Ethics Issue or Illegal? | Freelance Business Chat | Writing Forum

I would say the only unethical thing would be taking pay from both parties if you don't let the publication know you're contracted by the CEO. If they're okay with both paying you, there's nothing wrong with it because you're being transparent. I'd be very careful about querying as an unbiased freelancer when you have a business relationship with the person or company you're profiling. Even if it didn't count as fraud, it could severely hurt your professional reputation.

That said, in these situations, I only take payment from the business client. I write the pitch letter on behalf of the client (the letter goes from them to the publication, not from me). It's offered as free content. A) That increases their chances of accepting the profile or feature. B) The publication knows up front that the client has a business interest in the submission, and they can provide any relevant guidelines. And C) it helps the client build their professional contacts (important if it's an industry publication) which in turn can lead to future features, which they'll hire you to write. 

By the time you're paid for the query / pitch letter and the article itself, you often make more with the client paying you than you would with the publication paying you. And many trades take both freelance submissions and free content from industry insiders. 

Jenn