Get featured in Dorset Echo
Local news for Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester
We write a custom feature about you and manage the placement. You approve every word before it goes live.
- You approve every word
- Unlimited revisions
- Reply within 24 hours
How do I get featured in Dorset Echo?
We develop your story, write the feature to editorial standard, and manage the placement. You approve every word before anything goes live.
About Dorset Echo
The Dorset Echo is a Newsquest local newspaper for south and west Dorset, centred on Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester, covering local news, business, sport and community life.
Why a feature here matters
The Echo is where people in Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester look for news about their own towns, so a feature there reaches local customers, staff and community leaders directly.
Best for: Dorset businesses, hospitality and tourism firms, independent shops, tradespeople, clinics, charities and local founders.
How coverage happens at Dorset Echo
There are two ways in. The first is to contact the newsroom yourself: send a short, specific note with the local facts and a named contact, using the details the paper lists on its site, or write to the letters page. Local papers depend on readers for news, so this route is open to anyone. It is free, but it is slow, and the editors decide what runs and when. The second is to work with DNA. We develop the angle with you, write the feature to the Echo's standard and manage the placement. You approve every word before it goes live, and we tell you plainly if your story does not suit a Dorset readership.
The kind of story that lands
The Echo covers a coastal area where tourism, hospitality, small business and community life drive the news. The strongest stories are rooted in a named town. A Weymouth hotel or restaurant preparing for the season, a Portland business taking on staff, a Dorchester firm expanding, a tradesperson with practical advice for local homeowners or a charity responding to a local need all fit its pages. Its business coverage suits independent firms with a visible local presence, and its community pages suit clubs, schools and organisations doing something new. A national story with Dorset added on top is a weak fit, and so is a product announcement with no local consequence.
How to Get Featured in the Dorset Echo
To get featured in the Dorset Echo, you need a story that matters to readers in Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester and the surrounding area, and a route to the newsroom. That means sending news to the reporters who cover your patch, writing to the letters page, or having a feature developed and placed with professional help.
Contacting the newsroom yourself is free, but it is slow and the editors decide what runs. DNA offers another way in: we develop the story with you, write it to the Echo's standard, manage the placement, and you approve every word before it goes live.
What the Dorset Echo is
The Dorset Echo is a local newspaper for south and west Dorset, centred on Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester. It is published by Newsquest, one of the largest regional news publishers in the UK, and its website at dorsetecho.co.uk carries the same local reporting as the paper. For many readers in the area it is the first place to look for news about their town.
What the Dorset Echo covers
The Echo is resolutely local. It covers councils, planning, schools, health services, courts, crime and transport, along with the coast and the harbour towns that define the area. Business news follows local firms, shops, hospitality and tourism, which matters a great deal in a seaside economy. Sport covers local football, including Weymouth and Dorchester Town, and the wider grassroots scene.
There is a strong community strand too: what's on listings, nostalgia, clubs, charities, schools and village life. The letters page gives readers a voice on local issues, from planning rows to the state of the seafront.
How to submit a story to the Dorset Echo
If you are searching for how to submit a story to the Dorset Echo, the simplest route is to contact the newsroom using the details the paper lists on its site. Local newspapers rely on readers for tips, community news and photographs, so a clear, well-made submission has a real chance of being read. Check the bylines on recent stories to see who covers your town or subject.
A strong submission:
- Says what has happened or is about to happen, in plain terms.
- Names the town or village and the people involved.
- Includes a contact who is happy to be quoted.
- Comes with a good photograph if you have one and own the rights to it.
Letters go through the route the paper gives for its letters page. A submission is a suggestion, and coverage is at the paper's discretion.
What makes a strong piece for the Echo
Local relevance is everything. A family business marking a milestone in Weymouth, a new venture on Portland, a Dorchester firm taking on staff, a charity responding to a local need or a hospitality owner preparing for the summer season all fit naturally. The best pieces name real people and places and give readers a reason to care this week.
A national story with Dorset mentioned in passing is a weak fit. If your story is genuinely national, a title such as The Independent is a different and more suitable target.
How the process works
With DNA, the work runs in four steps. We check whether your story has a real Dorset angle and tell you plainly if it does not. You share the substance: what you do, what has changed and why it matters locally. We draft the feature to the Echo's standard and revise it with you. Once you approve every word, we manage the placement and send you the live link.
How long it takes
Expect weeks rather than days. The angle, drafting, your review and the placement all take time, and local news events can move schedules. We do not promise a date or an outcome.
How we get you in Dorset Echo
Questions about Dorset Echo
Is the Dorset Echo coverage a real, published feature?
Yes. It is a genuine article published on the outlet, written about you and your work — not an ad you design yourself.
How long does it take?
Most placements take weeks rather than days. We give you a realistic timeline for Dorset Echo before we start, and never promise a date we cannot control.
What if I am not happy with the draft?
You review and revise until it is right. Nothing publishes without your approval.
How do I submit a story to the Dorset Echo?
Contact the newsroom using the details listed on the Echo's site, or approach the reporter who covers your area. Keep it short, local and specific, and include someone who can be quoted. The editors decide whether to run it.
Can I write a letter to the Dorset Echo?
Yes. The paper runs letters from readers on local issues. Use the route it gives for its letters page and check any current requirements before you send.
Can a local business be featured in the Dorset Echo?
Yes, when there is a story with real local interest. You can contact the newsroom yourself, or work with DNA: we develop the angle, write the feature to the Echo's standard and manage the placement, and you approve every word first.