Work With Us
Islington Local Guide — Pricing & Partnership Options
Work With Us! Reach the locals who already trust us to tell them where to go.
Islington Local Guide is North and East London’s discovery-led editorial platform. Every week, our 8,000+ newsletter subscribers and growing local audience use us to decide where to eat, drink, see and shop across N1,N5,N4,N19,N16,N7,N19,N1C,E8,E9,EC1,EC2,E1 E2,
We work exclusively with independent businesses we’d recommend ourselves. If that’s you, here’s how to be part of ILG.
At a Glance
Product
Price
Best For
Commitment
Free Listing
£0
Any local independent
None
Newsletter Sponsor
£150 per Email
Promotions /Events/New openings
Per Send
Partner Spotlight
£400 one-off
A proper editorial moment
One-time
Founding Partner
£700 per quarter
Sustained presence
12 Months
Enhanced listing upgrades also available on request — see below.
Free Listing — £0
For: any independent business in our coverage area.
A permanent home on Islington Local Guide. We believe every good independent in N1,N5,N4,N19,N16,N7,N19,N1C,E8,E9,EC1,EC2,E1 E2,
deserves to be discoverable — and we don’t charge for the basics.
What’s included
Listed under your category (Food & Drink, Nightlife, Things to Do, Shopping,
Services, Stay)
Listed under your neighbourhood page (Islington, Angel, King’s Cross, Shoreditch, Hackney, Finsbury Park)
Business name, address, opening hours, phone,
One photo
Short description (up to 100 words — you write it, or we’ll polish if you’d like) Google Maps integration so customers can find you
What it doesn’t include
No homepage feature, no priority placement, no editorial coverage, no social posts, no newsletter inclusion. Those come with paid options below.
Eligibility
Independent businesses only. We don’t list chains. We reserve the right to decline submissions that don’t fit our coverage area or editorial standards.
How to get listed
Submit below— usually live within 48 hours.
Newsletter Sponsor — £150 per email
For: businesses who want measurable, immediate exposure with no long commitment.
A featured slot in one weekly Islington Local Guide newsletter, sent every Thursday to 8,000+ engaged local subscribers across North and East London.
What’s included
One photo (you supply, or we shoot if you’re local to Angel/Hackney)
80–120 word write-up — drafted by us in the ILG voice, approved by you before sending
Direct link to your website, booking page, Instagram or wherever you want traffic
Performance report 48 hours after send: open rate, click-through, and the number of subscribers who clicked your link
Featured at the top of the newsletter, not buried at the bottom
Limits
One sponsor per newsletter — we don’t run multiple ads in the same email. This protects your visibility and keeps the newsletter feeling editorial, not commercial.
Best for
Event launches and one-off promotions
New menu drops or seasonal openings
Restaurant week or Bank Holiday weekend pushes
Businesses testing whether ILG’s audience is right for them before committing to bigger packages
How to book
Email mike@islingtonlocalguide.co.uk with your preferred send week. We typically have availability 2–3 weeks out.
Partner Spotlight — £400 (one-off) Most popular
For: businesses who want a proper editorial moment, not just an ad.
A full editorial feature written by the ILG team. We visit, taste, photograph and write — the kind of long-form piece readers actually screenshot and forward to friends.
What’s included
An 800–1,000 word feature article published as a standalone piece on islingtonlocalguide.co.uk, written in the ILG editorial voice
4–6 professional photographs of your business by ILG (yours to keep and reuse on your own website and social media — they’re often the best photos a small business has)
Lead spot in that week’s newsletter — featured to all 8,000+ subscribers.
Featured on the ILG homepage for 7 days, then permanent placement under the
relevant category
3 social posts across Instagram, Facebook and Nextdoor — published over the launch week
Permanent SEO presence — your feature stays on the site indefinitely and continues to attract Google search traffic for years (this is often the most underrated benefit)
Editorial control — you see the full piece before it publishes and can request changes
The honesty clause
A Partner Spotlight is paid editorial, but it’s still editorial. We write it honestly. If we visit your business and don’t think we can write something genuinely positive, we’ll tell you and refund you in full. No hard feelings, no published piece. That’s how we stay trusted with our readers — and it’s why a Partner Spotlight is worth more than a generic sponsored post elsewhere.
Limits
We publish a maximum of three Partner Spotlights per month. The format only works if it stays selective. When the slots are full, we book the next available month.
Best for
New openings (most powerful in the first 90 days)
Anniversaries, relaunches, refurbishments
Menu changes or seasonal moments
Businesses with a story worth telling — a chef’s background, a building’s history, a unique approach
Anyone who wants to be known not just listed
How to book
Email mike@islingtonlocalguide.co.uk. We’ll set up a 15-minute call to make sure ILG is the right fit for your business before taking payment.
Founding Partner — £700 per quarter (introductory rate)
For: businesses who want sustained, ongoing presence rather than a one-off moment.
Limited to 5 founding partners at this introductory rate. The rate is locked in for 12 months — when we raise prices for new partners later (and we will, as the audience grows), founding partners stay at £900/quarter.
