their pitch guidelines state, they’re usually looking for essays, features, trend pieces along with first person essays and interviews.
Pay: Starting at $150 for essays and $300-$500 for reported features.
Contact: Send your pitch through to editorial@damemagazine.com.
Byline: Yes
9. Popular Woodworking
Popular Woodworking wants to inspire people to make beautiful furniture and decorative items that stand the test of time. They’re looking for pitches from people of all backgrounds, ranging from professional woodworkers to engineers to artists doing interesting things with new materials.
Pay: They pay between $1,000-$3,000, depending on the complexity and scope of the article.
Contact: Read their submission guidelines and email your pitches to Logan Wittmer at lwittmer@aimmedia.com.
Byline given? Yes.
10. The Threepenny Review
The Threepenny Review is a literary magazine looking for critical articles, poetry, table talk items, stories and memoirs.
Pay: Poetry and table talk opinion pieces are usually paid at $200, whereas longer stories and articles earn around $400.
Contact: Look at their online submissions guide and send your ideas through this online submission form.
Byline given? Yes.
11. Long Island Woman
Long Island Woman is a monthly tabloid magazine with a free distribution of 28,000 copies throughout Long Island, New York. Send them nonfiction articles of special interest to women (particularly those in the Long Island area). Find writer’s guidelines here.
Pay: Rates vary depending on length of article and whether the article is a reprint or an assignment.
Contact: Requests for coverage or article consideration are accepted by email only at editor@liwomanonline.com.
Byline given? Yes.
12. Vibrant Life
Vibrant Life is a lifestyle magazine that pays lifestyle writers $100-$300 for articles on physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual balance from a practical, Christian perspective.
They’re especially looking for work on the latest breakthroughs in medicine, health, nutrition and exercise. Interviews with leading personalities on health topics and seasonal, health-related material are all in their scope too.
Pay: Between $100-$300 per article, depending on article length and style.
Contact: Check out these writers guidelines in more detail before sending your ideas to the editor. We recommend reading up on some of their published pieces first.
Byline given? Yes.
13. Gray’s Sporting Journal
Gray’s Sporting Journal is a hunting and fishing sports magazine that publishes a wide range of article types, including fiction and non-fiction. They’re looking to pay for poetry, features, yarns and expeditions. If you have experience in adventure or you’re passionate about hunting and fishing, then this could be the publication for you.
Pay: Features earn between $600-$1,250, depending on quality and whether photographs are being provided. Other types of writing range from $50-$1,000.
Contact: Read their submissions guide and send enquiries to their editor at mike.floyd@morris.com.
Byline given? Yes.
14. Sierra Club
Sierra Club publishes stories–in print and online–on environmental and social justice issues as well as articles, film and book reviews. Their online offering includes stories, articles, film and book reviews whereas print includes long-form features, shorter dispatches, adventure-led science writing, personal essays, and service journalism.
Pay: Varies depending on the type of piece, length and whether you’ve written for the magazine before.
Contact: Read these editorial guidelines and submit your ideas online using this submission form.
Byline given? Yes.
15. Food & Nutrition Magazine
Food and Nutrition Magazine wants engaging, dynamic journalism about food and diet trends, innovations in research and practice, and explorations of the cultural and social factors that shape Americans’ diets and health. Just a heads up, they’re looking for experienced writers.
Pay: They don’t disclose exact pay, but say that it’s “competitive and varies depending upon the complexity and demands of the article, as well as the proven experience of the writer.”
Contact: Submit your article idea online, then start talking prices with the editor.
Byline given? Yes.
16. Longreads
Longreads focuses on nonfiction storytelling online. This could mean essays, commentary, interviews, reading lists, and in-depth investigative reporting, usually over 2,000 words. Take a look at some of their current long reads to get a feel for the type of content they’re looking to feature.
Pay: They pay from $500 for personal essays, from $1 per word for reported essays/features and $350 for reading lists or book reviews.
Contact: Read this submissions guide and email your pitch to hello@longreads.com.
Byline given? Yes.
17. Listverse
Listverse calls itself the original “Top 10 site”, publishing lists that aim to intrigue and educate with topics covering interesting angles and rare topics. Offbeat, unexpected, unusual science or general knowledge lists are more likely to be accepted. They don’t accept lists on sports, self-help, personal stories, gaming or opinion lists.
Be creative and think of an angle that hasn’t been covered before to up your chances of being accepted.
Pay: They pay $100 per list, but you’ll need a PayPal account to receive payment.
Contact: Find out more about their submission process here. Submit your lists here.
Byline given? Yes.
18. American Craft
American Craft wants articles around 400-2,000 words for their creative audience interested in all things crafty. They look for submissions pretty far in advance (think 12-18 months ahead) so stories with longevity work best, as does timing your pitch along to fit with their deadlines.
Pay: They pay $0.50–$1.00 per word, depending on assignment.
Contact: Read these writing guidelines and send your submissions through (well in advance) using the online form on their submissions page.
Byline given? Yes.
Your pitch was accepted. Now what?
If you’ve pitched your idea, it’s been accepted and you’re ready to write, you might just want to check out these tips to make your editor love you before you start. This can really boost your ability to land regular work, which means less time spent pitching and prospecting.
- Take the time to read your pitch and the editor’s brief carefully (along with anything you need to refresh on from the submission guidelines) before you start.
- If you have any sources that you need to contact, reach out to them sooner rather than later, just in case you need to have a back up plan ready.
- Read through recent articles on the site before you pitch. This can help you get a feel for the tone of voice, who you’re writing for and the level of detail you need to go into in your article.
It’s important to focus on delivering high-quality work that delivers value to the reader. Always proofread your work and check how your editor wants it to be delivered before you send it over ahead of the deadline.
Where else can you find freelance lifestyle writing jobs?
It’s important as a freelance writer that you have work coming in.
When the going’s good and you’re happily making money online, it’s too easy to sit back, relax and tell yourself it’ll always be this busy. If you have space in your schedule, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on freelance writing job boards as well as staying on top of the best ways to find freelance writing jobs.
Perseverance can definitely pay off when it comes to picking up freelance writing gigs, so stay focused and keep an eye on the work you have coming up as well as what you’ve got going on now.
Being proactive can make a big difference to your bottom line.
