Want to Be Published on Entrepreneur? Here's How You Can Avoid Common Writing Mistakes and Become Your Editor's Best Friend. Want your articles to get fast-tracked? Here are some tips that can lessen the waiting time between submission and publication.
By Matthew McCreary •
Entrepreneur prides itself on its contributor network. Our entrepreneurs and experts provide valuable, first-person insight into what it takes to build and sustain a business.
But, there's a reason each and every article is reviewed by our editorial staff: Just as any business needs to establish its expectations and best practices, it's essential that each and every article on our site looks and feels like an Entrepreneur article — regardless of whether it was written by a Silicon Valley tech investor or a Moroccan-based marketing expert.
This video by Entrepreneur Contributors Editor Matthew McCreary walks you through a sample article, explaining the process he uses to evaluate and edit the pieces he receives. This process includes correcting common style and writing mistakes and dealing with some of the editorial team's biggest pet peeves, which include:
- Lack of citations. We love to see the use of studies, statistics and other relevant information. But, just like in math class, you need to show your work: Make sure you link to your sources whenever possible.
- Failure to add related links. A great way to add value to your reader is to provide examples of other great Entrepreneur articles on similar topics. You can find an example of the formatting just below our list on how you can apply to become a contributor if you're not already.
- Self-promotion. Your success story ought to be an important element of your contributions because our readers should understand why they can trust your advice. However, it's important to add something else, too. Focus on what tools, advice or new wisdom someone might take away from reading your article, rather than how great your business is.
- Stylistic errors. For example, you might have learned this in school, but publications today use just a single space. We use em dashes for changes in thoughts but prefer not to use the Oxford comma.
Related: Applying to Become a Contributor With the Entrepreneur Leadership Network
Watch the full video to understand exactly what Entrepreneur editors look for in each piece and avoid common mistakes by contributing writers.
