Wondering About Demand Studios/Editor Pitches

[Erin Leigh Dinan]

Hello Everyone,

I am new in the field and was just accepted to be a freelance writer for Demand Studios...any advice if it's a legitimate deal?  I write for the Examiner.com now and have made about 1$ in the last year! :)

Also, I am hoping to start sending out pitches to travel magazines (fingers crossed!!)  I have asked questions before on here regarding the format of a pitch (thank you for your answers), but I was wondering if anyone had advice of how to begin a pitch? Do you write it as if it were a letter? First person format?

THANK YOU!

Erin

[Ed Wetschler]

Back at you, Erin, with a Q about Demand Studios. When they first opened, they were paying about $10 or $20 per article, which worked out to maybe 10 cents a word. What are they paying now?

[Erin Leigh Dinan]

Thanks Ed,
I think it's about the same. They said 15 per article, depending on the type of article you write (how to's)

Any advice Ed on how to start out a pitch to a magazine editor? "Hi my name is...?" :) Thank you!

[Ed Wetschler]

Depends if you have a nice name, Erin. No, seriously, I start right out with the pitch.

Subject line: Transylvania's Best Ecolodge

Text:

What makes Dinan House the most authentic ecolodge in Transylvania?
Then 25 words -- max -- of explanation that tells the editor why this is an important/entertaining story.

Finish with a sentence about who you are and why you're super-qualified to write about Transylvanian ecolodges.

Okay, that's my approach. Anyone out there want to take a different approach? Please weigh in.

[Erin Leigh Dinan]

Thank you so much Ed!

[Sandra & John Scott]

I, too, was accepted to write for Demand but found the topics very strange and extremely specific plus if you or anyone else wrote a line that was the same it is kicked back. They consider it plagarism if you use part of something you have already written... so it just wasn't for me. Good luck.

[Steve Mirsky]

I personally think that venues like Demand Studios and Suite 101 are a waste of time. I've tried both and haven't made enough $ per month to count on 1 hand. They would be worth posting on occasionally for promotion if they either didn't have quotas, stringent standards, or require original work. Simply too much effort for the money. You're better off posting here on tripatini for exposure and making connections for that better assignment you seek!