These guidelines, developed by CFA Society United Kingdom, are designed to help CFA UK members produce high-quality communications that reflect our mission and vision.
- Put the reader first: Our audience is very busy investment professionals.
Please consider the following questions:
- Is this piece teaching something new?
- Is this making me think about something I knew (or should know) in a different way?
- Does the piece provide information that helps investment professionals do their jobs?
- Is the piece too obvious?
- Is this piece too self-promotional?
- Write in a conversational style and remain unbiased and balanced.
- Whenever possible, topics should relate back to the investment management industry or highlight a link to CFA UK membership.
- Use the active rather than the passive voice.
- Do not be repetitive – in word usage or in bringing up the same point over and over.
- Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs.
- Avoid jargon, clichés, or slang. Also avoid overuse of exclamation points.
- Write concisely. No vague assertions — “some believe,” “some say that,” “market participants agree,” “it is our opinion.”
- When writing an article from an event, don’t simply summarise the presentation - make sure to add context/analysis and to prioritize the most salient takeaways from the session.
- Be aware of using gender-inclusive language.
Remember to keep in mind:
Keep it short: The ideal length for is 400 to 800 words. The Professional Investor editorial team will return a piece that exceeds 1,500 words for the author to tighten the writing or cut some text.
Get to the point: The most important information should be included in the very first paragraph of your article. People have short attention spans. If it’s not clear where you are headed in the first paragraph, readers are likely to click away.
Think wider than just words: We can include videos, podcasts, infographics as part of your submission.
Fact check all your information
Ensure you have all the necessary permissions if applicable.
Submit your content
By sharing your content, you’re helping to build the CFA Society United Kingdom’s online community.
Your content should include:
- Name
- Job Title
- Employer name
- Headline (max. 50 characters)
- Standfirst (max. 250 characters)
- Body copy
- Any image(s) to support your story
