Dear NMA Guest Blogger,

Thank you for volunteering to write a guest blog for the National Motorists Association. Please note, the NMA does not accept sponsored blogs nor backlinks to any existing blogs.

As of August 2020, the NMA is only accepting topics for guest posts in the following areas:

  • Auto Tech Watch –current tech or auto tech of the future
  • Personal driving road trip stories with permission to use personal photos about the trip.
  • NMA Members who want to write a guest post for the Driving in America blog.
  • Traffic Law Blog (reserved only for NMA Advertising Attorneys)

The NMA is a motorists’ rights association, and any aspiring guest writer needs to understand NMA issues and perspectives that are evident throughout our website. Please do your research accordingly before you pitch any possible titles. Here are some links for you to get started:

We are always looking for interesting material that challenges our readers. That said, if your content is completely at odds with NMA viewpoints, then likely, we are not the right place for you to pitch your ideas. Note also that we are not able to accept blog posts that require extensive editing by our staff.

General Expectations

The NMA wants unique posts that are well-written and gives great insight and information for our 60,000+ blog readers each month.

  • All guest content published on the NMA Blog belongs to the NMA. Guest blog authors cannot sell the content or shop the content to any other source once the NMA has accepted the post content for publication.
  • No links may be made without permission from the NMA staff to any commercial websites.
  • All guest blogs are a voluntary contribution to the National Motorists Association.
  • Spammy backlinks in the content are cause for immediate rejection. Only URL links from NMA blogs or other outside blogs/websites that pertain directly to the post content will be accepted.
  • All content guest written for the NMA, cannot be used on other websites or blogs unless it’s your personal blog/website or portfolio website. Guest writers have permission from the NMA to use published guest blog links for use on a company or personal social media streams and as writing samples for future work.

Post Expectations

  • Please keep all copy tightly written without too much superfluous information. We are interested in a friendly and authoritative tone of writing that reflects the NMA style.
  • A guest post should have a title that identifies the topic and lures readers to read the content.
  • Do not send additional SEO, keyword, or Meta Description information along with your post.
  • First Paragraph: Introduce the topic/viewpoint of the post.
  • Middle Paragraphs: Present the main viewpoint of the post. Please do not write overly long sentences or paragraphs, and do not include more than three links to other sources to support the content.
  • Final Paragraph: Provide a definitive closing to the post, summarizing, or reinforcing the overall viewpoint and/or presenting an action that readers can take regarding the information.
  • Make sure that the post has been spelled checked and run through a grammar program before submission.

Guest Blog Topics

Subject matter publishable by the NMA fits within the following blog areas:

  • Auto Tech Watch –current tech or auto tech of the future
  • Personal driving road trip stories with permission to use personal photos about the trip.
  • NMA Members who want to write a guest post for the Driving in America blog.
  • Traffic Law Blog (reserved only for NMA Advertising Attorneys)

Guest Blog Formatting

  • Please send guest blogs in a Word document attached to an email. Any other formats will automatically be rejected.
  • Content formatting: Arial font at 12 points, left-justified with no extra formatting of any kind.
  • Title and subheadings: no extra formatting, Arial font at 12 points, no bolding, or italics. Capitalize all words in the heading and subheadings.
  • Use only small dots for bullet points.

Guest Writer Information

 All guest blogs must have an identified writer with a first and last name.

  • A byline goes under the title: by guest writer (First Name, Last Name)
  • Please send the author’s name and the author’s short bio at the time of guest post submission.
  • Author bios at the end of the post must be written in Arial font at 10 points italicized. All bios must be written in the third person and include about two to three sentences that outline expertise. Please start the bio with the author’s first and last name. May also include the following: linked URL to website or blog and up to two linked social media URLs.
  • Guest writer photos will not be used, so please do not insert them in the content or attach them to the email.
  • The communications director (guest blog editor) has the right to shorten or change the bio if it is deemed necessary.

Photos and other Graphical Elements

  • The NMA handles all photos for blogs to ensure that we have the right to place on our website. We only use photos or illustrations that are free to use and have a creative commons license.
  • If you have rights to original photographs, the NMA will accept and use it with your email permission.
  • We do not use outside infographs because they are difficult to format in our blog system. We will, however, place accepted infographs on an appropriate Pinterest board.
  • If you have additional questions, please contact Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director, at communications@motorists.org.

How do I become an NMA guest blogger?

Step 1:

Read the NMA Guest Blog Guidelines. Understand what kind of blogs we are looking for in terms of content, formatting, links, and graphical elements. Also, research the NMA issues and the style of writing reading several blogs.

Step 2:

Pitch up to three titles with a sentence about the information to the guest blog editor at communications@motorists.org. Also, write a short paragraph on your expertise with the subject matter and desire to write about the topic.

Step 3:

The editor will email you back with questions on one or more of the topics or will accept one or more of the topics as submitted.

Step 4:

If a topic is accepted, proceed to write the guest blog along with the parameters as described above. There are no deadlines.

Step 5:               

After completion of the postplease spell and grammar check the post before submission. Submit the guest blog to communications@motorists.org.

Step 6:

The editor handles guest blog correspondence and editing once or twice per week and will not read or send any emails about guest blogs over weekends. Here is what will happen to your guest blog after submission.

The blog editor will read each guest blog and then do one of three things:

  • Accept the blog as written or with a few edits. It will be run through Grammarly and spell check before scheduling. All guest blog scheduling is based on a first-come, first-serve basis, and time slot availability. After scheduling, the blog editor will send an email back to the writer or agency coordinator.
  • If the blog has potential but needs a significant revision, the blog editor will send the blog back via email with general comments about the revision.
  • If the blog has no potential and violates any of the following, the blog will be rejected:
    1. Not unique with no new insight into the information and too generic.
    2. Poorly written and would need extensive editing.
    3. Has a spammy backlink somewhere in the copy that does not pertain to the content.
    4. The post has been found on another website and is not unique to the NMA.
    5. The guest blog author must fact-check content before submittal. If any statement is incorrect, the guest blog editor will reject the post.

Step 7:

When the post comes online, please feel free to grab the URL from the NMA website for your portfolio.

If you have further questions, please contact the blog editor at communications@motorists.org. Thank you for your consideration!

Revised July 31, 2020