Editorial Guidelines & Content Standards

The One Rule Everything Else Comes From

We publish for people who've already made the decision you're writing about. They'll spot a generic take in the first paragraph. That's the entire reason this document exists — not to gatekeep, but to keep that from happening.

If you remember nothing else: write the version of this only you could write. Not the version any executive in your industry could write. Yours.

1. Who This Is and Isn't For

This is for founders, CXOs, Industry Experts and influencers who've sat inside a decision — not commentators describing one from outside. It's also for agencies representing a named, credited executive with something specific to say.

It is not for ghostwritten SEO content, generic freelance contributors without subject-matter standing, or anonymous submissions. If we can't picture the person behind the piece, we can't run it.

A bio should state a real title and real scope of responsibility. Skip "award-winning" and "industry-leading" — readers tune those out by reflex.

2. The Two Formats We Run

• Bylined Article — One executive, one thesis, 800–1,200 words. Specific enough that it couldn't have been written secondhand.
• Pre-written Executive Interview — One person, one real decision, 6–8 questions, 800–1,200 words. Built around what was chosen and what it cost, not a career-advice Q&A.

Anything outside these two needs editorial sign-off first. Company features and sponsored content run through partnerships, not editorial.

3. Tone

Confident, specific, grounded in something that actually happened. Cut on sight: "best-in-class," "revolutionary," "game-changing," any sentence that could be a tagline. Also cut: jargon with no business consequence attached, and CTAs hiding inside the body copy.

Write it like a briefing to a peer who'll push back if you're vague.

4. Length Is Enforced, Not Suggested

If a submission runs over, we cut it — without a separate approval round. That's not a penalty on the contributor; it's us protecting the four minutes a CXO is willing to give an article.

5. Links & Visuals

Up to one links to any one company per piece, evaluated for relevance, not granted by default. No anchor-text built around competitive rankings or "best tools" framing. Up to two images, original or properly licensed — no logos, banners, or marketing creative inside editorial copy.

6. Editorial Control

Final say on headlines, structure, trims, and formatting sits with us, including after initial acceptance. That's not about overriding a contributor's voice — it's the only way every piece we publish clears the same bar, regardless of byline.

7. The Hard No List

No content built primarily for a backlink. No anonymous or ghostwritten SEO articles. No generic listicle advice. No product pitch wearing an editorial byline. Anything aimed outside our core executive readership needs approval before submission, not after.

8. Before Anything Runs, We Ask

• Would a senior leader think differently after reading this?
• Is there a specific, defensible point of view — not just a topic?
• Would we still stand behind this if quoted in five years?
• Is this worth four minutes of a CXO's actual attention?

One "no" and it doesn't run, regardless of who sent it.