// We’re publishing this to save you time. We think that you’re great. //
Mattermark’s blog occasionally publishes guest posts from members of the community. It’s a fun, and functional way to explore a broad array of topics and welcome fresh perspectives to the publication.
Think that you have something to say? That’s great. What follows are a set of general guidelines that you are encouraged to consider before submitting. When it comes to the individual dictums, the saying that “all may, none must, some should” applies.
Let’s go!
- Guest posts should contain an interesting perspective, or argument that is not commonplace. We can leave conventional wisdom to the conventional.
- Guest posts should lead to a point, or conclusion that is actionable. The reader should leave your piece with either a changed viewpoint that will inform their future decisions, or having learned something that will help them in their current efforts.
- Brevity.
- Charts.
- A distinct lack of self promotion. You know where the line is.
- Guest posts should not be the product of internal, external, or both external and internal PR teams. If your PR team tries to tell you that you need to become a ‘thought leader’ and then offers to write for you, fire them.
- Self-deprecating humor.
- Candor.
When it comes to topic, Mattermark’s blog is a fusion of startup advice, growth stories, venture capital reports, financial investigations, and the like. That means that if your idea concerns the larger startup ecosystem, it could be relevant.
Process
How does all this work? If you have an idea, draft, or even final copy of something that you are certain the Mattermark community needs to read, send a note to either editor [at] mattermark.com or alex.wilhelm [at] mattermark.com.
Both email addresses reach me, so either works just fine. We’ll read your email, check out your idea or article, and make a decision as quickly as we can. So far we’ve said no far more than yes, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to hear from you. Please make sure to include a short bio about yourself, links to your social media profiles, and your job title.
If we think that your concept or post is great, we’ll respond and move forward. Published guest posts are generally promoted in the Mattermark Daily. But, as with all things publishing, every situation is its own animal. We’ll let you you know when you can expect it to run, what edits we may need from you, and what we may do to the post to have it fit inside our own CMS.
To sum, if you are smart and have something burning you want to say, reach out. In the meantime, it’s not raining in San Francisco at the moment, so enjoy the sun1.
Alex
1. Unless you live in Seattle.