Welcome to Inspiyr. We have a mission: to help our readers become happier, healthier, and more motivated so they can live their best life. It’s pretty simple, if you ask us – life is short, so why not become the best “you” that you can be?
If you’re on this page, you probably believe in our mission, too. We would love to hear what you have to say, and we would love for you to be able to share your inspiration with our readers.
But first…
Why Write For Inspiyr?
Well, we already told you about the inspiration and helping people bit. That’s pretty big motivation.
But here are some more reasons:
1. Our dedicated readers.
We have thousands of readers every day who consistently check up on us and see what new stuff we’re churning out. That means that your voice will absolutely be heard. We won’t gloss over it; we feature every article we accept.
2. Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, oh my!
We have 35k+ likes on Facebook, and that’s growing every day. And as soon as your article is published, we’ll not only publish it on our Facebook, but our Twitter as well. We also enjoy pinning our articles on Pinterest.
And if our readers really like it, hey, we may even repost it months down the road for our newest followers to check out.
You don’t have to do the math to know that the probability of your article being viewed and shared is pretty darn high.
3. Our staff is super nice. Like, really.
If you’ve ever submitted articles before, you might be familiar with the submissions process of many publications. You e-mail an article to some anonymous and mysterious e-mail, and you either never get a response, or you get a response a bajillion weeks later saying it’s published, but they’ve edited it and changed it around so much that you barely recognize it.
That’s not us. We’re all about communication. If you e-mail our team, you will get an answer. And if we want to make edits, we will make the edits, then send them back to you for approval. We want your voice to be heard as much as you do, and we will try our hardest to work with you on it – not just cast it aside without a word!
Where Do I Submit?
Interested? Awesome. We know you’ve got some great stuff floating around in that big brain of yours.
If you’ve got a great pitch, e-mail it to us–our e-mail is at the bottom of the page. Send a brief description of the piece you’d like to write about. We’ll check it out and get back to you if we’d like you to continue with it.
What Are Inspiyr’s Guidelines?
We’re happy to work with you, but we do have a few guidelines we’d like you to follow to make the process a little easier.
1. Please keep your piece related to health, wellness, inspiration, or personal development.
No writing about the Olsen twins.
2. The piece must be unique.
That means that it has not been published anywhere else, and it won’t be published anywhere else. If you want to customize or change another story you’ve written, that’s okay – just send the link to the original piece so our team can check it out. But original, 100% unique stuff is always the best.
3. Word count should be around 600 – 1500 words.
If you’re having some trouble shortening a longer piece, we will work with you – but no essay-length stuff, please!
4. Please submit your story with a headshot of your beautiful face, as well as a short (2 or 3 sentences) bio.
If you send a lengthy bio, we will shorten it ourselves – and we don’t want to omit any important information.
5. Please, no promotional links within the story.
You can include one or two in your bio, though, so save all the linkage for that.
6. If you state a scientific fact, back it up.
If you mention a study (e.g. “According to a study conducted by Dr. Dan Cassidy, Inspiyr rocks”), please make sure to link to the study or credible source.
You can also link to one of our articles, if you like!
7. Please don’t double space after sentences!
Just one space will suit our fancy.
What Type Of Stories Work Best?
We’re sure that you’ve got a ton of brilliant ideas you want to contribute, but before you start writing, know this: there are certain types of stories that work great with Inspiyr, and certain types that do not. Even if your story totally rocks (which we’re sure it does!), our readers might not pick up on it. After a few years in the biz, we know what our audience enjoys.
And if you’re going to write a story, don’t you want it to go viral? We sure do!
That being said, these are the elements that will help your story get lots of clicks:
1. Good organization.
Lists are always good. If your topic doesn’t lend well to a list format, break it up with headers to help it flow. If it looks like a big long essay with no breaks, it will not get as much attention. Really, the more you break it up, the better.
2. A takeaway section.
This essentially means a brief conclusion that sums up the story. Don’t just leave ’em hanging.
3. A practical element that our readers can leave with.
Everyone loves a good anecdote, but don’t just talk about your experience. Show the reader why they should care, and what they can do, or what will help them on their journey of self-growth.
4. No intimidation factor!
This especially applies for nutrition or fitness pieces. Don’t throw a whole ton of jargon at our readers. Explain. Be relatable. Give some context and some personality. A good rule of thumb is to pretend like you’re talking to someone who knows nothing about the topic—then build out from there.
5. Keep it positive and inspiring.
If you couldn’t tell, we’re all about inspiration. And when have you ever been inspired by negativity? Keep your stories uplifting. We’re all about keeping it real, but no doom-and-gloom or bashing others, please.
6. Got video? Great!
If you prefer sharing your tips and insights through the spoken word, that’s awesome. Just send us a link to what you’ve done so we can review it. While content is always king, we do require the videos to look professional and engaging.
Want To Be An Ongoing Contributor?
We’re always looking for fresh content, and we always love getting new contributors who write regularly for us. If you’re interested in being an ongoing contributor, send in a story like normal, but note in the e-mail that you’re interested in going steady with us. (Wink, wink.) After your first story goes live, we’ll assess and get back to you if we’re ready to make the next move.
Want To Be A Part Of Our Expert Network?
We’ve built a hand-selected team of experts to provide guidance and feedback on our stories. If you have any expertise in any of our content pillars – health, nutrition, fitness, relationships, or just overall “life success”—shoot us a note and let us know. We know that to be the best personal development site out there, we need to work with the best…and that could be you!
Can’t wait to hear from you! Contact us at the address below:
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Featured image by Gracie Cannell