Hollywood Insider Contributor Guidelines

If you would like to write for Hollywood Insider, please email us pitch@hollywoodinsider.com.  Please read guidelines thoroughly before submitting your name, credentials and relevant writing samples. Read through our site to get a better understanding of the range of articles we are interested in publishing.  Should you send in ideas or a full draft? We require at least 3 options/topics/ideas to choose from. Our editorial team will let you know our preferred topic, then you will write a full draft. 

The guidelines are here to assist you to understand the ethos of Hollywood Insider – which means that everything related to our brand has to use the mission statement as a compass.

All content on Hollywood Insider must be entertaining, educating and inspiring. An empowering message does not have to be preachy, take the beautiful message and wrap it up with a heavy and healthy dose of entertainment. Think: Influencing a positive change while utilizing entertainment and media as a tool. Media and entertainment can change the world when done right. 

Please also refer to OUR VALUES/ABOUT US page.

Ethical & Behavioral Guidelines:

1. Unique, original and “mic drop” perspective/ideas/viewpoint is required.
2. We believe in freedom of speech, but are completely against hate speech – please know the difference.
3. Must use our brand mission statement as a compass to guide the tone and content. We sincerely praise highly organized individuals with common sense (which is a luxury these days) bolstered by compassion/empathy/loyalty. You might ask why compassion/loyalty/empathy are important qualities for a writer – the person you are makes you the writer you are – they are not mutually exclusive. 
4. Fact-checking is mandatory.
5. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
6. All pieces must be ORIGINAL & EXCLUSIVE to Hollywood Insider.
7. The editorial team will have final say on your articles being approved for publication.
8. No gossip/scandal articles will be published.
9. We believe in getting it right rather than getting it out there fast.
10. You must maintain the highest standard of ethics and professional integrity, as we are only as good as the trust our readers have on us, thus please respect our reputation and credibility.
11. All information must be accurate, honest and fair.
12. Read and browse through our site and get a feel for the kind of content we believe in; be creative, engaging and thoughtful. 

Banned Categories

+ No hate speech – Any content, word, sentence, ideology, phrase, etc. that promotes hate or judgement, abuse and/or violence towards any groups based on race/ethnicity, sexuality/sexual orientation, gender/sex, religion/culture, disability, age, profession, socio-economic status, language, etc. is fully BANNED. Steer clear away from all of the aforementioned subjects. Just be nice – it’s as simple as that.

+ No confidential information – Please avoid posting anything that puts others’ information at risk.

+ No gossip and/or scandal: At Hollywood Insider, we do not care who is dating who, we really do not care about who prefers to sleep with who, we do not care who was seen where with who, etc. – LET PEOPLE LIVE THE WAY THEY WANT TO. If they choose to be public about it – great – if they wish to make certain facts about their life public through Hollywood Insider – great. But let each person decide that for themselves.

+ No OUTING aspects of anyone’s life they have NOT publicly revealed themselves yet: This part is self-explanatory. If you do not understand it, then you might not be a good match for Hollywood Insider. Again, we do not dwell in gossip or scandal.

+ No plagiarism. Again, self-explanatory.

+ No accepting payment/s from any brand, business or person in exchange for writing about them in a paid-promotional manner as that is against our rules and regulations for contributing writers. This includes any financial compensation for any product, firm, or commercial venture relating to your article’s subject. Do not use your association with Hollywood Insider to solicit or accept free or discounted goods or services.

A. Tips on preferable materials that are best suited to us.

Length: At least 600-800 words and further lengths are welcomed.

Topics: We repeat, all content on Hollywood Insider must be entertaining, educating, and inspiring. An empowering message does not have to be preachy, take the beautiful message and wrap it up with a healthy dose of entertainment.

Perspective: A strong voice and knowledge is encouraged. Already published articles on the website should serve to give you an idea of the kind of content we prefer. We believe in building someone/something up rather than breaking them down. Give the readers something they have not read/heard/seen before. Current/relevant events and issues are highly suggested.

Sources: Saying “a source close to the star said that” = gossip, please do not use that sentence or any variation of it. Help with getting in touch with sources and high profile celebrities: Please do not contact high profile individuals using Hollywood Insider’s credibility and name. If a star and/or high profile person could add to your article, please contact our editorial team to help make the contact. Our editorial team and publicists will assist in any way possible and if they feel it is right.

Quoting someone and anyone – Unless they have spoken directly to Hollywood Insider in an ON THE RECORD interview or conversation – make sure you always link out to the source. If you want cite something that Oprah said in an interview with Vogue – then you must CLEARLY STATE that Oprah said something in an interview with Vogue and provide a link to that original source. If the interview was conducted by Hollywood Insider then it must be CLEARLY STATED that it is original reporting. If you are commenting on recent news that has been published elsewhere, please credit the source and provide a link to that.

B. Finesse your article before you submit it. Attention to detail is highly recommended.

Provide a heading and subheading – Your heading should accurately summarize the article while also grabbing attention – but you must stay respectful to the person/subject/brand you are talking about. Headlines cannot be created to give the wrong impression. We are living in a world where people have the attention span for a 7 worded meme – hence audiences do have a habit of basing their assumptions on a heading – we are against that sort of click-bait. The final heading and subheading will be at the discretion of the editors and it will be made to fit the Hollywood Insider style.

CHECK YOUR ARTICLE OVER AND OVER AGAIN – Please! This is not college and our editors are not your professors reviewing your work ready to give you a grade. Spelling errors – NO! Grammar errors – NO! Factual misrepresentation – NO!

MANDATORY PROOFREAD X5 PLEASE! Your work will be rejected based on your carelessness.

Your work must be written by you and must be original. And it cannot promote your own brand or company and/or links to your own website. Have we mentioned that it must be exclusive to Hollywood Insider yet? You can share the link to the Hollywood Insider article written by you on your social media channels and also your blog/website. Don’t republish original content you write for Hollywood Insider anywhere else.

If there is a TIME CONSTRAINT to your article, please let us know so that the editors can process the article and publish it at the correct time.

C. Approval Process For Submitted Articles

Two-way communication between yourself and our editors is encouraged. Revisions, if needed, will be suggested. Questions, suggestions and directions should be respectfully expected so that we can ensure content with high standards that are respectful to both the subject of your article as well as the readership of Hollywood Insider who believe in substance and meaningful entertainment.

If you would like to write for Hollywood Insider, please email us pitch@hollywoodinsider.com.

To understand the mission and values of Hollywood Insider in more detail, please click here.