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.
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