How to Write for Lifehack

If you’ve been a reader of Lifehack for any length of time, first off – thank you.

Secondly, you’ve probably noticed that we have a wide variety of guest contributors who offer up tips, tricks, tutorials and more. But have you ever thought about contributing yourself?

If you have and you’re looking to do so, we’re always on the lookout for fresh material. And this piece here will let you in on how to write for us here at Stepcase Lifehack.

Everyone who wants to write for us here at Lifehack has to apply using a short application form. The form asks just a few simple questions (along with gathering the email under which you’d like to apply):

Who you are and whether or not you own/have a website you write for. This portion is pretty self-explanatory. It’s best to put something in the website spot – even a Twitter URL will work so that we have a sense of a presnece online that you have control over how you present yourself.Which topic(s) do you want to write about? The main categories we have at Lifehack are as follows: Communication, Productivity, Management, Lifestyle, Financial and Technology. They are fairly broad in scope and while you may be able to write for all six categories, don’t feel you have to do so. There’s a lot to explore in each category, so if you only feel proficient enough in one of them then only mention that one. You can always expand your areas out later on if you begin to write for Lifehack. Take a look around and see what’s been written here both in the past and currently to get an idea of what we’re looking for in each category.Do you have any sample work? This is key. Whether you provide us single URLs for an entire website that you are the sole contributor for or you send us samples from across the web, if you don’t put anything in here then your chances of making it through the application process are slim to none. If you write for a site that features multiple authors and you want to showcase your body of work there, you can usually do that by clicking on your name in a post you’ve written – that will give you a URL for all the posts you’ve written there.

After you submit your application, give us a couple of weeks to review it so we can decide if you’re going to be a good fit for Lifehack. If you don’t hear back from us within that time frame, it means that your application didn’t make the cut; there are a number of reasons why this may happen, so please don’t be discouraged by it. You can always re-apply at a later date.

If you’re approved, you’ll get a welcome email from one of our editors, outlining some of the basics you’ll need to get started writing for us right away. Some of these particulars include your username and password, a link to sign up for a newsletter that allows us to regularly update our contributors and a request for a bio for us to use beneath your articles.

Now you’re ready to contribute for us. So what else do you need to know?

Every submission for Lifehack must meet the following criteria to make it to the editing phase:

Articles should be at least 600 words in length.Articles must be original work from the author – and unique to Lifehack.Articles cannot contain any self-promotion – including links and/or references to authors’ own business, or affiliate links. Your bio is where this kind of stuff can go (excluding affiliate links and in a limited fashion).

As a Lifehack contributor, you also must agree to our Content Contribution Policy, which is listed on our Contribute page.

Writing for Lifehack will give you and your work quite a bit of exposure, and you’ll be able ot say you’ve written for a site that has worked with the likes of Chris Brogan and Leo Babauta. Both of these former Lifehack contributors have gone on to do spectacular things, and you can start to head down a similar path by doing some specatacular things right here and now.

So what are you waiting for? Now that you know how to write for Lifehack, it’s time to start the journey to actually writing for Lifehack! We’ll hope you’ll look into joining us soon.

Questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments area below.

(Photo credit: Green Key via Shutterstock)

Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and "productivityist". You can read more of his writing and learn more about him at Vardy.me, and he can be found on Twitter as @mikevardy.

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