How to Post News Articles
Share news, announcements, and community stories with the Dunedin community.
Important: Verification Required
You must have a verified individual profile to post news articles. News is published under your individual profile to ensure authenticity and accountability.
Requirements: Active Downtown+ account, verified individual profile, active verification subscription.
If you don't have a verified profile, see How to Create an Individual Profile and How to Get Verified.
Who Can Post News?
News articles are perfect for community announcements, business updates, event recaps, local stories, professional insights, and cultural content like Scottish heritage stories and spring training coverage.
For account setup, see Getting Started with Downtown+ Dunedin.
Accessing the Form
From your Dashboard, click "Add News" on the News card. Or visit the News submission page directly.
Creating Your Article
Required:
- Title and 150-character summary
- Full article content (max 5,000 characters)
- Category (News, Announcement, Community, Business, Event Recap, or Guide)
- Author credit (if sharing others' work)
Optional:
- Video link (YouTube or Vimeo)
- Photos (up to 8 images)
- Display date to schedule publication
- Contact email for reader questions
Preview your article and submit.
After Submission
Your submission will receive one of three statuses:
- Approved – High-quality articles go live immediately
- Pending Review – Some submissions require manual verification (typically 2-4 business days)
- Rejected – Submissions with issues are declined with a reason provided
What happens after approval:
- Article appears in Dunedin news section immediately
- You'll receive an email notification
- Share your article on social media
- Monitor views and engagement
Writing Your Article
Use the rich text editor to format your article with headings, bold, italic, bullet lists, and links. The editor supports standard formatting and shows a live character count.
Important: 5,000 character maximum (strictly enforced).
Photos
Upload up to 8 photos. First photo becomes your main article image (appears in listings). Use high-quality, relevant, well-lit images properly oriented.
Categories
News - Breaking news and timely updates
Announcement - Community announcements and new initiatives
Community - Neighborhood stories and local interest
Business - Business openings, closures, and updates
Event Recap - Past event coverage and highlights
Guide - How-to articles and educational content
Dunedin-Specific: Scottish Heritage (Highland Games coverage, cultural traditions), Spring Training News (Blue Jays updates, baseball coverage), Trail News (Pinellas Trail updates, cycling events)
Story Ideas
Event recaps, festival announcements, business openings and milestones, historical features, community profiles, neighborhood improvements, professional guides, and local updates, plus Highland Games preparation and highlights, spring training season previews and recaps, trail improvement updates and cycling news, Scottish heritage profiles and cultural traditions, and waterfront development updates.
Best Practices
Write clear content with strong opening and readable sections. Use descriptive headlines under 80 characters (mention Dunedin if relevant). Craft compelling 150-character summaries. Include quality images (main image critical). Fact-check, credit sources, and proofread carefully.
Managing Articles
From your dashboard, you can edit articles (changes require re-review), monitor views and engagement, and delete outdated content.
Common Questions
How long does approval take?
Approved articles appear immediately. Pending articles reviewed within 2-4 business days.
Can I schedule articles?
Yes, use the Display Date field.
What if rejected?
Review reason in dashboard, make changes, resubmit.
Can business owners post?
News requires a verified individual profile, not business profile.
What topics to avoid?
Avoid spam, overly promotional, or controversial content.
If verification expires?
Published articles remain live, but you can't post or edit new ones until renewed.
Ready to share your story? Ensure you have a verified individual profile, then visit the News submission page to create your article.