Submit an Article to NineE: Guidelines for Writers

Our readers are not casual browsers. Instead, they arrive with a purchase in mind. So every article you submit lands at the moment advice matters most.

Here is what you get in return:

• Reach real shoppers. People with active purchase intent read your work.
• Build credibility. Your author page shows your bio and everything you publish with us.
• Get editorial support. Our editors sharpen each piece for clarity, structure and impact.
• Gain social reach. We also promote selected articles across NineE’s channels.
• Stay accurate. We refresh published articles, so prices and picks stay current.
• Join the network. Meet other writers, product experts and the NineE team.
• Get featured. Standout contributors may help build NineE collections, shopping guides or AI prompts.

Who Reads NineE Editorials?

Our readers are everyday Indian shoppers. They research purchases, compare options, hunt for value and try to avoid bad buys. Most of them shop across many categories, from fashion and electronics to home, kitchen, beauty, appliances and gifts.

They are short on time and careful with money. They also distrust fake reviews and inflated discounts. Above all, they want a clear answer and the reasoning behind it, without jargon.

So write for someone halfway through a buying decision. Your article should help that reader do one of these things:

• Decide what to buy
• Compare options with confidence
• Spot real value and avoid traps
• Understand how AI can make shopping easier

What We Look For in Every Article

In short, we want advice a reader can act on today. When you submit an article, lead with what you tested. These qualities earn a yes:

• Genuine, tested insight. Share first-hand experience, original comparisons and real data. Show us what you learned, not what the spec sheet says.
• Actionable advice. Readers should finish knowing what to check, what to skip and what to do next.
• Clear, friendly writing. Write like a knowledgeable friend, not a brochure. Use short paragraphs, plain words and concrete examples.
• Local, timely relevance. Cover festive sales, wedding season, back-to-school, monsoon buying, new launches and price shifts in India.
• A fresh angle. If a hundred pages already say the same thing, tell us what yours adds.

What We Do Not Publish

Trust is our product. That is why we decline any pitch that puts something ahead of the reader:

• Self-promotion. Pieces that mainly promote a brand, product, store or service.
• Hidden sponsorship. Pay-to-play reviews, or gifted and affiliate content without a disclosure.
• Generic listicles and SEO filler. For example, “10 best phones under ₹20,000” with no testing, criteria or point of view.
• Unverified claims. Fake discounts, unsourced prices, invented reviews or exaggerated product claims.
• Unedited AI text. You may use AI to research or draft. However, you own the accuracy, originality and voice.
• Restricted topics. Crypto, gambling, adult content, tobacco or anything that conflicts with our values. The product categories below are also out of scope.

Off-Limits Product Categories

NineE does not surface, recommend or compare products in the categories below. As a result, we do not publish buying guides, comparisons, deals or product links for them. Each category also covers all of its subcategories, and we may update this list at any time.

Category	Examples
Alcohol	Beer, wine, spirits, home-brewing and winemaking supplies
Tobacco and vaping	Cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, vapes, e-cigarettes, e-liquids
Drugs and smoking accessories	CBD or cannabis products, rolling papers, pipes, hookahs
Prescription and medical products	Prescription medicines, hearing aids, CPAP machines, diagnostic and test kits, professional medical and dental equipment
Weapons and ammunition	Firearms, ammunition, combat knives, swords, stun guns, pepper spray
Recreational and imitation weapons	Hunting and shooting gear, airsoft, paintball, archery, scopes, toy and collectible weapons
Explosives	Fireworks, firecrackers, sparklers
Hazardous materials and lab products	Lab equipment, chemicals, specimens, fuels, pesticides, herbicides, drain and masonry cleaners, fire extinguishers, firewood
Adult and mature content	Pornography, erotic media, sex toys, erotic clothing
Sexual health products	Condoms, spermicides, personal lubricants
Money-related products	Bullion, collectible coins and notes, virtual currency
Prop money	Play money, replica currency
Services and add-ons	Home, personal and automotive services, extended warranties, installation, maintenance plans, subscriptions, finance and insurance
Event tickets	Concerts, sports and other events
Live animals	Pets, livestock, animal husbandry products

A few notes on this list:

• Alcohol rules differ from state to state, so we leave the category out entirely.
• Fireworks stay off-limits, even in festive-season guides.
• Jewellery is a separate category, so you can still cover it.
• Pet food and accessories are fine, even though live animals are not.
• Services are out because NineE focuses on physical and digital products.

