Fees: Managing editor Kristin Houser says rates range from $500 to $2,000 per piece, depending on length and number of interviews.
Submit to: pitches@bigthink.com or use this form.
Website: bigthink.com
Owner: Freethink Media.
Readership demographics: Big Think says it attracts inquisitive, highly educated and financially successful readers. About 30% are business owners and nearly half have at least a master’s degree. Readers skew more male than female, and most are in their mid-20s to mid-40s. The publication reaches 200,000 subscribers and 3.4 million monthly site users.
What editors look for in a pitch: According to its pitch form, Big Think editors are “always looking for original feature pitches about transformative trends, scientific breakthroughs and emerging ideas that challenge conventional wisdom, including interviews with high-profile scientists, entrepreneurs, authors and thinkers.”
The outlet looks for pitches that slot into one of its beats, like psychology and neuroscience or science and technology. Feature pitches could offer to profile someone having a real impact on one of the beats, or to deliver a high-level explanation of “big challenges, major trends or timely debates,” the form says.
Pitches should include a suggested headline, a brief description of the idea and why it’s important, whom you plan to interview, your proposed word count and your rate. Freelancers should also provide a few clips to past published stories.
Frequency of publication: Daily.
Lead time: Houser says it typically takes one to two weeks to accept a pitch, and then another four to six weeks between the assignment and publication.
Common pitching mistakes: Pitching angles that are already well-covered online. “We want to bring something new” to the conversation, Houser says. Other mistakes include pitching a story about a single study, a marginal scientific advance or your own political opinion. Writers don’t need to follow up, either — if editors don’t respond within two weeks, consider it a pass.
Do they accept pre-pitches? Yes.