Tips for submitting to Assembly

(Courtesy of Fatima-Tuj-Johora / Malala Fund)

How to refine your pitch and make sure it stands out.

We’re SO excited you’re interested in contributing to Assembly. Before sending in your ideas through our submission form, follow these tips to perfect your pitch.

Be specific. For example, if you want to write about gender equality, that’s great! Just make sure to tell us what specific aspect of gender equality you want to write about and why you think it’s an important topic for Assembly readers. If you’re planning to draw on your personal experiences, tell us about them. If you’re planning to use research, explain what sources you might reference. 

Write in your voice. Don’t try to write in a way that you think others want you to write, write like yourself. Your pitch will be more compelling when it sounds like you.

Check out our previous content to see what pieces we’ve already published on that topic. It’s OK if we’ve featured an article similar to yours in the past, but explain in your pitch why your piece will present a different angle or perspective. 

Be concise. You don’t need to share everything you want to include in your article, just the general gist. We will contact you if we need additional information or decide to move forward with your submission, so don’t start writing your full article until you hear from us! 

Write in your native language. Assembly has published content in 28 languages to date — and we’re always looking to expand that number! Just let us know what language you’d like to write in when you submit your idea. 

You don’t have to share your name. If you would prefer not to identify yourself for any reason, you can contribute to Assembly anonymously. Check out some of our incredible previous articles published under pseudonyms: “One year of the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education,” “The emotional fallout of coming out to my parents” and “Writing from the front lines of the Myanmar protests.”

Read our writing guide. Assembly’s writing guide provides you with step-by-step instructions to think through your ideas, construct a clear message and write your story in a way that makes people listen. It’s helpful to review this when you’re pitching so you can think through where you’re going to take your piece. 

Don’t get discouraged. If your pitch to Assembly didn’t get accepted, keep brainstorming and sending your ideas in. We receive so many amazing submissions from young women around the world and unfortunately can’t proceed with all of them. But just because we couldn’t publish your first idea doesn’t mean your next one won’t be successful!