Got a question about submitting content to Happymess Magazine? We’ve got the lowdown right here…
Q: Do you have submission guidelines?
We sure do, Jim. They are right here.
Q: What kind of content do you accept?
A: Happymess is a blog that writes around three key pillars:
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- health and happiness
- mastering money
- going green
This means you can write quite a few topics within these pillars:
- physical fitness, health and diet (we love our articles to be backed by real, academic studies!)
- mental health, mindfulness and confidence (again – show us the science!)
- goal setting
- personal growth
- personal finances
- budgeting
- zero waste
- environmental sustainability
- minimalism
- LGBT+ sexuality and acceptance
- celebrities who are doing amazing things in any of these areas
- pop culture, tv and movies – when it talks about themes around health and happiness, mastering money and going green.
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Q: Do you have some example headlines of what you’re after?
A: Here are some example headlines we’d love to accept content around:
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- How to cook a dinner party for 10 for only $15
- What Taylor Swift can teach us about goal setting
- HOW TO: use your social media to boost your self-confidence
- Our five ways to save $1000 without leaving your couch
- 5 steps to cut plastic from your day
- What Kristin Stewart can teach us about being true to yourself
- Cheap first date ideas that don’t look budget
- 7 celebs using their superpowers for good
- How to set up better study routines to nail that exam
- 15 quotes from Hermione Granger showing she’s a total badass
- Green thumb 101: How to grow things on your balcony
- What it’s like to work in a male-dominated field
- 3 misconceptions I had about what it meant to talk to a therapist
- HOW TO: handle being made redundant
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Q: Who is your audience?
A: Our aim is to write for Australian women aged 16 – 30, although, we expect many more people will enjoy our content!
Q: Why would I submit my writing to happymess magazine?
A: If you’re a budding writer and you’re trying to build your writing portfolio, happymess magazine is a great place to start. You are published with your name, bio, and a link back to your site or socials (which is great for SEO and building your own audience.)
We know the topics we cover aren’t covered enough by mainstream media – so this is an opportunity to write about something you’re passionate about that other places might not cover.
We promote our content across our social channels and newsletters, so your work will gain additional exposure from that perspective.
Additionally, new writers gain the experience of working with an editor, pitching article ideas, and learning what kind of articles engage online audiences, which are all really valuable skills for the future.
Q: Do I get paid for my writing?
A: We do not pay for guest submissions.
We hope to build a strong foundation so that we can one day we can pay writers, but we’re starting with what we’ve got: a website and passion. We’re going to build from here.
If you know anyone interested in helping us fund happymess so we can pay writers, please get in touch with us at hello [at] happymessmagazine.com.
Q: How often do you publish?
A: We usually post new content once a month.
If your piece ties in with something timely, please add URGENT in the email subject line and we’ll do our best to turn it around faster.
Q: Do you publish all submissions?
A: We cannot accept all pieces, and your work might not be the right fit for happymess magazine. That’s ok! Keep writing! You can review our guidelines again, look at the tone-of-voice in our articles and try again. Or, feel free to look at submitting to other publications. There are plenty of fish in the sea.
Q: What is the editing process like?
A: After you email your piece to us, your post will be sent through to the Happymess editor, who will review your piece. We often review submitted content monthly, so you may not hear from us for a few weeks.
If your piece is accepted, we edit all posts. It might be for typos or for bigger changes. We might make these changes from our end, or get in touch you ask you to make changes. Even J.K. Rowling has an editor, right?
To prepare it for publication, we will set a cover image for the piece and may update the title to fit with our site branding. We may add gifs to the piece, depending on the content. We may add links throughout the blog to additional resources, including affiliate links, or to other articles on the site.
Q: What happens after it’s published?
A: Please keep an eye on the site for your work. We generally do not make edits to the piece once it is published.
When it’s published, feel free to share it on your Facebook, Twitter, Insta, SnapChat, WhatsApp – whichever is your jam. We will do the same!
You’re welcome to link to the post from your website, or post the first paragraph and link to the full text here on Happymess mag. Please do not reproduce the full text on your site.
If you’ve written about something “evergreen” (i.e. relevant now, and in a few months) set a reminder to share it on social media again in a few months to get new readers for your awesome content.
Feel free to tag us in your updates about your post, so we can share it. We are @happymessmag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you’d like to use this piece in your writing portfolio, feel free to add a link to happymess there. We also recommend also saving a screenshot of the piece in case (heaven forbid!) the site crashes one day and loses your work.
Your work is your property and belongs to you. You can request it is taken down in the future. Just pop us an email at hello [at] happymessmagazine.com.
Q: Do you have a mailing list for writers?
A: Yes, we have a mailing list for writers who are interested in submitting pieces to happymess magazine. Occasionally, we will send out an email with topic ideas that we know our audiences are interested in, to give you some inspiration for posts you may want to write about.
You can be added to this list by emailling us at hello [at] happymessmagazine.com with the subject line “Add me to writers mailing list”.