Editorial Policy: What Is It and Where Should It Live on My Blog?

In a world where disinformation, misinformation, and simply mediocre information abound, it’s essential to establish credibility for a blog to succeed at gaining a loyal following and brand authority. An editorial policy can help shape a blog into the trusted source of information that your readers are hungry for.

With the pressure to drive consumer action, an editorial policy will provide you and your team of writers, editors, and guest contributors with:

• A solid framework for delivering consistent and relevant blog posts
• A clear summary of roles and responsibilities
• A set of principles by which the brand can build trust in the information published

The conformity and tone of your brand’s content can represent the quality of your brand as much as your logo. It’s vital that every member of the team understands the policy and its importance to the content creation process. Adherence to your editorial policy will save time and ensure all content consistently communicates with one brand voice.

What Is an Editorial Policy?

An editorial policy contains a set of guidelines by which your blog operates. It communicates the blog’s point of view, content creation processes, and the ethics it will stand by. Your policy defines your brand’s approach to thought leadership and standards for published content.

As your content audience grows, the rules established in your editorial policy will help you develop and maintain brand authority by upholding your reputation as a trustworthy and authoritative source.

An editorial policy provides readers a framework for understanding the blog’s mission, vision, and values. If it’s well-defined and aligned with readers’ values and expectations, it can help move them to become subscribers.

For writers and editors, an editorial policy maintains the publication’s integrity from both an informational and branding standpoint. Blog posts or articles that adhere to it become part of a carefully curated compilation of content that shares the brand’s unique point of view, expertise, and voice.

Editorial Policy vs. Editorial Style Guide

Many content creators mix up an editorial policy with an editorial style guide. While both are constructive documents for building and growing strong blogs, they differ.

An editorial policy addresses the principles and purpose of your published work and methodologies regarding topic ideation and research. An editorial style guide is more about presentation, detailing the publication’s look, style, and tone.

Benefits of an Editorial Policy

A firm editorial policy is essential for the following reasons:

• It builds reader trust.
• It keeps content cohesive by defining the boundaries between what is covered and what is not. Boundaries are essential when a blog has multiple or outsourced writers and editors.
• Customers will transfer their perceptions of your blog content’s quality to your products or services.
• Google will crawl it for E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust. One of the things that builds trust is the easy ability to verify the accuracy of the information on a site, which is precisely what an editorial policy can demonstrate to Google. You improve your chances of ranking when your content meets the high standards outlined in a published content policy.

How Do You Write an Editorial Policy?

Your readers will take note when you consistently publish high-quality, well-researched content. The quality of your editorial policy will help guide you and your staff to that end.

Your editorial content policy should cover any requirements related to fulfilling your editorial mission. Additionally, it should draw from your brand’s mission, vision, and values. As you build your policy, review those ideals and keep them in your mind.

Keep in mind that this policy should be a living document that evolves over time, just like your industry, best practices, and content strategy.

Editorial Policy Examples

If you look at how other organizations approach their editorial policies, the first thing you’ll probably notice is how much they vary.

• Reuters’ AI transparency approach stands out for its clarity and directness. The policy says that when they “rely primarily or solely on generative AI to produce news content, we disclose this use, providing context about how we have used the tool.”
• The Cleveland Clinic is one of the world’s preeminent medical centers. Their blog, Health Essentials, contains a significant amount of reader-friendly health information and advice. Trust is a must for this blog. Their editorial content policy is written to its audience and addresses both its editorial process and commitment to its readers.
• YES! Magazine demonstrates how editorial policies can address consistency across platforms. Its policy includes dedicated sections for fact-checking standards that apply across all formats.
• The Spruce, a popular home and garden blog, wants readers to know how seriously it takes the accuracy and integrity of the work it publishes. Its editorial standards doc begins with an editorial promise, with all subsequent sections supporting that promise.

These policies demonstrate how clear editorial frameworks can extend beyond an internal document designed to help writers and editors; they’re also a public commitment that builds credibility with increasingly discerning audiences.

Components to Consider Including

Your organization’s needs, content type, and brand goals will inform what you should include in an editorial policy. Here are a few key components worth considering.

