Insider is commissioning personal essays and travel/lifestyle stories for 2026 — and paying approximately $0.40 or more per word for the right pitches. Lifestyle and Entertainment Editor Lydia Wang is actively inviting story ideas from freelance writers with sharp narrative instincts and real lived experience. This Freelance Writer opportunity is fully remote and open to writers worldwide, including those in Kenya and across Africa with compelling migration, community, or lifestyle perspectives.
About This Role
Insider is one of the most widely read digital lifestyle and news publications in the world, and its personal essay section sits at the high-traffic end of that reach. The pieces published here are not generic advice columns or trend roundups — they are first-person narratives grounded in specific, real experiences that resonate far beyond the writer’s own life.
Editor Lydia Wang is currently calling for pitches around three specific angles: lessons drawn from intergenerational friendships or living arrangements; stories about moving within or away from the US and encountering unexpected changes; and pieces about unconventional living situations that genuinely work — alternative housing, non-traditional family structures, shared communities. That said, the pitch form is updated monthly with new angles, so writers are encouraged to bookmark it and check back regularly.
What makes a pitch work here is not how unusual your story is — it is how clearly you can connect your personal experience to something broadly relatable. A Kenyan writer who moved cities, changed communities, or built an unconventional household has exactly the kind of lived material Insider is after. The key is framing it so a global reader sees themselves in your experience.
HOW TO BECOME A Published & Paid Freelance Writer in Less Than 2 Weeks
Key Responsibilities
- Pitch a specific, structured personal essay idea with a clear narrative arc and a strong opening hook
- Write first-person essays that are grounded in real experience, not general lifestyle commentary
- Deliver clean, publication-ready copy that meets Insider’s editorial voice — direct, human, and free of padding
- Revise drafts based on editorial feedback from Lydia Wang or her team within agreed timelines
- Supply any factual details, dates, or supporting context your essay requires for editorial accuracy
- Monitor the Insider pitch form for updated call-outs and pitch new angles as they are posted monthly
Required Qualifications and Experience
Essential:
- A specific, real personal experience that fits one of Insider’s current pitch angles — or a similarly strong lifestyle, travel, or community story
- The ability to write in a clear, direct first-person voice with a compelling narrative structure
- Willingness to work through an editorial revision process with a professional team
- Reliable internet access and professional email communication ability
Desirable:
- Published personal essay or lifestyle writing clips in any outlet — digital publications, newsletters, local media, or personal platforms with a demonstrated readership
- Experience writing to word count and delivering against editorial deadlines
- Background in migration, community living, cross-cultural experience, or intergenerational relationships — perspectives Insider is actively seeking from outside the US
Skills and Competencies
- Strong first-person narrative voice — specific, honest, and engaging without being self-indulgent
- Ability to identify the broadly relatable core inside a personal story and build the essay around it
- Clear pitch structure — you can summarise your story idea, its arc, and its relevance in two focused paragraphs
- Comfort with editorial feedback and willingness to revise until the piece is right
- Awareness of what Insider publishes and the tone it uses — read at least three essays before pitching
What Insider Offers
- Rate: Approximately $0.40 per word or more depending on assignment length and scope — confirm exact rate at commissioning
- Reach: Insider draws tens of millions of monthly readers globally — a byline here means serious exposure
- Remote: Pitch and write from anywhere in the world
- Open to global voices: Insider actively welcomes perspectives from outside the US, including African and Kenyan writers
- Portfolio value: A byline in Insider is a strong credential for further commissions in lifestyle, travel, and personal essay markets internationally
HOW TO BECOME A Published & Paid Freelance Writer in Less Than 2 Weeks
About Insider
Insider — formerly Business Insider — is a global digital media company reaching hundreds of millions of readers monthly across news, lifestyle, travel, finance, and entertainment. Its lifestyle vertical publishes a high volume of personal essays, reported features, and first-person travel stories aimed at a broad, digitally engaged international audience. The publication is known for commissioning voices from diverse backgrounds and geographies, and its editors actively seek pitches that reflect experiences beyond the standard North American or Western European narrative.
For freelance writers building an international portfolio, Insider is a high-value target — the combination of pay rate, global reach, and editorial credibility makes a byline here worth pursuing seriously.
How to Apply
Submit your pitch using the Insider online pitch form: Click here to access the Insider pitch form
The form is managed by Lydia Wang, Lifestyle and Entertainment Editor. Your submission should include:
- Your story idea — a focused summary of your essay concept, its narrative arc, and why it resonates beyond your own experience
- Your angle connection — explain how your pitch relates to one of Insider’s current call-outs (intergenerational living, moving stories, unconventional lifestyles) or make a strong case for your own angle
- Your writing samples — links to two or three published pieces that demonstrate your personal essay or lifestyle writing ability
- A brief bio noting your writing background and any relevant lived experience
Check the pitch form monthly — Insider updates its specific call-outs regularly, and a pitch that does not fit today may be exactly what they need next month.
Application Deadline
No fixed deadline — the pitch form is open on a rolling basis. New call-outs are added monthly.
Documents Required
- Completed online pitch form with story summary and angle
- Two to three published writing clips (links preferred)
- Brief bio and note on relevant personal experience
