Editorial FAQs

AdvisoryHQ News is a rapidly expanding news site, with over 2 million viewers, and we are always on the lookout for highly experienced and engaging writers. In the sections below, our editors have provided our requirements for writing articles for us. We’ve also provided answers to questions that are frequently asked by freelance writers.

Click on any of the links below to jump directly to that section:

Writing Requirements:

  1. Use of Hyperlinks
  2. Keyword Usage
  3. Structure & Formatting
  4. Length of Sentences & Paragraphs
  5. Use of Images
  6. What to Do with “Grammatically Incorrect” keywords

​FAQs & Answers:

writer-minFreelance writer working from home     

Writing Requirements for Freelance Writers

To produce great quality content, we’ve developed the below five requirements that each writer needs to follow when writing articles for AdvisoryHQ.   

(1) Use of Hyperlinks

Whenever a figure, number, data or quote is referred to in an article, that information needs to be hyperlinked. From an editorial perspective, writers should link to their sources in the form of a hyperlink. (see: How to Create a Hyperlink)

Using Hyperlinks (See Below Illustration)
Hyperlinking-min

Please hyperlink each instance when a data is quoted, even if you are using the same source page/URL as your source. Here is an example: “U.S. stocks had their biggest drops in 10 months. European stocks plummet by 7% in one day, with the CAC stock exchange crashing down by 8%.…” The three hyperlinks are leading to the same source page.             

(2) Keyword Usage

Keywords Density: This is the percentage of times that keywords or key phrases appear in an article in comparison with the total number of words on the page. The rule of thumb used by blogs and news organizations is for keywords to be 2% – 4% of the total content.

Here at AHQ we follow the industry standard. Writers should ensure that keywords make up 2-4% of the total content. So a 2,000-word article generally should have the keywords used about 40-80 times. (also, click here to review our minimum usage of each keyword)

The articles we post on our site are structured to answer key questions that consumers are asking. Our process is to assign these keywords to writers and have them draft articles that are centered around these keywords.

  • Integrate keywords within the first paragraph, within the intro section, throughout the article, and across the conclusion
  • Don’t use one keyword phrase again and again WITHIN the same sentence or paragraph. Instead use the different keywords provided as part of the assignment, and focus on the “extra focus” keywords.
  • All provided keywords should be used across the article, but “extra focus” keywords should be used more than any other provided keyword.

llustration/Example of Effective Keyword Usage

SAMPLE KEYWORDS:

keywords

   

MINIMUM USAGE OF EACH KEYWORD:

In the section above, we specified a keyword density of 2%-4%, and have asked writers to place greater emphasis on the “Extra Focus” keywords. However, please note that every keyword provided to you on the “Keywords to Use” table should be used at least 3 times within the article.

The reason for providing these keywords is so they can rank from an SEO perspective. Using a keyword once or twice is a waste of that keyword, as that keyword will never rank well for that article.

Keywords Usage2-min

TITLE & INTRO SECTION FOR SAMPLE ASSIGNMENT

Title: Is RoseGal Legit & Safe? What You Need to Know Before Shopping on RoseGal.com

By Ashley S.
________________________________________

Intro: Overview of RoseGal.com (Is RoseGal Legit & Safe?)

There is a tremendous amount of consumer interest in finding out more about RoseGal.com, and whether consumers can safely buy goods on the website using their credit cards. Key questions being asked by consumers include is RoseGal legit? and is RoseGal safe to use?

This RoseGal review article provides a detailed overview of RoseGal.com, and provides answers on whether RoseGal is legit and safe, and whether consumers should feel comfortable using this online shopping website.

Although there are dozens of RoseGal reviews and comments on the web about how safe RoseGal is, this article aims to …..”

(3) Structure & Formatting

  • Deliver each assignment using the MS Word document provided to you
  • Use titles and subtitles across the article to break up the content
  • Titles (Font: Georgia | Size: 16 | Bold)
  • Sub-Titles (Font: Georgia | Size: 12 | Bold)
  • Regular text (Font: Georgia | Size: 12)
  • Paragraphs: should be very short (1–3 sentences only). Our readers dislike long paragraphs. They like to skip articles a lot (SEE BELOW SECTION).
  • Utilize bullet points often             

(4) Length of Sentences & Paragraphs

  • Paragraphs: should be short (1–3 sentences only)
  • Sentences: shorter sentences are preferred over longer ones
  • Insert attention-grabbing titles/subtitles after every 3–4 paragraphs

Please divide lengthy paragraphs into shorter ones. Smaller paragraphs are more appealing and easier to follow for the reader.

  Example of a Paragraph this is One HUGE Block of Text

Not appealing to readers. No one wants to read this!

Block of text

This is what we would like to see 

Use of 1-3 sentence paragraphs-min

  

(5) Use of Images

  • For each article, please include at least two images in the article. 

