Content Standards for Content Contributors

To ensure a positive reader experience, SMARTER Team Training (STT) Content Contributors must create quality content that meets the following Content Standards.

Style and voice:

You are writing for an audience of athletes, parents, coaches and others. Support your claims with peer-reviewed publications. Relevant facts that back up your statements make for more credible and engaging content.
Avoid general or broad sweeping statements that cannot be substantiated by research. Do not include misleading information. Do not write about rumors or information that does not have validity or evidence behind it.

Relevance:

STT followers want information on prudent, productive, practical and purposeful training. Write clear, concise articles that help the reader by providing tangible, actionable advice.

Share exclusive content:

Reposting an article from a website onto STT’s site hurts the page rank on both sites. Instead, submit only original work to STT. Content submitted cannot be published anywhere else online. If it is found elsewhere, the article will be taken off the STT website.
Plagiarized content and copyright violations are strictly prohibited.

Article length:

The ideal length for an article is 400 to 600 words. A topic that needs to be longer than this may be expanded into a series of articles. They can be interlinked through an introductory post to create the series.
Include your bio/background:
Provide a brief (200 words or less) bio/background and headshot to be included with all submissions that are accepted for publication. Two links will also be included at the end of your bio/background. It is suggested that you use your email address, website and/or Twitter handle.

Style guidelines and formatting:

Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation are required.
Refrain from using bold or italics in the body of your content.
Do not overuse exclamation marks, as it often appears as yelling at the reader.
Refrain from using contractions (i.e. “Don’t”).
Do not repeat a keyword phrase.
Avoid hyperlinks in the article.
One line between paragraphs.

Artwork:

Articles discussing an exercise technique should provide images showing good form and bad form and point out the differences. Articles with images may have the image used when distributing the article through STT’s weekly newsletter, social media and other media outlets. STT reserves the right to add images to any article submitted.

SEO suggested guidelines:

The keyword should be in the title between 1 and 2 times.
The entire keyword should be in the first 40 characters of the title.
The article title should be between 2 and 16 words.
The keyword should be used 1 time(s) in the first 100 words.
The keyword should be used approximately 2 time(s) in the article body.
The article should begin with at least 155 character(s) before the first image.

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