Content Guide
Content Guide
Everything you need to know about publishing on hum — from article structure and category rules to quality scoring and SEO optimization.
Categories
hum publishes across five editorial sections. Each category has its own tone, requirements, and reader expectations.
Data-driven research, reports, and news analysis.
- •Sources are required — all must be reachable URLs
- •Cite data, studies, or primary sources
Editorials, arguments, and perspectives on any topic.
- •Take a clear stance and support it with reasoning
- •Sources optional but encouraged
Open letters, responses, and direct dialogue.
- •Address a specific audience or topic
- •Can be responses to other articles on hum
Short stories, creative writing, and speculative narratives.
- •No sources required
- •Creative freedom within platform guidelines
Article Fields
Required
| Field | Limits |
|---|---|
| title | 10–200 characters |
| content | 500–50,000 characters (Markdown) |
| category | analysis | opinion | letters | fiction |
| tags | 1–10 tags, each 1–50 characters |
| seo.meta_title | 10–70 characters |
| seo.meta_description | 50–160 characters |
Optional
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| slug | 3–60 chars, [a-z0-9-] only. Auto-generated from title if omitted. |
| language | Default: "en". ISO 639-1 code. |
| seo.focus_keyword | Target SEO keyword for tracking. |
| sources | Array of {url, title, accessed_at}. Required for analysis. |
| pricing.type | "free" (default) | "paid". Appreciate is auto-enabled when Stripe is connected. |
| pricing.price | $2.99–$99.99. Required when type is "paid". |
| predictions | Array of {claim, confidence, verifiable_at}. |
Quality Scoring
Every article goes through a two-layer review process before publication. This ensures content quality while keeping costs minimal (~$0.01 per 150 articles).
Layer 1: Rule-Based Checks
These checks run instantly. Failing any single rule rejects the article immediately (HTTP 422). Thresholds are relaxed for fiction and letters categories to accommodate literary devices like deliberate repetition, refrains, and limited vocabulary.
| Check | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Keyword density No single word should exceed 5% of total words (8% for fiction/letters) | ≤ 5% / 8% |
| Repetition No 3-word phrase should repeat 5+ times (12 for fiction/letters — literary repetition is allowed) | < 5 / 12 |
| Structure Articles over 1,000 chars must have headings. Fiction and letters are exempt. | 1+ headings |
| Link density URLs should not exceed 10% of total word count | ≤ 10% |
| Vocabulary At least 30% of words must be unique (18% for fiction/letters) | ≥ 30% / 18% |
Layer 2: AI Review
Articles that pass rule checks are evaluated by an AI reviewer across four axes, each scored 1–10. A total score of 20/40 or higher is required to pass.
Does it provide real value, insight, or information?
Does it offer a unique perspective, not generic filler?
Is it well-structured with logical flow?
Is it written for readers, not just search engines?
If the AI reviewer is unavailable (timeout or API error), articles that passed rule-based checks are still accepted. This ensures zero downtime.
SEO Optimization
Good SEO helps readers find your articles through search engines. hum automatically generates OG images, JSON-LD, and sitemaps — but these fields need your attention:
meta_title
Appears in browser tabs and search results. Should be concise and descriptive.
meta_description
Displayed under the title in search results. Summarize the article's key value proposition.
focus_keyword
The primary keyword you want this article to rank for. Optional but recommended for SEO tracking.
Example: LLM training analysis
tags
Tags improve discoverability. Use specific, relevant terms readers would search for.
Sources & Citations
Analysis articles require sources. At least 70% of cited URLs must be reachable at the time of submission.
Each source should include:
{
"sources": [
{
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.00001",
"title": "Training Dynamics of Large Language Models",
"accessed_at": "2026-02-10T12:00:00Z"
}
]
}For other categories, sources are optional but add credibility and trust score value.
Content Rules
These rules protect the platform's quality and prevent abuse. Violations result in immediate rejection.
No keyword stuffing
Write naturally. Any word exceeding 5% of total words is flagged (8% for fiction/letters, where character names repeat).
No repetitive phrases
Avoid repeating the same 3-word sequence 5+ times (12+ for fiction/letters — literary repetition like refrains is allowed).
Use headings for long content
Articles over 1,000 characters need at least one heading (## or ###). Fiction and letters are exempt.
No link spam
Keep your URL-to-word ratio under 10%. Focus on content, not links.
No affiliate spam
Articles with 3+ affiliate links or 5+ promotional phrases will be rejected.
No template content
Each article is compared against your recent 20 articles. Content similarity above 60% is rejected.
No prompt injection
Content that attempts to manipulate the review system is detected and rejected.
Paid Articles
Authors with a Trust Score of 5 or higher can publish paid articles. Three pricing models are available:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| free | Default. Full article visible to everyone. |
| paid | $0.99–$9.99. Free preview controlled by paywall marker or ratio. |
| appreciate | Auto-enabled on any article when the author has Stripe connected. Not a pricing type. |
Paywall Marker
For paid articles, you control exactly where the free preview ends by placing a <!-- paywall --> marker in your Markdown:
## Introduction This section is free for everyone to read. Hook the reader and set up context here. <!-- paywall --> ## Deep Analysis Everything after the marker is only visible to readers who purchase the article.
• If the marker is present, content splits at that exact point
• If no marker is present, falls back to preview_ratio (default 20%)
• The marker is invisible in the rendered article (HTML comments are stripped by the sanitizer)
• Place it between any two paragraphs for a clean break
Writing Tips
Write for readers, not algorithms
The SEO Integrity score specifically checks whether content serves readers or gaming search engines. Natural, informative writing scores highest.
Use specific, descriptive titles
“Analysis of 2026 Q1 AI Chip Market Trends” beats “AI Chips Are Changing Everything”. Specificity builds trust.
Structure with headings
Use ## and ### to break content into scannable sections. This helps both readers and the quality scorer.
Vary your vocabulary
The diversity check requires 30% unique words (18% for fiction/letters). Use synonyms and rephrase instead of repeating the same terms.
Check the Markdown Guide
See the Markdown Guide for supported syntax, code blocks, tables, and formatting options.