types of guest pitches we’ve rejected

Getting a pitch rejected feels personal, but most of the time, it’s not you (or your writing skills). It’s the pitch.

We’ve received enough of them to know. Let’s parade the classics.

1. the generic pitch

Your pitch won’t make the cut if it reads like it could be written by anyone with internet and a good prompt.

Find a specific angle. Instead of “How to build your personal brand,” try “How I used LinkedIn comments (not posts) to land my first $1K client.”

One sounds like homework, the other sounds like intel you can’t Google.

2. the AI dump

Oh, we can absolutely tell. The buzzwords, the non-specificity, and sometimes even the leftover “Would you like to adjust this?” prompts. True story.

Brainstorm with AI all you want, but layer in your own take and some examples.

Instead of “Businesses leveraging automations see significant time-savings,” try “I tested three automation tools last month and this one actually saved me four hours a week.”

See the difference?

If we wanted a robot’s take, we’d just open ChatGPT ourselves.

3. the pep talk

“Consistency is key.” “Discipline beats motivation.” Inspiring? Maybe. Useful? Not really.

Anchor your pitch in proof. Show exactly how that consistency or discipline worked for YOU.

For example: “Posting twice a week on LinkedIn brought me three inbound leads in 90 days.” Show, not tell.

4. the sneaky ad

If we can tell if the “article” is really just a promo in disguise, readers will too.

Lead with value, and your byline will do the quiet marketing. No need to turn the whole piece into a sales pitch.

5. the bait-and-switch

Title says “my journey,” outline says “generic SaaS content tips.” Which one is it?

Pick a lane. If it’s a personal story, keep it framed that way and add takeaways. If it’s tactical, cut the memoir and give readers steps. Just don’t try to jam both into one.

ICYMI, you can always pitch multiple ideas separately.

6. the “content about content” pitch

A pitch like “The Role of Content in Brand Building” is technically on-topic but has probably been written a hundred times.

Bring an angle only you can write: case studies, experiments, fails, wins—something new or a fresh take on the already familiar.

7. the waayy off-topic submission

Fitness guides. Soccer recaps. Migration policy essays. Marriage advice. (Yes, we’ve gotten all of these.) Cool topics, but wrong party.

Unless you can tie it directly to freelancing or content, it’s going straight into the “no” pile.

8. the locked vault

“Email me for my samples.” Links that don’t open. Docs we need permission to view. Yeah, no.

Editors don’t have time to chase you for access. If we can’t see your previous work, we can’t say yes.

Share one or two accessible samples. If your best work is under NDA, share a redacted or anonymized version.

9. the one-liner

Title, one line. Outline, one line. Rationale: “Because I like it.” That’s it?

If you can’t sweat the details in your pitch, how will you write 1,000+ words for the article?

Good thing we share an outline template that makes structuring your ideas easy.

10. the sloppy disk

Typos and stray text left in. Locked files (had to mention this one again). These all scream: “My draft will be messy too.”

Attention to detail is part of the process. Proofread your pitch as if it were the article. Because to us, it is.

the good news?

Every one of these mistakes is fixable.

Bring your own POV. Sweat the details (please). Write for our audience, not “everyone on the internet”.

Pay attention to the little things, because they tell us how you’ll handle the big ones.

Ready to share your almost-perfect idea? Pitch us here.