How to Post News Articles
Share news, announcements, and community stories with the Tampa 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 Gasparilla coverage, sports news, and Ybor City heritage features.
For account setup, see Getting Started with Downtown+ Tampa.
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
After Submission
- Approved – High-quality articles go live immediately
- Pending Review – Typically 2-4 business days
- Rejected – Issues declined with reason provided
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. Use high-quality, relevant, well-lit images.
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
Sports & Entertainment - Bucs, Lightning, and local entertainment news
Cultural Heritage - Ybor City history, Latin heritage, and community traditions
Story Ideas
- Gasparilla festival coverage and parade recaps
- Buccaneers and Lightning game highlights
- Ybor City business openings and heritage features
- Tampa Riverwalk development updates
- Water Street Tampa new attractions
- Local restaurant features and Cuban sandwich spotlights
- Community events and neighborhood improvements
- Arts and culture at the Straz Center
Best Practices
Write clear content with strong opening and readable sections. Use descriptive headlines under 80 characters. Craft compelling 150-character summaries. Include quality images. 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.