From the editor’s desk

How to get your good news featured

The short answer: if something genuinely good happened, and it involves real, named people in England, send it to us with the details below. It’s free, Daniel reads everything, and we’ll tell you either way.

Last updated: 22 August 2026

What we publish (and what we don’t)

We feature stories that are:

Genuinely good news: something got better for real people. Fundraising milestones, community programmes launching, volunteer achievements, local wins.
Verifiable: named people, named places, details we can check with you. We verify before we publish; that’s the whole point of us.
From England: anchored to a real town or city.
Recent: happened lately or happening soon.

We don’t publish:

Product launches or promotions dressed up as news, “local business launches exciting new service” is an advert.
Anything we can’t verify, or stories without a human in them.
Paid placements. Coverage is never for sale: no fees, no “guaranteed features”, no link deals. If you’ve been offered that elsewhere, that’s advertising, not news.

Copy this five-sentence story brief

You do not need to write a press release. Replace the brackets, keep the facts plain, and paste the result into the story form.

[Named person or group] did [one concrete action].
It happened in [town or city] on [date].
The action helped or changed [named people, animals, group or place].
The measurable result so far is [amount, number, first, record or visible outcome].
It matters now because [time peg or next step], and [named contact] can verify it.

Add these practical assets

One real photograph showing the person or action, not a logo or generated scene.
The photographer’s name, what the image shows, and confirmation you may share it for publication.
Correct spellings, dates, figures, a primary source link, and one person we may contact.
A landscape original at least 1,600 pixels wide where possible, without text or branding over the image.

A real example of the shape we want

Our story about London nurse Alex Foley’s 60-hour charity DJ set had all the useful ingredients: a named person, an unusual action, a precise time and place, a cause with a clear purpose, direct quotes, and real photographs supplied by the people involved.

“Our organisation has launched an initiative” is hard to picture and hard to share. “A named nurse is doing one demanding thing for a charity her family cares about” gives an editor a human story to verify and readers a reason to care.

How to send us your story, three steps

Write five plain sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Skip the press-release language: “Margaret, 82, has knitted 400 blankets for Leeds neonatal wards since January” beats three paragraphs of “we are delighted to announce”.
Attach the practical bits. One or two photos you own the rights to (people, not logos), a contact who can answer questions, and permission from anyone named. If it’s an event: date, venue, how people join.
Send it via our story form. Daniel reads every submission. If it’s a fit, we’ll come back with questions and write it up properly, in our words, fact-checked with you, with a real byline.

Straight answers to fair questions

Does it cost anything?

No. Editorial coverage is free and always will be. We’re reader-supported, not placement-funded.

Is coverage guaranteed?

No, an editor decides, like any news outlet. What we guarantee is that a human reads your submission and you get an answer.

Will you link to our website?

Where it helps readers, a charity’s donation page, an event’s booking page, yes, at our discretion. We don’t do link placement, and we don’t discuss “SEO value”. Please don’t ask.

We’re a charity with a steady stream of stories, is there a better route?

Yes, a partnership. Charities like Parkinson’s UK send us stories as they happen and we give them a consistent house treatment: verified, credited, with your photos. One email to set up.

How long until we hear back?

Usually within a week. Time-sensitive story (an event coming up)? Say so in the first line.

What if you say no?

We’ll say so plainly, and where we can, tell you why. A “no” here isn’t a verdict on your work, often it just isn’t a story yet. Milestones, firsts and named people usually are.

Got something good?

Five sentences, a photo, a contact. We’ll take it from there.

Submit your story

How contributing works, in plain terms

Who can contribute: Readers, charities and community groups, businesses with a genuine human story, photographers, first-time writers and experienced journalists.
Where: Positive, verifiable stories and documentary photographs connected to England's towns and cities.
Cost: Free to submit and free to be considered. Coverage, links and bylines cannot be bought, and we do not run guest posts.
Payment: None, unless a separate written commission says otherwise. Nothing here implies employment.
Who decides: Daniel Stevens, founder and editor, reads every submission. Publication is never guaranteed, and Daniel makes the final call on every word.
Credit: A named byline or photographer credit when published, using the public name you choose.
Rights: Photographers keep their copyright. Each form states in plain English exactly where we may use what you send, and you can ask for it to be taken down.
Evidence: We need a source or contact we can check and confirmation of image rights. Facts may be verified with the people involved before publication.
Reply: You will receive a personal reply, usually within a week. Time-sensitive? Say so in your first line.
Contact: hello@goodnewsengland.co.uk

Casting a wider net? For charities, Media Trust’s resource hub is excellent on working with the media generally, and free press-release distribution exists for non-profits (e.g. Pressat’s charity programme). Your local paper wants good local stories too, the five-sentence rule works everywhere.