Publishing guidelines

How publishing works on Word to Share

Write in the editor, pass automatic checks, and your story goes live immediately — similar to Medium. Moderators focus on flagged or reported content rather than every submission. Published stories appear in public feeds, search, and your profile.

1. Create an account and verify your email. Until your email is verified, you can browse and read, but you cannot publish articles, clap, or comment.
2. Write your story in the distraction-free editor. Drafts auto-save as you type. Open Story settings to pick a topic, tags, cover image, optional reference links, and SEO fields.
3. Preview your article to see exactly how readers will see it — title, cover, reading time, and formatting.
4. Publish when you meet the minimum word count and required fields. The system runs automatic checks (word count, link validity, duplicate content). On success, your story goes live right away.
5. Safety review when needed. Stories that match sensitive terms or are reported can appear in the moderation queue. Moderators may keep them live or unpublish them.

Before you publish — checklist

Make sure all of these are done before clicking Publish:

• Article is at least 300 words (shown in story settings)
• A topic subcategory is selected — pick the most specific match
• Title is clear and accurate — not clickbait or misleading
• Content is original and written for real readers, not search engines
• Reference links (optional) include matching anchor text when a URL is set
• Featured image is relevant and you have rights to use it (optional but recommended)
• Grammar and formatting are clean — short paragraphs, headings, bullet points where helpful
• You used Preview to double-check the final look

Content quality

What we want

• Original writing — your own analysis, experience, or research. Not copied from other sites.
• Depth — articles that thoroughly cover one topic, not thin filler pages.
• Reader value — teach something, tell a story, or share a genuine perspective.
• Clear structure — use H2/H3 headings, short paragraphs, and lists where they help scanning.
• Appropriate tone — professional and respectful. No hate speech, harassment, or illegal content.

What we do not allow

• Plagiarism — copied, scraped, or heavily spun content from other sources.
• Raw AI output — unedited, generic AI text with no personal insight or fact-checking.
• Duplicate articles — submitting the same content twice, or republishing an article that already exists on Word to Share.
• Adult, gambling, or illegal niches — including explicit content, casino/betting sites, or unlawful promotions.
• Keyword stuffing — repeating the same phrase unnaturally to manipulate search rankings.

On submit, Word to Share automatically checks word count and compares your article body against already-published content. Duplicate submissions are blocked at publish time.

Reference links

Reference links are external URLs displayed with your published story — an Word to Sharefeature for citing sources or pointing readers to related work on your own site. They are not the same as links you place inside the article body in the editor. Links are optional.

The rules

• Up to 2 links — leave both empty, or fill Link 1 and optionally Link 2.
• Each filled link must have anchor text (1–120 characters) — the label readers see.
• URLs must use http:// or https:// and be reachable (we check live).
• When both links are set, they must point to different domains.
• Links must be relevant to your article and safe for readers.
• Domains on our spam blocklist (adult, casino, known spam) are rejected automatically.

Dofollow vs nofollow

By default, reference links are published with rel="nofollow" so new writers cannot abuse the platform for SEO spam. As you build a track record on Word to Share, your reputation score can qualify you as a trusted author, at which point your reference links are published as rel="dofollow" unless an editor overrides them. See the Reputation section below.

The editor shows a link quality check while you type — use it to catch blocklisted or unreachable URLs before you publish.

Topics, tags & publications

Topic (required)

Every article must be assigned one topic. Topics are organized as parent categories with specific subcategories (e.g. Technology → Programming). Always pick the most specific subcategory that fits your story — this powers browse pages, feeds, and search filters.

Tags (optional, up to 5)

Tags are free-form labels for finer discovery. Use lowercase letters, numbers, spaces, and dashes. Good tags describe the angle of your piece (e.g. react, remote-work,productivity). Avoid generic or misleading tags.

Publications (optional)

Publications let you group related stories into a series — like a column or newsletter on your profile. Create one from Dashboard → Publications, then assign stories to it in story settings.

Scheduled publishing (optional)

You can set a future date and time in story settings. After your article is approved, it will go live automatically at the scheduled time (as long as it still meets the word-count requirement).

Images & formatting

Featured image

• Recommended size: 1200 × 630 px
• Formats: JPG, PNG, or WebP — max 2 MB
• Must be relevant to the topic and visually clear in feeds and cards
• Use images you have rights to — Unsplash, Pexels, or your own graphics are fine
• Avoid watermarked, blurry, or stock-photo-looking images that do not match the content

In-article images

The rich-text editor supports paste and drag-and-drop images. Use them to illustrate points, not to pad word count. Every image should add value for the reader.

Formatting tips

• Break long blocks into paragraphs of 3–5 sentences
• Use H2 for main sections and H3 for subsections
• Use bullet or numbered lists for steps, comparisons, or takeaways
• Write a strong opening paragraph — it becomes your auto-generated excerpt in feeds

SEO (optional but recommended)

Each story supports optional SEO fields in story settings. These help search engines understand your article without changing what readers see on the page.

• Focus keyword — the main phrase your article targets
• Meta title — custom title for search results (defaults to your article title)
• Meta description — short summary for search snippets

A built-in SEO analyzer scores your title, content, and meta fields in real time. Use it as a guide, not a substitute for good writing — readers come first, search engines second.

Safety & moderation

Most stories publish instantly after automatic checks. Moderators focus on content that matches sensitive terms or is reported. They look for:

• Policy compliance — no spam, adult content, or misleading claims
• Sensitive content flags — adult, violence, gambling, or drug-related material
• Irrelevant or unsafe reference links
• Clear originality or spam issues when brought to our attention

If a story is removed

Moderators may unpublish a live story and leave a specific reason. Fix the issues, edit the draft, and publish again. Removed articles are fully editable.

Reputation & trusted authors

Word to Share tracks a reputation score for every writer based on published articles, reader claps, and email verification. This score determines whether your reference links are published as dofollow or nofollow.

How reputation is calculated

• Each published article adds to your score
• Each clap on your published stories adds to your score
• Email verification gives a one-time boost

Trusted author status

When your reputation score reaches the platform threshold, you become a trusted author. Your reference links are then published with rel="dofollow" by default. New or low-reputation writers get rel="nofollow" — this protects readers and keeps the platform from becoming a link farm.

Focus on publishing quality stories that readers clap for. Reputation grows naturally over time — there is no shortcut or paid upgrade.

Common removal reasons

If your story was unpublished, it is usually for one of these reasons:

Read the reason on your article, fix the specific issues, and publish again. If you believe the decision was wrong, contact support with your article link.