Obstacle Racing Media Author Guidelines
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who assigned this post to you.
Your blog entry should be 500-750 words. This is not a hard and fast rule, but a
guideline. If this content is to be published on ORM, it cannot be published anywhere else.
If a race review, you have 72 hours from the event to submit your review.
We may take up to 7 days after receipt of the blog to post it on our site. We may also
choose not to use it at all. If we choose not to use it, we will let you know within 10
days.
If you are unable to take pictures at the event, then you need to get them from
a friend, or the other race company. Wherever you need to obtain them from,
please provide photo credit to the appropriate photos. (i.e.The race company,
yourself, or a friend. Include first and last name).
Beginning your post
Select “Post” on the left side of the screen.
Then select “Add New”.
Then begin typing your blog post.
Adding Photos To Your Blog Post
A word or two about photos before we begin…
An ideal post has 3-6 photos. It could be more, but certainly, not less.
Your blog post is telling a story. Photos help you tell that story.
So, if you make a big deal about the bling in your blog post, show a photo of that
bling.
If you write several instances about how much mud there was, be sure that is
represented in your photos.
We also DON’T need 10 photos of you. This is not about you, it’s about the race.
If the race photogs caught a sweet photo of you on an obstacle, then heck yes, use
that as one of the photos, but we don’t need more than one of you.
We also need variety, so 3 pics of the same obstacle, with different people going over
them, doesn’t really help tell an overall story either.
Again, check out many of our past race reviews to see good examples of photos done
well.
Step One – Uploading
*Prior to uploading, the photos need to be renamed. Do not upload the photo named “screenshot423” for example.
The photos all should be titled what your race or blog subject reflects.
So a photo should be titled “Spartan Rope Climb” or “Spartan Race Rope Climb”
rather than “Rope Climb” or “Me going up a rope”.
Select “Add Media”
Then “Upload Files”
Then “Select File”
The photo Title should auto-populate.
Caption should be left blank. If you want to caption, a particular photo, it will be
shown at the end of these instructions.
The Alt Text and Description should be the same as the Title.
The Alignment should always be center.
Link To should stay the default, which is the picture you are uploading.
Size should always be Full Size.
After all of that is set, click Insert Into Post
Step Two – Resizing Your Photos
To the right and at the top of the page are two tabs, Visual and Text.
You have been working in “Visual”
Click the “Text” tab.
Your view will now appear like this:
The text version of the photo you uploaded will resemble that above.
Look for the word “width” and change it from its’ current state to 100%.
(Simply type “width=100%” over the current width, erasing “height” altogether).
So now it will look like this.
Click back on Visual, and your photo should be centered up and full width in the
article. Have a look at any past race reviews to see examples of the photos lined up and
sized properly.
Step Three – Optimizing the SEO of your blog post
Scroll down past where you enter the text for your blog post.
You will see something called Yoast SEO
The SEO Title by default is whatever you typed into the title of your blog.
You can leave it as the default if it is in fact simply the name of the race, then the
word review.
If the title of your blog were instead “Getting Crazy At Urban Mudder”, then you
would want to rename your SEO Title as “Urban Mudder Review” or “Urban Mudder
Review -NYC”
The meta description should be a slightly longer phrase which still includes those
“key words” we are looking for.
Author Bio and Photo
If you have not written for us before, you need to upload a bio and photo to your
Profile.
Profile can be found on the left side of the screen.
Once in profile, scroll down and enter a profile image.
Scroll down a little further, and add some biographical info.
2-3 sentences should do it. Scroll through previously published ORM blog posts for
additional examples of author bios.
You can leave the job title, company, and company URL blank.
Below that, you can add your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media profile links
as part of your bio. This is all optional.
Finishing Up – Submitting For Review By Editors
When you have completed everything, please select Submit For Review on the
right side of the page.
If you decide you need to make additional changes, after you have submitted.
Simply select All Posts on the left side of the page.
Then Edit to go back and make additional change.
Just be sure to hit Submit For Review each time you have made the changes you want.
Matt B. Davis
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