Overview

If you're submitting quotes through Featured, you might wonder what makes a response stand out to publishers. This guide breaks down what makes a quote great, what to avoid, and what could still be affecting your selection chances—even if you're doing everything right.

How to create a standout quote

Anatomy of a great answer

Example Question: Can you share one business strategy that has increased your company’s revenue this year? How can others apply this?

Example Answer:
My business had been struggling for a while until this year, but that changed when we sponsored a local community event here near Phoenix, AZ. The festival needed a donation of our expertise, and we ended up having a blast even during working hours.

While we didn’t see a boom right when we closed our booth out; since that event, our website traffic has been significantly stronger (23%), and our revenue climbed out of danger levels—soaring high enough to give our team a $1,000 bonus.

My advice is to reach out to local vendors near you, and see how you can help out within your local community. Ask, because someone will be happy your company is there to provide support. Remember to find something unique that your business can provide so that future customers know what to look for.

Answer feature	How?
Provides value	This answer clearly states advice that other business leaders can adopt. Readers can leave the article feeling wiser.
Anecdotal	We can see the experience behind the evidence. It is told like a story.
Specific	The user addressed the revenue query with a direct response—the strategy and “how” were both answered.
Unique	This one can be tricky. Aim for “daring” answers. We opted for this strategy because the example does not hit the usual “productivity” or “sales” keywords from other articles.

Anatomy of an unpublishable answer

Example Question: Can you share one business strategy that has increased your company’s revenue this year? How can others apply this?

Example Answer:
As CEO of XYZ Enterprises, I am uniquely suited to answer this question. One business strategy that has increased our company’s revenue this year is by partnering with other businesses. By working together, larger audiences can be reached, and this means customers can be offered more value.
Other businesses can apply this strategy by reaching out to other businesses. They can also attend industry events and network with other businesses. By partnering with other businesses, businesses can grow their customer base, reach new markets, and offer their customers more value.

Answer feature	How?
Provides value	This answer does offer advice, but it is repetitious, hard to understand, and not easily applicable.
Anecdotal	Experience doesn’t have to include “I” or “we” indicators, but responses should make it clear the insight comes from real experience.
Specific	While it does technically answer the question, without experiential wisdom or more support, it falls flat. Answers like this lean toward “fluff.” Readers and publishers prefer specific advice.
Unique	The answer is not unique or daring. Business partnerships are nothing new. The only way to improve would be for a unique take on “business partnerships” with evidence of how it increased their revenue.

Common answer issues

Issue	Description
Using AI	Publishers are interested in your unique personal and professional experiences. AI does not have this experience.
Plagiarized	We cross-check plagiarism globally. Just don’t do it.
Misaligned expertise	Featured uses profile information, like your job title and company industry, to determine your relevancy to the query. If your expertise, as indicated in your Featured profile, doesn’t align with the query, there’s a reduced likelihood of the quote being selected.
Quote re-usage	It’s a common practice for PR folks to reword or re-use some quotes for different requests, but in this case, they will be flagged. We do not accept any re-used quotes—even if they are originally from you.
Overly promotional	Some questions may involve you sharing personal or company information in your answer. However, answers that are overly promotional often get rejected by publishers. Aim for your writing to enrich the audience by learning more about you or your company—not just sold to.
Quote submissions on behalf of others	If you are submitting on behalf of a client or colleague (with permission), ensure the expert profile information accurately reflects to whom the response should be attributed.
Adding “fluff” text	Aim for snappy, helpful text. Avoid restating your job title and company name (readers will see it in the attribution). Trim out filler words that say nothing.
Misinformation	Our readers need expert advice—anything offered should be with this intent. False claims or unfounded statistics will be flagged immediately.

What if I’m still not selected?

Even if you're doing everything right, your quote might not get picked. Here are a few common reasons why:

Reason	Solution
Competition	Especially on a popular publication, there will be a lot of folks answering the query for only a few open spots. It’s incredibly important to come up with a super unique response that only you would be able to offer.
Expertise & current role relevance	Users with job titles and work in industries that match the query are more likely to be chosen. Example: For a question about email marketing, a content writer will have a better chance of being selected compared to a FinTech CEO.
Digital presence	Check that you have no broken links in your Featured profile and practice good LinkedIn hygiene. Sometimes, a strong digital presence can make a difference, as it fully supports your expertise.
Luck and chances	Ultimately, this is not a solid solution—but please be patient. We aim to give everyone a chance. If you use these best practices, odds are we will select you when your answer aligns with a publisher’s needs. Consider upgrading to a Pro account for unlimited answer credits and more chances to be selected.