Guest Host Guidelines

Taking a turn on East Lothian Voices should hopefully be fun and not a chore, however, only apply if you can commit to posting frequently throughout each of the six days of your week.

Please read the following and if you would like to take over the reins, please apply here.

You can see which weeks are available at the 2021 Schedule – you might wish to choose a week which is important to you e.g. National Vegetarian Week, Coeliac Awareness Week etc.

Criteria

Hosts should be individuals with a connection to East Lothian.

FAQs:

“I’ve previously been a host, can I have another go?”
Yes. As long as it has been at least 12 months since your last turn, you are welcome to apply again.

“Can charities and not for profit organisations take part?”
We may very occasionally permit third sector organisations to take part. However, we’re really looking for individuals to tweet in a personal capacity. If you are involved in a third sector organisation, you can of course tell us more about them during your week.

“I work shifts and it’s difficult for me to know in advance if I’ll be free. Is there a way I can be involved?”
We are always looking for people to be available on ‘standby’ in case someone has to drop out at the last minute. If this is of interest email admin@lothianloop.com.

“I’ve had Twitter a long time but don’t tweet very often and hardly have any followers – does this matter?”
You need to have an established, publicly viewable Twitter account. It does not matter how many followers you have but you may have to post more frequently than you do usually.

“How does sponsorship work?”
Sponsorship of individual weeks is now available to businesses on a first-come, first-served basis. Typically, this involves:

  • Sponsor’s name, logo and website on the East Lothian Voices Schedule
  • Sponsor’s logo on East Lothian Voices Twitter background
  • Sponsor’s name and details on East Lothian Voices pinned tweet
  • Mentions from @lothianloop on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday

Additionally, to maximise the impact of their sponsorship, sponsors may, by mutual agreement, provide guest hosts with products to review, arrange behind-the-scenes visits (covid restrictions permitting) or run a competition etc.

“I always wanted to be an “influencer” – can I guest host on a sponsored week?!”
When you apply to guest host, you can choose whether you and your household would like to take part in sponsored activities.

“How much does sponsorship cost?”
Sponsorship fees are dependent on business size with preferential rates for East Lothian based businesses. Email admin@lothianloop.com to discuss further.

Before your week

It is advisable to check the social media policy of your employer and any organisations with which you are involved.

Tell your followers you are going to host East Lothian Voices and encourage them to follow @EL_Voices.

You will be given access to the @EL_Voices twitter account on the Sunday before your week. You need to be following @lothianloop in order to exchange information – check your DMs!

The information you supplied in your application, together with your Twitter profile picture may be used to promote East Lothian Voices.

If you are no longer available on your week, please give as much notice as possible.

During your week

You can tweet as early on Monday as you like until as late on Saturday as suits you. (Sunday is Admin day)

Contributors must abide by the usual Twitter rules.

You must not change any of the account settings or grant third-party access (other than Tweetdeck or other scheduling apps).

You could start by thanking the previous incumbent and introducing yourself and telling followers about your connection to East Lothian.

Important! Your posts don’t need to be solely about East Lothian – followers want to learn a bit about you. It wouldn’t work if everyone asked “What is your favourite place in East Lothian?”!

What makes East Lothian Voices interesting is that often, the only thing hosts have in common is their connection to East Lothian. Things you might think are mundane are often interesting to others e.g.

  • your typical day
  • your commute
  • your hobbies/interests
  • what you’re having for tea!

Try to tweet/retweet as you normally would from your own account.

Consider using quote retweet to add context to a retweet e.g. why this issue is important to you or to explain technical details for the general public.

It’s a good idea to interact with followers: ask questions, like, reply and retweet.

You can run a prize draw, organise a follower challenge, run a poll or broadcast a live event!

At the end of your week, say goodbye with a final tweet and remind people of your usual twitter handle in case they want to follow you. You might wish to mention the upcoming host.