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This post includes some tips and guidelines for writing for the Civil Society How-To. Read these before submitting.
Feel free to get in touch with us with your ideas before submitting a post. There is a contact form below that you can use. Fill it out. Send your idea, and we will try to quickly respond.
- Begin each article with storytelling. For instance here is an example for a piece on leadership:
Every day, on her way to school, the young Farah Karimi passed by the homes of people who had come to Tehran in hopes of finding work. Their poor living conditions angered her. “I can do something about this,” she thought. “I can make a change.”
- Continue by summarizing what was learned from the research
- Include a step by step how-to, when appropriate (tips, best practices, how-to)
- Surprisingly, research shows that people are more likely to share articles that are 1100-1500 words or even more. So it seems people can handle long articles online. Don’t be nervous about longer posts.
- Make sure longer posts have subheadings – this is very important. Every 2 paragraphs, add a subheading.
- Use:
- Lists – bulleted and numbered
- Blockquotes
- Bold text in paragraphs
- Short paragraphs
- Visuals
A good example of a piece that combines story with tips for how to do something is Creating Powerful Messages. Take a look at that post for an example of the kind of article we would be willing to accept.