Street Fight welcomes inquiries from knowledgeable professionals who would like to write for us. Contributions may be either sponsored or unsponsored. For more information about advertising, sponsorship costs, and benefits, click here.
These guidelines are designed to help contributors understand the type of content our editorial team is looking for and to offer some important distinctions between sponsored and unsponsored articles.
Highlights
— Priority will be given to contributors for our Future Finders series (more detail below)
— Email the Managing Editor at [email protected] for topic approval before submitting the draft.
— No set deadlines unless otherwise specified.
— Articles should be 600-1,000 words and sent as a Google doc.
— Email images as attached .jpg or .png files when sending your submission.
— Include a one-line author bio; you may link to the author’s company, but you may not promote the company in the bio.
— Sponsored articles may showcase your company, product, or service, and may include a longer bio.
— Unsponsored commentary articles SHOULD NOT explicitly or implicitly pitch the author’s company or services. You may discuss best practices in your industry, but if you find yourself pitching the precise technologies or services that your company offers, you are most likely entering the sponsored territory.
— Please share a link to published articles on social networks. You may republish the article on a company or personal blog one week after its publication on Street Fight. You must link back to the original article and state that it was first posted on Street Fight.
Subject Matter
Street Fight is a publication covering the intersection of consumers, businesses, physical locations, and technology. We publish news and commentary on a wide range of topics. Please familiarize yourself with the tone of our publication before submitting. For a better understanding of the topics we cover, see our themes page. Be sure to email our editorial team at [email protected] for topic approval before you send a submission.
Future Finders
As noted above, we will give priority placement (in both selection and timeline) to contributions to our Future Finders series. This is a multi-author column that is defined by concrete market predictions. It inherits all of the guidelines listed on this page, including restrictions on self-promotion. We also have a high bar when we say “predictions.” Beyond deviating from self-serving predictions, they must be specific and “name names,” rather than broad vagueries. For example, “Amazon will acquire Stripe in 2020” fits the bill. “AI will transform local commerce.” does not.
Deadlines
Unless otherwise specified, there is no hard-and-fast deadline for submissions. We accept submissions on a rolling basis and typically post contributions one or two weeks after acceptance for publication.
Length
We seek articles approximately 700 to 1,200 words in length. The minimum length requirement should help guarantee that your commentary is substantive. As for the maximum length, we have some flexibility if the article calls for it, but please inquire first.
Images
Typically, we will select a cover image for each article, but you may suggest your own. If additional images would help to illustrate your points, you may provide one to four image files of size and resolution suitable for web publication. Please make sure you own the rights to all images, or else supply the appropriate credits with hyperlinks.
Sponsored Articles
Sponsored articles, which are clearly identified as such when published, should offer content that falls within one or more of our editorial themes. In a sponsored article, you are free to showcase your company or a product or service you sell. Regardless, your article should provide analysis of a topic of general interest to our readership, whether or not readers are in your target market.
The author bio published with your sponsored article can be as long as 100 words and may function, if you choose, as a description of your company’s services and unique value.
Commentary Articles
We welcome inquiries from local marketing and location technology professionals who would like to contribute unsponsored commentary-style articles. Commentaries should offer thoughtful analysis of a timely subject relevant to one or more of our editorial themes.
The author of a commentary article should not promote any specific company or product. That said, we value passionate, well-argued opinions about topics of interest to our readership. Such opinions sometimes include criticism or praise of companies in positions of power, which is not the same thing as bias. Reading a few articles by current guest commentators should give you a good sense of the distinction.
The author bio for an unsponsored commentary article should be no more one line (name, title, company) and may not be promotional in nature. You may link to the author’s company.
Editorial Feedback
Our editorial team reserves the right to make final judgments as to the suitability of any content you submit, including whether or not it adheres to the guidelines described here. At our discretion, we may offer feedback in order to strengthen your writing or fix any issues of bias. Please be aware, however, that we are not always able to provide such feedback, and that not all contributions can be accepted for publication, especially those that require extensive revision. The editorial team will confer with the author on major changes to the structure or content of the contribution.
Social Sharing
For all guest articles we publish, regardless of sponsorship status, we expect a minimum of one social share from an account you manage. You may share articles from your own accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and similar networks, or from accounts in your company’s name.
Ongoing Contributions
From time to time, we may bring on new guest authors for regularly scheduled contributions. Feel free to inquire if you feel you may be a good fit. Decisions about long-term contributors are made at the sole discretion of the editorial team.