Ghost How to Collect Submissions in Ghost

In the world of digital content management, platforms like Ghost How to Collect Submissions have emerged as essential tools for bloggers, writers, and businesses. Known for its simplicity and performance, Ghost provides users with a unique platform that emphasizes speed, customization, and ease of use. One of the powerful features of Ghost is its ability to handle content submissions, whether it’s for guest posts, user-generated content, or collaborative writing projects.

If you’re running a blog, a publication, or any site that allows contributions from various authors, understanding how to collect submissions in Ghost is crucial. The process can improve your workflow, enhance content quality, and ensure a smooth user experience. This article walks you through the steps for collecting submissions in Ghost, from setting up your platform to managing the incoming content efficiently.

Ghost How to Collect Submissions?

Before we dive into how to collect submissions, let’s quickly review what Ghost is. Ghost is a modern open-source content management system (CMS) that focuses on creating and publishing digital content quickly. Unlike traditional CMS platforms like WordPress, Ghost’s design is minimalistic and fast, making it an ideal platform for publishers, bloggers, and journalists.

Ghost allows users to create newsletters, blogs, and publications with advanced features such as member management, subscription handling, and content organization. The platform also enables streamlined content workflows, which makes it easier to collect and manage submissions.

1. Setting Up Submission Forms on Ghost

The first step in collecting submissions is to ensure you have an appropriate submission form set up. Ghost does not have built-in functionality for handling submissions like a dedicated form builder, but you can still set it up through integration with third-party tools or using the native features of the platform.

Using a Third-Party Form Builder (e.g., Typeform or Google Forms)

For a straightforward approach, consider integrating a third-party form builder like Typeform, Google Forms, or Jotform with your Ghost website. These tools are user-friendly, customizable, and allow you to create forms that capture all the necessary information from your contributors.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a Form: Set up a submission form on your chosen platform (e.g., Typeform). Include fields like name, email, submission title, content, etc.
2. Embed the Form: Ghost allows you to embed HTML code within your posts and pages. Simply copy the embed code from your form builder and paste it into a new page or post in Ghost.
3. Customize the Form’s Appearance: Depending on the form builder, you can adjust the styling to ensure the form matches your website’s aesthetic.
4. Test the Form: Before going live, test the form to ensure all fields work correctly, and submissions are received.

Native Ghost Form Feature (for Simplicity)

Ghost also supports native subscription and contact forms using the built-in “Newsletter” feature. Although this is generally used for collecting email addresses for newsletters, you can adapt it for content submissions. For example:

1. Enable the Newsletter Feature: In the Ghost admin panel, enable the Newsletter feature to create a form where contributors can send their submissions.
2. Create a Custom Submission Form: You can add text instructions, like a title or submission guidelines, to help users understand the expectations. While you won’t have the same customization options as a form builder, it’s a quick and simple solution.
3. Set Up Notifications: Ensure that every time a submission is made, an email notification is sent to you or your team. This can help ensure timely review and acknowledgment.

2. Creating Submission Guidelines

Setting clear guidelines for submissions is vital to ensure quality content and avoid confusion. Whether you’re accepting guest blog posts, articles, or multimedia submissions, contributors need to know exactly what to expect.

Create a page on your Ghost website dedicated to submission guidelines. Include the following information:

• Content Requirements: Specify word count, tone, topics, and any other important details related to the type of content you want to receive.
• Formatting Instructions: Detail how the content should be formatted (e.g., images, links, headings).
• Submission Process: Explain how to submit content, whether via email, a form on the website, or through a shared document.
• Review Process: Outline what happens after submission, such as timelines for feedback, edits, or publication.
• Compensation: If you are offering compensation for submissions, make sure to mention it clearly.

By having a dedicated submissions page on your Ghost site, contributors will be able to refer back to the guidelines easily, ensuring a smooth experience for both you and your users.

3. Managing Submissions in Ghost

Once submissions start rolling in, managing them efficiently becomes essential. Here are a few strategies to handle and organize submissions:

Using Ghost’s Content Management System

Ghost’s content management system (CMS) is simple yet effective for managing submissions. Here’s how you can use it:

1. Create a Submission Tag: Tag each submission with a custom label such as “guest post” or “submission.” This way, you can easily filter and view all incoming submissions from the Ghost admin panel.
2. Assign Submissions to Drafts: You can categorize new submissions as drafts, which will allow you to review and edit the content before publication.
3. Organize Submissions by Categories: Create categories or collections for different types of submissions, such as articles, guest posts, or multimedia, to ensure they’re easy to find later.
4. Set Up Workflows: If you’re collaborating with a team, set up workflows where different team members review and approve submissions. Ghost allows multiple users to have varying levels of access to content creation and management.

Using Email Notifications

Most forms (whether created with Typeform, Google Forms, or Ghost’s native form) allow email notifications when a submission is made. These emails can alert you to new content and give you all the necessary information right at your fingertips.

You can also configure email responses to automatically acknowledge submissions, letting contributors know their content has been received and is under review.

4. Reviewing and Approving Submissions

Once submissions are collected, the next step is reviewing them. The review process will vary based on the type of content and your team’s workflow, but here are a few best practices:

• Check for Quality: Ensure that submissions meet the criteria outlined in your submission guidelines. Look for quality, relevance, and originality.
• Edit for Clarity and Grammar: If needed, edit submissions for spelling, grammar, and formatting to ensure they align with your publication’s style.
• Provide Feedback: If you’re not ready to publish the content, communicate with the contributor about revisions or improvements. You can use email or a dedicated platform like Google Docs to track changes and feedback.

5. Publishing Submissions

After reviewing and editing, it’s time to publish the submissions. Ghost’s clean and simple publishing tools make this process seamless. Once content is ready, simply hit publish, and it will be live for your audience to view.

Conclusion

Ghost offers an excellent platform for handling content submissions, even though it doesn’t have a dedicated, built-in submissions feature. By integrating third-party tools like form builders, using Ghost’s native newsletter feature, and implementing a streamlined workflow, you can manage and collect submissions effectively. By providing clear submission guidelines, using tags and categories, and employing a well-structured review process, you can ensure that your platform remains organized and efficient, even as submissions increase. Whether you’re managing a blog, publication, or collaborative writing platform, these steps will help you streamline the process and collect high-quality contributions with ease.