WE'RE HANDING YOU THE MIC
Apply to write for the Startup Boston blog.
Why Write for the Startup Boston blog?
Startup Boston is the go-to resource for the Boston and New England startup community. We’re proud to be the place the community goes to when they want to learn where to go, who to meet and what resources are available to them based on both the industry and company stage of their startup and the department they work in.
We provide resources for not just founders but also startup employees, students, investors, mentors, advisors and startup curious folks.
Writing for the Startup Boston blog will not only elevate your own social profile (you’ll receive author credit and social promotion for the blogs you write!) but you’ll be giving back to the startup community AND will be known as a go-to expert for starting and scaling a startup or company.
Learn more about applying to be a guest writer for Startup Boston below.
How the Startup Boston editing process works:
Step One: You apply to be a guest blogger with Startup Boston.
To be a guest blogger, you must commit to writing 1 article per month for Startup Boston over the course of the next 12 months, once accepted. In month 10, we will touch base with you to see if you’d like to continue for another year. To apply - and learn more about this commitment - please click this link and submit your application.
Step Two: If accepted, you will need to pitch the first 2 months of blogs up front.
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What is included in a pitch?
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Working title
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3-5 sentence about what this article will include
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Ideas on who you plan on quoting within this article - we don’t need them confirmed at this time, but would like to know upfront who you have in mind so we can ensure you’re approaching this with an inclusive eye.
Step Three: Once the pitches are approved, you will write the article.
We will provide you with at least 3 weeks of lead time for each article that is due.
Step Four: Submit your article via Google Doc
Please make sure you are providing us with editing access to the document so we do not need to request access or clone this document. Inside this Google Doc, please also include your sources contact information at the bottom of the document - and provide them with a heads-up that Startup Boston may contact them to verify those quote are, in fact, theirs and they approve them.
Step Five: Editing process
Our team will review your article and provide potential edits and comments. We’ll then punt these back your way prior to publishing. We will let you know which date you can expect to see the article live on our site.
Step Six: We will request a photo, title, 150 word bio and your social handles to tag.
We will only need this from you once and will include this information in all articles you write for us going forward.
Startup Boston Guest Writer Guidelines:
Important information to know:
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There must be at least two quotes from other sources in the New England startup community.
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You must provide the contact information for your sources so we can verify that they provided you with permission to quote them in your pieces.
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You can expect a 2-4 week wait time for your article to be reviewed and scheduled. Once scheduled, we will provide you with a heads-up on the date you can see it live.
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Follow the writing style guide below.
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You are not allowed to republish your blog post to LinkedIn, Medium, or any other site elsewhere. We also do not accept previously placed pieces. If this occurs, you'll be unable to guest blog on Startup Boston in the future.
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Startup Boston reserves the write to include calls-to-action to Startup Boston content, which includes upcoming events, newsletter sign-up, and other Startup Boston related initiatives.
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At any point during the review process, we can choose to not move forward with your pitch. The use case for this: it takes more than 30 minutes for us to edit your piece (i.e. poor grammar) or we've requested edits from you and there is either delay in receiving these edits back or more back-and-forth than expected.
How to write a great article for Startup Boston’s blog:
Readers come to Startup Boston to learn how to start and scale their company, grow their network in the startup community, and learn where to go to meet and learn from others in their industry and department. Here’s how to create a great article for Startup Boston:
Step 1: Think of what the clear takeaway is.
Our readers love “how to” and “where to go” type of articles. They want to walk away with something actionable or a research-driven article on where to find something.
Step 2: Highlight the New England startup community.
While your opinion is valuable, we want to ensure that each piece is well-rounded and involves a few different viewpoints. It’s important for you to quote at least two others in your article - and provide us with their contact information so we can verify their quote prior to publishing.
What does the Startup Boston blog team look for?:
Inclusion: We want to make sure different opinions are being highlighted across the New England startup community.
Correct length: Articles should be somewhere between 750-1,000 words in length.
Clear takeaway: Focus your article on the takeaway or action item you’d like the reader to impart with.
Do not format your article: We will need to clear the formatting in your article and re-do it to fit our own blog’s style.
What cannot be included in your article:
Overly promotional content: The Startup Boston blog is all about sharing information with others in the startup community. If you are looking to craft content that will showcase your company and services, please reach out to our sponsorship team using this form.
Backlinks to your products or services: If you are looking to promote your company and services through the Startup Boston blog (or otherwise), then please reach out to our sponsorship team using this form.
Photos: We cannot publish images we do not have the rights to. If your diagram or photos are needed to support your article, we need to know that you are the one that took the picture or created the diagram and are providing us with the rights to publish it on our site.
Previously published material: We only publish original work on the Startup Boston blog. The article cannot be published on another medium either before or after being published here. If this occurs, we’ll no longer be able to accept articles from you in the future and the article in question will be deleted from our site.
Plagiarism or copyright infringement: The content must be yours and must be original to the Startup Boston article.
Our style guide:
Please make our life - and your life - easier and follow this mini-style guide for a quick and painless review and editing process.
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Ideally no more than 5 sentences in a paragraph - we’d like to break down the thoughts into an easy-to-read format
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No double spaces after periods - PLEASE. We will have to delete one of them and this is painful and time consuming (and likely will lead to us not receiving another piece from you)
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No serial commas. An example of this is Patriots, Bruins and Celtics - NOT Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics.
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Commas and periods go inside the end quotation mark - always, a gentle reminder for those of us that forgot from English class!
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Inclusivity in your writing. If we’re talking about a third person that isn’t a specific person in mind, then please don’t use “A boss has to lead his team.” Instead, say, “A boss has to lead their team.”
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With the above bullet in mind, consistency is also key. If you start the article addressing the audience as “you,” do not switch to “they” mid-way through the article.
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If you choose to use an abbreviation or acronym, please spell out the full abbreviation or acronym first, note the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses, and then you may use the abbreviation or acronym in the future.
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If you are addressing someone by name in the article, please use both their first and last name in the beginning and then default to their last name (not first name) if you don’t wish to use both first and last in the future.
Apply to be a Guest Writer for Startup Boston
As a guest writer for Startup Boston, you must commit to writing 1 blog per month for the next 12 months. To be considered, please fill out the form below.
Please keep in mind this is an unpaid opportunity to reach the startup community in Boston, New England and beyond.