Editorial Resources
Everything a Long Island Wave contributor needs in one place: what we publish, how we edit, what to send, and the few lines we will not cross. Written down so nothing about working with us is a mystery.
Four things that matter more than anything else
Write to one reader
Not an audience, not a demographic. One Long Islander deciding where to eat, what to do this weekend, or what a change in their town means for them. Everything else follows from that.
Be first-hand
Go there, eat it, talk to the owner, stand on the corner. We publish what you saw and heard yourself, not a rewrite of someone's announcement.
Give something away
Every piece should leave a reader with something usable: a place to go, a thing to try, a fact about their town they did not have this morning.
Say it plainly
Clear, local, and human. No press-release voice, no jargon used as proof, no "nestled in the heart of". Write the way you would tell a neighbor.
What to send
Plain text or a Word document. No PDFs for text, and please do not lay the piece out. We will handle the formatting.
| Item | Length or size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local stories | 600 – 1,200 words | One idea, reported well. Subheads every 300–400 words. |
| First-person pieces | 500 – 1,000 words | First person. A real scene, in a named town, in the first paragraph. |
| Events & weekend pieces | 400 – 800 words | Who it is for, what it costs, dates, and why it is worth the drive. |
| Guides & how-tos | 500 – 1,200 words | Practical and specific. A reader should be able to act on it this weekend. |
| Author bio | 2 – 3 sentences | Third person, with your Long Island town and one link. |
| Headshot | 1200 px minimum | JPG or PNG. Natural light beats a studio backdrop. |
| Article images | 1600 px wide minimum, landscape | Only images you own or are licensed to publish. Include the credit line. |
Include your name exactly as you want it to appear, your Long Island town, any credentials you want listed, and the best email to reach you. If your piece is tied to a date or an event, tell us in the first line of your note.
Digital first, no deadlines to memorize
Long Island Wave publishes online, continuously. A strong piece runs when it is ready, not on somebody else's schedule. Three things are worth knowing about timing.
Run when they are ready
There is no cycle to wait for. Once a piece is edited and approved, it goes onto longislandwave.com in the section where it belongs.
Two weeks of lead time
Anything tied to an event, an opening or a season needs at least two weeks so there is room to edit and schedule it while it still matters.
The Weekly Wave
The strongest pieces of the week get featured in our Friday newsletter, which is where a story finds its biggest single-day readership.
Wondering where your submission stands? Ask through the support page and a person will check for you; we are a small staff, and the form keeps nothing from getting lost.
How the Wave reads
- Name the place. The town, the street, the cross street if it helps. "A new spot in Patchogue on Main" beats "a new Long Island eatery" every time.
- First-hand or clearly attributed. Write what you saw, or say plainly who told you. Never launder an announcement into reporting.
- Active verbs. Something happens to someone. Passive constructions hide the doer and slow the sentence.
- Short paragraphs. Three or four lines on a phone screen. White space is part of the reading experience.
- Subheads that promise. "What it costs" beats "Details". A reader should be able to skim your subheads and get the shape of the piece.
- No em dashes. House style uses commas, colons, parentheses or a new sentence instead.
- Numbers under ten in words. Ten and above in figures, except in prices, addresses, measurements and ages.
- No press-release voice. No "excited to announce", no "premier destination", no superlative you did not verify yourself.
What happens after you send
- Reading
An editor reads it
Every submission is read by a person, usually within a week or two. Fit and timing are the most common reasons for a pass, not quality.
- Editing
We edit for clarity and length
We trim, tighten, and fix the mechanics. Anything that changes your meaning comes back to you before it runs.
- Approval
You see it before it goes live
You get the edited text and the headline. Say the word and we will change what does not sound like you.
- Publication
On the site, then in the newsletter
Onto longislandwave.com with your bio and links, with a shareable URL, and possibly a feature in Friday's Weekly Wave.
Sponsored content is always labeled
Readers trust the Wave because they always know what they are reading. Editorial is editorial. Paid placement is advertising, it is labeled as such, and no amount of money changes what an independent piece says. This is not negotiable, and it applies equally to contributors and to advertisers.
Disclosed, up front
"The restaurant hosted our visit; they did not see this piece before it ran." "I own the shop next door." "This story is sponsored" (clearly labeled at the top, arranged through advertising).
Disguised, anywhere
A rave about your own business presented as independent. A paid mention slipped into an editorial piece. A freebie or a friendship the reader is never told about.
If money, ownership or a favor connects you to the subject, tell your editor before we run it. Disclosure never kills a good piece; hiding it does.
Rights, republishing and the rest
Who owns the piece once it runs?
You do. Long Island Wave publishes with your permission and keeps the right to run it on longislandwave.com, in The Weekly Wave newsletter and in our own promotion. You are free to republish it elsewhere afterwards; we simply ask that you credit Long Island Wave and link back.
Do you pay contributors?
Long Island Wave is free to read and supported by local advertisers, and most contributions are unpaid. Contributors get a byline, a bio with links, placement on the site, and a readership across Nassau and Suffolk. Commissioned work is discussed case by case.
Can my piece promote my business?
Your bio is the place for that, and it can carry your business name, your town and a link. The piece itself has to earn its place on its usefulness to readers. If you want a promotional placement, that is advertising, and sponsored content is always labeled as such.
Can I write about a customer or a client?
Only with their written permission, or so thoroughly de-identified that no one could recognize them, including themselves. Composite characters are fine if you tell the reader that is what they are.
Do you accept AI-written submissions?
No. Use whatever tools help you think, but the piece we publish has to be your experience in your words. Our readers can tell, and so can we.
How far ahead should I send a time-sensitive piece?
We publish digitally, so there is no fixed deadline, but give us at least two weeks for anything tied to an event or an opening. Say the date in the first line of your note and we will schedule around it.