Writer’s Guidelines
Thanks for your interest in writing for Plum Deluxe. Before moving forward with a submission, it is strongly recommended that you read about our philosophy – most of our current contributors are avid readers.
(Note, if you represent a brand or company and want to publish content on our website, please see our advertising kit.)
We do pay writers $30 per feature. More details can be found down below.
First, what topics are open for submissions?
All topic areas on Plum Deluxe are open for reader submissions; however, we are only looking for specific topics in each area. Please review these before submitting; we get quite a few generic “tips” articles, which we are not interested in.
- We are always looking for trip reports highlighting specific affordable luxury destinations, itineraries, and trip ideas. Our travel pieces help readers understand a sense of place and feature lots of specific details to help readers plan their own trips. Specific themes that we are looking for right now: weekend getaways, cultural trips, romantic trips. This is a good weekend getaway example.
- We are currently not accepting submissions on family/baby/children travel or adrenaline/adventure articles.
Food
- Firstly, all food submissions must contain recipes.
- Our “foodie’s guides” to specific locations highlight top recommendations on everything from breakfast to dessert, sort of an eat-it-all-in-one-day-without-bursting. In all cases, we want specific suggestions – and when possible, feature local “only here” dishes (and a recipe if you can get it). This is a good foodie’s guide example.
- We’re always interested in articles that help readers better understand a place far from home by bringing those tasty foreign foods into their own kitchen. We’re different than other food blogs in that where the ingredients and dishes come from is very important to us (and recipes). Here’s a good ingredient-based example.
- We are currently not accepting submissions on single recipes, restaurant reviews, or single product reviews.
Drink
- We get lots of pitches about wine, but drink covers not just beer and wine, but tea and coffee, too! We are very interested right now in specific guides on wine pairings.
- Please see our monthly editorial themes below – we often have a strong tie-in here for these pieces. Take a look at recent features for ideas.
- We are not currently accepting submissions that are a single drink recipes or product reviews.
Home
- Home is the sanctuary, and we want to help readers make their home a cosier, happier place. We’re very interested in your pieces that help readers upgrade their household experiences. Please review our previous pieces for ideas.
Goods
- We’re actively seeking locals for our themed “what to buy in ___” series, which highlights locally-made, easy-to-get-home items in various destinations. As the saying goes, less is more, so we are really seeking quality items. This piece is the perfect example.
- Please do not submit an idea that’s simply a product review. All features in this section are round-ups or at least feature multiple products under a single theme.
Health
- Our health section focuses on practical, sometimes unconventional, ways to be healthier, happier, and live longer. We are very interested right now in pieces that focus on having more energy.
Style
- We are actively seeking contributions for our popular “how to dress like a ____” series, which you really need to be a local to do successfully. Remember, we do a men’s and women’s version of these articles that highlight classic local style and where to go to pick up the essentials. Good examples are this pair: Frenchman vs Frenchwoman.
- Style also includes beauty articles, but be sure to think carefully about the tie in with the Plum Deluxe philosophy.
- We are not accepting articles about traveling to/attending fashion shows or simple product reviews.
One area that can fit into multiple topics is the idea of making luxury more accessible. Many luxury topics have a lot of baggage (pun intended), but our readers love the finer things, so any article that seeks to help demystify such things is always a good one.
To really take it to the next level, tie your story idea into one of our monthly themes. Keep in mind we work about 2 months ahead, so if you wanted to pitch something for our October “Rise to the Occasion” theme, you would want to get it to us around the end of July or beginning of August.
Submissions do not have to be tied into an editorial theme.
| January | Refresh. Reset. Starting Over. |
| February | Romance. |
| March | Once in a Lifetime. Unforgettable Memories. |
| April | A Bit of Flair |
| May | Do It Yourself |
| June | Sunshine |
| July | Party! |
| August | Far, Far Away. Best of Series. |
| September | Just Say Yes. Adventure. |
| October | Rise to the Occasion |
| November | Comfort. Cozy. |
| December | Traditions |
For more information about article length, styling, formatting, images, etc., please take a look at our style guide.
Now that you know what you’re looking for and have refined your idea, how do you submit it?
The first step is to get your article topic approved. Be sure that you submit your idea and get clarity from us first, as we don’t want you to you work hard on something we don’t want or need. (The technical term for this is “on spec” and we do not accept submissions “on spec.”)
The submission form below is where you submit your topic for review. We’ve kept the form neat and simple, but please give your proposal some thought before hitting submit. We’ll get back to you generally within a month with a yes or no. If it’s a yes, we’ll also include some information about the scope, any specific format for you to use, and other editorial recommendations, along with deadlines and details.
Please do not email us directly to submit an editorial idea.
What happens after you submit your idea?
Once your idea is approved, you’ll work with one of our editors to get everything submitted. You’ll need to provide your content, photos, a short bio, and register your email address on gravatar.com for your author bio.
Once your article has been edited and a publish date scheduled, your payment will be processed. We only pay via Paypal at this time. We pay $30USD for each article.
Depending on our editorial calendar, it can be a few months before your work is published, or perhaps your piece will fit right into an empty slot the next month. We’ll email you when we know the date and URL, so when it publishes you can share it with your friends, online and offline.
Dos and Don’ts
A few things to keep in mind about our editorial style:
Do:
- Follow the process. We’re a small team so respect our guidelines.
- Have appropriate photos, or find appropriate photos such as those with the Creative Commons License on Flickr or free sites like SXC or Morgue File. Standard image size is 500×375. If you don’t resize your photos, we’ll send them back to you.
- Familiarize yourself with voice and style before pitching, if you aren’t a regular reader. If it’s clear you have no idea what the Plum Deluxe philosophy is or the style of our editorial columns, we’ll move on quickly. We have an entire style guide to guide you through it.
Do Not:
- Do not use flowery marketing language. Read your article out loud to a friend. Are they laughing? Do they understand the words you are using? Are you speaking directly to the reader using words like “I” and” “you”? If not, rework.
- Do not get hung up about word count. You’re telling a story – and your story should help dictate whether a shorter or longer piece is required.
