Editorial Policy

Thisiscleveland.com is the official travel and tourism website of Greater Cleveland, owned and operated by The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau of Greater Cleveland, Inc. dba Destination Cleveland (“Destination Cleveland”), the destination marketing and management organization for Cuyahoga County. The content you’ll find on the site, its complementing social media channels and print publications is editorial in nature, with the goal to inform area visitors of things to do in Cleveland and surrounding areas.

The articles and posts are written and edited by prescreened journalists, copywriters and/or communications professionals — all of whom have incredibly strong knowledge of and a deep passion for Cleveland, Ohio.

To create truly authentic experiences for our visitors, our editorial coverage is independent of partnership and/or advertising benefits. And while the content of our editorial pieces are considered final once published, we’re happy to fix errors or misinformation that are brought to our attention.

At Destination Cleveland, we pride ourselves on taking a well-developed and well-researched approach to everything we do. We will do what it takes to get visitors to try our product (Cleveland) and then we rely on you to deliver an authentic experience — it’s exactly how we define partnership. And that’s a beautiful thing. We always encourage you to keep us in the know by pitching story ideas for consideration.

All use of the website is governed by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy available at www.thisiscleveland.com/terms-of-use and www.thisiscleveland.com/privacy-policy.

Our brand showcases Cleveland as determined, fun, connecting, creative and unpretentious. Each piece of content that we create exemplifies those brand values and ultimately addresses why someone should consider Cleveland as a destination.

Please know that our voice, tone and style is carefully defined to ensure that the content we share with visitors aligns with our brand, industry data, audience research and the values of Destination Cleveland. We also spend a considerable amount of time, effort and energy cultivating an understanding of our audiences and how best to reach them. We are intentional in the content that we create, the visuals that we display and the words that we choose to share.

We know there’s way more to do than we could ever cover on our website and in our publications. But we also know that too much information can get overwhelming for a visitor. Our content provides visitors a taste of the Cleveland experience, while showcasing the places, people and things that make it a unique and welcoming destination.

We do our best to keep our content as up-to-date and accurate as possible, but sometimes things change before we know it. We appreciate when our partners and community notify us of outdated or incorrect content on our website (or, preferably, communicate upcoming changes to us in advance) so that we can update the website quickly.

Do you have an idea for an article, video or other piece of editorial content? Great! We love ideas. Just make sure to follow these guidelines if you plan to pitch one to us:

1. Editorial ideas must have a visitor angle.Meaning, before you pitch the idea, consider a few of these questions to determine if there is a fit:
   • Why would a visitor to Cleveland be interested?
   • How would this enhance a visitor’s experience in Cleveland?
   • How is this event/experience different from what they might have in their home town?
   • Would someone who lives 100+ miles away pack their bags, drive and pay for a hotel to experience the idea you pitched?
   • Is the attraction, activity or event open to the public? (This one’s a must.)
2. Just an appetizer will do. We’d love just an overview of your story idea. Sending a topic, proposed angle and sources we can contact, as well as how it relates to one or more of the brand values (determined, fun, connecting, creative and unpretentious), would be a great place to start.
3. Give us time. We plan our articles 8-12 weeks in advance. Therefore, if you have an idea that is time sensitive or seasonal, please give us advanced notice so that we can make sure it’s relevant by the time it’s published.
4. Be flexible. Know that we may accept, deny, edit, delay or cancel any proposed editorial content. We have a strategy for the decisions we make, so please understand that sometimes we have to make the tough call to not include an article.

Remember: while something might seem like a relatable and fun activity to someone living here in Cleveland, that's not always the case for potential visitors. It's also important to remember that timing is everything. Unexpected world events don't always work in our favor. At the end of the day, keep in mind that context is everything.

Paid content does not reflect the opinions of Destination Cleveland. Partners and advertisers have the right to request copy changes and updates to this material, but please note, all final content must be approved by Destination Cleveland and adhere to our brand standards. Paid content may include:

• Partner Listings: Partner information that is provided by our partner organizations. This includes their location, description, contact information and website link on a dedicated listing page.
• Advertisements: These are paid creative items that appear on our website but link offsite to the advertiser’s page.
• Sponsored content: Organizations may at times choose to be aligned with pieces of content, and will pay to sponsor it with a logo or mention.
• Advertorials: This is a paid piece of content that is in story format. Information is provided by the paying organization, and it is edited by Destination Cleveland for style and length. These are identified as paid content.
• Promoted materials: Destination Cleveland may promote content from partner organizations via social media channels or the website.

Destination Cleveland reserves the right to review, revise, and/or reject, any and all content that you provide in our sole discretion.

For questions regarding our editorial policy or to pitch a story idea, please email Lexi Robinson at [email protected].