Why should I write an article for Let’s Be Real?

Guest posting on someone else’s blog can be a great way to get your writing in front of a larger audience, and can potentially lead new readers to your personal blog. (An author bio will be included at the bottom of each guest post appearing on the Let’s Be Real blog.)

Guest posting is also a great way to expand your writing portfolio, not to mention, it’s a simple way to improve your website’s SEO results.

And even if you don’t have a website or blog of your own, or any other reason to “expand your writing portfolio,” if you are a gifted writer who enjoys using their abilities to encourage other Christ followers, this is a wonderful way to minister to the Church far and wide.

What is Let’s Be Real?

Let’s Be Real exists to be a space for honest, thoughtful discussions about the Bible, Christianity, and everyday life with real-world application for real people like you and me.

All articles published on Let’s Be Real are meant to edify, challenge, encourage, and inspire Christians to live in a manner worthy of the God we claim to follow (Colossians 1:10).

You can learn more about the heart behind Let’s Be Real here.

Attestations & Requirements

By submitting an article for consideration, you are attesting that you have personally received salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). (If you are unsure what this means or whether or not this applies to you, you can learn more about salvation here.)

Also, in order to submit an article for consideration, you must be a current subscriber to Let’s Be Real. (You can subscribe here for free!)

Blog Post Submission Guidelines

Title

Please submit three (3) possible title options for your article. All titles should be capitalized using Chicago style.

I will make the final title decision for SEO purposes.

Content

All articles should be written from a biblical perspective. Any articles that are blatantly contradictory to Scripture, or that have no basis in Scripture, will not be considered.

All written content must be original. It goes without saying that any plagiarized content will not be considered. Likewise, any content created by AI will not be considered.

Articles should be between 500 words and 1,500 words. (Shorter or longer articles may still be considered, based on relevance and quality of content.)

When quoting Scripture, please include the reference as well as the translation you used. At this time, Let’s Be Real is limited to using the following translations for copyright reasons: AMP, BSB, CSB, ESV, MSG, NIV, NKJV, NLT.

Previously published articles may be considered, so long as you retained the rights for republication of the material. If the article you are submitting for consideration has already been published elsewhere, please make a notation at the bottom of your article in the manner demonstrated below:

Note: This article was first published in Devotable on September 20, 2021.

Subtitles

Subtitles may be included within the body of the article, so long as they aid to the overall flow of the article (especially if the article you are submitting is on the longer side).

I will make the final decision to include, add, or remove subtitles as needed.

Images

Each article will include at least one image.

You may provide an image(s) that you would like to use for your article, so long as you have the rights and/or permission to use said image(s). (This is encouraged especially if the image(s) is your own, and is directly related to the content of your article. Click here for an example of an article in which the author’s personal images were an integral part of the content.)

Ultimately, I retain the right to decide which image(s) will be used for each article.

Bio

Please submit a high-quality bio picture at least 500×500 in size. This should be a photo of yourself.

You may include links to up to two (2) of the following: personal website, blog, social media channels.

Please keep your bio <75 words in length. 

Formatting

Final formatting of all portions of an article will be completed by me before publishing.

By submitting an article for consideration, you consent to allowing minor edits to be made as needed. (Minor edits may include, but are not limited to, such things as fixing grammatical or spelling errors, removing redundancies, incorporating relevant Scripture verses, etc.)

Any major edits (removing large portions of an article, or making significant changes that would alter the overall meaning of an article) will not be made without having first received express consent from the author.

Submitting an article

If you’ve read through the above information, and you have an idea for an article that you think would be a good fit for Let’s Be Real, you can email me at hello@tinamariecox.com with a subject line that reads “Guest Post Submission.”

Your proposed article should be sent as an attachment to your email in the form of a Word document. (If you are unable to submit your article in this format, you can include your article in the body of your email instead. Just be sure that it is clear where your article begins and ends, if you are also including any other content in the body of your email.)

I will attempt to respond to all submissions in a timely manner, but please allow three (3) weeks from the date of submission for a response. If you have not heard back from me at the end of three (3) weeks, you can assume that I am unable to use your proposed article at this time.

If your article is accepted for publication, you agree not to publish the same article elsewhere for at least two (2) weeks following your publication date. After two (2) weeks, I retain a non-exclusive right to host your content in perpetuity, and you, the author, retain the copyright and the freedom to re-publish your content elsewhere, with the agreement that it be hyperlinked back to the article as it appeared on tinamariecox.com, with notation as follows:

Note: This article was [first/previously] published by tinamariecox.com on [date of publication].

Promotion of accepted submissions

I will do my part to promote all guest posts on my social media channels at the time of publication, and throughout the first week following publication. Additionally, all articles will appear at least once in an email that will be sent to all Let’s Be Real subscribers.

If your submission is published on the Let’s Be Real blog, you agree to promote your post through your own social media channels as well.

What to write

To get a good feel for the kinds of articles that would be a good fit for Let’s Be Real, I recommend reading some previously published articles. Here are a few to get you started:

“I Can Do All Things…”

“A Tale of Two Potlucks”

“An Assortment of Arthropods”

“Blessings, Hardships, and Perspective”