Thank you for your interest in writing an article for The Oxford Magazine.
We are open to receiving content relevant to our audience, but before submitting your piece for publication, we ask that you familiarize yourself with our editorial approach, so you get a better idea of what to write about, and how to approach developing content for publication in The Oxford Magazine.
We also ask that you review the writing guidelines we have put in place to ensure a degree of consistency across our website, despite publishing content from many authors and sources.
Reaching the right audience
The Oxford Magazine is an online magazine curated for people who live, work and play in Oxfordshire. About 3 in 4 people that visit our website meet this profile. Therefore, first and foremost, we ask that the content should be of particular relevance to this people who live, work and play in Oxford and across Oxfordshire county in any of the following categories:
- Life & style – Fashion, beauty, health, wellness, arts, entertainment, travel, education, sports
- Home & garden – home design or redesign, interior design, styling and decorating, properties, gardening
- Food and drink – recipes, restaurant and product reviews, cooking
- Business – new business, openings & closings, deals, real estate, innovation, technology
- Society – people, environment, infrastructure, governance, local economy
- Opinion – a point of view on a local topical issue or a local perspective on a broad issue
A focus on editorial features
Recent research shows that taking an editorial approach to these topics better meets with our reader’s interests. For example, when writing about a local business, consider including things like:
- the personal profiles of the owners/founders;
- the story behind the business;
- the impact they are having on their local community.
Also of interest is in-depth reporting on a newsworthy event that takes a personal angle and goes wide of straight, factual recounting. So instead of writing about generic issues faced by young parents during the lockdown, for example, you could instead focus on a day-in-the-life of a young parent and an exploration of an insurmountable challenge that they faced.
While we don’t want to be prescriptive about what you should write, here are some further examples:
Travel
A more personal account of events and things to do in the area – could be before or after – to persuade readers to visit, advise the reader on what to do, and to entertain the reader.
Case studies
Factual accounts of completed projects e.g. interior design, restorations, business start-ups, and such. We want to know the person behind the project, their aspirations, their fears, how they approached the problem, etc.
Fact files
An in-depth profile that provides vital information about a person, place or event, with a creative descriptive style of writing to inform or educate readers.
Biographies
An account of a person’s life – sportspeople, politicians, celebrities or even people who aren’t well-known, but are making an impact in our local community.
Reviews
Personal opinion about something – books, events, restaurants, services, experiences, etc. to inform, to describe, to entertain, to analyse, or to advise readers.
In-depth features
Exploring the issues raised by current affairs and news stories in more depth, with particular reference to the implications for Oxfordshire.
Diaries and personal accounts
A personal record of events, thoughts and feelings, usually arranged in chronological order. Could be historical or current, but with relevance to Oxfordshire.
Essays
Long-form essay providing expert analysis of, or opinion on, a subject or topic. Especially one that provides a new, and perhaps local (Oxfordshire-based) perspective, on the subject, or topic.
Good to know
Most features will have a minimum of 600 words but no more than 1,500 words, divided into clear, logical paragraphs with several supporting photos or artefacts.
While we are not averse to publishing long-form content i.e. articles with over 1500 words, we will ask to consider splitting the post into multiple pages, for example, to form a multi-part series.
Disagreement is great, criticism is okay, bashing is not. You may highlight issues with a program run by the council or evaluate the merits and debate around public transportation, but our focus is on informing, educating and entertaining, not tearing down people or issues.