For images, you can:

llustration/Example of How to List Image Sources
AHQ image sources

               

​FAQ Page for Freelance Writers

Single Space

One space between sentences is the norm both online and in print, so please use a single space between sentences after the sentence-ending punctuation. 

QUICK TIP FOR THOSE WHO USE TWO SPACES: If you are someone who can’t break your two spaces after a period habit, we have a solution for you. Write as you normally would (with two spaces) and, when you are finished, go to the WORD toolbar, click EDIT > FIND > REPLACE and then choose to replace all double spaces with single spaces. Problem solved!     

Trademark Names

A trademark is any word, name, symbol or device(or any combination thereof) that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.

Companies use many styles to represent their marks so it is very important that your references to a particular company are accurate and consistent. For example, if a company name is represented in all capital letters, you should consistently use all capital letters when referencing that business. 

To sum up; write the brand name exactly as the company does. 

Bylines for Freelance Writers

Question: 

Do freelance writers receive bylines for their work?

Answer: 

AdvisoryHQ gives credit to high-performing writers by including them on our editorial page. We normally publish articles under “group names” (i.e., “AdvisoryHQ Review Team,” “AdvisoryHQ Business Team,” “AdvisoryHQ Business Team,” etc.). 

After a freelancer has written at least five articles for us, they can request to be added to our list of writers: https://www.advisoryhq.com/team/. 

In addition, writers that write Article Type 3 & 4 can request to have their own personal profile page. If you would like a personalized profile page, please provide us with a profile picture and a summary of your professional experience. 

Please let your hiring manager know if you have any questions.

Thanks.

Can Slight Modifications Be Made to Keywords?

There are some keywords that will be grammatically INCORRECT to use. For such types of keywords, it’s okay for the writer to include these characters: “a,” “an,” “in,” etc. to make the keyword sound natural and grammatically correct.

NOTE:

  • Please highlight the modified keyword in red font color (the same way you would highlight normal keywords)
  • Keyword modification can only be used for grammatically incorrect keywords
  • Keywords cannot be modified because a writer wants them modified
  • Keywords can only be modified in grammatically incorrect situations
  • The articles we post on our site are structured to answer key questions that consumers are asking. Our process is to assign these keywords to writers and have them draft articles that are centered around these keywords. Changing the keywords (except in the above situation) makes the keyword useless to use.

Examples of Efficient Modification

keywords

       

Indenting Paragraphs (Please Do Not Indent Paragraphs)

There is an ongoing debate about whether indentation is still needed for paragraphs. For example, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends that writers indent the first line of a new paragraph by hitting the tab key.

For AdvisoryHQ News, as well as for other news organizations, indentation is not used.

When writing your article, please do not indent the paragraphs.

Indented-min (1)

Abbreviations of Names

Question: 

For some assignments, the name of the firm is included as part of the keyword (for example: “NASA Federal Credit Union review”). Is it okay to shorten this?

Answer: 

As much as possible, please use the exact keyword (“name of firm + review”). However, when you have a very long company or product name, it can start to sound awkward when used in its entirety throughout the article.

As such, the writer can shorten the name (for example, using “NFCU” or “NFCU review”) in some places to mix it up. Keywords are very important, so still refer to it as “NASA Federal Credit Union review,” just not every time.

            

​Process for Assigning Articles

Below is AdvisoryHQ’s process for assigning articles to writers:

  • We do not require writers to write a particular number of articles each day, week, or month; a writer’s ability to write an article for us depends on the writer’s availability.
  • When a writer becomes available to write a new article, he or she will reach out to us via email to let us know of his/her availability.
  • Upon receiving the email, our admins will review our database of available topics and assign a topic to the writer.
  • The writer will conduct the necessary research, write the article, and submit the article (via MS Word) by the due date.
  • Upon receiving the completed assignment, our admins will review the article, send it to our editorial staff, and then send payment to the writer.
        

Are There Limits to the Number of Assigned Topics?

Yes. Only one topic is assigned at each point in time. When a writer completes an assignment, he or she can immediately request a new topic.

Selecting Article Types (Type 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Can a writer choose which article type he or she would like to write about?

Definitely! A writer can choose between Article Type 1 and 2 for their first 5 assignments. After their fifth assignment, the writer can request to be moved up to a Type 3 or 4 article.

Note: Only writers who consistently submit top-notch and best-in-class articles will be moved up to Article Type 3 and 4.

   

Bullet Points Usage

  • The first letter should be capitalized following a bullet point
  • No periods at the end of bullet points for lists of items or very brief descriptions
  • Include periods at the ends of full sentences or bullet points with several sentences
  • Bullet points should ALL match – all periods or no periods

     

Sub-Bullet Points Issues

Using a main bullet point followed by sub-bullet points causes a break on WordPress after we post the article (below is what happens – as soon as we post the article, a huge gap develops).

ServicesA

Using bullet points is fine, but please do not use sub-bullet points. Instead, do something like this:

Services A:

  • Service A1
  • Service A2
  • Service A3