Stat Snapshot QC Checklist

strategy/stat-snapshot-qc-checklist.md · strategy · 1 versions

Stat Snapshot QC Checklist

⛔ MANDATORY: No stat snapshot post may be published until ALL items below are verified and checked off.

This checklist must be completed for EVERY stat snapshot post BEFORE publishing to Contentful. Do not skip any items. If a post fails any check, fix it before proceeding.

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Pre-Writing Verification

Complete these BEFORE drafting:

[ ] Slug availability confirmed via npm run check-slug -- "slug-here"
[ ] Primary source identified with working URL
[ ] 3+ supporting sources gathered with URLs
[ ] Sitemap fetched via firecrawl_map for internal links

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Word Count Verification (HARD REQUIREMENT)

⛔ MINIMUM: 3,000 words. Target: 3,000-4,000 words.

Run this command and record the result:

wc -w drafts/stat-snapshots/YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md

Word count: _______ words

Result	Action
❌ Under 3,000	STOP. Do not publish. Expand content.
⚠️ 3,000-3,200	Borderline. Consider expanding to be safe.
✅ 3,200+	Proceed to next checks.

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Required Sections (All 11 Must Be Present)

Verify each section exists AND meets minimum word count:

#	Section	Min Words	Present?	Word Count
1	Opening paragraph	150	[ ]	_____
2	What the data shows	500	[ ]	_____
3	Breaking down the numbers	400	[ ]	_____
4	Why it matters for your business	400	[ ]	_____
5	How to take advantage	400	[ ]	_____
6	The bigger picture	350	[ ]	_____
7	What experts are saying	250	[ ]	_____
8	Common questions answered	400	[ ]	_____
9	Supporting data	200	[ ]	_____
10	CTA section	100	[ ]	_____
11	Statistics boxes (3 stats)	N/A	[ ]	N/A

If ANY section is missing or under minimum, STOP and add content.

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Image Requirements (HARD REQUIREMENT)

⛔ MINIMUM: 4 images (1 hero + 3 body)

Image	Type	Filename	Uploaded?	Asset ID
Hero	Scrapbook	hero.png	[ ]	_________
Body 1	Chart	_________.png	[ ]	_________
Body 2	Chart	_________.png	[ ]	_________
Body 3	Concept	_________.png	[ ]	_________
Body 4 (opt)	Chart	_________.png	[ ]	_________

Image QC:

[ ] All images generated at 1344x768px (16:9)
[ ] All text in images reviewed at 100% zoom for typos
[ ] Brand colors used: Navy (#222239), Teal (#57b4ad), Lime (#d7df27)
[ ] All images uploaded via npm run upload-images
[ ] asset-ids.json generated

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Source Citation Requirements (HARD REQUIREMENT)

⛔ Every statistic MUST have a source link. No exceptions.

Check	Status
[ ] Opening paragraph includes linked source
[ ] Every percentage has a source link
[ ] Every dollar amount has a source link
[ ] Every market trend claim has a source link
[ ] Supporting data section: ALL bullets have sources
[ ] Sources table completed at bottom of draft

Source count: _____ (Minimum: 5 unique sources)

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Internal Link Requirements (HARD REQUIREMENT)

⛔ MINIMUM: 8 internal links. Target: 10-12.

List all internal links:

#	Anchor Text	URL	Section
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Total internal links: _____ (Minimum: 8)

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AI Content Scrubbing (REQUIRED)

Run these searches and confirm ZERO matches:

Search Term	Found?	Action
`—` (emdash)	[ ] None	Replace with comma, parentheses, or period
`delve`	[ ] None	Replace with "explore," "dig into," "look at"
`landscape`	[ ] None	Replace with "market," "space," "industry"
`leverage`	[ ] None	Replace with "use," "take advantage of"
`robust`	[ ] None	Replace with "strong," "solid"
`seamless`	[ ] None	Replace with "smooth," "easy"
`utilize`	[ ] None	Replace with "use"
`myriad`	[ ] None	Replace with "many," "lots of"
`it's important to note`	[ ] None	Just state the thing
`it's worth mentioning`	[ ] None	Just mention it
`In conclusion`	[ ] None	Conclude naturally

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Statistics Boxes Verification

Stat	Entry Created?	Published?
Stat 1	[ ]	[ ]
Stat 2	[ ]	[ ]
Stat 3	[ ]	[ ]
Statistic Group	[ ]	[ ]

Statistic Group ID: _____________

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Readability & List Usage (HARD REQUIREMENT)

⛔ MINIMUM: 3 lists per post. Target: 4-6 lists.

Dense prose without visual breaks hurts readability. Every post MUST include lists to improve scannability.

⛔ Mandatory List Check (Do This First)

Before publishing, verify lists in these HIGH-PRIORITY sections:

Section	Has List?	If No List, Why?
Breaking down the numbers	[ ] Yes / [ ] No (needs justification)	_____________
How to take advantage	[ ] Yes / [ ] No (needs justification)	_____________
Supporting data	[ ] Yes (REQUIRED)	N/A (always a list)

⚠️ If "Breaking down the numbers" or "How to take advantage" has NO list, you must justify why prose is better for that specific content. Dense data or action steps almost ALWAYS need lists.

