Here's How To Have Your Event Seen By Thousands Of FL Patch Readers

FLORIDA — With temperatures topping out at 97 degrees and pools still welcoming residents seeking to cool off, it's hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner.

Organizations, churches, recreation departments, businesses, nonprofits and merchant associations are already making plans for pumpkin patches, Oktoberfest events, fall festivals, trick-or-treat activities and haunted houses.

There are thousands of seasonal events taking place throughout Tampa Bay — many more than Florida Patch editors D'Ann White and Tiffany Razzano can post. That's why we make it easy for readers to post and share their events on our calendars.

Readers have the ability to post their own events, stories, classified ads, opinions and even promote their businesses on more than 30 Patch news sites in Tampa Bay and the Miami area. Here's how:

If you haven’t already created a user account on Patch, click here to learn how.

If you do have an account, follow these steps:

Post an event:

1. Click the green "Post" button on the home page of your local community, then click the "event" tab.
2. Enter the date and time for when your event is happening. Your event will be on the calendar until the time of your event.
3. Let people know where your event will be held.
4. Describe your event! You can write as much as you’d like here.
5. Choose an image for your event. Ideal image size is 1200x900 pixels.
6. Click Next, then either click Post or read below to see how to promote your event in nearby areas.
7. PROMOTING YOUR EVENT: you can promote your event for $2 per day per Patch. Your event can be highlighted for up to 30 days before your event on the top of the calendar, on the Patch homepage, on article pages, and in email newsletters. Choose nearby communities to share your event in as well as your home Patch, select the dates you'd like your event to be promoted for, then click “Next” to add your payment information and post.

Post a classified:

1. Click the green "Post" button on the home page of your local community, then click the "classified" tab.
2. Choose which category of classified you’re posting.
3. Write a headline for your classified. Keep it under 100 characters!
4. Write details about your classified in the text box.
5. Choose an image for your classified. Ideal image size is 1200x900 pixels.
6. Click Next, then either click Post or read below to see how to promote your event in nearby areas.
7. PROMOTING YOUR CLASSIFIED: You can promote your classified for $2 per day in every community it’s shared to. Your classified will be highlighted on Patch pages, and in email newsletters. Choose some nearby communities to share your classified to, as well as your home community, choose when you'd like your classified to be promoted, then click “Next” to add your payment information and post.

Post an article:

1. Go to the drop-down menu in the top right corner of your page (click on your name)
2. Click “Write an Article” or go to my.patch.com/node/add/article
3. Select where you would like your article to appear within your home Patch
4. Write a headline for your article – 65 characters or less. Keep it concise!
5. Write a subheadline. What’s a quick summary of what your article is about?
6. Choose an image for your article if you’d like. Ideal image size is 1200x900 pixels.
7. Write your article! We have several tools to help with formatting your article how you’d like.
8. You can either save your post as a draft (this allows you to come back to it later if you want to add more) or post it right away. Currently, there is no way to preview your article before you post but luckily you can always go back and edit your article as much as you’d like.

Anything about your business that you want your community members to know, share it in your local Business Listing on Patch.

Here's how to post:

1. Click in the Post box on the homepage of your local Patch homepage. Navigate over the far right tab that says "Business Listing", or click here.
2. Fill out the fields in the form including your business name, a headline for the featured business tile, a description of your business, and contact information.
3. Upload some photos to make your post more eye-catching. Your header image will appear when a Patch reader clicks on your business and will appear at the top of your business listing. Your image will show on all of the tiles for your business across Patch and should be your business logo or other eye-catching image.
4. Once you're satisfied with the information you've input, click the green Next button. Don't worry about this being perfect, you can always go back and edit your post whenever you need to after publishing.
5. Now it's time to determine which Patch communities you want your business featured on. You must feature your business in your home Patch community, so that area will be automatically selected. The base price is $79/month for featuring in your home community, and an additional $79/month for each additional community you select.
6. After you are satisfied with the communities you've selected, click the green "Next" button. You will pay via credit or debit card on this page. Please note that this is a monthly subscription to have your business featured, and the payment will renew each month. If you would like to cancel the subscription at any time, follow these instructions.
7. After entering payment information, click "Start subscription." Your ad will be live in every community you selected to be featured in and will be visible on the home page, at the very top of the Local Marketplace page, and will also be featured in our daily newsletters.

If you have any questions or need help posting on Patch, contact support@patch.com.