Guest post and sponsored content guidelines

Welcome to The Cheeky Vino! I’m all about making wine easy to understand and a whole lot more fun, without the jargon. If you’d like to share your wine knowledge with my readers (mostly casual wine drinkers and newcomers in Australia and the US), I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s everything you need to know before you pitch.

How guest posts work here

All guest posts on The Cheeky Vino are paid placements. I do this to keep the quality high and to make sure every post is worth my readers’ time.

A few things to know up front:

• I approve every topic before you start writing.
• I approve every draft before it goes live.
• I have full editorial rights, which means I can edit, reschedule or decline any post that doesn’t meet these guidelines.
• Every post must be wine-themed.

What I’m looking for

I’m keen on posts that help readers understand wine and feel more confident about it. Some ideas that are always welcome:

• Wine 101 and beginner guides
• Wine terms explained in plain English
• Wine region guides
• Grape variety guides
• Wine travel, including cellar door and wine region trips
• Food and wine pairing guides
• Serving, storing and buying tips

Have a different wine-themed idea? Pitch it! If it’s helpful, fun and easy to read, I’m interested.

What I won’t publish

To keep The Cheeky Vino on brand, I don’t accept:

• Wine reviews (I write these myself)
• Content that is overly branded or reads like an ad (see the sponsored feature option below for brand-led posts)
• Gambling, CBD or drug-related content
• Content about beer, spirits or any alcohol other than wine
• Anything that encourages excessive drinking or is aimed at under 18s
• Health or medical claims about wine
• Anything that is off-brand or not wine-themed
• Content that has been published elsewhere, copied, spun or lightly reworded

Packages and pricing

I charge based on the number of links and whether the post is a guest article or a fully sponsored feature.

Optional extras

Prices are in USD. Instagram shares are only available with a paid post, and all Instagram content is clearly labelled as a paid partnership.

Bundle and save: Add an Instagram static post or carousel to a sponsored feature for $700 in total (instead of $775).

Links

• Guest posts include a maximum of 2 links in the body plus 1 author bio link. Sponsored features include a maximum of 3 links in the body.
• Links must be relevant to the topic and genuinely useful to the reader.
• Affiliate and promotional links are not accepted unless they’re commission-based for The Cheeky Vino.
• All paid links are tagged as sponsored (rel=”sponsored”), in line with Google’s guidelines on paid links. I don’t offer dofollow links on paid posts.
• Links stay live for as long as the post is live. If a linked page changes and no longer meets these guidelines, I may remove the link.
• Any other links in your article should point to trustworthy sources, such as official wine bodies, regional organisations or well-known wine education sites.

Content requirements

Length

• Guest posts: 1,000 to 1,500 words
• Region and travel guides: up to 1,800 words
• Sponsored features: 800 to 1,200 words

Originality

• Your article must be 100% original and written by you, exclusive to The Cheeky Vino.
• It can’t have been published anywhere else, and you can’t republish it elsewhere after it goes live.
• AI tools can help with research or light editing, but the article itself needs to be written by a human.
• I may run originality checks on all submissions.

Voice and style

• Warm, upbeat, friendly and easy to read. Think of explaining wine to a friend over a glass.
• Explain any wine terms you use, and skip the jargon wherever you can.
• Short paragraphs, and plenty of personality.
• Use Australian English spelling (flavour, colour, favourite).
• Use sentence case for the title and all headings.
• Please avoid em dashes. Commas, full stops and brackets work nicely instead.

SEO and formatting

Please send your article ready to publish with the following:

• Title (H1): Include your main keyword, in sentence case.
• Intro: Use your main keyword in the first 100 words.
• Headings: Use question-style H2s where it makes sense (for example, “What is Chianti wine?” or “Where should you visit in the Barossa Valley?”).
• Answer first: Under each H2, give a short, clear answer in the first 2 to 3 sentences, then expand on it.
• Structure: Short paragraphs, and bullet points or lists where they help.
• Keyword use: Use your keyword and related phrases naturally. No keyword stuffing.
• Meta title: Under 60 characters.
• Meta description: Under 155 characters.
• Suggested URL slug: Short, lowercase, with hyphens.
• Sources: Link to 1 to 3 trustworthy external sources where relevant (not counted in your sponsored link total).

I’ll add internal links to related Cheeky Vino posts during editing.

Images

• I can create images for your post in The Cheeky Vino style (this is an optional extra, see pricing above).
• Alternatively, you can supply your own. Images need to be at least 1,200 pixels wide, free of watermarks, and you must own them or hold a licence that allows me to use them on my blog and social media.
• Please send proof of the licence or the source with your images.
• Please include a short alt text description for each image.

How to pitch

Email your pitch to thecheekyvino@gmail.com with the subject line “Guest post pitch: [your topic]”. Please include:

1. Your name and website or brand (if relevant)
2. The package you’re interested in
3. Your topic idea and working title
4. Your main keyword
5. A short outline (3 to 5 headings)
6. The page or pages you’d like to link to, and the anchor text you have in mind
7. A short author bio (2 to 3 sentences) and links to any writing samples
8. Whether you’d like me to create the images, or you’ll supply them

Pitches that aren’t wine-themed or don’t follow these guidelines won’t get a reply, so please read everything above first.

Timeline and revisions

Late drafts may be rescheduled or declined.

Editorial rights and terms

• I have full editorial rights and may edit your article for style, clarity, SEO and brand fit.
• I reserve the right to decline, reschedule or remove any post that doesn’t meet these guidelines, at any stage.
• If I decide not to publish your post, you’ll receive a full refund.
• You confirm that your article is original and that you have the right to publish it.
• Once published, the post stays exclusive to The Cheeky Vino.

Disclosure and responsible drinking

• All paid posts are clearly labelled on the blog, so readers always know when content is a guest post or sponsored.
• Content must promote responsible drinking. It should never encourage excessive consumption, or be aimed at anyone under the legal drinking age.

Ready to pitch?

I can’t wait to see your ideas. Send your pitch through and let’s make wine a little more fun for everyone!