Hannah Vanderheide

Oh boy, the list is long. I think the biggest stem from a misunderstanding and misappropriation of scientific/medical sounding language. Proposed supplements or treatments for 'conditions' like adrenal fatigue and leaky gut syndrome, or supplement programs that promise to ease menopause symptoms when we don't have reliable data to say they can. Then there's anything to do with "maxxing" at the moment. A lot of the current health trends ask us to maximise every aspect of our wellbeing and I think it could just lead to the opposite.

I wish we could get a bit more understanding out there about the tactics used by brands or practitioners who promise to cure all or a wide-ranging list of symptoms or diseases. For example, a supplement that claims to fix your sleep, your gut health, your chronic nasal congestion and your fungal infection is likely a load of rubbish.

I also hope that we can continue to address some of the larger systemic issues impacting our health and wellbeing rather than telling people their chronic diseases are a result of their own poor choices.

I open every email I get, but I'm always intrigued by something presenting a bit of a curiosity gap. Asking a question like "could this change the way we do X?" makes me want to find out more.

I also really appreciate it when they're clearly familiar with my work/areas of interest, so starting off by mentioning a recent story they've seen of mine is great because it means the topic is very likely to be something in my area of interest.

If something isn't addressed to me personally, I'll rarely engage. It's clear when a pitch has been sent out to a big list of writers/editors, and as a freelancer that doesn't give me much of an edge when pitching stories to publications that might already be covering it in-house.

I love to know when something is being brought directly to me first (and I will always try and get back to them if it's not something I'll be able to cover). This way I know if I'm bringing an angle to one of my editors, they won't have just heard it in a pitch meeting in-house. But features draw on trends and human-centered stories, so exclusivity is not a must. I just need to make sure I'm always bringing something fresh to the conversation, so anything that helps with that is a win.

Stories that tap into a timely health concern while offering practical, evidence-based advice tend to perform well. In summer, that might be topics like heat, hydration, sleep disruption and skin health. In winter, readers are often looking for guidance around immunity, respiratory illness, mental wellbeing and staying active when motivation dips.

That said, some of the strongest-performing stories aren't always tied to a season. Readers are consistently interested in healthy ageing, sleep, mental health, chronic illness, preventative health and myth-busting pieces that help them make sense of conflicting advice online.