Writer Guidelines

If you want to write for Silverlinings, here is what you need to know.

10. Rationale

Before you start writing anything for Silverlinings it’s a good idea to ask yourself: "Will anyone care if this article is published, or not?" If you can't summarize the value of your story to our audience in a couple of simple sentences, it’s probably not worth writing.  

9.  Audience

We write for cloud network architects – the people who design and build cloud infrastructure. We do not write for the cloud industry as a whole. The information and analysis in your story should skew toward matters of interest to cloud network architects. 

8. Reporting

We adhere to the fundamental tenets of journalism. That means we require original reporting (reworded press releases and quoting Wikipedia as a source do not constitute original reporting); two sources; accuracy and impartiality. 

7. Sources 

Again, we write for cloud network architects. Stories must include analysis from a cloud network architect. If you do not know any cloud network architects and you are not prepared to invest the time to develop sources in this community, you cannot write for Silverlinings. At all. (Note: LinkedIn is your friend in identifying and contacting these folks). The easiest way to have an article enthusiastically accepted by Silverlinings is to pitch something which has the cloud network architect at its heart, for example a case study or other news where the architect is the source. 

6. Writing

We do not employ a copy desk and it is not the job of our editors to re-write your article. Your story should meet the same standards of prose, grammar and spelling as you would employ when writing a resume. Read and reread your article before filing it. Spell check it if you can't spell. If you file something that is disorganized, ungrammatical or poorly spelled we will not fix it for you, and we will not run it. We follow AP Style and abhor capitalization of telecom terms, i.e. do not capitalize cloud. Do not use italics or quotation marks to emphasize words. Spell out all technology acronyms and government agencies and bracket the acronym on the first reference. Here are a few common examples: 5G standalone (SA), zero-trust network access (ZTNA), secure access service edge (SASE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

5. No blogs

We don't run blogs because blogs are not journalism. We run news analysis stories or opinion columns (which are written in the first person and demonstrate an opinion). If you do not have an opinion that can be backed up by compelling and expert knowledge, do not write in the first person.   

4. Story length and word count

Silverlinings articles and opinions can vary in length. There is no set word count. Please do not file every story at 650 to 850 words. This is a recipe for rejection. A few stories need to be longer, but 95% should be shorter. We will consult with you on story length before you begin writing. If you have written about a topic before, do not cut and paste the previous verbiage into your article; instead include a link to the previous story.

3. Analysis 

We do not write about cloud technology in a vacuum. Ideally, every story on Silverlinings will include analysis of three things: technology (cloud infrastructure, what it is and how it works), money (how it saves, makes, or loses money) and people (the folks behind the tech and the money). We do not write about these three elements in isolation. Rather, we track the cause and effect between each – the unique interpolations that make this industry so vibrant, complicated, and fascinating. 

2. Story selection

It is an unfortunate fact that many business and technology journalists today spend their time circling the drain of the newswires, repurposing press releases as articles. This practice has brought great shame on the profession of journalism. At Silverlinings we do not cover press release announcements unless there is also a clear and original angle that we can take that provides value to our audience above what they would get from simply reading the official announcement. (Note: the fact that a big company has made an announcement does not constitute a clear and original angle; see: No.8, Reporting.)

1. Energy

Cloud is an exciting topic. Cloud is changing the world. Cloud is a trillion-dollar market. Cloud is making fortunes for some and bankrupting others. We are excited about cloud and the people that make it and deploy it. This excitement is evident in every article on our site. If you are not excited about cloud, if you are not passionate about this subject, this is not the site for you.

Nitty gritty details and other important information:

  • Pitch your articles via email to: [email protected]
    • In the email subject line, include: Article pitch - [write the pitch idea here]
    • Do not expect an instant reply. We are busy running the site.
  • Submissions must be submitted either in Google docs or Microsoft Word. We will agree on that ahead of time.
  • Each submitted article must include at least two hyperlinks to other articles or sources.
  • Each submission must include a suggestion for a featured image. A headshot of one of the people you interviewed is ideal. We encourage you to ask for a headshot during all of your interviews.
  • Our featured image size is 1200 x 600 pixels. Sources for featured images are required.
  • We encourage you to submit supporting charts and graphs and diagrams with your article for consideration.
  • All submissions are subject to review and editing by the Silverlinings team.
  • Publication is at the sole discretion of the Managing Editor.