‘OMG’
This pretty much sums up my reaction when I received a reply from Arianna Huffington within 24 hours.
I never thought I’d ever be published on Huffington Post. It seemed too much like a dream.
An ultimate goal for when I was experienced enough.
But one fine day, I summoned up enough courage to press the send button, sent Arianna an email, and she replied in the affirmative.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
So, if you’re rocking the same boat I was, let me tell you one thing,
IT’S A LOT EASIER THAN IT SEEMS FROM AFAR.
I’ll show you just how easy through this guide. And you don’t need to have an impressive portfolio either. I know, I didn’t.
5 STEP PLAN
1. STEP 1
Write an awesome post. This is the most important part of this process. ‘Write from the heart’ is equally important. I’d say ‘don’t write just to get published’, but if you are doing just that (because let’s face it, that’s what we’re all doing) then make sure your post is REALLY GOOD. It should offer something to the readers. I’m a huge fan of practical, actionable steps, but anything that provides good value to the audience is great.
Can’t think of anything to write? How about a devastating experience or a triumphant occasion?
Tip: List posts generally do great EVERYWHERE.
2. STEP 2
Figure out which section you want to publish your post in. You’ll need to mention it in the email pitch. Here’s a list of all the sections:
Here’s the link to the editors of each section. You don’t need to get too intimidated by this information, it’s just for general knowledge.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/p/huffington-post.html
3. STEP 3
Read the section you’ve chosen thoroughly. Find out if the subject you’re writing on has been broached before or not.
If it hasn’t, you can mention in your email pitch how readers would love this information since it hasn’t been talked about before. And if it has, then you can mention that since that post was received well by the readers, yours will be too.
This step is important because it shows Arianna and the HuffPost editors that you’re serious and your post is not just for self-promotional purposes. It gives good vibes.
And at this point you need all the good vibes you can get!
4. STEP 4
Now it’s time for the dreaded email pitch. There are two ways you can pitch to HuffPost.
1. You can either send Arianna an email at, arianna@huffingtonpost.com
2. You can fill up their official post submission form,
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dh09BIRPg548U-jxg-VwgYCPYmyufwTQg43a36tIf6k/viewform
I sent an email to Arianna, so I’d advise you to go that route. However, many of those who used the form to pitch were published too, so it’s really up to you.
5. STEP 5
This is the last step. Wait patiently. If you don’t hear within a week, then send a follow-up message to Arianna. She usually replies within 48 hours.
And if you still don’t get a reply, or the HuffPost team doesn’t accept your post, DO NOT LOSE HOPE. I repeat,
DON’T LOSE HOPE.
Write another article and send another pitch. They are not going to blacklist you just because they didn’t accept your first post. Keep on trying.
Tips – Stuff that worked in my favor:
– If you’re suffering from writer’s block or have no time to write a brand-spanking-new article tailored to perfection for HuffPost, you can send in a post (you’re super-proud of) and you’ve already published on your blog.
That’s what I did.
I’ll let you in on another secret – this was the ONLY blog post I had written under my own name.
So I had no impressive portfolios or a dozen awesome blog posts to show that I was a veteran blogger. As a ghostwriter, my articles and eBooks were not-to-be-named, and this was my absolute first step to building my name in the writing biz.
– I know a lot of bloggers + HuffPost contributors’ recommend you to be acquainted with the editors of the section you’re pitching for, but I didn’t do that. I was following Arianna on pretty much all social media platforms but I had no clue who my section editors even were much less follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn.
So if that’s what’s holding you back, don’t fret too much.
Got questions? Type in a comment below, and I’ll help you out the best way I can!
Great advice! I’ve been considering submitting a blog post I’m pretty proud of (that has gotten a lot of positive response) so I might start with that route. Plus I don’t really like how they don’t pay for new content, though I recognize the exposure is great.
You should, there’s a greater chance of your pitch being approved that way!
And you’re absolutely correct, it sucks that they don’t pay for new content. However, I received a lot of work through my HuffPo articles, so I guess in the end, it worked out for me. Also, you can add this badge in your ‘as seen in’ bit, which gives you so much credibility, don’t you think? 😉
Thanks, Priscilla!
Thanks Maham.
