Here are our general contributed article guidelines:

• Pieces must be exclusive to CU Times. That means we won't publish articles that have already run in another print or online publication (that includes your company's website and your LinkedIn blog). After four weeks have passed from the publication date, you are free to publish or pitch the article elsewhere. We do permit sharing the article link via social media, and republishing the article on your company's website or blog with a link to the article on CU Times' site, immediately after publication.
• Word count can vary and we encourage authors to write at the length the article merits. However, we generally ask authors to stay in the word count range of 650 to 1,200. Sidebars are accepted, and should be included in the total word count.
• The article should do one or both of these two things: 1) Educate or inform the reader 2) Offer an opinion. It is not the place to promote your organization's products or services, and any pieces with product or service sales pitches will be rejected.
• Please include a high-resolution, professional headshot of the author (color preferred), as well as brief bio that includes the author's title, the company/organization they work for and location they're based out of.

Want to stand out? Here are a few tips for writing a great contributed article:

• Get creative! Don't send us a piece that reads like an annual report or merely presents a list of statistics and facts. As a financial publication, we welcome analysis and data, but we also encourage authors to humanize their points and develop a narrative that will intrigue our readers. Here's an example of an excellent creative piece by the Filene Research Institute's Holly Fearing on credit union branding.
• Be specific when offering best practices. One of our goals is to provide content that helps credit union executives do their jobs better, so if your article reads like a "how-to," make sure it includes details credit unions can use (in other words, don't just tell them what they should do; tell them how they should do it). For example, here's a quality piece on addressing legal risks from attorneys at Vedder Price P.C.
• Don't be afraid to speak your mind! If you're comfortable sharing your thoughts on a controversial topic, do it. At CU Times, we want to ignite new conversations and serve as a platform for people with a range of viewpoints. For inspiration, check out this article by former SAFE Credit Union President/CEO Henry Wirz, who encourages CUs to speak up about gun violence.
• We love receiving contributed articles from credit unions with success stories, but the article should go beyond simply recounting the credit union's accomplishments. In addition to sharing the details and results of your credit union's marketing campaign or community initiative, for example, tell us what your staff learned from the experience or how other credit unions can apply the strategy in different markets. In this piece, for example, Redstone Federal Credit Union shared its cultural transformation journey and how other credit unions can develop their culture as well.

If you have an article you'd like us to consider, please send it to [email protected] and [email protected]. If you'd prefer to run an idea past us first, please send a brief paragraph describing the article idea (or several ideas for us to choose from), and once given the green light, you can get writing. Good luck!