FAQs

General

What is Off The Leash?
Established in 2007, Off The Leash Inc. is a not-for-profit organisation with a focus on promoting NT events. There are two main elements that make up Off The Leash – the website and the print magazine.

Off The Leash magazine is your indispensable guide to what’s on across the Northern Territory's Top End, with 10,000 copies printed every month, distributed to over 200 locations across the Top End. In each edition, you'll find inspired articles, insightful recommendations and the most comprehensive event listings and calendar available – Off The Leash is the perfect read for those wanting to make the most of life in the Top End.

The Off The Leash website is dedicated to showcasing the events, arts and culture of the Top End online – the perfect complement to the print magazine. Features from the print magazine are uploaded to the website each month, keeping the content fresh and allowing for easy sharing amongst our advertisers and audience. Event organisers can upload their events, which is the best way to get on our radar.

Scroll down to find out how it all works!

Is Off The Leash a fully funded government project?
Nope! Many people think OTL is a fully funded government project, but that’s not the case. We are very fortunate to receive some funding from Arts NT, but to put this in perspective, the support we receive almost covers two of the 10 editions we print each year, the rest is underpinned by advertisement bookings.

How many people are on the team?
Three people make up the core team: Managing Editor and Development Manager, Editorial Assistant and Graphic Designer. We are small but mighty!

Is there a board?
There sure is. Our wonderful volunteer board is made up of a range of Top Enders with a range of experience and skill sets to support different areas, including communications, marketing, law, strategic planning, business, culture and community.

PRINT MAGAZINE

How do I get my event in the print magazine?

Advertise with us! By advertising with Off The Leash, you can guarantee your event will be highlighted in the magazine through your ad artwork. With a readership of over 30,000 Top Enders per month, and a reliable and comprehensive events guide, your target market is primed to receive your message.

You may also get your event listed for free by submitting an event online and by our due date – this is not guaranteed. If you really don’t want to miss your event being in the magazine, advertising will guarantee it’s included.

How do the articles in Off The Leash work?
Depending on our deadline, the space within the publication and what the event is, the Managing Editor may offer editorial support, which is written in-house by our editorial team – in other words, we don’t do advertorial. Features from the print magazine are uploaded to the OTL website ready for sharing far and wide across your online networks. Feature uploads can only be done by OTL staff – talk about exclusive!

Who reads Off The Leash?
Readership of Off The Leash is approximately 30,000. They are active, savvy and engaged people who are great networkers and like to know what’s going on and when. Best of all, they plan, book and attend your events – not to mention they bring their mates too!

When is Off The Leash printed?
Off The Leash is printed monthly, 10 times per year. Editions include: Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec/Jan (combined)
Note: there is no Feb edition

How much does it cost to advertise in Off The Leash magazine?
Advertising in the magazine ensures an entire calendar month worth of exposure at affordable rates, well below other commercial advertising options. Our prices start at just $180 per month, and with advertising options in print and online, we’ve got all your bases covered. We also offer not-for-profit rates. Click here to download our media kit.

When are the deadlines for print?
The deadlines can change from month to month, but a general rule of thumb is that bookings close on the 10th of the month prior, with ad artwork due on the 15th of the month prior. So, for the March edition, bookings are due on the 10th of Feb and artwork is due on the 15th.

For the chance to get a free listing in the print magazine, only events uploaded by the 5th of the month prior will be considered. So, for the March edition, this cut-off date is the 5th of Feb.

Time can get away from me, so staying on top of deadlines can be tricky. Do you send out monthly reminders?
We sure do! Each month, the Managing Editor emails the advertiser database to let them know about upcoming deadlines for the next edition. If you’d like to be added to this list, please sign up here. We also recommend popping in a regular reminder in your calendar – two prompts are better than one!

WEBSITE

How do I get my event on the OTL website?
If you've got a special event, gig, exhibition or workshop coming up, then be sure to upload a free event listing to the Off The Leash website – kind of the same way you’d upload your event to Facebook. By submitting an event online and by our due date, there is a chance of having your event listed in our print magazine. Your event is, however, guaranteed to be listed on our website. It's a worthy exercise give our website is visited by hundreds of people every day!

Sign up for a user account here. Download the Event Organisers User Guide here.

Does it cost anything to upload my event to the website?
Nope. Not a cent. The only cost where our website is concerned is if you opt for one of the website advert slots.

The website User Guide notes that text and logos are not permitted on images ­– why is that?
If we are able to include a listing in the print magazine, we may also have space for an image, but we can’t include anything with text or logos within the print magazine. This gives us the option to consider your image for inclusion.

It also keeps our website looking clean and fresh, and in line with the print magazine, without our audience feeling like they’re being overwhelmed with branding. Trust us, it’s a good thing!

The text I uploaded in my event has been changed – why?
All events uploaded to our website are reviewed by OTL staff before being published on our website. It’s important the language is in line with our tone, keeping it relevant to our audience. We also check for typos, possible date errors and relevance to the Top End community – events held in Sydney would be a bit weird, for example.

When are the deadlines for the website?
You can upload to the website any time of the day, but please note, as our staff work part-time, it may take 2-3 business days to approve your listing. For the chance to be considered for a free listing in the print magazine, the cut-off is the 5th of the month prior. So, for the March edition, the deadline is the 5th of Feb.

Can Off The Leash upload my event for me?
Off The Leash does not upload events on behalf or event organisers for a number of reasons:

1. The main one is that it’s not our event – we don’t know all of the information. By event organisers being responsible for their uploads, you can be sure you’re giving us the most accurate information possible, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak!
2. You have more control over your listing. Time or date change? No worries – you can go ahead and edit your listing, which is sent back to us for approval.
3. It’s a free service. We don’t have the time or capacity to upload online listings – we’ve got a magazine to put together – but you can help yourself by getting your event on our radar by uploading to our website, free of charge.
4. It’s the same rules for everyone. Even advertisers in the print magazine need to upload their own events. This allows for transparency – you know that all events on our website have been uploaded by passionate people keen to let Top Enders know about their big event.

I’m not tech savvy – can Off The Leash help me?
We sure can. We have a comprehensive User Guide with step-by-step instructions, and there are also prompts during the upload process. If you run into any problems, you’re always welcome to give us a bell and we’ll try to troubleshoot it through with you over the phone.

For readers

Where can I get my hands on a copy?
Off The Leash is distributed to over 200 locations across the Top End, including pubs, bars, cafés, restaurants, libraries, council offices, shopping centres, art galleries and more. Copies can also be collected from the front of OTL HQ, located in Harbour View Plaza, Darwin.

When is Off The Leash printed?
Off The Leash is printed monthly, 10 times per year. Editions include: Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec/Jan (combined)
Note: there is no Feb edition

I don’t live in an area where I can get a copy – can you post one to me?
Due to budget and time constraints, we don’t have the capacity to post out individual copies. We do, however, send out a link to the magazine every month in our e-news. If you’d like to receive this, you can find the sign-up box in the footer below.

Lots of people at my workplace read Off The Leash, and we’d like to be added to your distribution. Can you deliver to us?
If you’re located in the Top End, then yes! Please email editor@offtheleash.net.au with your name, address, number of copies requested (min. 20) and the best contact. You’ll be included in the next round, hot off the press!