Flowster’s Guest Post Requirements
& Blog Style Guide

Please take some time to review this page - it should answer any questions you have about what kind of content we're looking for and how the submission process works.

Requirements for Posts We Publish

Successful guest contributions are well written, data focused, interesting posts, with a writing style that matches our blog’s overall style/tone.

Editors reserve the right to reject contributions at their discretion. If posts do not meet our quality standards, they may not be published. Don’t expect us to proofread and rewrite your work.

Please include:
  • At least 1000 words.
  • Attribution of data, quotes, and outside content referenced in the article. Note: Unless there is a specific reason to do so, please do not reference data more than two years old.
  • No more than one link to your company’s website(s) in the body of the post.
  • Link to at least 1-3 other Flowster blog posts or pages in your piece.
Please exclude:
  • Do NOT submit anything that’s overly promotional for your company.
  • Do NOT submit anything that’s offensive or untrue.
  • You are not allowed to republish your guest post to your own blog, or another site such as LinkedIn, Medium, or Inbound.org afterward.
Notes:
  • We reserve the right to edit and adapt your guest blog content as we see fit, and update it in the future for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
  • We reserve the right to include calls-to-action to Flowster content.
  • In rare cases, we may remove contributed posts from the blog and recycle the URL.

We value your submission, but we may not respond to all submissions.

In order for your guest post to be considered:

  1. Send an email to guestpost [at] flowster [dot] app
  2. Formatted subject line: “Guest Pitch: [Tentative Title of Post]”
  3. You may include a link to a written piece of content if you would like, otherwise please list your proposed outline in bullet form.
If you submit an outline, we will reply to you to let you know you may submit a full article. We reserve the right not to publish the article once you provide the final content. However, we do not expect to reject your article at this point as long as you have a high standard of writing, unless you provide a different article than proposed in your initial outline.
 
If you submitted an article, and it meets editorial standards and aligns with our content strategy, we will respond to let you know your article will be published.

Voice and Tone

  • Use active voice whenever possible.
  • Use contractions.
  • Avoid jargon.
    • Use terms the target audience will understand.
    • If you don’t know what terms the audience will understand, you don’t know them well enough to write for them.
  • Avoid vague words such as “maybe,” “might,” or “some.”
  • Aim for grade level 6 or 7 (refer to Hemingwayapp.com).
  • Emoji are acceptable, but use them sparingly.
  • Only mild swear words are acceptable (think: “bullshit”).

Headings and subheadings

  • Write headings (H1) in title case unless the heading is a punctuated sentence:
    • Customer Service Ticketing System Magic: We Cut Response Time by 50% Using This Feature
  • Pro tip: Use titlecase.com to get this right.

Write subheadings (H2, H3, etc.) in sentence case:

  • What is a customer service ticketing system?

Punctuation

In general, avoid using abbreviations, especially for industry-related terms.

  • Write “customer support” instead of “CS.”

Write acromnys first, then write them parenthetically.

  • NPS (Net Promoter Score) is one of the best indicators of customer satisfaction. The inventors of NPS explain…

When using bullet-point lists:

  • Use parallel construction.
  • If the bullet points are full sentences, add a period after each one.
  • If the bullet points are phrases, add a period to the last bullet point only.

Use the serial (or Oxford) comma:

  • I love Groove’s use of conventions, grammar, and punctuation.

Use the en dash (–) and em dash (—) without spaces:

  • We’ll be out of town Friday–Sunday.
  • We’ve made a lot of changes to our website—all for the better.
  • Use italics to emphasize a word, phrase, or quote.
  • Use bold to make something to stand out.
  • In headings and subheadings, use single quotation marks instead of double quotation marks:
    • Target keywords such as ‘business strategies’
  • Avoid semicolons in almost all cases.
    • A semicolon usually means you’ve written a lengthy, difficult-to-read sentence.
    • Revise, rephrase, or cut.

Images and formatting

No walls of text.

  • Remember that most readers will scan your article, not read it word-for-word.
  • Break up lengthy blocks of text into one, two, or (at most) three-sentence paragraphs.
  • Use one visual element every seven to ten paragraphs (roughly).
    • Images, gifs, or videos
    • Bullet lists
    • Pull quotes
    • Takeaway boxes
  • Liberally include images and graphics throughout every post.
  • Include a relevant caption for all images.
    • Pro tip: Links in captions have extremely high click-through rates. If you can link to a content upgrade or a product page within an image caption, do it.

Sources and referencing

  • Links should be added naturally and in context. In general, avoid phrases like “click here” or “learn more.”
  • In general, avoid referring to competitors or linking to their websites:
    • Intercom
    • HelpScout
    • Zendesk
    • Frontapp
    • Freshdesk
  • Prioritize original research (which are uniquely valuable) over sources you found on the internet (which anyone can get and are not unique).
    • Internal data
    • First-person experiences
    • Interviews with customers
    • Interviews with subject matter experts
  • Supplement original research with information you find online.
  • Always link your sources. Never make things up.
  • Link directly to original content. Never link to an aggregator—especially infographics.
  • Don’t reference research or data collected more than 4 years prior to the date you submit your article.

People

  • Don’t reference age or disability unless absolutely relevant.
  • Use a person’s preferred pronoun or name.
  • Avoid gendered language.
  • The singular “they” or “them” is acceptable, though it is better to find an alternative:
    • Acceptable: When talking to a customer, ask them for their perspective.
    • Better: When talking to customers, ask them for their perspective.

Brands and Terminology


COMPANY

  • Refer to the company as “Flowster” with a capital “F.” Never refer to the company as “flowster”.

“WE”

  • When writing on behalf of the company, use the first-person plural “we.”

“I”

  • When writing in your personal capacity, use the first-person “I.”

RESPECT
  • Be respectful of other businesses by referring to them by their correct names as written on their official websites.

“IT”

  • Use “it” not “they” for singular companies and brands.
  • Use the variation eCommerce (not e-commerce or other).
  • Capitalize the first and last letter of SaaS.
  • Use startup vs start-up.