Our community news area on our website highlights the Olin experience through the voice of our students, faculty, staff, and partnering organizations. We used to call this our blog (and many times, we still do, as you can tell my our email). Whatever you call it, it’s a platform to highlight our stories, including business interactions, business ventures, travel and study abroad experiences, and Olin’s collaborative environment. Visit the News & Media page on our website to check out the latest news and happenings.
We welcome contributions
We encourage students, alumni, faculty or staff to share stories and insights about their Olin experience. Have questions about contributing? Contact blog@olin.wustl.edu. If you submit a post, please include a brief bio.
Why contribute news?
Writing for Olin’s news section enhances your personal brand and creates a positive digital footprint—for you and Olin. Our news communicates many things to potential employers and the business community:
- passion and interests
- ability to effectively communicate and compel a reader’s attention
- expertise on a particular subject or industry
- leadership and involvement within your academic community
What we’ll do
Olin Marketing & Communications is happy to accept news/blog posts and photos by email, edit them, and post them on your behalf. For regular contributors, we’ll set up an account for you or your organization and show you how to submit your posts.
We’ll edit for grammar, spelling, style consistency, and length. We’ll share posts on social media, and boost search engine optimization. Edits that go beyond the basics will get your review before publishing.
Marketing & Communications is responsible for the News & Media section and therefore reserves the right to decide what is or is not appropriate for publication.
Some guidelines
If you’re interested in contributing news/blog items, here are some best practices to consider—some guidelines, if you will.
Remember the audience. We’re writing a lot for prospective students, interested in the heartbeat of Olin as they consider coming here. We’re also writing for fellow students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
Keep it simple. Don’t try to cram too many ideas into a single post. Make sure it’s clear what the reader’s takeaway will be. Keep posts to about 400 words, 500 max.
Make sure it’s newsworthy. Consider why your idea is worth a post. The 10th GMS trip to Japan probably isn’t that exciting. But it might be if you can highlight a particular experience that was unique, revelatory, or different.
Lead with the news. How would you tell your mom about your news/blog post? Start with the most important information in the first paragraph. Each subsequent paragraph can be “less” interesting. It’s OK to start with the news, then back up to give any necessary background. But try to start with a bang.
Send photos. Make sure to give us at least one. Your photos are preferably large ones with people in them. A nice headshot of the post author is helpful.
Identify people. If you mention a student or WashU alum, please include their program and graduation year (e.g., Angela Lu, MBA 2019).
Consider different formats. Maybe you’ll write a straight narrative—in first or third person. Maybe your post could be a Q&A with a subject. Maybe it’s “the top five takeaways” from whatever you’re writing about. Be flexible.
We welcome your submissions. Contact us at blog@olin.wustl.edu to start a conversation (we’re happy to discuss ideas by phone or over coffee in the Atrium), or send a post and photos (as attachments, Word docs and jpgs preferred).