How do you prepare a company for Wikipedia readiness over 12-18 months?

Quick answer

A 12 to 18 month Wikipedia readiness program runs four parallel tracks: Press strategy, Authority development, Entity work, and quarterly readiness re-assessments, and moves to Draft and Submit only when the source record clearly supports it. The order is non-negotiable: source base first, article second.

For borderline corporate subjects, a 12 to 18 month readiness program is the standard path to a Wikipedia article that survives. Acting before the source record supports it produces drafts that get challenged or deleted. The program runs four tracks simultaneously, with a structured gate before any drafting begins.

A 12–18 month readiness program runs four tracks simultaneously — Press strategy, Authority development, Entity work, and Quarterly readiness re-assessment — and moves to Draft and Submit only when the source record clearly supports notability.

Track 1: Press strategy

The goal is substantive, independent coverage in outlets Wikipedia editors recognize as reliable sources. This means:

Profiles and in-depth features in major national and business press, not just announcements or passing mentions
Substantive coverage in editorially independent trade publications in the company’s vertical
Coverage that is about the subject, not merely quoting an executive in an unrelated story
Wire-service syndication and sponsored content do not count toward notability

Track 2: Authority development

Independent recognition from established bodies strengthens the notability case when it is editorially generated:

Inclusion in authoritative analyst rankings or reference works
Awards from established institutions with editorial independence
Academic or research coverage that treats the subject substantively

Track 3: Entity work

Structured-data signals strengthen entity recognition and help any future article hold:

Wikidata entry with complete, accurate properties and sameAs identifiers
Schema.org Organization or Person markup on owned properties
Consistent entity attributes (name, HQ, key personnel) across authoritative third-party listings
Disambiguation signals where needed

Track 4: Quarterly readiness re-assessment

On a quarterly cadence, the source record is measured against Wikipedia’s notability standard (WP:NCORP for organizations; WP:NBIO for biographies). The assessment answers whether the existing coverage clearly supports notability, is approaching the threshold, or still has material gaps. Drafting is not recommended until the record clearly passes this gate.

Gate: Draft + Submit

Only when the quarterly assessment confirms the source record supports notability does the engagement move to drafting. The draft is submitted through the disclosed conflict-of-interest (COI) process via the Articles for Creation (AfC) review queue. This sequencing, source base first, draft second, is what produces articles that survive rather than articles that get nominated for deletion.

Last reviewed: 19/05/2026