The Sportslens Writers Guide is THE handbook for sports writing as well as a guide for writing on Sportslens. If you’re reading this, it’s because you are writing for Sportslens website. Welcome aboard.
The following modules cover a wide variety of subjects, from how to use WordPress to creating great headlines to writing for Sportslens. The first section covers everything you need to know about writing on Sportslens, and the rest is available to you as guidelines depending on your level of writing experience.
Whatever your level, make sure you read the ‘Headlines’ section at the end. It will change the way you write (for the better).
Your first stop:
Quick Start Guide
Article Checklist
Writing For Sportslens
If you’re new to WordPress and/or new to writing online, I suggest that you also read the ‘Using WordPress’ and ‘Article Writing Tips’ sections.
The following pages explain the writing process at Sportslens – you should read all of them but pay special attention to ‘Linking Strategy’, ‘Community Tips’ and ‘Promoting Your Articles’.
- Using Bylines
- Adding Images
- Linking Strategy
- Research & Sourcing
- Community Tips
- Submission Process
- Promoting Your Articles
Using WordPress
WordPress is the software that Sportslens and millions of other website run on. If you’re new to WordPress or if you’re unfamiliar with any specific operations (such as how to add images or how to edit your profile), the following links will walk you through each step.
- Writing a Post in WordPress
- Using the Visual Editor
- How to Link
- Adding Images
- Tags and Categories
- Save and Publish Options
- Editing Your User Profile
Article Writing Tips
These pages cover the basics of how to writing online. Even if you’ve been writing on your own blog / on other sites, make sure you review these tips as these are the building blocks that will make you a good writer.
Pay special attention to ‘Topic Selection’, ‘Article Structure’ and ‘Spelling and Grammar’. You should know that articles that are poorly formatted or are littered with mistakes (spelling, language or factual) won’t be accepted.
- Topic Selection
- Strong Introductions
- Article Length
- Article Structure
- Spelling and Grammar
- How to Get More Links
- How to Get More Comments
- General Writing Tips
Types of Articles
There are different types of articles that you can write, and you should mix things up to cover different topics and also to broaden your skill set as a football writer. Some of these articles are specific to sub sites (i.e. Sportslens Shirts or Sportslens Babes) – if you’re interested in writing for these sites let us know and we’ll provide you with the necessary access.
- Lists
- Match Previews
- Match Reports
- Opinion Pieces
- Debate Posts
- News Posts
- Video Content
- Infographics
Headlines
Headlines, or post titles, are the most important part of your article. Why? Because the majority of people use headlines to decide whether or not to read your article. Doesn’t matter how good or bad your actual article is. If it has a weak headline, it won’t get read.
The following articles will help you improve your headline writing skills:
- Why Headlines are Important
- How to Write Great Headlines
- How to Write Great Football Headlines
- How to Master NewsNow
If you have any further questions or if there’s something you’d like to see added here, let us know on [email protected]
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