So, You Want to Write For the LivePlan Blog? Great!
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LivePlan—the world’s leading business plan software—is designed with entrepreneurs in mind, designed to help them start, run, and grow their businesses.
To supplement our product, we publish tips, hacks, ideas, and “been-there-done-that” stories to help entrepreneurs run better, smarter, and more efficient businesses.
Our readers want to grow; they want to really understand business financials, they want to know when to hire more employees, how to make better, more informed decisions, and how to be more productive. And they don’t want to do it via the medium of boring old articles they can find just anywhere.
We’re looking for:
- Expertise. Experience in business, especially as a founder or owner. What gives you the authority to write on this topic? Do you have a unique, road-tested management style? Share your knowledge, both about success and failure!
- Growth tips. If you know the ins and outs of business financials and the right metrics to track, break it down for our readers. They’re already running a business but they’d love to know how to really understand their numbers. Help them leverage trends in the business and technology sectors. If you’re sharing advice, make sure readers understand why you’re qualified to give it—that means sharing examples and anecdotes that illustrate why your advice works.
- Leaders. Are your employees loyal and awesome? Have you led them to achieve great things? How did you cultivate a great work culture? Have you figured out how to increase productivity and communication? Share your story with our readers so they can emulate your success.
Our style:
Our voice is human and friendly, and we keep our language plain and simple. We strive to be informal and positive, but also authoritative. No excessive slang, idioms, or abbreviations.
Managing a business can feel daunting, so approachability is important. Our aim is to empower entrepreneurs to be and do their best, using the latest research and data-proven methods.
Pitch submission details:
- Original articles only: They have not been published elsewhere.
- Actionable content, please. Our readers are makers and doers. Bullet lists, takeaways, a list of to do’s, screenshots, and so on.
- First person is preferred. Forget what you learned in English classes—we want to hear your personal experience.
- Posts should be a minimum of 1,000 words.
- Limit acronyms and jargon; define terms at first use.
- Keep language simple, straightforward, and free from frills.
- We follow a modified, in-house style guide, which generally follows the rules of AP style. If unsure, refer to the AP style guide.
- A solid grasp of grammar, punctuation, and a general, high level of writing skill is necessary for publication.
Please do not:
- Submit infographics unless they are featured in an equally compelling and well-written article; we aren’t an infographic directory.
- Pitch generic content on how to market your business, how to start a business, how to start a business online, and so on. Your pitch should be specific and it should be rooted in experience, data, and research.
How to submit your pitch:
To submit a pitch to write for the LivePlan blog, email editor@liveplan.com with the following information. Please know that if any pitches are submitted without all of the following information, it will not be considered.
- Full name
- Qualifications and experience: Provide a brief summary of your professional experience, and any supporting material, as it relates to the topic you are pitching.
- Links to work samples: Provide references to 2-3 previously published articles. A portfolio or active personal website can supplement this.
- Article pitch summary: Provide a 1-paragraph summary of the topic you are pitching and a rough outline (a bulleted list of headings is enough) that demonstrates how you will cover it. Please only pitch two topics maximum.
- Author Bio: 2-4 sentences
- Twitter and/or LinkedIn profile (Optional)
We will contact you within a few weeks if we’re interested in your pitch. Before sending your pitch, please review the Palo Alto Software Guest Author Agreement.
