Call for pitches!

One of my clients ActiveCampaign is about to launch something fun and big and I am accepting pitches for it. Big picture:

- It's a branded publication about autonomous marketing. There is a lot of nuance in what that means, read the doc please!
- You will be read, we have 75k+ email subscribers and an established distribution plan that works
- Posts start at $800 and I pay very quickly.

See the full guide to pitching here

Note: This is only available to folks in the U.S. and Canada!

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As a freelancer, your time is money. The fastest path from pitch to check is included in this document. Below is everything you need to know. 

Questions? Email sblanda@activecampaign.com. 

This opportunity is only available to writers in the U.S. and Canada. Apologies, I am unable to pay writers located elsewhere!

1 - Your Questions, Answered

2 - The Autonomous Marketer Approach

3 - Pitches I’m Looking For

4 - How to Pitch/Deliver

I pay $800 minimum for these stories. Budget for two editing rounds.

1 - Your Questions, Answered

Who is this for?

ActiveCampaign is moving beyond the previous era of “marketing automation.” This new publication will provide marketers with frameworks, insights, and real-world tools for building modern marketing systems.

It’s the how-to with specifics, versus bigger picture thoughts and observations about AI and its role in marketing.

The publication’s newsletter has 50%+ open rates and 75k+ subscribers.

What publication is this for?

The Autonomous Marketer: a blog, webinar series, and collection of resources to help marketers become autonomous marketers.

I know a guy who made a custom GPT and….

I’ll stop you right there. Anyone can use AI. What we’re looking for is the results from doing so. Conversion rate improvement, task-level time savings, and (the holy grail) revenue numbers. The smartest marketers are using this new generation of tools to drive results. Let’s make them stars.

Who is the audience?

Digital marketers at any kind of business who are asked to run complicated marketing campaigns in high-pressure situations—often while under-resourced. They keep an eye on larger marketing trends such as the rise of AI but often lack the mental bandwidth or exploration time to take full advantage. That’s where we come in. 

What is the goal of the publication?

To be a trusted partner for often-overwhelmed marketers and founders to navigate the AI platform shift. While ActiveCampaign does have numerous AI features, content does not have to be explicitly about ActiveCampaign. 

How long should these posts be?

By word count? Around 600-700 words. But the bulk of your Google Doc should be taken up with screenshots, steps, videos, and other instructional guidance. Most of your work will be in the research/interviewing and getting supporting materials from your source. 

Can I use AI to write these?

Wrong question. I and the reader care if these articles serve them and solve their problems, not how they were made. That said, if I detect some lazy AI outputs as your draft, I will edit harshly. Show the reader (and both of us) some respect.

How will my work be shared and distributed?

The blog is the first step of a wider distribution process. Your blog posts will be shared via our newsletter mailing list of 75k. Select blog posts will become the focus of The Autonomous Marketer Live, our digital live event series. And all stories will be repurposed into checklists, charts, and other things to help promote your story. 

You will be read.

2 - The Autonomous Marketer Approach

All content must:

1. Have a quantifiable result. I have a high bar here. The reader needs to know the benefit of all the work you’re showing them.
2. Show, don’t tell. Include examples, results, numbers, screenshots, flowcharts, sample prompts, customer testimonials, etc. Can the reader follow this workflow? Better yet, could it be distilled to a check list or step by step guide?
3. Respect the reader. They know the AI basics. They know the pros and cons of AI. They know that our future is uncertain and exciting at the same time. If they are at our site they are ready to get to work — help them.

Things you should avoid:

• “I built this CustomGPT.” We’ve got enough of these.
• Speculating about the future of AI or marketing. No one knows the answer. Focus on the present and the things you can “prove” are happening right now.
• Being AI’s hype-person/doomsayer. No need to convince the reader of the wonders or perils of AI. AI is a tool. Let’s demonstrate how people are using it and bring it down to earth.
• “I press button and AI writes 1000 things!” Volume is not impressive. Results are.

4 - How to Pitch/Deliver

I’m a freelancer, too. My goal is to reduce turnaround with clear expectations. The process:

1. Email me here at sb@gatecheckstudios.com and include: a Linkedin post or a website or a person you know who is doing this, what they're doing, and what results they have achieved (if you don't know that’s ok, but you'll need to find out eventually!).
   
2. If you have never written for me / Gate Check Studios before, also include:

1. Link to your portfolio or sample links/clips
2. Where you are located
   

1. After I greenlight, we will agree on a deadline. I value reliability (“This is 100% being delivered next Tuesday”) over speed.
   
2. Deliver a draft via Google Doc using this template.
   
3. Budget for max two editing rounds. You will likely need to ask the source for additional info / context.
   
4. Once we reach this stage where you have addressed all edits, I will pay regardless of whether the piece is published.
   
   
5. I will pay you ASAP. I’m a freelancer too. Unpaid invoices suck.

Up for it? Drop me a line at [click apply] with your pitch