We welcome contributions for any of the sections on our site, and we regularly publish bylined articles. Here’s what you need to know if you want to write for Top.me.
Target Audience
We write for fitness enthusiasts. An article may be aimed specifically at men or women or at specific niches (for example: men over 40). If so, make sure you reflect that in the title.
Writing Guidelines
- 800-3000 word articles
- We need great content that is 10x better than anything that can be found on the Internet. If that means longer, so be it. If it means shorter and more catchy, so be it!
- Use catchy titles – the title needs to draw attention and make you want to read the article! See http://www.copyblogger.com/proven-headline-formulas for a starting point.
- Write in a casual, friendly tone, not overstuffed with medical terms and boring style
- Maintain your unique voice. If you are an attributed author, say “I” and don’t shy away from clearly stating your opinion and showing your enthusiasm.
- If you write under the “top.me” general account, maintain the voice as “we”.
- Keep it easy to read with lists, short paragraphs, sub titles and images.
- When referencing studies, quote the source with a link. We do not accept secondary sources and need original studies from reputable sources, published in well known professional magazines.
- No claims without backup!
- Quote people only if you actually spoke with them – we do not accept secondary sources such as interviews in other magazines.
Formating Guidelines
- You may submit your article as Word or text file.
- Article titles and sub headlines are always in title case.
What is title case? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_case
Online converter: http://titlecase.com/ - Sub titles are always Heading 2 and in title case
- Top 10 list items are always either unordered lists or heading 2.
- Always use a teaser break to separate teaser and body (teaser is what is shown on the frontpage).
- Use bold sparingly, don’t use italic or underline.
- Use spacing generously. Paragraphs are separated by an empty line.
- No underlines, all capital letters or overuse of exclamation points.
- Follow the Associated Press style guide, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/735/02/ for a summary.
We absolutely accept no copied content or content that is obviously inspired by another article.
Ready to submit an article proposal? Please contact us with a short description of your idea and we will get back to you right away.