Capital & Main Freelance Market Guide

Fees: This California-based digital publication reports on economic, environmental and social issues, including health. Editors set freelance fees on a case-by-case basis according to the length and complexity of the article. A typical story is 800 to 1,200 words long, but in-depth features and investigative pieces can run longer.

Submit to: Peter Hong, editor-in-chief, peterhong@capitalandmain.com 

Website: https://capitalandmain.com

Owner: Capital & Main, a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization

Readership demographics: Anyone interested in income inequality, climate change, the green economy, housing, health care, public education, immigration, race and criminal justice.

Frequency of publication: The website is updated every day.

What editors look for in a health pitch:  “Health equity is really what we’re interested in covering,” said Hong. That could include stories about access to health insurance and medical care to stories about the lack of diversity in clinical trials. The publication is also interested in stories about health care workers and labor issues. “If somebody wants to write about, for example, a nurses’ strike, that would be of interest to us,” Hong said.

For the pitch itself, freelancers should provide a concise summary of the story idea with a rough word count and the sources and research the writer plans to use, according to Capital & Main’s pitching guidelines. The story should include “anecdotal narratives from everyday people impacted by the issue(s) covered in the story” as well as remarks from experts, elected officials, government workers, businesses and other stakeholders.

Do editors accept pre-pitches?: Yes; Hong said freelancers can send a short email asking if he would like a full pitch about a story idea.

Most common mistake Hong sees in pitches: Too often, writers pitch a topic rather than a story.

Lead time for pitching: Editors respond only to pitches they like because the staff is small and editors don’t have time to respond to everyone. Freelancers can expect to hear back in about two weeks, said Hong.

Best place for a freelancer to break into the publication: Hong suggested newcomers pitch a news story of universal interest, not one that would appeal only to health care professionals or people in a particular geographic location.