So, you’d like to write for us? That’s awesome!
Guest contributors are an important part of THE INSPIRED HUMANS PROJECT, so thank you for your interest in contributing to our site. Since most FAQ questions are covered here, we ask that you please read through the whole page. If by the end everything sounds good, you’ll find a link to contact us.
BLOG POST STRUCTURE & TOPICS
All submissions must be in a first-person narrative, and include an inspirational arc offering a life-changing idea, habit or experience with the potential to (a) enhance the reader’s lifestyle, (b) offer encouragement in a situation they may be going through, or (c) open a healthy dialogue about your own unique experience.
THE INSPIRED HUMANS PROJECT highlights and explores five specific and intertwining pillars of personal development, as individually outlined here:
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
Personal Leadership is “doing the right thing” without expectation of recognition or reciprocity. It’s the times we leave situations better than we found them, all for the betterment of others. Examples include: Active listening, benefits of assuming a selfless leadership role (when no-one else offers) rewards from demonstrating integrity, holding oneself to high moral standards
CONNECTION
Everyone has a story; but unless someone takes the initiative to make a connection, many will remain untold. We look for remarkable from your reaching out to others. Examples include: Viewing life through a different lens, interacting with foreign cultures, honestly relating to (and learning about) people you normally wouldn’t spend time with
KINDNESS
Kind acts, and the positive impact they’ve had on those both giving and receiving of them. The more life-changing an act is, the better the story. Examples are: Volunteering with seniors, beach clean-ups, working in shelters, helping the infirm, special holiday acts, random (yet simple) acts of kindness
SERVICE
A selfless contribution of time, energy or talent that has made a difference in the author’s life. Examples include: A volunteering practice that opened your heart, taught empathy, or created a new friendship, unique fundraising events, helping seniors and/or children, how helping out in unusual circumstances changed your point of view
SELF-EDUCATION
Reviews of books, seminars, conventions, interviews etc. that inspire lasting lifestyle changes or habits. Each review/interview must offer a way to connect with the source material. Examples are: (Positive) reviews of life-changing books, mentoring, unplugging to engage, advice from mentors, advice to mentee’s
WRITING AND EDITORIAL GUIDELINES
There are three non-negotiable components to all the content we publish, with two of them being in our name – INSPIRATION and HUMANS. The third component to round out the trifecta is the component of STORYTELLING. Simply put, all written posts must tell first-person stories that offer inspiration and insight, and finish with a call to action that incorporates the key lesson from their story.
While there are no set-in-stone criteria for submissions, the following guidelines can help make your posts more readable and appealing to the audience.
Premise: Again, posts must be real life STORIES that happened to the writer (or at least in their world), and include a personal connection to what’s being written about. Above all, stories should inspire readers to learn more about the topic, and/or interest them in applying the lesson described to further their personal interests.
Word Count: If possible, try and stick to between 800 to 1,000 words. It’s not too long, but long enough to tell a story, get the key point across, and finish with a call to action. Longer posts aren’t deal-breakers, but shorter pieces tend to get more eyeballs for sure.
Spelling and Grammar: Submissions must be free of spelling and/or grammatical errors; any that aren’t will not be considered for publication; after all, we are writers.
Sections: Breaking a post into sections makes it much easier for the reader to follow; this letter is a good example. Each paragraph encapsulates a single idea as concisely as possible. Once that’s done, it’s time for a space!
Call To Action: All submissions must include some kind of call to action at the end. In other words, our goal is not only to inspire, but also offer people strategies and tools to take action.
PHOTOGRAPHS
When possible, please include at least one high resolution photograph to accompany your submission. If you want to use more than one, please limit it to no more than four. If you do not submit a photograph, then a generic one will be added.
AND FINALLY, THE FINE PRINT
Now that you have a sense of the content we are looking for, here are a few final guidelines to remember when submitting your pieces:
- If you mention any outside sources, studies, research or quotes, please be sure to include a link to them
- Never tell other people’s stories. Only tell your own stories from your own experiences and point of view
- Posts must be un-biased when it comes to opinions and/or viewpoints, so religious/political/personal views of (world) events will not be accepted
- Posts of any kind that are promotional in nature will also not be accepted
- We don’t pay writers for submissions; we do provide links to websites, book pages, YouTube channels or any other creative outlets that support their work
- All contributors are expected to use their social media platforms to promote their submissions in THE INSPIRED HUMANS PROJECT
- We respect ALL humans; and respectfully ask all written submissions to do the same. Avoid the use of inappropriate, derogatory or inflammable language
- If any third-party text, photos, videos, quotes or other content is used, written permission from the copyright holder must accompany it
- THE INSPIRED HUMANS PROJECT reserves the right to censor profane language; if necessary, decline any piece that violates our guidelines as outlined here
- Be sure to include a bio, no more than two sentences, and links to your creative work
- If available, a current headshot is most welcome