How to Post Your Own Articles and Events on Patch: A Simple Guide

Hey, you! Welcome to Patch, your No. 1 source for hyperlocal news.

We're on a mission to make our content as relevant to neighbors as possible. And to do that, we need your help.

No one knows more about happenings around town than you, the locals. So, as of summer 2016, we're excited to invite you to post your events and articles on your neighborhood Patch site, via our brand-new, insanely easy-to-use content management system: MyPatch.

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Step 1. Apply for an account.

(Already have one? Skip to Step 2!)

Why do we ask you to apply? We want to make sure your awesome hyperlocal content isn’t overshadowed by sneaky, non-local content — or worse, spam. By creating an account, we can be assured you're real (and real local).

You should receive an email confirming your account and prompting you to log in around 24 to 48 hours later.

(Note: Businesses must contact Patch's sales department to post their events.)

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Step 2. Once you're logged in, here's how to post an event.

(If you want to post an article, see Step 4.)

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Click "+ event".

Enter your Patch town/neighborhood. Start typing the name of your community for it to appear in a drop-down menu; when it appears, give it a click.

(Note: If your event is relevant to residents in other Patch neighborhoods nearby, feel free to check the "SHARE EVENT TO NEARBY PATCHES?" box and select your neighborhoods of choice.)

Give your event a title.

Is it a free event or a paid one?

A one-time event or an ongoing thing?

Tell people where it is.

Choose a lead photo or an image for your event. First, click the green "Browse" button; second, select an image on your computer; and third, click the green "Upload" button.

(Note: The ideal image size is 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels tall.)

Link to a web page containing more information on your event, if it exists elsewhere on the internet. (If not, just leave this space blank.)

Describe your event in more detail.

(Note: Feel free to drag and drop an event flyer or another image into the body of the post.)

Click 'Post Now' when you're done filling out all fields.

That's about it! To check out your event in its final form, just click its title on your MyPatch home page.

Also: Don't forget to share your event on Facebook and Twitter. Sharing your content on social media is a great way to spread the word and get free publicity for your event.

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Step 3. Pay to promote your event. (Or don't — your call!)

For a $20 fee (per Patch site), you can promote your event. For the 7 days leading up to the event, it will be highlighted and prominently featured on the site.

Just click the orange box at the bottom of the screen.

Enter your payment information, and you're all set.

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Step 4. Once you're logged in, here's how to post an article.

Click "+article".

Type in your Patch town/neighborhood.

Choose a category for your article. A newsy post or an op-ed would go under "Bulletin Board," while a local business deal or classified ad would go under "Local Deals & Classifieds."

Next, enter a title for your article. Shorter and snappier the better.

Write a short description of your article. (In journalism, this is called the "subhead.")

Choose a lead photo or image for your article. Simply click the blue "Browse" button and select an image from your computer. And be sure to leave the "DISPLAY IMAGES ABOVE BODY COPY" box checked.

(Note: You must have express permission from a photographer to run his or her photo on Patch.)

Now for the fun part: Write your article!

Some housecleaning tips: Don’t use all caps, please. Do, however, capitalize the first letter of each sentence and all proper nouns within. Also try not to bleed the feed — each Patcher really shouldn't be posting more than once or twice per day.

Click 'Post Now' when you're done filling out all fields.

That's it! All done! To read your article in its final form, just click its title on your MyPatch home page.

Thanks for helping us keep Patch local. Remember to check back to your neighborhood site often — and sign up here to receive morning newsletters and daily news alerts in your email inbox. You might just start to see your own stuff in there. ;)