I wrote two posts and they were rejected. Sigh.
My subject was covered on the site but not recently.
I thought my blog was unique and compelling.
However, so many writers are probably trying to get published, too.
I’ll try your method.
That sucks, Melanie! Try again, I’m sure you’ll hit jackpot this time! Let me know if I can help you in any way. Sending you positive vibes xx
I love you for being so loving and helpful to those who want to share their story.
Thanks, Lori! It helps when I have an awesome audience like you guys!! <3
Hi. I don’t have a website but I do have a blog; JodiBernholtz@blogspot.com. I am currently working on a memoir about my experience as a double lung transplant patient. I would like to send something to Huffington Post about the experience I am having as I write my memoir and have to re-live some very painful moments. I would submit it it under “Health” but that is not listed in your subjects chart. What do you think I should do?
Why don’t you send a general pitch email to Arianna? Don’t mention the category\subject. Just your idea and story.
Keep me in the loop with what happens! I’d LOVE to read this post!
Great blog! So just to be clear- can you submit a blogpost that you have al ready published on your own blog?
Vanessa Raphael
Thanks, Vanessa!
Yes, you can. That’s the best part about contributing to HuffPo! They let you submit posts you’ve published on your own blog.
Thank you for the quick reply! Good to know
Do you know how long time it takes to get published?
It would like to have it published by October 17th hehe. Because that it is the World Anti Troll Day #WATD and I would like to post my blog for that cause.
It takes her 24 – 48 hours to reply. At least, that’s what most people around me and I have experienced. After that, my account was created almost instantly and the article was posted within a couple of days. If you hurry, you can probably make it by October 17th! Good luck xx
Thanks for sharing this..I so want to try to get published there, and Congrats to you! I am guessing it helps if you have been published in a magazine?
Valerie
Thank you for your feedback, Valerie!
It’s an awesome, heady feeling when you see your name on Huffington Post website!
Getting published in a magazine or an A-list blog does wonders to your writing business (and pretty much any business for that matter). Lends you credibility, gives you A LOT of exposure. It’s a shortcut to increasing your visibility online!
Thank you for the step by step process! You made it seem much less insurmountable and terrifying!!
Thank you, Christina! Glad I could help
She’s not paying you a cent for the privilege of writing for her. Arianna Huffington is worth from $35-50 million dollars. Guess how.
She’s not, but the exposure (especially for newbies in the field trying to increase their visibility) is great. Also, you have the option to submit posts that have been published before. That’s what I did, and it worked out great!
Thanks for the feedback, Brick!
Must remember to check what the exchange rate is for exposure at my local supermarket…
What about an article that I wrote that was published on a site I write for? Not my own blog, can I submit that? Thanks for this info, it’s appreciated!
That depends on the website, Pat. If they allow republishing the article you wrote for them, I think you’re good. But, if like most websites, they don’t allow republishing articles then I don’t think you can use it!
Glad you liked it!!
Superb post…Thank you! Helps to break down the misnomer that writing for the Huff Post is a challenging endeavor. So appreciate the specific details. I’m IN. Congratulations as well for navigating the waters so well and tapping success! Jennifer
I’m glad I could smash that misnomer. Initially, I didn’t think I’d be published either so I never really tried. But one fine afternoon when I was feeling quite reckless, I just thought ‘Why the hell not?!’, and pressed the send btton. Sometimes, you really just need to do it.
Thank you, Jennifer! Keep me in the loop, I’d love to read your published article 😉
I’ve always wondered how this works–this article completely cleared it up for me, and now I’m off to brainstorm which post I’d like to pitch. Congrats!
Yay! I’m so happy. Goodluck brainstorming! I’m sure you’ll rock it. And, thank you! 😀
Its on my goal list to have an article published so was delighted to see this post. Hopefully one day, thanks for sharing your tips
That’s awesome, Laura. Let me know how it works out for you!
Thanks for sharing. I wanted to write on Huffington post for injustice I witnessed. I will definitely use your tips.
xxx
Glad I could help, Anna-Maria! xx
Thanks for the great advice. It seems so daunting, but by breaking down the process, you helped quite a bit. As a book blogger, I do a lot of book reviews, but I do write about all things bookish which seem to garner a good response. Perhaps I’ll send in one of those!
