Getting on the Front Page

So, you want to get your stories, photos and video on our front page and into that all-too-coveted top spot. Never fear – you´re not as far from glory as you think:

1. Word up, homey.

Writing great stuff is tough – there´s lots of competition out there. It takes a combo of style and substance to get noticed. First stop? NowPublic's front page. That´s where you want to be, so take a gander. The best stories are clear, concise, and well-edited. Remember, you can always go back and change things later. Need help? Talk to a Super Editor.

2. Stock your tool belt.

NowPublic is packed with tools to help you write successful news stories. Mosey over to our Tools page. Maybe it´s Highlight you need – it´ll help you pull info from other sources to make your stories better. Want to cross-post your blog entries to NowPublic to get more attention? Want to share photos and video? Whatever you´re after, we´ve got the tools to handle it.

3. Beef up your profile.

NowPublic isn´t just about the news; it´s also about you – the voice and face behind the news. Your Iraq coverage is way more interesting if we know that you served there. Ex-pat Brit in Hong Kong? Seventeen-year-old Indian kid at university in California? We´ve got them all, and they´re all unique. The more effort you put into your profile, the more we´ll know about you, and the more we´ll be into your stories.

There´s nothing wrong with self-promotion, either: your NowPublic member page sells you. Check out a staffer profile to see what we mean.

4. Become a multimedia guru.

Remember the soldier kissing the girl at the end of the war? The tanks rolling into Tienanmen Square? The nude girl fleeing napalm? Of course you do. Pictures don´t just say a thousand words, pictures tell a thousand stories. Find that great image for your story. Just watch for copyright – it´s better to be denied permission than be served a subpoena.

Start your search right in NowPublic; we have a ton of photos on file. Just sign in and scroll to the bottom of any story – there´s our photo search engine (“Crowd Source This Story”). A quick keyword search will show you thousands of ways to make your work stand out. A story can´t hit the top spot without a photo, so get on it!

We´re also hooked into YouTube, so you have access to millions of videos that will help your work gain momentum. You can even watch videos in NowPublic before adding them to your story.

Of course, you can use NowPublic to upload your own photos and videos directly.

5. Get friendly with an Editor.

NowPublic´s Editors and Super Editors are just like you – they´re on the lookout for great crowd-powered news. Their rank just means they´ve mastered the process. So go ahead: Write, read, comment on and flag stories; post in the forums and add photos and video. Make your mark, and you´ll be promoted.

Wranglers and Editors have power behind their flags, so befriending them means your stories will move up faster. It´s a cycle: Encourage others and you´ll be seen and promoted for it. We´re always trying to get great contributors under our plumage, so speak up. We´re listening.

6. Bring your friends. And their friends, and their friends

At NowPublic, we look to the wisdom of the crowd to fuel our engine. Think of it like a big dinner party: The more cronies you bring along, the more interesting the conversation will be, and the more resources you´ll have at your disposal. Friend with a photo fetish? Pontificating pal? Dude with a digi-cam? Bring ’em. With their flags, photos, videos and comments, you´ll sail to the front page faster than you can say “mob mentality.”

Whew! Now that you´ve got the skinny, get to work. We can´t wait to lavish attention on you. Here´s looking at you, kids.

Questions? Comments? Visit our Forum.