General Submission Guidelines
Olive Oil Times articles must be written in News style. Articles are generally 650-1200 words, but longer articles are fine when needed to convey the story. At least two cited sources are required.
We appreciate it when our writers seek comments directly from article subjects. If someone is in the olive oil sector and you tell them you are a writer for Olive Oil Times, you will usually get a quick response to your questions.
Images
Images are appreciated but not necessary. If you are writing about an event, try to get high-resolution images from the event organizers. If you are interviewing someone, please request a hi-res headshot from your subject.
Titles and Currencies
Please include accents (like in "Jaén") and spell out the word "percent." We do not use titles (Mr., Mrs., Dr., PhD). The first and last name are used once, then only the last name after that. Currencies are written as follows: $4 million or €300,000. Not "300,000 euros."
Punctuation and Tense
Quotation marks always go outside commas and periods: like "this," and "like this." We use the present tense in headlines and past tense everywhere else.
Is your pitch for a News Brief? Pitch News Briefs Here
Please use this form to propose a new article. Please note, an article written for Olive Oil Times must be 100 percent original and cite at least two authoritative sources.
We do not publish promotional articles: please do not pitch articles that someone has solicited you to write. Whenever possible, please try to reach subjects in your article directly for comments. If you need contacts, our editors can likely provide some for your story.
To pitch your article, tell us a little about it below. You will receive a notification via email when your pitch has been reviewed, usually within an hour or two. If you have joined our Slack team, you'll see pitch approvals there, too.
Questions? You can chat with the editorial staff here.
*Please do not have more than 3 pitches 'outstanding.' In other words, you can pitch up to 3 articles, write the ones that are approved, and then you can pitch more.
To pitch a news brief, tell us a little about it below. You will receive a notification via email when your pitch has been reviewed, usually within an hour or two. If you have joined our Slack team, you'll see pitch approvals there, too.
Questions? You can chat with the editorial staff here.
*Please do not have more than 3 pitches 'outstanding.' In other words, you can pitch up to 3 articles, write the ones that are approved, and then you can pitch more.
This category is for any article that is not in the health or business categories. Please cite at least two sources (Olive Oil Times articles may be cited too). Organize your article with short paragraphs.
News writing should try to answer all the basic questions about an event at the opening of the article with decreasing importance of information in subsequent paragraphs (the "inverted pyramid").
IMPORTANT: All News Briefs must now be pitched and approved before submission. Please pitch your news brief here.
News briefs should now contain a minimum of 450 words and include some original reporting. They cannot just be a rewrite of a post by other sources.
News briefs are used when a full article is not necessary
The Five Ws and H ( who, what, when, where, why and how) should be addressed in the brief's introduction, as close to the top of the story as possible.
Do not submit promotional or news that someone asked you to write. Briefs still need to be newsworthy to our readers. Those that aren't newsworthy will be rejected.
News briefs can announce an upcoming event, important executive staff changes, harvest updates, brand news and other industry developments that can be communicated in a short format.
Business article submissions must cite current data from reliable sources. Include links to websites and data sources whenever appropriate. Please remember to spell out "percent" and use currency symbols ($, €, £). We like it when you convert currencies to U.S. dollars (via Google), as in "exports amounted to €3.5 million ($3.71 million)."
Submissions for our "Olive Oil Basics" category should answer fundamental questions consumers have about olive oil. You should rely on at least one expert, be factually precise, authoritative and comprehensive. Organize the article in easy-to-read paragraphs.
https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/basics
Health articles must be based on the most current research and link directly to any study being discussed (not other health websites). Whenever possible, please try to reach out to the researcher(s) to comment directly or for additional details. Our readers know a lot in this area and your article must shed new light on the topic and be 100 percent fact-based.