PUBLICATION GUIDELINES

Do you have a travel story or conservation message you would like to publish with SEVENSEAS Media? Email us at info@sevenseasmedia.org with your story idea. We are now also accepting VIDEO! Please read through this page to see some new changes to our publication guidelines.

SEVENSEAS Media exists to offer a spotlight on the good work of our partners in conservation. We aim to showcase not only the issues at hand but the people behind them. We are always thrilled to publish work from members of the community and welcome repeat and regular contributors.

A few common formats for contributions are:

  1. Single image (see below) – Very common with photographers. A simple image with a detailed caption or short story. Usually a 300 word minimum.
  2. A photography series – This can be anywhere from 3-7+ images that would include a larger story or individual captions with a small piece (ideally and intro and closing statement). Usually around 700 words.
  3. A manuscript – A more in-depth piece of ~1500 words or more. This can also appear in conjunction with a photo series, or if you do not have any accompanying photography, someone at SEVENSEAS Media can source that for you.​
  4. A feature destination – Three to five articles ranging in lengths and styles and can be from different authors. We prefer one article to cover a conservation issue and another to be a more casual travel piece.

example of PUBLICATION GUIDELINES with sevenseas media

Please note the new Style Guide below. Now, for the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your article you need to follow a specific set of rules. You want this to ensure your piece is readable by search engines, indexed appropriately, and ranked properly.

  1. Think of one powerful keyword or phrase for your article. Include that in the article title, in the standfirst (introductory paragraph), and in the Alt Text of your images. Do not worry about Alt Text if you do not know what that is.
  2. The standfirst, or first paragraph, should summarize the article and be ~50 words. Remember to include your keyword in that text.
  3. Keep your article in outline form. When planning out your article, make an outline, then type out the content. When the article gets published the outline headings will turn into bolded traceable article headings. You can have as many headings as you would like but keep the text in each under 300 words.
  4. Rule of thumb is to keep sentences under 20 words. Article ranking takes a hit if more than 25% of the sentences have over 20 words.
  5. Avoid passive language. It is recommended less than 10% of sentences contain passive language.
  6. In general, keep writing and spacing light and segmented. It seems like a lot at first but in the world of artificial intelligence and new google indexing, this is the way writing has evolved. If you struggle with any of the points above, do not stress, this is why there is an editor at SEVENSEAS Media to make appropriate changes before publication.

Last notes on contributions

  1. No matter what you contribute, please include a headshot, short bio, and any and all links you would like included. SEVENSEAS Media hopes to best promote you and your work so don’t leave anything out. Email all components in preferably one message to info@sevenseasmedia.org. If images are too large please send via dropbox or google drive.
  2. Because SEVENSEAS Media a free resource and non-profit we do not offer compensation for written work or photography.
  3. Some legal stuff: Contributors hereby grant SEVENSEAS Media permission to include their photographic images and/or videos, along with any associated text, for use in current and future publications. Contributors retain full rights to all images and/or videos, and will be given credit in a reasonable manner each time they are used.