Congrats to you!
best,
L
That’s awesome, Lauren! Book reviews generally do great everywhere, so you should definitely send some of your best ones.
Thank you! 😀
This is so timely!! I’ve been trying to find out how to get published in HP all week. I finally got the pitch form and am working on a post now. Thanks for this great advice!
Yay! I’m so happy for you. Keep me in the loop and feel free to share your results! Sending you good vibes xx
Your article is insightful and inspiring and I thank you for writing it.
Thank you, Scott! Glad you like it
Thank you so much for writing this! Getting on Huff Po is a goal I’ve set for myself and now I know how!
Glad you found it useful! xx
Wow! This sounds awesome
I have to think of a blog post to submit! Thanks for all the useful info.
Just choose one of your best ones. The best bet is to send them an article that already received a lot of positive feedback! Good luck xx
Very good advice and tips! Great work and THANK YOU!!
Thanks, Juan! So happy y’all enjoyed it! 😀
FANTASTIC info. So glad you followed your instinct and SENT it to her. It gives a lot of us positive ‘vibes’ to keep pointing ourselves in the right direction!
PersonalAccessToHealth.com
Melanie Morfitt Sparkles of Life PATHtoSELFblog.wordpress.com
Thank you, Melanie! Sometimes you just need to do it. Take the next step. Not think so much about what’s going to happen!
And it absolutely does! xx
What an excellent, informative piece here, Maham! Thank you for sharing your experience, tips, and support for other writers who would like to join the ranks of Huffington Post contributors. Well done!
Thank you, Debbie! xx
Thank you for sharing, Maham. Will definitely give it a try.
Glad you liked it, Rhonda!
This is awesome and so helpful! My sister and I were thinking of doing this about one of our recent experiences and weren’t entirely sure on how to break into it. So thank you!
Thank you,Tiffany! Be sure to share your article once it’s published, I’d love to read it xx
Congrats on getting published in HP!
Love these tips! Thanks for making it seem so do-able!
Thanks, Lisa! Glad you like it 😀
I love the generosity of writers.
In what other field do people share trade secrets so freely?
Thank you, Maham. I have my weekend project lined up for me now; your article gives a boost of confidence!
That is such a nice compliment. And writers truly are the most generous people ever.
Thank you, Donna. I’m so glad I could help you!
I agree, writers tend to collaborate, share without reservation, more than other artistic arena’s I’ve worked in. Thanks for the tip, going to submit a few of my blogs that received positive replies.
One question, what is the general word count for a HuffPo article?
Thanks again for your generous tip!
Normally it’s around 500 words to 1000 words, but my article had almost 1200 words. So I imagine solid content under 1500 words would work great.
Thanks, Karen!!
GREAT article. I have two books out, finishing up a third – all of them categorized I guess literary fiction (poetry, short-stories, a debut novel is my work-in-progress). I Guest Blog about writing at least once a month. I put together an online course called How To Add Poetry’s Pop To Your Writing which I’ve taught for an online group twice and offered up twice via private emails. I’ve won tons of writing contests to include over $25,000 in writer’s grants. The thing that has me stumped, and I’m so ambitious for myself and all my friends, is ‘branding’ myself. I totally get the two examples you gave of the person who writes about no-kill animal shelters and the yoga person who help addicts get clean through yoga. I can’t seem to get my own writing career down into an easy elevator pitch.
Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! About a week or two ago, I started posting either a micro poem or someone else’s words of inspiration on Twitter (#WordActress)
Would love any thoughts you have to help me. Thanks so much! Mary Kennedy Eastham,
Author, The Shadow of A Dog I Can’t Forget – Poems & Prose and Squinting Over Water – Stories (I’m almost finished with Beautiful Angel Goddess – Micro Stories and am half-way through my debut novel The Girl With Sand in Her Hair, which I hope to finish in this year’s NaNoWriMo)
Hello Maham.
This is a very superb and useful information indeed. Getting published on big blogs like the Huffington post is really many peoples dream including myself and I’m glad you were able to share the processes you took to get there.
I will really add it to my to-do list and i will follow everything exactly the way you arranged them here.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Theodore!
I am planning to write for them…. but I just dont have the time!
