Position/Organization: health editor, Good Housekeeping

Pitching for Good Housekeeping

We look for well-crafted, well-researched service articles of interest to our readers—women aged 35-55. We do not cover children’s health (except briefly in an in-house-written column). Pitch should make clear what is new, why this article should be published at this time. These articles run about 1,500 to 2,000 words. In addition, we publish longer (3,500-word), more investigative pieces on health issues; recent examples include an article on the overuse of CT scans, the failure of the VA system to provide adequate care for female veterans, and the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of back pain. Finally, for authors with a talent for writing narratives, we are looking for articles that tell of one woman’s medical experiences (or it could be her husband or children told from her point of view). These might feature a new treatment, but could also be more reflective. The main criterion is that it be a good story. All pitches must be accompanied by recent clips.