Write for Us: Contributor Guidelines for IWA’s Blog

Remuneration for Articles – Payment or Do Follow Link

Choice #1 – Receive Payment for Article

• We offer $20-50 for blog posts that help our audience learn about storing and enjoying wine. Payments for articles are only made if the article is approved. They are not considered to be commissioned pieces; each article is evaluated separately. $20 for basic articles, $30 for in depth gift guides, $40 for detailed wine pairing guides, $50 for highly technical articles.
• We determine the price, please do not send proposals with a requested payment tier. If you are not willing to accept $20 for your article, please do not submit one.
• Payments are sent via Paypal. If you cannot accept remuneration via Paypal, please do not apply.
• If you choose to receive payment, you can include a single external link in the “About the Author” area, but it will be a No Follow link (ie it will have rel=”nofollow” in the A tag).

Choice #2 – Receive Do Follow Link for Article

• Receive a single external link in the “About the Author” area that is do follow (ie it does not have rel=”nofollow” in the A tag).
• The article must pass all the submission guidelines below; we will let you know if an article is accepted or not. There will be no payment made for the article and you do not need to pay for it to be posted. This is a complimentary service.

Please indicate your choice of payment or do follow link when submitting articles.

Submission Guidelines

Follow these guidelines to improve your chances of being published on the IWA Blog:

• Please do not send more than 2 articles for consideration at a time.

• Write for our audience. Since our readers are wine aficionados themselves, we look for posts that have a sophisticated, well-educated tone. The IWA audience includes wine collectors and connoisseurs who store hundreds of bottles in their home cellars. Our readers already have a great deal of wine know-how. We aim to publish the work of writers who are true wine experts, not beginners. Do not send any articles about cheap wine or basic level wine education, such as “How to Decant Wine.” Articles with basic “Wine 101” level information are not accepted.

• Word Count: 600-1,000. Posts are easier to read if you write in short, to-the-point sentences and paragraphs. Break information into bullets and sub-headlines. The information itself needs to be detailed and well researched. The article should not need extensive fact checking alterations before being published.

• General Topics of interest: – Buying guides about products at iwawine.com grouped into SEO friendly formats, such as Mother’s Day Gifts for Wine Lovers. – Currently we are looking for: Top _ lists of topics like “wine preservation” or “under $50,” Customer Favorites (look for items with high numbers of positive reviews), Holiday Gift Guides. – Wine pairing articles (please look through our current pairing articles, to avoid duplication) – In depth travel articles that sound personal, rather than like a travel brochure – Detailed flavor profile guides of unusual wine varietals, cocktails, and sparkling wine articles – The best way to choose, use, install, or enjoy wine cellars, wine racks, wine cabinets, and cooling equipment – Winemaking techniques and current wine trends that would interest connoisseurs. We do not accept health/diet related topics, such as “health benefits of red wine”.

• Content Guidelines: Please avoid references to specific bottles of wine; use varietals instead. For example “2015 Imagery Estate Viognier” is too specific. “Cool climate Viognier” or a regional “Russian River Viognier” should be used in its place. Do not go too broad either, “white wine” is not acceptable. We are also not accepting articles related to vineyards and wildfires / smoke taint.

• Focus on being useful. We like to share practical, helpful information. How can you turn your suggestions or advice into action items for the reader? Can you give even more details that will help the reader implement what you’ve suggested? We prefer articles that are actionable (eg how to make the best fondue) rather than dry education articles.

• Use an academic paper structure. Pick a specific topic / thesis and write from there. The tone should feel informed, but not too stilted. We do not want articles that sound like an A.I./chatbot wrote them. Please do not submit A.I. generated content, due to legal ramifications. Please use American English when writing your article (eg flavor, not flavour).

• Photography. Unless it is a travel article, please do not include photos, we will be providing them. If it is a travel article, provide the full photography credit. If you are not the photographer, include documentation that you received written permission from the original photographer to use the image, or with a link directly to the photograph in a royalty free photography site, such as Pixabay or Unsplash.

• Include a two-sentence bio at the end. Include a few tidbits of info about yourself, especially why you’re an expert on whatever topic you wrote about. You can also add a single link to your website, provided it is not an e-commerce site for wine accessories or storage. This will be a nofollow link, if you choose to receive payment for your article.

• External links policy: Please keep external links within the article to reliable, information resources only, not promoting products that do not belong to IWA. If informational articles are available from this blog, IWA, CellarPro, Le Cache, Epic Products or WineKeeper on a similar topic, they will be used in favor of a different source.
• Product List Articles: If you would like to add products to your article (eg Wine Lover Gifts Under $100), please only use products from iwawine.com. Ideally, you will reference new products (found here: IWA New Products) and if you need additional items, use those featured in our latest print catalog. The current catalog can be viewed here: Spring / Summer 2023. If you submit an article with external links to promote non-IWA products or competitor websites, they will be removed or replaced, please do not include articles promoting other products or websites.

Current Topic Requests – June, 2023

(Please avoid any health related topics or wine 101.)

• Great Wine Gifts Under $25 / $50 / $75 / $100 (pick one)
• The Art of Aeration Wine Gifts
• Clean, Dry and Organize Wine Glassware
• Holiday Decor (wine themed)
• Essential Tools for Wine Enthusiasts 
• Essential Tools for Wine Collectors
• Wine Varietal Profile: _ (Choose varietal not already on blog)
• Wine Tasting Tips: Cool-Climate Wines
• Compare Wine Decanters (Using products from: Decanters)
• Affordable Wine Storage for Your Home (Using products from: Affordable Storage)
• Create an Exciting Home Bar (Using products from: Chillers)
• Explore__ Wine Region (Try not to sound like a travel brochure, be technical about the wine)
• What Causes Wine Aromas
• Home Bar Furniture for Wine Lovers (Using products from: Furniture)
• Do I Need to Insulate my Wine Cellar?
• Guide to Pairing Wine with __
• What’s New from the Napa Wine Region (or news from other famous wine regions)
• Will Pinot Noir & Champagne Bottles Fit in Le Cache Wine Cabinets?
• How to Avoid Mold and Moisture in Wine Cellars
• Organic wines – does it matter?
• Nitrates – do they matter?
• Are European wines made with fewer preservatives than American wines?
• Comparisons

How to Submit an Article

• Do not send us a topic list for consideration, we are looking for completed articles only. Please look through the blog to avoid duplication. For example, there are already multiple wine preservation articles.

• Include remuneration preference. Indicate up front if you would like to receive payment for the article (with nofollow link) or if you would prefer to have a do follow link, but no payment.

• Submit your post as a Google Doc to alexa [at] swawine.com. This is how we prefer to receive submissions and edit posts. Follow these easy instructions to share your post as a Google Doc with us, and remember to select “Can edit.” You do not need permission to send an article. We are always accepting new articles, simply send the article with your initial contact email, no need to reach out first.

• Once accepted, we reserve the right to edit the article without additional approval from the author. This is necessary to maintain a consistent tone for the blog. Keep in mind that IWA owns all published posts. We ask that you don’t republish elsewhere.

• We only offer payments via Paypal, and will require a full mailing address and phone number (US) with your invoice, if the article is accepted.

Thanks for your interest, and we look forward to hearing from you!

The IWA Team Questions? Contact alexa [at] swawine.com