What guidelines should pitches follow?
Relevant. Your post should be broadly related to the issues of society and the built environment covered on Planetizen, and be of interest to Planetizen readers. That said, drawing on lessons from other fields is encouraged.
Original. Planetizen articles and blog posts should be original and not have been previously published elsewhere. Direct quotes from other sources should comprise no more than 50 percent of any post. If you do include quotes (direct and/or paraphrased) and excerpts in your post, make sure to clearly cite the material you have taken and provide a link to the source if possible.
Fresh. Try to have a different point with each post, or a fresh angle on a previous idea. Avoid posting similar messages on the same topic. While contributors may on occasion want to follow up on another contributors’ post with some related thoughts, contributors should avoid using Planetizen as a discussion forum.
Brief. Conciseness and brevity are conducive to good articles, particularly in an online format, and are the most likely to keep people reading. Overly academic writing or articles that have too broad of a focus risk quickly losing reader interest.
Polite and respectful. A good rule of thumb is to focus on ideas, not people. Avoid defamatory comments that might damage the reputation of a person or organization. Avoid posting inflammatory or meritless comments intended to provoke emotional responses. (Not to be confused with a meaningful and congenial expression of a sincerely held belief or opinion that might differ from the norm.) Racism, harassment, and discriminatory language are not permitted.
No AI-generated content. Planetizen strictly prohibits the use of generative AI in contributed writing and artwork.
What doesn’t Planetizen want in our content?
Avoid jargon. Try to avoid technical language or acronyms that may impede others’ understanding. When using jargon, be sure to include a simple language definition with the first use of the term.
Nothing generic or unrelated to urban planning or urbanism. Our audience is comprised of urban planners, academic planners, related professionals, and laypeople with interest in urban planning, the built and natural environments, and how related policies, actions, and professional practice impact peoples’ lives.
No commercials. Planetizen does not accept pitches advertising products, events, or services. While we understand that contributors will write about their own work on occasion, self-promotion is discouraged. If you wish to promote your product, company, event, or services, we encourage you to post an event on Planetizen’s Events Board, take a look at advertising opportunities and media kit, or reach out to advertise@planetizen.com about advertising and sponsored content.
How do you submit a pitch?
- Newsfeed: It is not necessary to pitch Newsfeed stories; you may submit them directly. To submit, simply sign up for a Planetizen user account, go the “My Posts,” and click the blue “Submit News” button.
- Features: Pitch feature articles by emailing the Planetizen editorial manager at editor@planetizen.com. Feature pitches should provide a brief description of the article’s proposed focus as well as the sources, research, and art (images, infographics, etc.) that will provide the color for the story.
- Blogs: Urban planning experts should reach out to editor@planetizen.com with at least three writing samples and a paragraph or two on why you want to write for Planetizen and which areas of planning you specialize in.
- Courses: See our Teach for Planetizen page for more information.
What do we pay?
We do not pay practicing urban professionals for newsfeed, feature, blog, or career-related content. For professional writers (i.e., those for whom writing is their primary source of income), we pay a standard flat fee of $500 per feature or career-related article. Planetizen Courses instructors are compensated $1,250 per 1-hour course and instructors from outside the LA metro region are provided a travel stipend to travel to our studio for filming.
Does Planetizen ever publish reprints?
Yes, Planetizen occasionally publishes articles previously published elsewhere, but on a case-by-case basis at the editors’ discretion. For all reprints, Planetizen clearly attributes and links back to the original publication. Publishers or writers interested in reprinting content with Planetizen can reach out to editor@planetizen.com.
To apply for this job please visit www.planetizen.com.
