Writing for StayEatSee

StayEatSee is a publication that has been around a while, albeit quietly. We look at travel from 3 perspectives

1. Stay - where you can stay and what your many options and experiences can be. 

2. Eat - food is an integral part of travelling these days and that’s what we also focus on - where to eat, what to eat and a culinary experience you must not miss.

3. See - What’s travelling without seeing - yes you will have those quick reference lists that we will make handy. But we go further, we tell you what you can experience. 

Now, you may say, isn’t this what all travel publications are about? Yes, they are, but the difference lies in how we tell our stories. 

Our Feature stories are experiences - not reviews, experiences. 

• What is it like to hope against hope that you are lucky enough to see the Aurelia Borealis and then finally see (with all the details of how you can make the trip added in)
• What’s it like to press your nose against the window of the Himalayan Mountain flight and see Mount Everest come into view?
• Does dining at Michelin-starred Din Tai Fung really add to your roster of having eaten in the best places?
• How does it feel to stand amidst 1.2 lakh people and pull the Rath, at the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri?
• Did you know that Austria is split into multiple wine regions, each with its own specific produce? Want to plan a wine tour through it?
• What really happens on a wellness holiday and do you really come away rejuvenated?

These are the kind of stories you will read, told from the heart of the writer, who was right there in the thick of things. 

Welcome to StayEatSee - where we share experiences. 

StayEatSee Editorial Board.
 

Pitch Guide

In Short

StayEatSee is a digital-only magazine.

Our Feature Stories focus on experiences related to travel – from Stay / Eat / See perspectives. 

Non-feature-based experiences Restaurants, Unique Hotel Stays, off the beaten path sites, and a new take on an old sight. 

Unique Listicles from a region expert or based on in-depth travel. 

We aim to look at pitches once every week and will try to respond to everyone with a yay or nay. 

Send your pitches to pitches@stayeatsee.com

What is StayEatSee?

StayEatSee is a digital publication that focuses on three primary aspects of travel - Stay, Eat, See - anywhere in the world. 

We want our stories to talk about experiences around Staying, Eating and Seeing. We want to hear about what it like to experience something - not just look at it from a “Let’s put this up on Instagram” point of view. Tell us why someone should take the trouble of adding to his or her itinerary the experience we are talking about. Your story should make an interesting read and should have information that a reader can use to plan his own experience. 

What is our style?

We want our stories to be chic. No Internet slang please. We follow British English, defer to the AP Style Guide. Our target audience is the well-heeled 30-something to the adventurous 70-something and anyone who loves to read about travel beyond that. 

What kind of Feature Stories are we open to?

The bottom-line with each of our stories is that it should have a takeaway for the reader. 

A road trip from Chandigarh to Shimla is scenic no doubt - can you tell us your favorite spots to stop for a chai, for a great view or for those lovely meat pickles that are often sold by the roadside. That’s the kind of story we are looking for.

What to expect as a visitor to the Jagannath Rath Yatra - Yes

Which beaches to visit in Thailand? - No - too many listicles on this

Where to find vegetarian food in Japan - Yes

Interviews with the GMs of new hotels - No

Tips to not get swindled when travelling abroad - Yes

How to pack for snow without adding kilos to your luggage - Yes

What entitles you to lounge access at airports - Yes

This should give you the drift of what we are looking for...

For Non-Feature-Based Experiences 

1. A unique restaurant that opens up in your city (not a chain restaurant opening another branch)

2. A stay (luxury, homestay, pit stop) that should not be missed at a location. 

Listicles 

A listicle that tells us something that we can’t easily run an online search for. Since most of these pieces are usually done in-house, we are a bit picky about what we commission. We would like pitches for listicles to be by a region/activity expert or someone who has in-depth knowledge of the topic being pitched or has had an experience that warrants a listicle to document it. 

What your features pitch should have

1. Is this for Stay or See or Eat – Feature 
2. What is your story pitch in 2-lines maximum? 
3. A maximum of 300 words to explain this idea (we understand that sometimes 300 words is not enough, but if 300 words or less can convince us, then readers are going to love your story)
4. Are you going to quote anyone? If so whom?
5. Do you have high-resolution images to support your story?
6. Tell us about yourself, with a few samples of your work. Ideally travel and food features, but don’t hesitate to share any others as well.
    

What your non-feature or listicle pitch should have

1. The tentative title of your piece
2. What is your non-feature pitch covering and why it’s unique
3. In the case of the listicle, what are you going to list within the piece? 

We look at pitches once every week and as far as possible you will receive a yes or a no from us. Feel free to follow up on your pitch once, after 10 days of first sending it in. 

Send your pitches to pitches@stayeatsee.com

What we are not looking for in our Features?

1. A one-off property review with nothing else to go with it.

2. We are picky about restaurant reviews (technically one off visits are not reviews) - don’t pitch us another brewery / bar or another outlet from a chain. If you are pitching a restaurant experience, we want it to tell us more than just the menu you were served. Tell us why you think it should be featured? 

3. Definitely do not ask us for story ideas that you can write on (believe us! It happens, a lot).

Editorial Commercials & Payments

Features of 800 to 1000 words are Rs 8000 flat per story. Rs 500 per image that you have shot yourself and that we choose to use. 

Non-feature-based experiences are Rs 5000 per story. We require you to source images from the establishments you are covering. 

All listicles are Rs 2000 flat. We will need you to source images from the establishment(s) you are covering. 

Payments will be disbursed within a month of publication on submission of an invoice (which can be sent once playbacks are done and the story finalized). 

Things to Remember / Style Guide

Document Settings

Set Word Document to English – UK proofing language

Capitalization

All proper nouns

All establishment names

Numbers

In most cases, spell out one to nine. (Exceptions to this rule are ages and measurements, which should always use a numeral.) Use figures for 10 and above. Any number that starts a sentence should be spelled out, except in a headline.

Percent

Spell out percent instead of using %. Use numerical figures.

Example: We are 75 percent sure this is going to work.

Time

Times should be written with a lowercase a.m. or p.m. with a space after the number. Use figures except for noon and midnight. Avoid redundancies such as 10 a.m. this morning.

• Right: 11 a.m., 5 p.m. 3:30 p.m.

• Wrong: 11AM, 4 pm, 6 P.M., 7pm