Updated March 31, 2022
When Dianna Huff decided to create a Wikipedia page for her client's technology, she had no idea what she was getting into. Making updates to existing pages is simple. How difficult can it be to create a new Wikipedia page?
Extremely difficult, as she discovered. The long process is more like writing a college term paper than writing marketing content, says Dianna.
How hard can it be to create a new @Wikipedia page? Extremely hard (but still worth it), as @diannahuff discovered via @AnnGynn @CMIContent. Click to Tweet But she feels the effort is worth it. Her client's industry-changing technology has become an official part of Wikipedia and generates traffic to their website. And the article she wrote about the process remains one of the most visited articles on the site 11 years after it first appeared.
We took her solid advice and added some updates and ideas from other experts. We've also retained comments from Dianna's original post so you can learn from others' experiences.
Reasons to create a Wikipedia page
Almost everyone is now familiar with Wikipedia, the living encyclopedia where anyone can suggest or contribute pages, articles, and knowledge about anything: Rolling Stones (band), video games, Mount Vesuvius, Web3, and even content marketing.
However, few people realize the strict threshold for accepting articles.
Should you still create a Wikipedia page (or try to add one) about something related to your brand? Yes, if the subject meets a few essential conditions. Dianna recommends trying the Wikipedia page if:
- Your company invented or developed an industry-changing technology. Technology can fall into any category, from mechanics to chemistry to music (e.g. iTunes).
- You cannot find any information about your technology or topic on Wikipedia. Dianna explains that she created a page for her client's technology when she couldn't find any mention of it on Wikipedia.
- Your founder or company is “remarkable”. Wikipedia's editors apply a "popularity" test to determine if your topic warrants a Wikipedia page, and passing that test is a requirement for publication.
Please note that Wikipedia's interpretation of notability may differ from yours. If your company has invented something or your founder is a notable person (e.g. a famous author, first person to sail across the ocean), then the company or founder Your founder could be a good candidate, explains Dianna.
But you need a unique story or angle – not every executive or brand is notable enough for Wikipedia.
To be considered notable, you need to be able to cite articles from reputable sources. Like Jonathan Ricks noted in his recent article : “You need to develop the case, using only sources that are recognized by Wikipedia, which explains why the entry is guaranteed to be included in a global encyclopedia,” he said.
Note: Check mark blue on Instagram or a page on IMDB does not guarantee notability.
@ Wikipedia pages must be about notable topics or people. Use reputable, independent sources to meet popularity requirements, @jrick said via @AnnGynn @CMIContent. Click to Tweet TIP: Read Wikipedia page about popularity Go deeper into this topic.
Steps to create a Wikipedia page
You should visit though Wikipedia's help pages For more detailed information, Dianna shares this outline to provide a concise and useful step-by-step version for creating a Wikipedia page.
1. Do some research on Wikipedia
Learning the insights of being a good Wikipedian can help you create pages that are less likely to be removed or challenged during the formal review process.
TIP: Explore Wikipedia principle of conflict of interest before you start.
2 . Create an account
Only registered users can create or edit Wikipedia pages. Dianna recommends using your real name and email address.
3. Edit existing pages
Test your skills by making small edits to existing pages before creating new content. Dianna says start with topics you're already familiar with. For example, she updated the page of her son's fencing coach (he's an Olympic medalist) with new biographical information not available on the internet and she linked to the website of his fan club.
“By making these small changes, I was able to become more familiar with the site's content management system and build my Wikipedia user profile,” says Dianna.
Before you write a new page for @Wikipedia, make small edits to existing pages to familiarize yourself with its CMS and build your user profile, @diannahuff via @AnnGynn @CMIContent said. Click to Tweet TIP: Wikipedia keeps track of all changes made through your user account. With enough creative and editing activity, your user level can become an “automatically confirmed user”. This level allows you perform restricted functions such as uploading images and moving pages into public spaces.
4. Collect your sources
Verifiable, third-party sources are extremely important in Wikipedia. After all, it is an encyclopedia, not a marketing channel.
Content must be factual and unbiased. For example, Dianna must include information about competitors and their technology (and links to their websites) on the page she created about her client's technology.
TIP: You may know you, but unless your story is verifiable with objective websites or printed material, Wikipedia doesn't trust your first-person sourcing.
TIP: Image Only allowed if you own them or they're not subject to copyright.
5. Write text
You are now ready to edit your proposed Wikipedia page. You can type directly into the Wikipedia interface or cut and paste from your text software.
At the top right of your user page are the headings – Sandbox and My Chat. You can use either of these two ways to create, but My Talk guarantees the page will not be deleted.
Dianna said she finds formatting the page with Wiki code to take some time even though she understands HTML very well.
TIP: Although Wikipedia has a process for Request an article (submit a brief description and independent, reliable sources), it's just a list of ideas that might get feedback from the editor, William Beuhler wrote . No one will create a suggested page, and Wikipedia encourages you to submit a draft article instead.
Your press release and website don't cut it off as the source for the @Wikipedia entry, say @williambeutler via @AnnGynn @CMIContent. Click to Tweet TIP: Read through Creative articles on Wikipedia for further explanations and instructions.
TIP: You can learn more about Wiki code by reading Wikipedia's Help Page .
6. Submit page for review
With your page completed, submit it to Wikipedia for review. This process can take days or weeks (or more).
Dianna waited 12 days after submitting her client's page. After seeing the approvals, challenges, and removals for other pages submitted when she submitted her page, Dianna assumed her page was fine and moved it into public space .
One more thing
Shortly after it appeared online, a Wikipedia editor changed the page's title and made other non-substantive edits. If you publish a page, continue to monitor it and update it as needed.
Dianna has become a confirmed Wikipedia fan, although she has wanted to rip off her hair at times during the creation of the page. “It was well worth the effort,” she said.
Have you tried to publish an article on Wikipedia? Share your knowledge in the comments section.
Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski / Content Marketing Institute
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