Write for Us
Thank you for your interest in writing for Knowledge SUCCESS!
We’re glad you’re here. Our mission is to make critical knowledge available and accessible to people working in family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH). We strive to connect FP/RH professionals to news, resources, and opportunities that are relevant and timely to their work—without jargon or overly complex, technical language. Sound like something you want to get in on? Keep reading!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are you looking for in a submission?
We look for submissions that are relevant, attractive, easy, and timely. We’ll break down what we mean:
- Relevant: Written with a clear audience in mind.
- Easy: Uses plain language (not jargon) when possible and incorporates highlighted keywords, subheadings, bullet lists and other strategies to make the post easily scannable.
- Attractive: Includes images, charts, tables, and other visual elements.
- Timely: Focuses on a current technical topic in family planning and reproductive health programs.
While we accept posts on any technical topic related to family planning and reproductive health, the following technical areas are priorities:
- Quality of contraceptive information and services
- Accessibility of contraceptive information and services
- Meeting the contraceptive needs of diverse populations
- Gender and family planning
- Family planning for development
- Cross-cutting topics (e.g., what works and what doesn’t work in FP/RH programs; data; knowledge management)
How do I submit a post?
Please email our Managing Editor, Shannon Davis, attaching your completed draft to the form as a Word doc (preferred) or Google doc format. Please note: We only consider complete drafts (not pitches).
All guest contributors will have a profile. If this is your first piece for, please include the following:
- Full name
- Organization and title
- Photo (preferably a headshot); file must be less than 30MB (png, gif, jpg, or jpeg)
- Brief biography (150-300 words)
- Optional: Links to your or your project/organization’s website, LinkedIn profile, Twitter handle, and/or Facebook page
What happens next?
All submissions are reviewed regularly by our team. We’ll notify you as soon as possible; if Shannon doesn’t get back to you within a month, please feel free to reach out again.
What is the review process?
Each published post goes through a review process to make sure the article is a good fit for the Knowledge SUCCESS platform.
Within a few business days of sending your submission, you will receive a receipt confirmation email. The Knowledge SUCCESS team reviews submissions at least biweekly and within the following week, the author is notified by email of the team’s decision.
Can I co-author a post?
Absolutely. You and your colleagues are welcome to submit a joint piece.
What about images?
Yes, please! Include at least 2-3 photos or images that illustrate your post. Only use images for which you have permission or which are in the public domain (and be sure to credit your source).
I wrote a thing I think you’ll love, but it’s already been published elsewhere. What can I do?
Tell us anyway—we’d still love to share it! We are happy to republish relevant pieces, provided the original publisher gives their permission. Sharing great content from others working in the FP/RH field is one of our favorite things.
How does Knowledge SUCCESS promote my post?
- Tweet it out to your network. Feel free to tag us @fprhknowledge!
- Use the social share button on your post to share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social media platforms.
- Include it in your organization’s newsletter.
WHOM exactly should I write for?
Glad you asked! While we hope our website content has broad appeal, our primary audiences are:
- Decision makers
- Program managers
- Technical advisors
- …and the conveners who bring them all together.
As you can see, these are specialized groups, but they all have one thing in common: They work together to make FP/RH programs as strong as possible, and they need accessible, high-quality information to make it happen. That’s where we come in, and we hope you do too.
What is the Knowledge SUCCESS voice?
Sound like yourself. Be human. Aim for these characteristics:
- Authoritative but not pretentious
- Approachable but knowledgeable
- Informative but not dry
- Entertaining but grounded
Avoid clichés, technical jargon, and the alphabet soup of acronyms. Be that interesting person you’d want to learn something from, whether you’re at a conference or cocktail party. Web Writing for Beginners is a great resource, no matter your level of experience.
How can I increase the likelihood that my post will be accepted?
- “Now I get it.”
- “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but now I’m intrigued.”
- “Oooh, here are five new things I want to try…and I know exactly what to do.”
- Have a clear point that is woven throughout the piece.
- Include screenshots and graphics to illustrate your points in a way that words don’t. Include examples, metrics and their sources.
- Tell good stories—in this field, we get overwhelmed by data and details. Find a way to integrate the program message into a story with some heart. Our Family Planning Voices project offers powerful examples of this.
What could lead to my submission being rejected?
If you write a post with one or more of these characteristics:
- It is self-promotional and does not otherwise add value for the reader.
- The post lacks a clear tie to family planning and reproductive health.
- It’s a things-to-do overview with little detail on how to do those things.
- It lacks a clear main point.
- It leaves the reader wondering what to do with the information.
- It’s an op-ed-style post that discusses why an issue is important without discussing what, specifically, people in the FP/RH world can do.
What are some examples of posts that have done well for Knowledge SUCCESS?
Sometimes the best way to get ideas is to learn from what has performed well. Here are some standout articles:
Someone from Knowledge SUCCESS invited me to submit a post. Does this guarantee you will publish it?
Not quite. We see a lot of great ideas being shared across various networks. When someone from our team reaches out to see if you want to submit a post, this means we love your work and your take on things. However, it’s your approach that makes all the difference, so we can’t decide until we see a full draft.
You made it to the end! We appreciate you taking the time to learn more about Knowledge SUCCESS. Still have additional questions? Feel free to contact us.