WEST ORANGE, NJ — Want to know how to submit a news tip or post a local event/classified ad to Patch West Orange? It’s easier than you think!
At Patch, we believe local news and information has the power to unite a community. We also believe in empowering neighbors to tell their own stories and help each other stay informed about what’s happening locally.
There are different ways to contact:
- In the Neighboring messages section, you can ask a question, share a tip, recommend something to your neighbors or start a local discussion. (You can also write a press release, column, letter to the editor, or more traditional obituary in the form of a article.)
- On the Events calendar, you can add your own events to local programming.
- In the Offers market, you can sell or give away your old objects; find accommodation, tenants or roommates; find candidates or offer your services; and make other local business announcements.
To log in Or register to start posting. Or learn about the different Patch release types below.
What to publish where
Neighboring messages
You would like to publish a:
- Question about your community
- Tip about something happening in the neighborhood
- Recommendation for a local business or service
- Opinion on a local issue
- Photo you took in town
- Other Quick Local Updates
Neighbor Posts is a community forum and social platform designed to connect you to other neighbors, as well as Patch journalists, local officials, nonprofits, businesses, and experts in your area .
When you post in this section, your message will appear at the top of the Neighbor Messages page. If it receives enough attention and engagement, it may also appear on your community’s homepage or in an email sent to local readers.
You can also respond to any other posts you see on Patch, to answer your neighbors’ questions and participate in local discussions. We encourage neighbors to come together to help each other better understand their community, because Patch reporters can’t capture everything and it takes a village to follow what’s happening on the ground.
Always remember to keep your posts and replies local, clean, friendly and factual, in accordance with the Patch Community Guidelines. And to make Patch a better place for neighbors, please report any other posts or replies that violate these rules.
Articles
You would like to publish a:
- Press release
- Column or opinion article
- Letter to the editor
- Obituary
If you would like to contribute in a more formal or traditional way, you have the option to complete an additional verification step to post a press release, column, opinion piece, letter to the editor, or obituary under the shape of a article.
When you post an article on Patch, it will be titled “Neighbor News” and will appear in the Neighbor Posts section of your home community. If your local patch editor sees fit, they may also choose to share it with neighboring communities or include it in an email to readers.
Patch also welcomes selected contributors interested in sharing their expertise and reporting in more depth about their communities. To apply, send an email contributors@patch.com with a link to your Patch profile, some examples of your work, and a few sentences explaining why you want to contribute.
Events
You would like to publish a:
- Fundraising
- Garage sale
- Open day
- Party or parade
- Other local activities
Adding your event to the Patch Community Calendar is a great way to increase attendance and let neighbors know about fun events happening near them. If the topic you’re posting about has a date and time, that should always be the case. published as event.
Once published, your event will appear in the main section of your community calendar, and sometimes in other event preview sections in Patch and in emails to readers.
To boost your listing and give it additional visibility, you can also pay to promote it as “Featured” throughout the region. (Plus, your money will help support more local journalism in the communities you care about!)
Offers
You would like to publish on:
- Pets or other items lost and found
- Housing (search or offer)
- Concerts and services (search or offer)
- Items for sale
- Free Stuff You Want To Get Rid Of
- Announcement about your business or organization
The Classifieds section serves as a local marketplace where you can sell or donate your belongings, look for work, find roommates or tenants, and make other local business announcements.
Once published, your classified ad will appear in your community’s main classifieds section, and sometimes in other Patch preview sections and in emails to readers. Interested parties can use a contact form that will appear in your post to email you directly regarding your offer.
To boost your listing and give it additional exposure, you can also pay to promote it as “featured” throughout the region.
Still have questions about publishing on Patch? Read more in our FAQ sectionor contact our support team at any time at support@patch.com.
HOW TO SUBMIT LOCAL NEWS TIPS AND PRESS RELEASES
News tips and press releases can also be sent to your local patch editor. Send all tips/releases for West Orange, NJ to eric.kiefer@patch.com.
- Including small attachments is good, but PLEASE include all important information directly in the body of your email (so it can be easily “cut and pasted”). Format the press release like any “normal” news article you see on your local patch.
- Include a single high-quality photo or image (the preferred format is a .jpg). Tell us who we should credit the photo (you must own the rights or have permission to use it for a news story).
- Due to the high volume of submissions, it is not always possible to publish all releases or respond individually… but we do our best!
Welcome aboard, Patcher. We can’t wait to see what you have to say!