What is whynow?
whynow is your go-to digital music magazine and production studio, always on the hunt for killer features, in-depth interviews, compelling stories, and insightful reviews.
What’s in a pitch email?
- Keep your email brief. Put ‘Pitch’ in the subject line. Try and be catchy!
- Tell us about you. Who are you? Why should you write this? Can we see some of your work?
- Why should we run it? Is it because of an anniversary? A news article? A personal piece you’ve been researching? Do check if anyone else has already done it!
- Why are you the person to write it? And what can you bring to it that somebody else couldn’t?
- Be concise. Aim for pitches to be 100-150 words in length. We’ll follow up if we need more detail.
- Do you have or need talent access? Who can you get? Or would you need us to help? This is not a deal breaker. Just try not to promise someone if you can’t get them!
- Details. Do you have an idea when you can submit? What the word count is likely to be?
Finally, do proof check your pitch. You’d be surprised how many people don’t!
Tip: Be sure to check Google Trends, Twitter/X Trends, and surf around for the hot topics of the day/week. Do you have a hot take on goings-on in arts and culture? We want to hear about it!
Music
Features, interviews and reviews.
When pitching for interviews and reviews especially, look for acts who are either high profile or those upcoming who deserve a light shining on them. If you find the best upcomers, all the better.
Also consider both incredible stories that are surprising or even unbelievable in some way (ones that make you say, “you’ll never guess what” type story).
Comment and Long Read
We’re all about genuine, gripping tales. Profiles, essays, and investigations are welcome. We’re not interested in culture wars; we want stories that resonate.
And hey, don’t shy away from a bit of humour or light-hearted commentary. If you have a unique column idea, pitch away.
Rates
We pay £50-£120 for the vast majority of pieces. Reviews are at the £50 end of the scale for 350-word pieces. That said, we have a growing collection of projects, so feel free to pitch something that doesn’t necessarily fall within those prices, but please be upfront about that.
Email: editors@whynow.co.uk