Additional List Opportunities

Check these sections for additional list opportunities to reach 4-6 total:

[ ] "What the data shows" — platform comparisons (if 4+ platforms)
[ ] "Why it matters" — industry applications (if 3+ examples)
[ ] "The bigger picture" — future predictions (if 3+ items)

List Verification Table

#	Section	List Type	Items	Purpose
1	Supporting data	Unordered	_____	Quick-reference stats
2
3
4
5
6

Total lists: _____ (Minimum: 3, Target: 4-6)

List Format Rules

Bold lead-in phrase for each item: - Key point: Explanation here
3-7 items per list (8+ should be reconsidered or split)
Parallel structure (all items start same way: verb, noun, etc.)
1-2 sentences max per list item
Ordered lists for sequential/step-based content
Unordered lists for non-sequential parallel items

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Content Quality Checks

[ ] Read aloud test: Content sounds natural, not robotic
[ ] Sentence variety: Not all sentences start with "This" or "It"
[ ] Readability: 3+ lists breaking up dense prose where content calls for it
[ ] No generic statements: Specific data with specific sources
[ ] Adwave mentions: 2-3 natural mentions (not forced)
[ ] CTA present: Clear call-to-action with /how-it-works and /pricing links

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Final Pre-Publish Verification

Before creating the Contentful resource entry:

[ ] Word count verified: _____ words (min 3,000)
[ ] All 11 sections present and substantive
[ ] 4+ images uploaded with asset IDs recorded
[ ] 8+ internal links included
[ ] 5+ source citations with working links
[ ] 3+ lists for readability (where content calls for them)
[ ] AI content scrubbed (zero flagged terms)
[ ] Statistics entries created and published
[ ] Statistic Group created and published

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Contentful Entry Creation

Field	Value	Verified?
title		[ ]
slug		[ ]
shortDescription		[ ]
headerImage	Asset ID:	[ ]
resourceDate	YYYY-MM-DD	[ ]
resourceType	Insights	[ ]
bodyContent	RichText built	[ ]
seoDescription		[ ]

---

Post-Publish Verification

After publishing:

[ ] Entry published successfully (Entry ID: _________)
[ ] Calendar updated with Entry ID, status, word count, and image count
[ ] Live URL verified: https://adwave.com/resources/[slug]

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Sign-Off

This post has been verified against all QC requirements.

Item	Confirmed
Word count ≥ 3,000	[ ]
All 11 sections present	[ ]
4+ images embedded	[ ]
8+ internal links	[ ]
5+ source citations	[ ]
3+ lists for readability	[ ]
AI content scrubbed	[ ]
Statistics created	[ ]

Date completed: ____________

Entry ID: ____________

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Quick Reference: Common Failures

Failure	Prevention
Word count under 3,000	Check `wc -w` BEFORE publishing. Expand thin sections.
Missing sections	Use template. Verify all 11 sections exist.
Unsourced statistics	Never include a number without a source link.
AI telltale language	Run search for flagged terms before publishing.
Insufficient images	Generate all 4+ images before starting Contentful entry.
Too few internal links	Fetch sitemap first. Plan 8-12 links during outline.
Too few lists (dense text)	Include 3+ lists where content calls for them (data comparisons, steps, features).

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Enforcement

This checklist is MANDATORY, not optional.

Do NOT proceed to Contentful entry creation until all checks pass
Do NOT publish entries that fail any verification
If time constraints exist, delay publication rather than publish non-compliant content
Quality over speed: A delayed compliant post beats a fast non-compliant one

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Template Usage

Copy this checklist for each new post:

## QC Checklist: [Post Title]

**Slug:** `[slug]`
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]

### Pre-Writing
- [ ] Slug available
- [ ] Primary source identified
- [ ] 3+ supporting sources
- [ ] Sitemap fetched

### Word Count
**Result:** _____ words
- [ ] ≥ 3,000 words

### Sections (all 11)
- [ ] Opening (150+)
- [ ] What the data shows (500+)
- [ ] Breaking down (400+)
- [ ] Why it matters (400+)
- [ ] How to take advantage (400+)
- [ ] Bigger picture (350+)
- [ ] Experts saying (250+)
- [ ] Questions answered (400+)
- [ ] Supporting data (200+)
- [ ] CTA (100+)
- [ ] Statistics boxes

### Images (4+ total)
- [ ] Hero uploaded
- [ ] Body 1 uploaded
- [ ] Body 2 uploaded
- [ ] Body 3 uploaded
- [ ] All text verified

### Sources (5+ unique)
- [ ] Opening paragraph sourced
- [ ] All stats sourced
- [ ] Supporting data sourced

### Internal Links (8+)
**Count:** _____
- [ ] ≥ 8 internal links

### Readability & Lists (3+ total, target 4-6)
**Count:** _____
- [ ] "Breaking down the numbers" has a list (or justified why not)
- [ ] "How to take advantage" has a list (or justified why not)
- [ ] "Supporting data" has a list (REQUIRED)
- [ ] At least 3 lists total for readability

### AI Scrubbing
- [ ] Zero emdashes
- [ ] Zero flagged words

### Statistics
- [ ] 3 stats created
- [ ] Statistic group created

### Final
- [ ] All checks passed
- [ ] Entry published

**Entry ID:** ____________

Version history

v1 · 6/20/2026, 3:11:54 AM · migration import