Guidelines for Guest Writers

Want to Publish an Article at Talented Learning?

Thanks for your interest in contributing to the Talented Learning blog! If you are a learning leader, business executive or subject matter expert who wants to reach our readers, we’re excited to welcome you to our circle of guest authors.

To find out about the content we’re seeking and how to submit an idea or draft, please read the guidelines below. Then, send your topic ideas to our editor:

Kathleen “KK” Kruse via email at
kkruse@talentedlearning.com

We look forward to working with you to develop content that showcase your thought leadership. Thanks!

Since early 2014, we’ve been sharing insights and advice about extended enterprise learning technology. Over the years, our editorial outreach has attracted a large and loyal following in the learning community. In fact, Talented Learning has consistently been ranked among the top 10 most popular industry blogs and has won multiple awards for excellence.

Typically, our content is written by our Founder and Lead Analyst, John Leh. That’s why we’ve built a reputation for credible, no-nonsense insights and guidance.

Now, we’re adding more voices to the editorial mix. We hope to bring our audience an even richer understanding of key issues, opportunities and trends in the learning systems space.

You can help us achieve that goal by adhering to the editorial guidelines below…

What Topics Resonate with Talented Learning Readers?

We focus on extended enterprise learning. Our readers are attracted to thought leadership that educates them about how to improve their professional impact and advance their organization’s mission with all aspects of buying, deploying, measuring and improving learning systems.

By increasing market understanding of learning technology and innovation, you can help practitioners and leaders make better-informed business and operational decisions. Your contributed content can accomplish this in various ways.

TOPIC FRAMING
The ideas below are “starter” concepts to

Investigate an important trend and its potential industry impact
Outline recent research findings and their implications
Share useful how-to advice
Explain or clarify a confusing concept
Challenge misinformation or refine existing thinking
Curate a collection of useful resources or insights
Offer future-minded strategic guidance
Illustrate a best practice by outlining several examples
Help readers envision successful applications by discussing real-world examples

We Don’t Publish Sales Pitches

Our goal is thought leadership content. Bear in mind that we do not publish self-serving articles from third parties including:

Sales pitches
Product-centered commentary
Vendor-specific feature comparisons
Narratives with a hard-sell edge

What About Originality?

Original content makes a powerful statement. Here are our standards:

We strongly prefer original articles. Once we publish your post, you’re free to republish it any time after 2 weeks from the original publishing date. Any republished content must include a full credit citation and a link back to the Talented Learning article as the source.
We also accept republished articles from your blog or other third-party sites, under the following conditions.
- To avoid duplicate content issues with search engines, you should modify the article significantly, so it does not duplicate the original content. (For example, you could rewrite several introductory paragraphs or add a new section at the start of the post.)
- If the article was initially published on another third-party site, you must have permission for us to republish it.
- Regardless of where the original article was published, we will add a citation that acknowledges the source and we will link to it.

What Are Our Editorial Standards?

Please adhere to the following guidelines:

Ideal post length = 1,000-1,500 words. (Minimum = 800 words. Maximum = 2500 words.)
Write for readability and SEO strength. For example:
- Identify a relevant keyword phrase and develop content accordingly.
- Write simply and clearly without slang or hyperbole
- Build content in paragraph modules with subtitles to improve readability and SEO indexing
- Back up statements with data, research or stories.
- Follow general AP style guidelines.
- When introducing an acronym, include the full term. (For example, “learning management system (LMS).”)
- Review and correct grammar and spelling.

Does Talented Learning Acknowledge Authors?

Of course. We assign a single byline to each post. Include these details in your post submission:

Author full name, title and company name.
Descriptive professional bio (maximum 100 words).
Links to the author’s accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter.
400×400 pixel color headshot.

What Should You Expect When You Submit an Article?

First, our editors review your post to ensure that it aligns with our guidelines:

When we receive your submission, we will contact you by email to verify receipt and acknowledge preliminary acceptance and any questions.
Once any questions or omissions are resolved, we will add your post to our production queue.
The actual publication date is determined by multiple factors – other content already on our schedule, as well as our overall publishing cadence.
As soon as the post publishing date is established, we will confirm this with you via email and share a preview version of the post with you privately at that time.

NOTE: Our editorial team reserves the right to modify all article content, in whole or in part, to support SEO or editorial standards.

What Happens When We Publish Your Post?

The day your article goes live, we will start promoting it in on our primary social media accounts (on LinkedIn and Twitter). These social posts will include the author and company handles you’ve provided, so you can easily see, interact and amplify our efforts on those networks.

Likewise, we encourage you to promote these articles through your various social points of presence, including links to our social handles:

LinkedIn
John Leh
Talented Learning

Twitter
John Leh
Talented Learning

We will gladly respond to any social posts that include our handles, so feel free to tag us when you share!

If you accept our guidelines and want to promote your thought leadership content, please submit your blog article by completing the form below. We look forward to sharing your ideas with our readers!