Writing for Yahoo Contributor Network: Timing Matters

I've been a freelance writer for Yahoo! Contributor Network (YCN) submitting content for possible publication on Yahoo! websites, for almost a year now. Being a boxing fan that loves to write about the sport, having my work published on Yahoo! is very much fulfilling. As a starter, it is a confidence booster to have my articles posted on their site.

One thing I learned in submitting contents to yahoo is about timing. YCN editors review submitted contents four to ten days after submission. And because of this, it is not favorable to write boxing results. HBO and Showtime stage boxing bouts every Saturday night.


Granted you submit your article right after the fight--it will be published the earliest on Wednesday, which is too late for a news story to be published after four days.

One example is the article I wrote regarding Hopkins-Cloud result. I submitted the article right after the fight, (Saturday night) but it was published after four days (Wednesday). Most of the related stories are already online right after the fight. Anyway, I can handle that because I am not a Yahoo! sport news correspondent (just an aspiring contributor/writer).

I decided to ditch news stories. I tried writing fight and future match-up predictions. This is better; all I need to do is choose a match-up, know when it will happen, and submit the prediction a week before, just to make sure it will be published two or three days before the fight.

However, when I wrote a piece predicting two possible opponents of Floyd Mayweather Jr, yet the timing was off. I can't help but to laugh at the result.

I submitted the article on May 28, but to my surprise Mayweather announced his opponent on May 30. That made my article totally useless. I wanted to blame Mayweather (lol...) for that early announcement.

I have option to delete it before it will be published, but I choose to keep it. I wanted to see if Yahoo! Contributor Network editors will notice it. But to my surprise it was published after five days. So, I told to myself, "better late than never". I kept the article and submitted another one with a headline "Mayweather Jr. Vs. Canelo: Is Floyd Pressured to Fight Alvarez"

Now I understand that timing is very essential in everything we do. I do hope YCN editors will shorten the number of days for reviewing contents. Let say at a day or two.