Win a Trip to NYIAS: Contest Writing Tips

04.04.2011 | By eric

High Gear Media, Hyundai, and the New York International Auto Show are offering aspiring automotive writers inside access to cover the 2011 New York Auto Show.

Interested in getting flown to New York City with a guest to help us cover the big event?

Here are some tips and pointers to help you impress our editorial team and to give you the best shot to win.

Write about your favorite auto show moment!
The contest theme is this: write about your favorite auto show moment.

It only takes one published story to count as a contest prize entry! And the more you write, the better your chances to win.

Want some examples to help get your creative juices flowing? Look no further than the NAIAS Auto Show Flash Mob:

And here’s the 2007 NAIAS Chrysler Group Minivan Press Announcement:

Or you may simply have a car in mind that was introduced at an auto show that simply dazzled you, thus prompting you to get to a computer to write frantically:

Be creative and have fun!
The point is that we want you to take this contest and make it your own. Maybe you have a fond memory as a child of attending your first auto show – such as is the case for me when I saw the Batmobile at the New York Auto Show in the late ‘80s! Or perhaps there was an event or moment that changed the way you think about cars or represented a new era in a fundamental way. Or it’s something that went down at an auto show that was just so much fun, so weird, or so memorable that it can’t help but leap to mind as your favorite auto show moment.

And/but… tight, focused, and well written
Our editorial team will be looking for the very best so make sure you bring yours!

Submissions should be at least 250 words but focused like the proverbial laser on your favorite auto show moment. And of course review your work several times for spelling, grammar, and readability so that your copy will really pop off of the monitor.

Big hint: check out what our editors produce everyday on sites like The Car Connection, Motor Authority, and Green Car Reports to get a sense of their style.

Check your facts
Back up your opinions and references with source links. Check out how you should do that here.

Use images and video
Our open blogging platform gives you access to a huge library of photos. Make sure that you select at least one that runs at the top of your story. Also, YouTube is an amazing resource to support your stories with relevant video. In short, images + videos make your submission prettier.

Be original (no cheating!)
Using the power of technology, we have ways of checking to make sure content has not been published previously and is wholly original. Any article that plagiarizes material from other sources, doesn’t cite quoted sources, or improperly uses copyrighted material will be disqualified.

Write about cars and enter to win a trip to cover the New York Auto Show: the recap
Here’s the quick recap on everything you need to know:

* High Gear Media and Hyundai are offering aspiring automotive writers inside access to cover the 2011 New York Auto Show.
* All published articles submitted between April 4th and April 11th count as entries.
* The more you write, the better your chance to win. Winner flies to New York as a guest of Hyundai and High Gear Media.

All you need to do is click here to get started…

TechCrunch: Can High Gear Media Turn Lousy Blog Economics into a Huge Exit?

03.19.2011 | By jeff

High Gear Media CEO Matt Heist had an opportunity this week to drop by the TechCrunch TV studio and sit-down for an interview with Sarah Lacy to walk through High Gear Media’s growth and unique approach to automotive publishing.

Here are both parts to the interview where Matt explains what we are up to, the momentum we’ve been able to create, as well as what’s unique about building a media business in automotive. You can see a piece of the full interview below.

And, here is part one of the interview as well as the related article.

TheCarConnection’s Night at the Oscars

02.28.2011 | By jeff

Well, sort of.  The Car Connection, High Gear Media’s flagship car review and information site, didn’t exactly win any best dressed awards at the 2011 Academy Awards.  But the site, and our editor’s work, did appear on a commercial Hyundai aired nationally during the telecast viewed by millions.

Hyundai is advertising its new Elantra and quoted from Deputy Editor Bengt Halvorson’s review of the car in the national spot that has also aired during the NBA’s all-star weekend.  The folks at Hyundai were good enough to get us a copy of the ad so we can show you below.  Take a peek at our Oscars exposure.  Next year, Bengt may need to rent a tuxedo.