• Outline blog and brand objectives. In the above examples, Reuters demonstrates this by establishing its identity as “the world’s largest multimedia news provider,” emphasizing its commitment to information professionals can trust. YES! Magazine explicitly states its mission “to inspire people to create a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world” and explains how this shapes its “explanatory journalism” approach.
• Define your audience. You and your regular writing team already know who your company sells to. Including target personas in an editorial policy reinforces them for your current team and informs new and future writers.
• Establish writing guidelines. This can include what subjects you cover, post lengths, image and video requirements, and any other rules you may want to impose, such as linking, sourcing, calls to action, use of AI, and more.
• Strive for accuracy and accountability. Your policy should outline your commitment to accuracy and how you handle making corrections. Additionally, it’s essential to consider whether your content is evergreen and how you might edit and refurbish content over time.
• Establish fact-verification standards. Define how many independent sources are required for different types of claims (Reuters requires at least two sources for major news, while YES! Magazine states they “verify third-party claims using original documents and primary sources”). Establish a source credibility hierarchy prioritizing primary evidence and expert insights over secondary reporting.
• Offer impartiality and transparency. These are two areas that greatly affect trust. They are essential if you are writing about news or reviewing products. If your blog has advertisers, you’ll want your writers and audience to understand how the blog content exists independently from your advertisers. To ensure transparency, disclose any potential conflicts of interest to your audience.
• Outline submission requirements. If you accept submissions from writers outside your organization, this section will help them understand how to format their writing, the submission method, and any deadlines.

AI Content Integration and Disclosure

As AI-assisted content creation becomes common, your editorial policy must clearly define how and when AI tools are used in your content process. Transparency about AI usage has become a reader expectation and, in many sectors, a regulatory requirement.

Your policy should address:

• AI disclosure standards. Establish clear guidelines for when and how to disclose AI involvement in content creation. Most respected publications now include disclosure notes that specify whether content was AI-generated, AI-assisted, or human-written with AI fact-checking.
• Quality control processes. Detail your review process for AI-generated content. Many organizations implement a “human-in-the-loop” approach where editors verify AI outputs for accuracy, brand voice alignment, and originality before publication.
• AI tools and limitations. Specify which AI tools your team is authorized to use and for what purposes (ideation, research, drafting, editing). Also, define what content elements must remain exclusively human-created.
• Attribution standards. Clarify how to properly attribute information when AI systems are used for research or content generation. This helps maintain intellectual integrity while acknowledging the role of technology.

The Economist’s AI disclosure policy offers an excellent example. It clearly distinguishes between content that uses AI as a productivity tool versus content where AI generates substantial portions of the text. Its three-tier system (AI-assisted research, AI-enhanced drafting, and AI co-creation) provides readers with transparency while maintaining editorial control.

Ensuring Consistency in a Multi-Platform World

You want your audience to recognize your brand, whether reading an article, watching a video, or interacting with a calculator tool. Your editorial policy can help maintain a recognizable brand voice and high-quality information regardless of how your audience engages.

The heart of cross-format consistency lies in maintaining your brand’s core editorial values regardless of medium. According to PBS’s Editorial Standards & Practices, content across all platforms should reflect the same “highest standards of quality” and “demonstrate a rigorous commitment to editorial integrity.” PBS notes that while its editorial principles are “designed to be platform neutral,” they must be “adapted to account for audience expectations and the unique constraints and opportunities of various distribution platforms.”

This deliberate approach means customers recognize your brand on every platform. Your video content feels connected to your written work through your visual style and communication approach while embracing what makes video powerful: movement, human connection, and visual demonstration.

Building Inclusive Content That Serves Every Reader

How you organize information determines whether all readers can navigate your ideas effectively. When your policy mandates logical heading hierarchies and reasonable paragraph lengths, you’re not just helping screen readers but improving comprehension for everyone, especially those using mobile devices or dealing with attention challenges.

The true mark of editorial excellence is creating content that supports cognitive diversity. When your policy prioritizes consistent navigation patterns and thoughtful information disclosure, you accommodate readers with different processing styles while creating a more intuitive experience for everyone.

The Guardian exemplifies this approach with accessibility integrated into its editorial workflow. This approach ensures writers and editors consider inclusive design from conception rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Where Should an Editorial Policy Live?

The three most common places to locate your editorial policy are in the footer, the About section, or as a direct link on the blog’s home page.

The most crucial issue to consider is that you want the policy to be easy for readers and contributors to access. This will reassure readers of your transparency and save administrators from receiving inappropriate inquiries and submissions because the editorial policy was not easily found.

Give Your Blog a Competitive Edge

Writing an editorial policy is an essential piece of content governance. When the goal is to attract followers and increase leads to your website, your team needs this framework to deliver relevant and authoritative content. Additionally, this document provides clarity to your team and ensures the consistency required for effective brand management.

If you publish blogs to convert visitors into customers, ContentWriters can help. We specialize in content written by vetted industry-specialized experts that helps brands drive traffic and conversions. Get in touch today!

An earlier version of this post was published in September, 2023 by Deborah K.

Joan Weisman

Joan Weisman’s strong research skills, SEO knowledge, adaptability of style and voice, and passion for staying current make her an asset for freelance web content, SEO, and copywriting.