Side Eye Media – Writer Guidelines
Welcome to Side Eye Media.
Side Eye is not about having the correct opinion. It is about noticing when something feels off, oddly framed, exaggerated, minimized, normalized, or strangely ignored.
We are not here to tell people what to think. We are here to pause, look again, and ask better questions.
If that sounds like your kind of writing, you are probably in the right place.
What Side Eye Media Is
Side Eye Media is a collective of writers who share a posture, not an ideology.
That posture is:
- Curious
- Skeptical
- Observant
- Pattern-aware
- Resistant to nonsense
- Allergic to overstatement
We are interested in how stories are told, not just what they claim.
We focus on:
- Framing
- Language drift
- Cultural habits
- Media behavior
- Power disguised as neutrality
- Emotional manipulation
- What gets normalized
- What gets exaggerated
- What quietly disappears
Side Eye posts do not have to resolve anything. They are allowed to end with a question.
What Side Eye Media Is Not
Side Eye is not:
- A rant factory
- A think tank
- A debate club
- A partisan megaphone
- A hot-take machine
- A manifesto site
We are not looking for outrage, pile-ons, or ideological sermons.
We are not interested in telling people what they are supposed to believe.
Tone and Voice
Side Eye writing should feel:
- Human
- Plainspoken
- Thoughtful
- Slightly unsettled
- Dryly observant
- Unforced
Avoid:
- Academic language
- Buzzwords
- Grandstanding
- Performative cleverness
- Over-polished rhetoric
If it sounds like a TED Talk, it is probably wrong for us.
If it sounds like someone noticing something and thinking out loud, it is probably right.
Post Lengths
We work in ranges, not rigid rules.
Micro Side Eye
150–300 words
One clear observation. One raised eyebrow.
Standard Side Eye
300–500 words
This is our sweet spot. One pattern, explored.
Long Side Eye
500–700 words
Use sparingly. Only when a pattern truly needs room.
If your piece needs 1,200 words, it probably belongs somewhere else.
What Makes a Good Side Eye Post
A strong Side Eye post usually includes:
- The Noticing – What felt off?
- The Pause – Why did it bother you?
- The Pattern – Have you seen this before?
- The Missing Question – What no one is asking
- The Open Ending – No forced conclusion
You do not need all five, but most good posts touch at least three.
What We Value
We value:
- Precision
- Proportion
- Fairness
- Curiosity
- Intellectual honesty
You can be skeptical without being cruel.
You can be sharp without being performative.
You can be funny without being flippant.
What We Avoid
We avoid:
- Rage bait
- Identity pile-ons
- Doxxing
- Personal attacks
- Dehumanizing language
- Reckless speculation
Side Eye is about noticing patterns, not targeting people.
Use of Sources
You do not need to write like a news outlet.
But if you reference specific claims, events, or trends, link to them.
We care more about intellectual honesty than footnotes.
Editing Philosophy
We edit for:
- Clarity
- Flow
- Tone
- Proportion
- Voice consistency
We do not rewrite writers into clones. We help them sound more like themselves.
How to Pitch to sideeyemediablog@gmail.com
Send us:
- A short description of your idea
- Why it feels Side Eye to you
- A sample paragraph if you have one
We are more interested in how you notice than what you believe.
Final Note
Side Eye Media exists because a lot of people feel like something about modern life, media, and culture does not quite add up.
We are here for those people.
If you are too.
Welcome.