Gray Areas: Pitch First

Some products sit on the edge of these categories. If your article touches any of them, tell us before you submit it. Our editors then decide case by case.

• Dietary supplements, protein powders and wellness products with health claims
• Over-the-counter health devices, such as thermometers and blood pressure monitors
• Baby and child products with safety standards, such as car seats and feeding products
• Knives and tools sold for kitchen, craft or household use
• Cosmetics and personal-care items with active ingredients
• Refurbished and second-hand electronics
• Gift cards and vouchers

How These Rules Apply to Your Article

• Never name, link or recommend off-limits products as examples, alternatives or “also consider” picks, even in passing.
• You can still cover these categories as news, regulation, consumer rights or safety, as long as you skip product recommendations.
• Not sure about a category that looks risky? Ask us before you start writing.
• Our editors may remove any section, link or image that breaks this policy. They may also reject the piece.

Article Topics You Can Submit

Here are the formats we publish most. Also, feel free to suggest a format of your own.

• Buying guides: what to look for, what to avoid and how to decide in a category.
• Comparisons: head-to-head or category comparisons with clear criteria and honest trade-offs.
• How-to guides: step-by-step help, such as reading a spec sheet, checking if a deal is real or building a gift shortlist.
• Price and deal intelligence: sale cycles, price history and when to buy.
• Trends and seasonal guides: what is rising and what to buy for festivals, weddings, travel and seasons.
• AI shopping explainers: how AI agents search, rank and recommend, and how to get better answers from them.
• Smart shopping psychology: why we overspend, how urgency tactics work and how to shop with intention.
• Case studies and shopper stories: real purchase decisions, shopping systems or savings.
• Brand and seller perspectives: honest lessons on what makes a product page or listing trustworthy.
• Opinion and news: commentary on ecommerce, regulation, consumer rights and shopping tech.

Not quite a written piece? We also accept short videos, checklists, data reports, series and newsletters. Whichever format you pick, build it around a real buying decision.

Who Can Submit an Article?

You do not need to be a famous name. Instead, you need real insight and a clear point of view. We welcome:

• Shopping, deals and consumer-advice writers
• Reviewers, testers and category experts in tech, fashion, home, beauty, appliances and more
• Fashion and lifestyle creators and stylists
• Founders and operators of consumer brands and D2C startups (insight-led, non-promotional pieces only)
• Retail, pricing and ecommerce analysts
• Product managers, designers and AI practitioners who work on commerce and recommendations
• Consumer-rights and personal-finance writers
• Students and enthusiasts with a strong point of view and real research

So if you write from real experience, we want you to submit an article.

Guidelines to Follow When You Submit an Article

Check your draft against these standards before you send it. Most rejected drafts miss at least one of them.

Originality and Quality

• Send original work that has not appeared anywhere else. We run plagiarism and AI-content checks.
• Research carefully, check your facts and fix grammar and spelling.
• Lead with the answer, then explain it.

Length and Format

• Length: 1,200 to 2,000 words for most pieces. Checklists and quick comparisons can run 600 to 1,000 words. We consider longer pieces case by case.
• Format: a Google Doc with clear headings, subheadings, short paragraphs and bullet points.
• Structure: a summary at the top, a “Quick take” or “Bottom line” box where it helps, and a clear takeaway at the end.
• Tone: clear, friendly, practical and honest. Read our existing articles to match our voice.

