WBN News Corp Inc.™

WBN WritersCast™

Publisher Writer Onboarding System™ · From first contact to fully approved Author self-publishing

v1.1 · June 2026

Publisher Workflow: Launch Brief · Writers Campus · Training Support · Contributor Training · First Article · Author Training · CMS Setup · Self-Publishing Approval

Purpose

Internal System

This document provides the complete WBN onboarding workflow for publishers recruiting, training, approving, and supporting writers from first contact through Author self-publishing status.

Objective — create a consistent, scalable onboarding system that maintains editorial standards while helping contributors grow into successful WBN Authors, Editors, and Publishers.

Writer Progression Path

Access Levels

Prospect

Initial interest and fit assessment.

Contributor Candidate

Receives launch brief and campus access.

Contributor

Submits content for review.

Author Candidate

Evaluated for publishing privileges.

Author

Trained for supervised publishing.

Editor

Supports review and writer development.

Publisher

Owns publication growth and standards.

Phase 1 · Initial Contact

Start Here

Publisher identifies a prospective writer from business owners, community leaders, industry experts, professionals, existing contributors, referrals, community organizations, or subject matter experts.

Collect Initial Information

Full name
Email
Phone / WhatsApp
City
LinkedIn profile
Website, if applicable
Area of expertise
Publication interest
Writing experience
Referral source

Explain The Opportunity

WBN News Network
Community journalism model
Contributor opportunities
Author pathway
Audience reach
Revenue opportunities
Training and support available

Phase 2 · Welcome Resource Package™

Send Immediately

Immediately after a positive initial conversation, every prospect should receive the following three resources.

Resource 1

WritersCast™ Launch Brief

https://wbnnewscorp.com/ghost/#/editor/page/6a306a605f4c1f00b73364e0

Explains WBN News Network
Explains WritersCast™
Outlines contributor and author opportunities
Introduces revenue opportunities
Explains the long-term growth pathway

Resource 2

Writers Campus™

https://wbnnewscorp.com/writercast-contributor-training/

Contributor Access
Role: Contributor
Username: contributor
Access Code: wrn-contrib

Writers may access the campus at any time after first contact. This is the primary self-paced onboarding and contributor training environment.

Resource 3

Training & Support Portal

https://wbnnewscorp.com/training-support/

Live training schedule
Contributor orientation sessions
Author orientation sessions
Publishing workshops
Q&A sessions
Office hours
Technical support

Phases 3–8 · Contributor Pathway

Review Required

Phase 3 · Interest Confirmation

Launch Brief reviewed
Writers Campus accessed
Questions answered
Writer wishes to proceed

Phase 4 · Create Writer Record

Writer profile created
Publication assigned
Publisher assigned
Contributor status assigned
Invitation date recorded
Training status tracked

Phase 5 · Contributor Training

WBN Overview
Contributor Guide
Style Guide
Submission standards
Article structure
Headlines
Sources and attribution
Community journalism
Editorial standards
Revenue opportunities

Phase 6 · First Article Assignment

Community story
Local business profile
Community event
Expert commentary
Industry insight
Local issue analysis

First Article Standards

325–375 words
Clear headline
Strong opening
Professional tone
Source included
Date included
Community or business relevance
Fact checked
Non-promotional

Phase 7 · Editorial Review

Accuracy
Readability
Relevance
Editorial tone
Source verification
Community value
Professional standards

Review Decision

Approved
Approved with edits
Revision required
Additional training required
Declined

Phase 8 · Contributor Approval

First article published
Contributor status confirmed
Contributor added to roster
Feedback provided
Additional assignments planned

Phases 9–14 · Author Pathway

Earned Access

Phase 9 · Author Evaluation

Contributor training completed
Minimum one approved article
Editorial judgment demonstrated
Understands sources
Understands disclosures
Reliable communication
Professional conduct
Follows WBN standards

Recommended: two to three approved articles before upgrade.

Phase 10 · Author Access

Author Access
Username: author
Access Code: wrn-author

Phase 11 · Author Training

Self-publishing standards
Editorial responsibilities
Headline optimization
Image standards
Corrections policy
Categories and tags
Publishing workflow
Audience building
Revenue opportunities
Publisher escalation procedures

Phase 12 · CMS Setup

Ghost account created
Email verified
Password created
Publication assigned
Author permissions assigned
Bio added
Headshot added, optional
Login tested
Publishing interface demonstrated

Phase 13 · Supervised First Publish

Headline reviewed
Formatting reviewed
Images reviewed
Categories reviewed
Tags reviewed
Sources reviewed
Dates reviewed
Excerpt reviewed
SEO fields reviewed
Published under supervision
Link shared
Social distribution explained

Phase 14 · Self-Publishing Approval

Author training completed
CMS training completed
First supervised publish completed
Consistent quality demonstrated
Editorial standards understood
Publishing workflow understood
Trusted to represent publication

