WorkLifePlay Editorial Guidelines

So you’re keen to write for WorkLifePlay? Excellent…we’re keen to hear your idea BUT before you begin, let’s chat about the editorial guidelines that work best for our members…

We accept written articles together with supporting images, infographics, SlideShare decks and YouTube and Vimeo hosted video. If you have something else that you would like to include then just ask and we will try to accommodate outside these editorial guidelines.

Our primary goal is to appeal to the needs of our viewers – primarily the age group is 25 to 40, and 65% are women, 35% men whose main language is English. They are well-educated, sophisticated, luxury oriented and savvy, both at home and at work. Generally they are successful, or on the pathway to success, but are seeking genuine answers to the conundrum we all face – how to gain the optimum balance between Work, Life and Play.

In an article the critical thing that we seek is answers – we like bold, decisive commentary. If you send us an outline, draft or article that talks about the perennial “7 Ways To Master Origami Whilst Driving A Mercedes-Benz On Autopilot” (yes, that old chestnut) – then we like to see sensible, well researched structure that in the end provides a definitive recommendation (maybe a couple if there are varying circumstances).

So, before you start slamming the keys on your next piece of digital brilliance, here are some more editorial guidelines…

Actionable Outcomes – leap into the matter quickly, cover the subject in reasonable depth and give real, practical advice that can be implemented today or tomorrow, and that will deliver a positive outcome
Quality – our viewers have told us, and the data reinforces this, that they will indeed read 5,000 words if the item is compelling, they also value short sharp lessons based on the real experience of the author
Structure – think of a thesis summary page – compelling heading, sub-heading, intro, three to four sections, sub-sections if required, a summary and review and recommendations – and we love reference resources at the end…and a bio under 50 words is just fine
Length – today, size is everything. Although the pure number of words is not our priority, anything under 1k is unlikely to make it live, and 1.5-2.5k is ideal…past 3k and you should start writing that book you are always talking about at dinner parties
Links – yes, we know they are important – just don’t over cook the goose – one home page, one deep link and one or two supporting links to important references is the ideal balance…plus reference resources at the end
Language – we don’t mean what you talk or write in (we only do English at the moment, both US and UK spelling is fine), but please be light on the f-bombs…we’re not complete prudes by any stretch of the imagination, and we have dropped a few f-bombs and got s-faced ourselves on occasion…but be judicious, not gross
Opinions – we encourage them and we will do our best not to water them down editorially or play censor, but there will be times when we will say no to publishing extreme views
No no no’s – no Adult, no Gambling, no illegal Drugs promotion, however we are open to rich discussion content where it adds value to our viewers
Images and Video – as you will see from our own material, quality images and video are essential – if you can’t supply then we will add from our iStock library.
Copyright – we will assume that you own the copyright to the materials that you submit
Plagiarism – we run everything through copy checking screening software…if your material fails there are no second chances

If you’d like to pitch your idea, simply fill out our Contact Us form, give us a brief background and we’ll respond asap, and always by the next business day.

Together we will work out a live date. We want a draft at least 10 business days before it will go live in a shared online doc. We will make suggestions and give you time to make them. You send us the second draft. We’ll do a final polish and let you know when it is set to go live.

Looking forward to hearing your story.

Team WorkLifePlay

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