Sources, Product Claims and Images

• Citations: link to the source of every statistic, quote, price or claim.
• Dates: show the date you checked each price, spec or offer. Never use outdated numbers.
• Product claims: describe only what you tested or can verify, and explain how you tested it. Then say who the product suits and who should skip it.
• Images: add original photos, screenshots, charts or diagrams. You must own the rights or credit the source. Use PNG, JPEG or WEBP at 72 dpi or more, and avoid misleading or heavy edits.
• Bio: include a 50 to 100 word bio and a headshot in PNG or WEBP.

Disclosure and Trust Policy

Readers trust NineE because we keep recommendations honest. So we ask every contributor to follow four rules:

• Disclose any affiliate links, gifted products, paid partnerships or brand relationships.
• Never accept payment for recommendations in editorial content.
• Present trade-offs fairly, because no product is perfect. Say what it does badly, too.
• Avoid fake urgency, fake scarcity and “lowest price” claims you cannot verify.

For a useful reference on disclosures, see the guidelines from the Advertising Standards Council of India.

AI-Use Policy

AI tools can help you research, outline and edit. However, you stay responsible for every word.

• Check every fact, price, quote and recommendation yourself.
• When you submit your article, tell us if AI helped with drafting.
• Expect a rejection for fully AI-generated submissions.
• Never present AI-generated reviews, testimonials or images as real.

Link Guidelines

Links should help the reader, not your rankings. Here is how we handle them:

• Relevance: every link must add value for the reader.
• Quality: link only to reputable sources, such as official brand pages, government or regulator sites, research and credible publications.
• Limit: add up to two links to your own work or brand. All other links should point to credible third-party sources.
• Affiliate links: by default, we do not allow them. Exceptions need our approval and a clear disclosure.
• Editorial control: we may remove or edit links that miss these standards.

Editorial Rights

We edit every piece to keep NineE useful and accurate. Here is what that means for you:

• Editing: we may edit for clarity, style, length, accuracy and relevance. However, we discuss major changes with you first.
• Rejection: we may decline work that falls short on quality, originality or relevance, or that hides promotion.
• Fact-checks and corrections: we may fact-check claims and correct published pieces. If a price, product or pick changes materially, we update the article and note the date.
• Publication: an accepted pitch does not guarantee publication. Our editorial team makes the final call.

How to Submit an Article in 5 Steps

Here is how to submit an article, from first pitch to publish date:

1. Pitch. Email a 3 to 5 sentence pitch to contribute@ninee.ai. Include a working title, the reader problem you will solve and why you are the right person to tackle it.
2. Approval. If we accept, you receive a brief, a deadline and any requests from our team.
3. Draft. Next, submit your article as a Google Doc with images, sources and your bio.
4. Review. Our editors then check quality, originality, accuracy and fit. We may ask for revisions, so please reply promptly.
5. Publication. Finally, we schedule the piece and share the publish date. We may make final edits before it goes live.

Submit an Article: FAQs

Who can submit an article?

Anyone with genuine shopping, product, retail or consumer-tech expertise can pitch. That includes writers, reviewers, brand founders, analysts and AI practitioners.

Do I need to be an expert in one category?

No. You can submit an article on any category we cover. What matters is first-hand insight, solid research and clear writing.

Can I promote my brand or product?

Not directly. You may mention your work in your bio and in up to two relevant links. However, we decline pieces that mainly advertise.

Can I include affiliate links?

Not by default. If you want to, tell us in your pitch and disclose them clearly.

Can I use AI to write my article?

You can use AI as a support tool. But you must verify everything and disclose its use. We do not accept fully AI-generated submissions.

Can I submit an article that was published elsewhere?

No. We only accept original, unpublished work.

Do you pay contributors?

[Fill in before publishing: unpaid guest posts, an honorarium or a revenue share.]

How long until my article goes live?

It depends on our editorial calendar and review cycle. Once we approve your draft, we give you a date.

Ready to Submit an Article?

If you have tested insight and a clear point of view, we want your pitch. Email contribute@ninee.ai and tell us which shopping problem you plan to solve. We look forward to reading what you send.

Happy writing!