What’s included (per quarter)
One Partner Spotlight per quarter — so 4 full editorial features a year, allowing you to tell different stories across the seasons
One Newsletter Sponsorship per month — 12 sponsored sends over the year, ideal for ongoing promotions, events and seasonal pushes
“Founding Partner” badge on every feature, listing and mention — signals long standing local credibility to readers
Priority placement in any seasonal Best Of guides where you’d genuinely fit (Best Brunch, Best Beer Gardens, Best New Openings, etc.) — note: only where editorially appropriate, never forced
Quarterly strategy call with Mike — 30 minutes to review what’s working, what to push next, and brainstorm ideas
First refusal on any new ILG products — events, podcast, print zine, awards nights — founding partners get first access at preferred rates
Direct line to the editor — your messages don’t go through a form
Value comparison
Booked separately, this would cost:
4 Partner Spotlights × £400 = £1,600
12 Newsletter Sponsorships × £150 = £1,800
Total: £3,400/year
Founding Partner price = £700 × 4 = £2800/year billed quarterly
The saving isn’t really financial — it’s access, priority, locked-in pricing, and the strategic relationship. You’re paying roughly the same as buying components separately, but you’re getting first call on everything new and protection from future
price rises.
Limits
5 partners only. When all 5 spots are filled, we close the founding cohort. Future partnership tiers will start at a higher price point.
Best for
Established independents with marketing budget who want ILG as a reliable ongoing channel
Businesses with multiple stories to tell across the year (seasonal menus, events, expansions)
Owners who want to build a strategic relationship with the platform, not just transactional buys
Anyone who’d rather lock in today’s pricing than risk paying more later
How to apply
Email mike@islingtonlocalguide.co.uk. Founding Partner spots include a longer onboarding conversation — we want to make sure it’s the right fit for both sides before either of us commits to 12 months.
Other Package options
The packages above are how most businesses work with us — they’re built around what we believe drives the best results for local independents on ILG. But we also offer two enhanced listing options for businesses who specifically want greater on-site visibility without the editorial or newsletter components.
These are available on request rather than actively promoted, because frankly, our Newsletter Sponsor and Partner Spotlight products will deliver more for most businesses at a similar price point. If you’d still prefer one of these, we’re happy to set it up.
Featured Listing — £39/month or £390/year
An enhanced version of your free listing.
Includes everything in a Free Listing, plus:
Up to 8 photos in your gallery
Direct booking and contact form on your listing page
Tagline, price range, FAQs, menu and announcements
Social media links
Tags and keywords for improved search
“Featured” badge on your listing
Priority placement within your category
Featured Plus — £79/month or £790/year
Everything in Featured Listing, plus:
Homepage feature in our Editor’s Picks rotation
Stronger placement across category and neighbourhood pages
More prominent listing presentation
One social media post per month across Instagram, Facebook and Nextdoor
Email mike@islingtonlocalguide.co.uk and mention which tier you’d like if you are unsure which package to choose. We’ll have a quick chat first to make sure you’re getting the best value for your goals — for some businesses, a one-off Partner Spotlight at £400 will deliver more than a year of Featured Listing, and we’d rather tell you that up front.
Social Spotlight - £50
Add extra promotional support through Instagram Reels/ Carousels to help put your business in front of a wider local audience this also includes a post on Facebook,next door & Pinterest.
Why ILG works
We’re local. We live and work in the area we cover. Our reviews come from people who actually go to these places, not freelancers based in another city.
We’re editorial, not algorithmic. Readers don’t trust Google or Yelp’s stars. They trust a friend who knows the area. That’s what ILG is built to be — and that’s what your business gets associated with when we feature you.
We don’t work with chains. Our coverage is independents only. Readers know everything they’re seeing on ILG is genuinely local — which is why our recommendations carry weight.
We say no to bad fits. We’ve turned down paid features before, and we’ll do it again. That’s not a marketing line — it’s the operating principle that protects everyone we do feature.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change plans later?
Yes. Newsletter Sponsorships and Partner Spotlights are one-off purchases — book another whenever. Featured Listings can be cancelled or upgraded any time. Founding Partner is a 12-month commitment, but you can layer additional Spotlights or sponsorships on top whenever you want.
Do you take payment to be in editorial Best Of lists?
No. Our weekly What’s On posts, Best Of guides, and reviews are written independently and are not for sale. Featured Listings affect on-page placement only — clearly labelled. Partner Spotlights are clearly labelled too. Editorial picks are editorial picks.
What’s the difference between a Featured Listing and a Partner Spotlight?
A Featured Listing keeps you visible on the site — it’s enhanced presence, not editorial coverage. A Partner Spotlight is a written feature about your business, distributed across the site, newsletter and social, and lives on permanently as an article. They do different jobs. For most businesses, the Spotlight delivers more — which is why we recommend it first.
Do you work with chains?
No. ILG is independents only. If your business has more than Five locations, please get in touch and we’ll discuss case-by-case — but our default is no.
How quickly can a Newsletter Sponsorship go out?
Usually 2–3 weeks from booking. Our slots fill up, especially around Bank Holidays and Christmas — book ahead where possible.
How quickly can a Partner Spotlight be published?
Typically 3–4 weeks from booking: a week for the visit and shoot, a week to write and edit, a week for your review and approvals, then publication. Faster turnarounds are possible if you have a hard launch date — let us know.
Can I just buy display ads on the site?
We don’t run display ads. They harm reader experience and they’re worth almost nothing at our scale. The products on this page are designed to do what banner ads can’t: actually drive customers to your business.
What if my business doesn’t fit ILG?
We’ll tell you up front. Better to lose a potential sale than to publish something we don’t believe in. If you’re not sure whether ILG is right for you, email and ask.
Ready to work with us?
Or just email mike@islingtonlocalguide.co.uk and tell us about your business.
Islington Local Guide is North and East London’s discovery-led editorial platform, covering Islington, Angel, King’s Cross, Shoreditch, Hackney and the surrounding neighbourhoods. We publish weekly editorial coverage of the best places to eat, drink, see and do — read by 8,000+ local subscribers and growing. Come and Work With Us and promotr your business to 1000’s of Locals and Visitors
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