WRITE FOR ANIMALS
Thank you for your interest in contributing to Pawsture, a digital publication dedicated to animals and the people who care for them. We believe in the power of storytelling to shift perspectives and move the needle for animal welfare in the Philippines and beyond. If that resonates with you, we’d love to hear your ideas.
We welcome reported features, essays, explainers, and personal reflections that fall under our themes: companion animal advocacy, everyday care, pet policy, rescue and fostering, and the human-animal bond. We’re especially interested in fresh takes, underreported stories, and pieces that ask hard questions with compassion and clarity.
Below are some notes and practical guidelines to help shape your pitch and draft.
The Basics
- Pitch First. All pieces must be pitched and assigned before submission. Please don’t send a fully written piece unless previously discussed. Pitches can be brief. Just please give us the core idea, your angle, and why you’re the one to write it.
- Topical Fit. Your story should fall within Pawsture’s core themes—animal welfare, responsible pet care, rescue and fostering, community-based advocacy, and the human-animal bond.
- Originality. We accept original, unpublished work. Previously published pieces may be considered only by prior agreement with the Pawsture Team and must include a clear note at the top stating where and when it was originally published.
Voice & Style
- Your writing should feel intelligent, reflective, grounded, and human. Aim for clarity over cleverness, insight over jargon.
- Be conversational but not casual. Avoid sounding too academic, too breezy, or too snarky.
- We love sentences that make people pause and think. But we also know that attention spans are short. So: use short paragraphs, clear subheadings (h1, h2), and brief intros (150 words or less) to help readers stay with you.
Pro Bono Contributions Only
Words Matter
At Pawsture, we believe stories can shift culture, but only when rooted in truth and responsibility. We don’t publish rants, personal attacks, or articles that bash companies, organizations, or individuals. We’re here to challenge systems, not smear people.
Your writing should be fact-based, fair, and thoughtfully framed. We welcome critique. However, it must be backed by solid reporting, verified data, and clear attribution. If you’re calling something out, show your receipts.
Moreover, we view animals as sentient beings and not objects, commodities, or backdrops. We also ask you to be intentional with terminology related to animals and their welfare.
- Never refer to an animal as “it.” Use she, he, or they—refer to them with the same narrative care you would offer a person.
- Honor individuality. Whenever possible, use names or descriptions that recognize the animal as a character, not a category.
- Use puspin instead of pusakal, and aspin instead of askal.
- Use community animal instead of stray whenever possible. This reflects their place in our shared spaces, not outside of them.
- Use the terms adopt or rehome only when referring to rescue animals, including puspins and aspins.
- If a sentence refers to buying an animal from a shop or breeder, please use buy or purchase, not adopt.
- When referring to the sale of animals for profit, the correct term is sell, not “for adoption” or “for rehoming.” Misusing these terms masks the truth and undermines ethical rescue work.
Everything we publish goes through an editorial process. We’ll work closely with you to sharpen your argument, clarify your language, and make sure the final piece is strong, credible, and aligned with our values. This is a collaboration.
Ready to Pitch?
We’d love to hear from you. Email your idea to writeforanimals@pawsture.ph with the subject line:
Pitch for Pawsture – [Your Proposed Title]
Tell us briefly what the piece is about, why it matters, and what makes your perspective unique. If you’ve never written professionally before, that’s okay. Just show us you’ve got a story worth telling.
We can’t wait to read your work.