Olivia Dunnett

I think a focus on the emotional impact is probably the most important thing. If the subject line gives me a sense of how the story felt — shocking, heartwarming, inspiring — that immediately tells me whether it fits our readers.

Specific numbers — amounts of money in particular work very well on our covers. For example, 'I make £800k a year selling saucy snaps' lands much harder than 'I got rich selling saucy snaps'. The more specific, the more believable and the more shareable.

We're always looking for real-life stories which haven't already been snapped up by other big agencies. One of our hardest features to fill are Closer covers — shocking and unusual stories focusing on sex and relationships. If you've got something in that space that's genuinely exclusive, we want to hear from you.

The emphasis should be on a personal story. Rather than 'I'm an expert on X', something like 'Y happened to me, and now I'm an expert on X' works so much better. Our readers connect with lived experience above all else, so the more personal and specific the story, the better it fits.