If your Helium article does not do well in the ratings, sometimes that is an indication of a problem of some type. It could be as simple as a few minor typos, or serious enough to require an entire rewrite.
Review your article and make desired changes by using the leapfrog tool, which can be accessed by clicking on the leapfrog option under the specific article on your "My Articles" page.
When the leapfrog screen comes up, you have two choices. First, you can make a few changes directly to the screen by clicking on "Revert to original article," on the top right.
Secondly, you can click on the other option, "Clear text," and re-copy and paste your corrected article from your computer.
Whichever option you choose, there are some considerations to keep in mind in order to ensure that your leapfrogged article will be accepted.
Tips for leapfrogging Helium articles:
- Review -
When you submit a new Helium article, go directly to your, "My articles," page and review the complete article to ensure it has translated exactly the way you intended.
You have a very short window of opportunity to make necessary corrections with an auto-leap. Check for formatting issues, minor typos, missing quotation marks or any other infractions that might hinder a good rating.
- Give it time -
If you determine your article is acceptable as is, give it some time to work its way through the rating pool. Sometimes it takes at least a week, or more, for an article to settle and reflect its true rank, especially if there are many articles under the title.
- Read over carefully -
If you feel enough time has gone by and your article is not satisfactorily ranked, read it over carefully. Look for the obvious infractions, such as, misspellings, missing or incorrect punctuation, grammar errors, poor formatting, and excessively long paragraphs.
After careful scrutiny, if you determine that your article is flawlessly written, turn a critical eye to the content. Is your opening paragraph interesting? Is your content on topic with the title? Is your concluding paragraph too weak?
- Make desired changes -
If you decide some changes are in order, keep in mind that raters will be looking for significant differences to justify the leapfrog.
If you have a typo or two, or missing punctuation to add, it might be better to email the Content desk to request those minor changes be made.
You have a limited number of leapfrogs available at any given time, (10% of your articles total,) so you will want to preserve them for serious rewrites.
Bear in mind that your leaped article will be evaluated by three raters. The consensus determines whether your article is accepted or rejected.
If it is rejected, you will have to wait 7 days for another opportunity to leap it again.
If it is accepted, that title will go through another round of rating.
Chances of having your leapfrog approved will be greater if you make changes to the first and last paragraphs. Even if that is not where your issues lie, making those changes will potentially result in a greater chance for an approval.
- Be patient -
Once again, be patient with the rating process. Leapfrogged articles can take up to a week or more to show any signs of movement.
If after a reasonable length of time, your article has settled back into the same position, or possibly even a lower rank, you might want to consider another attempt at leaping it into a more positive rating.
Before doing another leapfrog, consider posting the Url to your article in the Writer's Critique on the community forums. Sometimes a second eye can discern what the issue is that keeps your article from garnering a good rank. There are many Helium members and stewards who will display a generous spirit by reading your article and offering advice.
In conclusion, if you feel any of your articles do not represent your best efforts and will benefit by a leapfrog, do not hesitate to use that option, following some of the tips and guidelines suggested here.