We're looking for local people with something worth saying: residents, business owners, political voices, councillors, community leaders, students, campaigners, experts in their field, or simply people with a story to tell about life in Ipswich and Suffolk. Whether it's opinion, analysis, or a feature idea you think we're missing, we want to hear from you.

Our reach

Ipswich.co.uk has become one of the town's most trusted sources of news and information in a short space of time. Writing for us means your words reach:

• 67,000–116,000 monthly unique visitors to our website
• 9,300+ members
• 1.5–2.5 million monthly views on Facebook

That's a real audience of business owners, councillors, MPs, community leaders and residents who care about what happens here – and who read what we publish.

What we're looking for

We're looking for:

• Opinion and comment on issues affecting Ipswich and Suffolk
• Local expertise – if you know your subject inside out, we want your insight
• Community stories – the people and projects making a difference, often quietly
• Fresh perspectives on topics we may have missed or under-covered

We're nonpartisan and impartial in our news reporting, but our opinion section is a genuine space for debate. We publish a range of views and don't expect contributors to agree with each other, or with us.

Before you pitch

A few details upfront:

• We can't pay contributors. We're a small independent publication, and every penny we make goes into the journalism and infrastructure that enables it.
• All contributions are lightly edited for spelling, grammar and formatting.
• Opinion pieces are attributed to the author and represent their views, not ours.
• We won't publish anything that's factually inaccurate, defamatory, or doesn't offer a fair reflection of the subject at hand.

What you get

While we can't pay for guest pieces, we can offer:

• A genuine audience across Ipswich and Suffolk, including the people shaping the town's future
• A byline and, where relevant, a link back to your own work, business or cause
• The chance to help shape how our town understands and talks about the issues that matter to it

A quick guide

An op-ed is an argument, not an update. If a reader can't say what you think by the end of the first paragraph, it probably needs to be clearer.

Pick one argument

Every piece should make a single point of view. Not "here are some thoughts on the parking review" — but "the council's parking review will hollow out the high street, and here's why." If you find yourself making three separate points, you've probably got three pieces, not one.

Say it upfront

State your argument in upfront – explicitly or clearly implied. Don't bury it. Readers should know where you stand before they've finished the first paragraph.

Back it up

Opinion still needs evidence. Use stats, reports, expert quotes, history, or first-hand experience — whatever supports the point. Don't invent or paraphrase a quote as if it were verbatim.

Try to include a "to be sure" paragraph

Somewhere in the piece, try to acknowledge the strongest counter-argument or the obvious flaw in your case. This isn't hedging — it's what makes the argument credible.

Write like you talk

Plain language beats jargon. If a term needs explaining to your friend at the pub, either explain it or don't use it. Wit and anecdote are very welcome — sensationalism isn't.

House style

Don't stress about it – we'll lightly edit every piece to bring it in line with our house style:

• British English throughout, always — no Americanisms
• Numerals for 10 and above, words below (except units/percentages)
• 24-hour clock, day-month-year dates
• Imperial before metric
• Single quote marks ('Your quote') in headlines, double ("Your quote") in body text

Get in touch

Send us a short pitch – a sentence or two on what you'd like to write and why it matters to Ipswich – to editor@ipswich.co.uk. Include any relevant background or expertise, and we'll get back to you.