Santa Cruz Life is all about celebrating the fun, and unique aspects of Santa Cruz. To do so we need help from you – the local community – to share your knowledge, and love of Santa Cruz.
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post for Santa Cruz Life, then you’re in the right spot. If you want to become a regular freelance contributor to Santa Cruz Life then click here.
Please read through the guidelines below to make sure you understand our criteria for submissions.
Ground Rules:
- If your submission is published, you grant license for Santa Cruz Life to be the exclusive publisher. The post MUST be original content, and should not be published elsewhere online or offline.
- You agree to grant copyright of any published submission to Santa Cruz Life.
- Please be aware that not all submissions will be published. We are looking for high quality content that resonates with our audience. We appreciate the time and effort that goes into your submission. Follow the guidelines below and you will have a much better chance of getting your post published.
Speak to Our Audience
Our readers come to santacruzlife.com because they want to get the most out of their Santa Cruz life. This isn’t a news site. It’s a lifestyle site. It celebrates our local community, and the people and places that make it special.
Readers want to know the best local hotspots, and what’s new and interesting around town. They also want to learn more about the town they live in. Do you have unique insider information about a local topic or place of interest? If so, then our readers want to hear from you!
Your Post Should be Useful
Your post should provide insight to unique elements of Santa Cruz. Is your topic so compelling that you want to share it with your friends? Would your friends and family here in town find your post useful, fun, and engaging? If not, then it probably isn’t a good topic for this site. If so, then bring it on!
Your Post Should Stand Out
If you can think of a topic to write about then it’s likely already been written about. If you somehow find something to write about that hasn’t been covered online then it’s just a matter of time. With a seemingly endless pool of competition it’s getting harder and harder for your content to stand out.
How will your post stand out from the crowd? Here are two ways:
- Write the single best post on a given topic. Your post should be so good, so comprehensive, that it becomes the post on your given topic. You want your post to be so good that anyone thinking of writing about your topic in the future won’t even bother because they know they can’t outdo you.
- Take a unique angle. What unique angle can you provide to your topic?
Your Post Should be Well Written
Please take some time to read through the posts on santacruzlife.com. Note the structure, length of posts, and tone found throughout the site. Yes, there is variation in each of these throughout the site, but you should get a clear idea of what we’re looking for by looking at the existing content.
Here are some additional tips to consider:
- Write in an accessible and conversational style.
- Please pay attention to grammar, style, and tone.
- Structure your posts to be scanner friendly. Use of Sub-headers, bulleted lists, and small paragraphs are encouraged.
- Expect revision requests, and/or edits to your post, especially the first time through this process. Don’t worry, we will give you an opportunity to review and approve any edits we make prior to publishing your post.
Still Here? Great! Here’s How to Pitch Your Guest Post:
- Send an email to yoursantacruzlife[at]gmail.com. Begin the subject with, “GUEST POST:”
- In your email, provide the following:
- 2-3 Headline variations for your post
- An outline of your post
- 50 – 100 word Intro for your post
- link to your blog, or online writing samples
- links to your relevant social media accounts (relevant meaning any social media presence that you use to promote your writing, we aren’t looking to Facebook stalk you).
- A short byline as you would like it to appear with your post. Feel free to include 1 link to a personal or business website, and 1 additional link to a personal or business social media profile.