Contributor Guidelines for Modern Mom Blog

Welcome to Modern Mom! We’re thrilled to have you join our community of amazing writers.

Please make sure your profile is updated with your most recent Bio and any social media links that you would like us to use when we promote your content.

If your content has a deadline or is seasonal and needs to be published within a certain time (i.e.: back to school) please shoot us an email once you submit so that we do not miss it.

Not sure how to work with WordPress? We have created a step by step tutorial for you.

Step By Step:

Log into the Wordpress platform at https://www.modernmom.com/wp-admin/
Click Posts
Click Add New Post
Write your content in the content area or paste your content into the content area. I prefer to paste on the text vs. visual tab to eliminate any weird formatting.
Click back over to the visual tab (upper right hand corner) to edit the content to be visually appealing using the guidelines below.
Choose your category, please only choose one unless you are super sure that it fits within 2.
Choose your tags using the guidelines below.
Choose your featured image. Featured images must be 1000×600. You can use our featured image generator as well. All images must have the topic in the alt tag. In the description, please include where the photo came from. (i.e.: authors photo, photo via unsplash, pexels, etc…). If your image does not meet the size standards, we can help, submit it anyway.
Choose your SEO keyword (or key word sentence, i.e.: Teens and Mental Health). It needs to be in the title, at the top of the article, and in the snippet.
Submit for review!

(click here if video does not work https://drive.google.com/file/d/1flxSObJhMzjfd1Fm4Ty8lOglh1RyTYTd/view) **Please ignore the section about internal links, we will take care of that**

To ensure your content meets our standards and performs well on our blog, please follow these guidelines:

1. Content Quality

Originality: All content must be original and not published elsewhere. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
Relevance: Ensure your content is relevant to our audience, focusing on topics like parenting, health and wellness, recipes, lifestyle hacks, finance, personal stories, etc…
Value: Provide valuable insights, practical tips, or inspiring stories that our readers will find beneficial.
Word Count: Articles should be a minimum of 300-500 words to ensure they are comprehensive and provide meaningful information to our readers. Recipe articles and the like can be shorter. We just want to ensure our readers are gaining valuable insights and don’t click away before enjoying your content.

2. SEO Best Practices

Keywords: Use relevant keywords naturally within your content. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Headings: Use appropriate headings (H1 for title, H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections) to organize your content and make it easy to read.
Meta Description: Include a compelling meta description (150-160 characters) that summarizes your post and includes the main keyword.
Internal and External Links: Link to at least one relevant article on our blog and one high-quality external source. This improves SEO and provides additional value to readers.

3. Formatting and Style

Clarity and Readability: Write in clear, concise language. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and lists to break up text.
Tone: Maintain a friendly, conversational tone that resonates with our audience.
Grammar and Spelling: Ensure your post is free from grammatical and spelling errors. Proofread your work before submission.

4. Categories and Tags

Category Selection: Choose the most appropriate category for your post. If you’re unsure, contact our editorial team for guidance.
Tags: Use 3-5 relevant tags to help categorize your content. Avoid over-tagging.

5. Media

Images: Include at least one high-quality, relevant image. Ensure you have the right to use the image and provide proper attribution if necessary.
Videos: If applicable, embed relevant videos that enhance the content.

6. Syndicating Content

Permission: Only syndicate content that is originally yours, published on your platforms, or written and published by you on other platforms. Ensure you have the right to share it.
Attribution: Clearly attribute the original source of the syndicated content. Include a link back to the original article.
Value Addition: Add your own insights or commentary to the syndicated content to provide additional value to our readers.

7. Submission Process

Drafting: Log in to your contributor account to draft your content. Save your work frequently to avoid data loss.
Submission: Once your draft is complete, submit it for review. Our editorial team will review your submission and provide feedback if necessary.
Approval: After approval, your post will be scheduled for publishing. You will be notified of the publication date.

8. Promotion

Social Media: Promote your published posts on your social media channels. Tag Modern Mom to help reach a broader audience. We will also share on our channels as well as in our newsletter. Be sure that you have all of your social media handles listed in your profile so that it is easily accessible for us to find and tag you.
Engagement: Engage with readers by responding to comments on your posts. Building a connection with our community, as well as your community, is key to growing your readership.

9. Compliance

No Plagiarism: Ensure all content is original. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate removal from our contributor program.
Respectful Content: Content should be respectful and considerate of our diverse audience.
Affiliate Links: Please note that content full of affiliate links, and articles created specifically promoting Amazon influencer shops, are not allowed. If you have a specific request, please reach out and we would be happy to talk about it.

Thank you for contributing to Modern Mom! We’re excited to see your content and share it with our community. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our editorial team.

Happy writing! ✍️✨