Nikoleta, why don’t you send in a pre-loved, previously-published post? That’s what I did.
Very good post! I will be remembering these tips when I feel ready to submit a post to Huffington. I appreciate the advice. Very thoughtful of you!
Thank you, Emily!
Great advice! I’ll be sure to think about it when I go to pitch!
Thanks, Erika!
Great post! So helpful!!
Glad you liked it, Damask! 😀
Great tips! This is definitely on my bucket list, I will go and follow Arianna now and see if I can start planning. Congratulations by the way!
Thank you, Becky! Glad you found it helpful
Thanks Maham for being generous and sharing this.
Wishing you much success ahead.
Kam
Thank you, Kam!
You have been nominated for the Liebster Award. Go to my blog for instructions on what to do if you accept this award. http://wp.me/p5BmgI-33
Thank you so much for sharing this! I was literally trying to figure out the best way to do this today. I will be trying the soon! Major thank you!
Glad I could help, Dia! Keep me in the loop with what happens
Thanks for this! Ah every time a blogger writes about how easy it is, I feel so guilty for not trying yet haha. I feel like my normal writing style and the topics my brain spits out aren’t in line with HuffPo style, but I need to suck it up and try!
I hear you, Lori! It took a sad, boring afternoon to nudge me into sending that email and look how awesome it all turned out. If you have any confusions regarding your topics and writing style, feel free to send me an email. I’ll try to help you out the best I can!
Submitting a previously published post is convenient, but it’s a bad idea. Search engines hate duplicate content, and while HuffPost doesn’t have to worry much about search engine visibility, small bloggers shouldn’t invite search engine rank penalties by republishing. If you have a hot topic, “spin” the content so it’s different and unique. Then submit it for republication in its modified form.
Great advice, Dave! Modifying content is definitely a great way to escape Google’s wrath.
Thanks for dropping by, Dave!
@DaveBricker that’s so true – submitting content that has been published elsewhere is just begging for a Google penalty. Because we want to give readers the best content possible, we actually create brand-new pieces for each guest post submitted. It’s a lot of work, but giving people seriously helpful content that’s 100% original is priceless.
Guess who?? 😀
I ALWAYS KNEW YOU WERE AN INCREDIBLE WRITER (FROM YOUR TEXTS AHA) BUT THIS IS BEYOND ANYTHING, WOOHOO. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION HUN, I LEARNED SO MUCH. AND YES, I AM JITTERY FROM THIS REVELATION, HENCE LEASHING THE UPPERCASE. I KNOW ITS ANNOYING BUT OMG I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU. WONDERFUL JOB. MUCH LOVE. xx
This post is very valuable for me. Actually i was searching for a long time for quality news sites for guest posting like forbes, huffington, examiner and more. This is related to my niche too.
Look forward to your next update. keep it up
If any one have quality sites for guest posting please feel fee mail me on lucky3421@gmail.com
Thank you for all the advice, I hope I am able to write for Huffington Post one day!
This is actually the kind of post I’ve been searching for.
Thanks.
Thank you for this post but times are gone where you have to send pitch and get yourself invited to their platform. I did multiple times when I never got reply from them. May be my pitch wasn’t that much of their interest but still I was looking some kind of reply from them to understand where I am lacking. On reference, I opted for service from this website http://www.huffingtonpostaccount.com/ and they somehow got me account in 2 weeks. I am sure this website is operated by some Editor selling accounts. I am no more interested in Huffingtonpost Blogging after this. I would advice people to stay away from HP and blog on some other platform.
Hi priscilla,
Now, Huffpo have contributor area, you can submit article in here but it not index.
Excellent article! Writing for the Huffington Post gives us a chance to have your article featured and drive viral traffic to your blog along with a chance to get a juicy do-follow backlink. However getting invited to the Huffington Post contributor platform can be time consuming so I scoured the web to find a faster way to get an invite.
Hi Maham,
I don’t think that Arianna is still at Huff Post now that she has her new venture. Who would you recommend emailing?
Thanks
Nic
Thank you for this blog post, Maham. I took your advice and submitted to the Huffington Post. I will keep you posted on any updates.
Thank You so much Maham. I was looking for this help as I’m into some urgency. Lot’s of Love