Submission Guide

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Content Guidelines

So you'd like to share your wisdom with the work community by contributing to the Community Blog? Great! We're excited to read what you have to share. We're open to a wide range of topics, but there are a few things we look for in content submissions. Here's what you should include:

Supporting information

We welcome and encourage unique perspectives that are accompanied by supporting information. Whatever the topic you’re writing about, include references to research or share personal anecdotes that illustrate the point.

Actionable takeaways

Workers and clients alike are seeking advice on the next steps they can take to achieve their goals. Whether your article is targeted at talent, clients, or the general workforce, include actionable takeaways. What’s the point of the information you shared? How can it be translated into a list of actions to take?

Unique perspective

In the age of the Great Resignation, the internet is full of articles and advice for independent talent and clients looking to grow their businesses in this new landscape. As such, we’re particularly interested in unique perspectives. How is your experience different from others we’ve seen? What insight can you provide that others might not have?

In addition to the above, we also look for:

• An evergreen topic relevant to work or career
• Limited Spelling and Grammar mistakes

We won't be able to accept submissions that include:

• Topic unrelated to work
• Significant spelling or grammatical errors
• Political topics
• Religious topics
• Legal topics (tax advice, business compliance or incorporation advice, etc.)

You probably know this one, but we also can't accept submissions that violate the Community Guidelines or Upwork Terms of Service.

Submission Process

So you've familiarized yourself with the above guidelines and drafted, tinkered with, and proofread a unique and engaging article. So what happens now?

1. Gather the components needed for submission:
1. Your article draft (you probably knew that one)
2. An engaging cover photo that pairs well with your topic. This should be a photo you've taken, have the rights to use, or that is available for public use (like photos from Unsplash). Keep these guidelines in mind when choosing a cover photo:
   1. The photo should be in landscape mode
   2. It should be as relevant to the topic as possible
   3. It should be a photo, not an illustration
   4. The photo should be in color, not black and white
   5. It can feature people or not
   6. No profanity or nudity (but you knew that)
3. A one-sentence teaser introducing your article. This will display on the blog homepage. This is your shot to get Community members' attention. Don't worry if it's not perfect; we'll help polish it.
4. A short bio about yourself. Make sure your Community profile is up to date. Show readers who you are and why they should trust your expertise. To edit your Community bio, click your photo (it may be a blank circle if you haven't added a photo) in the upper right corner of any Community page and select "Settings", then "Personal Information", then fill in the "Biography" section, and click the green "Save" button. 
5. A profile photo. If you aren’t a freelancer, you might not have a photo attached to your account. You’ll want to add one via Upwork.com by going to Settings, then “My Info”, then clicking the pencil icon in the “Account” section.
   
2. Head over to the submission page and submit all the goodies from above.
3. It'll take us about 7-10 business days to review your submission. Please be patient!
4. Once we've reviewed your article, one of two things will happen:
1. You won't hear anything. As they say, "No news is good news." This probably means we're publishing your article!
2. You'll receive a notification that we've returned your draft to you. If we think it just needs a little extra polish, we'll tell you that. If we can't publish your work, we'll tell you that too and, when possible, explain why. 

The process is that simple! By submitting an article, you're agreeing to the Community Contributor Agreement.

If you have questions check out our Frequently Asked Questions or post a question here in our group.