This is one of a series of posts on how Rolling Stone Culture Council members can get the most from their publishing benefits. Rolling Stone Culture Council members have access to a community of expert peers, publishing opportunities, virtual resources, and more. If you're not a member yet, click here to learn more about our member benefits and see if you qualify.
Getting published can be both exciting and a little anxiety-inducing, so here’s what to expect of the Rolling Stone Culture Council publishing process — and how to make the most of our editors’ guidance.
Step 1: Plan
Before you even log into your member dashboard, you (and perhaps someone on your team, like a marketing or PR support person) should develop a plan for your content. Becoming known as an expert is a long-term process, and you’ll see the most benefit if you have developed ideas and themes in advance.
You'll need an idea that:
- showcases your expertise
- includes specific, actionable advice — a takeaway for readers
- can be covered in 500 to 1,000 words
Need help finding an idea? Check out "20 Questions to Kick-Start an Article."
Step 2: Draft
Write your article (offline, or directly in your dashboard) and save as you go. You can come back anytime to review your work.
You'll need to create new, original content. None of the text you submit can be previously published, even on your own blog or LinkedIn account. We are not able to make exceptions to this criterion.
Step 3: Submit
When you’re ready, click “Submit for Editor Review.” This notifies our team that your piece is ready for edits.
Step 4: Relax
After you submit your article, try to relax. We know you’re eager to get your article published, but this is when the 3-5 week editing process begins.
We want to make sure your piece will be at its very best before it goes live, so first, a content editor will spend some time giving your draft a thorough read. They may make some edits directly, especially for grammar and style. Then they’ll review the substance of the article.
What they look for:
- Does the article meet requirements of the content submission guidelines for publishing with Rolling Stone?
- Does the article overall help educate and inform your target audience?
- Did you include specific, clear tips that help the reader apply your advice to real business situations?
- Are there opportunities to clarify or simplify transitions, ideas, or language?
Step 5: Revise
If your article needs substantive revisions, you’ll receive an email notification from your editor asking you to jump back in. Don’t worry; we’ll give you specific questions and point out exactly what needs to be addressed so you know what to do. And of course, you can ask us questions at any time.
The piece may go back and forth between writer and editor a few more times as you collaborate on improving the draft. That’s perfectly normal, and it’s how we make sure you put your best foot forward on RollingStone.com.
Finally, the article passes through one more check with a copy editor, so that you can feel confident the final product is polished and professional.
When your piece is ready, we’ll send the final version back to you for review, so you can make sure everything looks good.
Step 6: Publish
Once you approve, your article goes live on RollingStone.com, and we’ll send you a notification.
As you can see, the idea here is that every article is a collaboration between you and our team of editors, who have helped thousands of executives and entrepreneurs get published. The process does take some time, but the end result is a piece of content you can be proud of — and use over and over again as an example of your own expertise and credibility.
Step 7: Promote
Once the article goes live, it’s important that you spread the word to get it in front of the right readers. We’ll share your article on our social channels, but there’s so much more you can do. Check out our "Article Promo Playlist: 7 Songs To Help Get the Word Out" to learn how.
That’s it! Log in to your dashboard and get started today.
If you ever have questions, the Rolling Stone Culture Council member concierge is standing by to help.