Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of the Gringo Gazette! Whether you’re pitching a story, writing a guest column, or contributing content as one of our trusted writers, these guidelines will help you stay on-brand, on-point, and on the good side of our editor.
We cover real news—without the gloom—because our motto is:
No Bad News.
So here’s what we expect from every piece that lands in our inbox:
🎯 Our Voice & Style
- Tone: Casual, fun, sarcastic (when appropriate), but always respectful and based on facts.
- Keep it real: Don’t try to sound like a robot or a university lecture. We like personality.
- Keep it tight: Prefer short, punchy sentences (max 20 words). Passive voice? Use it sparingly (less than 10%).
- No fluff: We avoid cliché phrases and AI-sounding terms like “buckle up,” “unleashed,” or “a testament to…” (See our List of Banned Words below.)
- Language: All articles are in English, but it’s okay to sprinkle in Spanglish when it adds flavor.
✍️ Article Types
🔹 News & Features
- Length: 550–650 words
- Purpose: Informative and entertaining, with some local insight or community relevance.
- Structure: Headline, intro (hook), body (quotes or stats welcome), ending with punch or takeaway.
🔹 Breaking News
- Length: Max 200 words
- Style: Short, factual, and catchy. We want readers to get the gist fast and click for more.
🔹 Columns / Guest Pieces
- First-person is welcome, but keep it relevant to life in Baja or expat life in Mexico.
- No political rants, conspiracy theories, or divisive nonsense. Save that for your uncle’s Facebook page.
📰 Headlines
- Length: Max 55 characters.
- Formula: 20–30% common words, 10–20% uncommon, 10–15% emotional or powerful terms.
- Avoid colons (:) and generic headlines like “Event in Cabo This Weekend.” Make it sparkle!
🧼 Formatting & Editing
- No bold or italics in the body. Use CAPS for emphasis sparingly.
- Use American spelling unless quoting directly.
- We edit for clarity, grammar, tone, and space. If we tweak your piece, it’s to make you look good.
📷 Images
- Horizontal images preferred (landscape format).
- Include captions and credits.
- Don’t send blurry or pixelated photos. We want Instagram-worthy, not mugshot-energy.
📚 Sources & Accuracy
- We fact-check. You should too.
- If you quote someone, name them. If you state a fact, cite where it came from.
- We don’t publish rumors or unverified information, even if it’s juicy.
🚫 The Dreaded No-No List
These words and phrases are banned unless used ironically or in a direct quote:
Buckle up, Embark, Unleashed, Testament, Dive in, Enhance, Foster, Crucible, Vibrant, Bustling, Moist, Whimsical, Picture this, Treasure trove, Soul, Out of the box… and yes, even “synergy.”
💌 Submitting Your Article
Email your piece as a Word doc or Google Doc link to da***@***********te.com.
Attach high-res images separately (not embedded in the doc). Include your name, short bio, and contact info.
✨ Final Note
We publish what we believe readers will care about. If it’s local, uplifting, useful, or just plain funny—it has a shot. If it’s self-serving, boring, or negative—it doesn’t.
Got questions? Reach out. Got a great story? Even better.
— The Gringo Gazette Editorial Team