Final Status — Author – Self Publishing Approved™

Ongoing Development

Keep Training

Live training sessions
Editorial workshops
Publishing workshops
Community reporting sessions
Revenue development training
Advanced Author programs

Publisher Master Checklist

Desk Reference

Recruitment

Prospect identified
Initial contact completed
Information collected
Opportunity explained

Welcome Package™

Launch Brief sent
Writers Campus sent
Contributor credentials sent
Training & Support Portal sent
Questions answered

Contributor Stage

Contributor training started
Contributor training completed
First assignment issued
First article submitted
First article approved
Contributor status confirmed

Author Stage

Author evaluation completed
Author access issued
Author training completed
Ghost account created
CMS training completed
Supervised publish completed
Self-publishing approved

Golden Rule™

Quality First

Initial Contact™

Welcome Resource Package™

WritersCast™ Launch Brief

Writers Campus™

Training & Support™

Contributor Training™

First Article™

Contributor Approval™

Author Training™

CMS Setup™

Supervised Publish™

Author Self-Publishing Approval™

Every writer should understand the WBN mission, complete appropriate training, demonstrate competency, and earn publishing privileges through a structured progression system that protects editorial quality while supporting writer growth.

Appendix 1 · Publisher Quick Start Checklist™

Print Checklist

Initial Contact

Prospect identified
Initial conversation completed
Contact information collected
Area of expertise identified
Publication assigned
Opportunity explained
Questions answered

Welcome Resources

Launch Brief sent
Launch Brief reviewed
Writers Campus sent
Writer logged in
Training started
Training & Support Portal sent
Writer reviewed schedule
Live training offered

Contributor Training

WBN Overview completed
Contributor Guide completed
Style Guide completed
Editorial standards reviewed
Submission process reviewed
Publishing workflow reviewed
Revenue opportunities reviewed

First Article

Assignment issued
Article submitted
Article reviewed
Revisions requested, if required
Article approved
Article published

Contributor Approval

Contributor status confirmed
Feedback provided
Added to contributor roster
Next assignment discussed

Author Evaluation

Contributor training completed
Minimum one approved article
Editorial standards demonstrated
Sources properly used
Professional communication
Reliable participation
Publisher approval granted

Author Access

Author access issued
Author training started
Author training completed

Author Login
Username: author
Access Code: wrn-author

Final Status

Active Contributor
Active Author
Self-Publishing Approved
Eligible for Editor Development
Eligible for Publisher Development

No writer receives self-publishing privileges until they have demonstrated the ability to consistently represent the standards, values, and editorial quality of the WBN News Network.

Appendix 2 · Publisher Decision Matrix™

Advancement Guide

This matrix helps publishers determine when a writer should remain a Contributor, be upgraded to Author, receive self-publishing privileges, be considered for Editor development, or require additional training.

Level	Typical Status	Advance When	Hold / Delay When
Contributor Candidate™	New prospect interested but not yet contributing.	Launch Brief reviewed, Writers Campus provided, questions answered, interest confirmed.	Fit unclear, questions unresolved, or prospect not ready to submit first article.
Contributor™	Learning WBN standards and submitting content for review.	One or more articles approved, professional conduct, reliable communication, follows standards.	Writing inconsistent, sources missing, content promotional, deadlines missed, heavy editing required.
Author Candidate™	Contributor being evaluated for publishing access.	Publisher trusts judgment, quality is consistent, sources are reliable, feedback is accepted.	Publisher is not yet comfortable with independent publishing risk.
Author™	Approved writer with publishing access, initially supervised.	Author training and CMS training complete, successful supervised publish completed.	Formatting errors continue, workflow not understood, sources remain inconsistent.
Self-Publishing Author™	Trusted independent publisher within WBN.	Consistent quality, professional conduct, trusted to represent publication independently.	Repeated factual errors, standards violations, promotional misuse, reputational risk.
Editor Candidate™	Experienced Author showing leadership and editorial judgment.	Strong writing, multiple successful publications, willingness to mentor, trusted by Publisher.	Not yet ready to review others or carry editorial responsibility.
Publisher Candidate™	Potential future publication leader.	Leadership ability, community involvement, recruiting ability, business development mindset.	Weak organization, low reliability, limited strategic thinking, or weak community representation.

Fast Track Guidelines™

Existing journalism experience
Strong professional expertise
Prior publishing experience
Exceptional article quality
High reliability
Strong alignment with WBN values

Slow Track Guidelines™

Additional training required
Editorial quality inconsistent
Reliability concerns exist
Publishing workflow not understood
Standards require reinforcement

Possible Corrective Actions

Coaching
Retraining
Temporary review status
Return to supervised publishing
Suspension

Core Principle™ — Access levels are earned through demonstrated competency, professionalism, reliability, and trust. Advancement is based on readiness, not time served.