Our aim here at Weblog Tools Collection is to provide a platform for authors of themes and plugins and at the same time provide WordPress users a single place to keep up-to-date with the WordPress world.
We try to keep abreast with both plugin and theme releases. The first place that we look for releases is the WLTC News Forum and in this post I’ll try to cover some of the points that you should keep in mind to facilitate your listing.
1. Post in the appropriate category
The forum has been divided into several categories for different content. The two primary categories that you should be looking at are the New WordPress Plugins category and the New WordPress Themes category for plugins and themes respectively. We also have a Premium WordPress Themes category for those themes which require payment to use.
2. Writing your post
This is the most important part of the process. Remember that the key to attracting a user to visit your plugin or theme page is a good detailed description. I, for one, would like to gather as much information about the plugin or theme from the post. Browsing to your site and then making a search for the right post / page is a big big no no!
Plugin Authors should ensure the following is present in the post.
- Plugin Name: short forms are OK, however the full form of the name is ideal
- Plugin URL: This should be the direct url to the plugin page and not your site. Ideally keep a separate page for each plugin. It provides for a single interface to interact with users, as well helps in SEO.
- Description: Let me iterate; provide a detailed description. Mention what exactly your plugin does. Elaborate on some of the features that the plugin has. Ask for suggestions. State what plans you have for the future of the plugin. Optionally, add information on installing and using the plugin. This information should also be present on the plugin page on your site.
- License
Theme Authors should ensure the following is present in the post.
- Theme Name: same rule to follow as that of plugin authors above
- Theme URL: Once again, link to the url of the theme page. Putting several themes on a single page only serves as a distraction to a person looking for that specific theme.
- Description: A detailed description for the theme should come here. Mention if your theme is widget ready, or if supports gravatars. Does it have an options page? Is it a one, two or three column theme? What colors is it available in? Is the header customizable?
- Demo URL: Every theme should have a demo for a user to see what their site will look like. It is a pain to download and install a theme to check if it looks good, only to find that this is not the case.
- Screenshot: This is optional but again highly recommended. A screenshot is the first view that a potential user sees.
- License
The points I have made above are not just pertaining to our News forum. In fact this should something that you should follow strictly whenever you are looking to get listed at any site announcing releases.
3. Other methods to inform us about your release
The News forum is the preferred method to bring your creation to our attention. Not only does it bring your theme / plugin to our attention but it also ensures that you reach out to our regular readers even before our daily release posts.
You could also use the contact form to inform us about the release. However, this is a much slower method to get listed. Remember to provide as many details as you would if you were to make a post in the News forum. Also, change the Subject line to Plugin Release: your theme/plugin name.
Happy posting 🙂
Thanks for this write-up, Ajay. It’s nice to have this all laid out for reference. I just made a boo-boo (listing a paid theme in the regular theme forum) on my last entry. Hopefully, I won’t be making the same mistake again.
Question: Are image tags allowed in the WLTC posts? Or are you referring to the posts on our blogs?
should add “License” for theme posting guideline, that would clear some confusion.
I’ve written up a WordPress Theme Release Post Template for lazy people like me that hate typing the same thing over and over again.
@Ian, I am not sure if you can add image tags. However, a link to a screenshot / demo should suffice.
But, it would be a good idea to have a screenshot on your theme page. However, a demo is a must.
@ChaosKaizer, good idea. Have added License to the list.
Thanks for the overview. It is much appreciated. I didn’t think that there was so much into writing a post.
In connection with:
I would like to think that the above requirement is NOT pursuing the goal “all themes with GPL license”, but since many designers will have to use the WordPress Theme Directory for the demo, the number of widely promoted themes with none GPL license will dramatically shrink.
I am still waiting for a competent answer to my question about theme licensing.
Please read it before someone say something about the GPL compatibility.
I definitely agree with the requirement for a demo for a theme. When I’m looking at plugins, it is really helpful if there is a working example.
@David,
I didn’t say that I’m against the demo and my comment would be in favor of that requirement if Weblog Tools Collection had a theme directory where everyone could upload his/her theme.
Great post but who does the editing prior to inclusion?
I have 5 new plugins ready to roll for WordPress all real estate related and I’m drafting a post now.
You can make the post in the News forum as given above. As of now, it is usually me to compiles the list.
Hey excellent post BTW but my inclusions never seem to be featured. Maybe I’ll do a little advertising on this site instead.
Great post though, thanks for helping me figure this out.
Jared Ritchey