How to Pitch Humor Writing: 9 Real-World Tips for Getting Published
You’ve got a list, a bit of satire, or a personal essay that makes people laugh-snort. Congrats! That’s step one. Now it’s time to get that gem out into the world.
We gathered tips from a GOLD Comedy workshop led by humor writer and sketch pro Rachel Rose Keller (McSweeney’s, Reductress, The Onion, and more), with GOLD founder Lynn Harris adding hard-earned wisdom from her days as a journalist and comedy writer. Here’s what you need to know to get your humor published—and keep your sanity intact.
- Know what you wrote.
Is it short humor (like a satirical list)? A personal essay with jokes? Topical? Evergreen? Identifying your piece helps you find the right home for it.
- Read the room (aka the site).
Don’t pitch blind. Read the publication’s voice, style, and submission guidelines. (Seriously. Read them.)
Pitch the kind of thing they publish, but not something they already published. No sequels to someone else’s McSweeney’s piece. (Only the author is allowed, m*therf*ckers.)
- Start with the story.
When pitching a humor essay, start your email with the actual lede. Don’t write, “Hi, I’d like to pitch…” Just start the piece. Then drop a short paragraph (aka the “nut graf”) explaining what it is, why it matters, and how you’ll round it out.
- Use your voice, not ChatGPT’s.
Sure, you want to sound like you belong in Reductress/McSweeney’s/GOLDComedy.com, but you also want to sound like YOU. Editors can smell generic a mile away. Don’t pitch AI-flavored oatmeal.
- OBEY the guidelines.
Submission preferences vary. For example:
- McSweeney’s wants one piece pasted in an email with specific information included above.
- The Belladonna wants a Word doc and the piece in the email body.
- SlackJaw wants an unpublished Medium draft.
- GOLD wants this.
Point is: Follow directions. All of them.
- Make rejection your BFF.
Rejection isn’t personal. It means you’re putting yourself out there. Set a goal to collect 100 rejections in a year. That means you’re trying.
And if you get ghosted? Just follow up politely! Editors are often happy to get a reminder.
- Know when to self-publish.
If a piece you love just isn’t landing, consider self-publishing on Medium. Then use that link as a writing sample for future pitches. Just don’t plagiarize yourself—if you decide to pitch it again, unpublish it first.
- Promote yourself.
Once your piece goes up, share it! Post it. Toot it. Editors like seeing that you help your own work travel. It’s part of the job.
- Keep going. And going.
Your favorite humor site is not the be-all end-all. The perfect piece might get rejected 10 times before it lands. That doesn’t mean it’s not great. It means publishing is weird. Keep writing. Keep pitching. Keep laughing. You got this.
____
Want support, edits, and a place to celebrate your first (or fiftieth) clip? Join GOLD Comedy. We got you.
