Welcome to U.S. Military Publishing, publisher of Military Families and Reserve + National Guard print magazines and digital content. Our goal is to build relationships with writers and photographers while elevating the stories of today’s military community.
Please read all the information below before submitting your pitch to ensure your idea is a good fit for our editorial needs. We also recommend that writers take the time to learn our voice by:
● Regularly visiting our websites.
● Subscribing to the Military Muster newsletter
● Subscribing to the Military Families and Reserve + National Guard digital magazines
● Following us on social: MF Facebook, RNG Facebook and @militaryfamiliesmagazine and @reservenationalguard on Instagram.
We cover a variety of topics including (but not limited to) education, money, travel, career, health, veterans, military spouses/kids, deployment and relocation.
Examples of articles we accept:
● Personal perspective essays about your experiences with military life
o How my opinion of Women Veterans Day changed
o How a commitment to holistic wellness can improve your ACFT scores
● Interview-style profiles that describe a living or historical person or group, community, company, or organization who are connected to the military.
o Paving the way as a veteran, Para-athlete and leader
● Informative articles that offer key tips of advice.
o A quick tax guide to 2024 tax resources for military families
o 6 Department of Defense programs the military will help pay for
● Content that describes the current happenings at your military installation.
o Army wife helps feed military families in need
● Short narratives that revolve around a timely subject and have meaning and complications that are relevant to our readers.
o SoCal fire response personal for mobilized guardsmen
● News reporting and event coverage.
o How the California National Guard continues to support Ukraine during war
o Veterans service organizations detail priorities for new administration
● Policy or military benefits updates.
o 3 benefits you didn’t know were available to the reserve component
The DOs of pitching U.S. Military Publishing:
● DO briefly summarize your story idea in no more than two paragraphs.
● DO tell us who (if applicable) you would interview for the story. We prefer stories to have at least two credible sources.
● DO include at least 3 links to your previously published work.
● DO provide a brief biography.
● DO pitch us stories that connect to larger themes and issues that think outside the box.
● DO get specific. Let us know which brand you are pitching, whether you think it’s a better fit for print or digital and what section of the magazine or website, if appropriate.
● DO tell us if you can provide images that correlate to your topic.
● DO pitch us ideas that we have not already published.
● DO grammar and spell check before hitting submit.
● DO keep story ideas politically neutral.
Pay Rates
Payment for stories varies on whether the article is for digital or print, the word count, the writer’s experience, the level of reporting required and whether original photography is provided. Payment ranges anywhere from $75 to $300 USD. Editorial staff carefully determines the rate.
Articles are 600 words, unless otherwise noted. Articles should be submitted with 2-3 high res images (no headshots), including cutlines and credit.
o $75: advance (250-300 word write-up on an event, new resource, etc.)
o $100: personal perspective piece/op-ed
o $150: one source
o $200: two sources or more
o $300: cover stories (must be at least two sources)
Ready to connect? How to pitch U.S. Military Publishing:
Submit your pitch by clicking here: PITCH US. We try to respond to every submission, but please allow 2 to 4 weeks for a response.
