We welcome contributor postings — that can help our readers. To make sure yours is appropriate, read the blog. Subscribe to it. Develop a sense of what we publish.
Write for independent seniors 60+ who are determined to live full, rich, and independent lives. Know they are probably 65-75% women. Address their needs, fears, challenges, burning questions, pain points. Readers want to know what dangers to look out for and avoid. And what they can do to benefit their lives.
From the start, talk to the reader. The blog is for them, after all(!) But, of course, your personal experiences add depth and interest to the posting.
Have, and hone, a main message. Edit your intro so that the point of your post is ridiculously clear. (Your teachers weren’t kidding about the value of a thesis sentence.)
Be prescriptive. Don’t just tell readers to do something. Explain how.
Tell a story – like a journalist. Cover who, what, when, where, how, and why. Make it personal. Share things you’ve done and seen, lessons you’ve learned, money you’ve saved (or earned), problems you’ve solved, etc. Where that isn’t appropriate, tell stories of real people (no names needed) as examples.
Make it concrete. Give examples, details. Tell and show. Make it real. Deliver aha moments for readers who may be scratching their heads.
Make it long enough to engage and enrich readers (and no longer): We don’t have a word-count goal.
Avoid or explain buzzwords.
Self-promotion. Avoid promoting yourself in your post. Your author bio is a good place to do that.
Use a friendly voice. Say you, we, & I. Use contractions as you would normally (you’ll). Write as if talking with a friend.
Include high res images (where appropriate) (PNG or JPGs) and/or video or infographic embed codes.
Give credit. Check your facts and quotations. Cite your sources.
Let your heart show. Where appropriate, share your feelings!
If you can, close with specific actions the reader could take.
For your bio:
If you’re covering a sensitive topic and don’t want it attributed to you, a tagline such as “Angry in Seattle” would be OK. But we prefer identified authors.
Your bio should be 4-6 sentences long.
A photo would be great, but not required.
A link to your website or blog is welcomed.