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The Roseco Press

What's Your Story?

Submission Guidelines

    Getting your news out to our readers is important.  We attempt to keep all articles short and to the point, while highlighting the most interesting aspects.  A maximum length of about 750 words — should be enough to cover the important facts and spark interest.  Keep in mind that people do not like to scroll on and on.  Don't let your important news fall into the "TLDR" (Too Long, Didn't Read) bin.  If in doubt, go a little longer, but remember we will edit.

    Okay.  So what should you include?  Here are some guidelines, based on the type of information it is.

Event Notices

    Our editorial style is to put things in the third person (they/their, not we/our).  Also, remember that this is news, conversational-sounding phrases may evoke a friendly feeling, but they don’t convey information.  It’s best to stick to the time-proven formula of giving the Who, What, When, When, Why, and How.

Who –  Include the name of the sponsoring organization and the names of any specific people involved.

What –  What is the event, or activity being announced?  If there is a special name for the event, indicate that with quotation marks.  Is this a spaghetti dinner, or is it the 16th annual “Clean Plate Club Spaghetti Dinner”?

When –  On what date, and at what time will the event be held?  Are there multiple parts to the overall event?  Does the band play at a specific time, although people can come and go throughout the day?  Or, if the activity already took place, when was that?  The exact date may be less important for reports of events that already took place, but it may be an annual event that you’d like to get people to next year, or important in some other way (National Children’s Book Week).

Where –  What is the street address of the location the event will take place?  People want an address (including Town and Zip Code) they can punch into a smart phone map app., and will allow us to include a link.

Why –  It may be obvious, but is this event a fund-raiser for your church, school group, fire company, or other organization?  It’s nice to clarify that “proceeds benefit X,” especially if there is more than one sponsoring organization, or if proceeds will benefit a third party.

How –  Is it important or interesting for people to know how the event will unfold?  For instance, does a mix-and-mingle hour precede dinner, or does an auction or lecture follow dinner?  Also, is there an admission fee (or suggested donation)?  If so, how much?  And how do people get tickets or make reservations?  The Roseco Press maintains a Web policy of not posting the personal phone numbers of individuals, so an e-mail or Web link would be very handy.

Fund-raising Appeal

    If your organization is soliciting funds for your annual appeal, make sure people know who/what your organization is, how to make a contribution (checks payable to . . . ? and where to send them), and whether/how much of donations are tax-deductible.  (Of course, you’ve already checked with your legal/accounting professional to determine your particular tax status.)  If you have website or PayPal information, let us know, so we can include a direct link.

Letter to the Editor

    See our Letters Policy, below, for full details.  Essentially, Letters are not edited in any way; defamatory letters are rejected in their entirety.

A Word About Deadlines

    The deadline for The Tewksbury Times...online is rolling.  We update the site monthly.  This applies to all content, Notices, Letters, Advertisements, Inserts.  However, do not wait until the last minute to send in your information.  When an item comes in last-minute, there may not be time for us to contact you with questions, or for you to make corrections.

    Also, think of your audience.  People need time to plan.  Someone may need to make child care, or other arrangements.  You don't want to miss out on a potential audience because they needed more than three days to plan to attend.

Letters Policy

    Letters from our readers are encouraged.  All Letters to the Editor express the opinions of the writers, and do not represent the views of The Tewksbury Times, or The Roseco Press.

    Letters are presented as written: The Tewksbury Times believes it is important for readers to see the comments of their neighbors free of editorial changes.  For this reason, we ask that writers be as brief as possible. 

    Rather than being edited, any letter with libelous or defamatory content will be considered unprintable in its entirety.  We also will not publish the home addresses or phone numbers of individuals.  Letters must be submitted with name, address, and phone number of the writer; anonymous letters will not be published.

Advertising Rates

    Current advertisement rates are shown below, if you just want an idea of cost.

Ad Size:
Design
Dimensions:

Cost:
Small Horizontal 3.5ʺw x 2ʺh $15
Small Vertical 2ʺw x 3.5ʺh $15
Medium Vertical 3.75ʺw x 5ʺh $30
Medium Horizontal 5ʺw x 3.75ʺh $30
Large 10.5ʺw x 7.5ʺh $60

   Dimensions are for design purposes only, actual online size will vary depending on the device used for viewing.

   For more details, contact us to request full information.  We can work with artwork from most graphics formats; generally, ads with photos present best in a .jpg format, ads without photos may look better in a .png format.  An additional .PDF file is helpful, as .PDF tends to be less prone to translation errors from one computer system to another.

    We usually recommend that advertisers run the biggest ad they can afford to run for multiple months.  In our opinion, a small ad run consistently for six months will make a better impression on readers than a half-page ad run once.  People like to do business with local businesses they perceive as stable, and a steady presence in their minds helps establish that stability.  Plus, as The Tewksbury Times is funded by advertising revenue and donations, readers appreciate that our advertisers support a service they enjoy.

Contact us

    Ready to send in your news? Want to place an ad? Or just have a question? E-mail us.
Letters, articles, ideas, questions, advertising inquiries? E-mail us.
© 2021, The Roseco Press