Terms & Conditions

1. General & acceptance

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of WordTipper ("the platform", "we", "us", "our"), a local journalism platform operated in the United Kingdom. By creating an account, submitting content, purchasing advertising, or otherwise using the platform, you agree to these Terms in full.

If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use WordTipper.

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. The date of the most recent revision is shown at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after a change is published constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We will endeavour to notify registered users of material changes by email.

All monetary amounts are in British Pounds Sterling (£). These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

2. Eligibility & accounts

You must be at least 18 years old to create a WordTipper account. By registering, you confirm that all information you provide is accurate, current, and complete.

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You may only hold one account. Creating duplicate accounts to circumvent restrictions or gain an unfair advantage is prohibited.
• You must notify us immediately if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe are being used fraudulently, abusively, or in violation of these Terms.

Account registration is free. Certain premium features require a paid Publisher Pro subscription (see Section 5).

3. Writer payouts & prize pot

WordTipper operates a monthly prize pot for writers in each town. The pot is funded by advertising revenue and distributed based on reader engagement (article reads: opening the full article page and tapping Read more on the feed).

How the pot is calculated

• Each town's annual writers' prize pot equals 70% of the total annual advertising revenue allocated to that town across all active ads.
• Where an ad spans multiple towns, the 70% revenue share is divided equally across all selected towns.
• The monthly payout is calculated as 1/12 of the total annual pot, distributed at the start of each calendar month for the preceding month's results.

How payouts are split

• The monthly pot is split between the top 3 articles by verified reads within that calendar month (each full article-page view or feed “Read more” expansion counts toward that article’s monthly read tally): 1st place receives 50%, 2nd place receives 30%, 3rd place receives 20%.
• Hearts are counted from the calendar month only. Hearts earned in previous months do not carry forward.
• If fewer than 3 articles receive hearts in a given month, unclaimed ranks are not paid out — they are not carried over or accumulated.
• In the event of a tie in hearts, the article published earlier in the month takes the higher rank.

Payment of earnings

• Earnings are credited to your WordTipper balance as platform credits. They are not actual bank transfers until you request a withdrawal (see Section 6).
• The pot amounts shown on town pages are indicative based on current active advertising. They may change if advertisers cancel or new advertisers join.
• WordTipper does not guarantee any minimum level of earnings. Pot amounts may be zero if a town has no active advertising.

Withholding & clawback

WordTipper reserves the right to withhold, reduce, or claw back payouts where:

• An article is found to violate our content standards (Section 7) after payment has been made.
• Fraudulent activity is detected, including but not limited to: artificial hearts, coordinated voting, or use of automated tools.
• An account is found to have been created or operated in breach of these Terms.

4. Advertising & ad revenue

Businesses and individuals may purchase advertising placements on WordTipper to reach local audiences.

Ad packages

• Three tiers are available: Simple Link, Simple Banner, and Business Profile. Prices are displayed on the Advertise page and are shown as monthly equivalents billed annually.
• Selecting multiple towns multiplies the annual price proportionally by the number of towns selected.
• Ads are activated subject to review and approval by WordTipper. We reserve the right to reject any submission without explanation.

Revenue share

• 70% of your total annual ad spend per town is allocated to that town's annual writers' prize pot.
• The remaining 30% is retained by WordTipper to cover platform operating costs, hosting, and development.
• Revenue is allocated at the point of payment and is not refunded if the pot goes unclaimed in any given month.

Ad content

• All ad content must comply with UK advertising standards (CAP Code) and our content standards (Section 7).
• Ads must not be misleading, offensive, or promote illegal products or services.
• WordTipper may remove or suspend any ad at any time if it is found to be in breach of these Terms or applicable law, without refund.

Renewals & cancellation

Ad placements are currently managed manually. Cancellation must be requested via contact us before the renewal date. Refunds are not provided for partial periods.

5. Publisher Pro subscription

Publisher Pro is an optional paid subscription that unlocks premium article-building features and the ability to embed private advertising within your articles.

• Publisher Pro is currently priced at £2.50/month, billed yearly (£30/year).
• The subscription grants access to premium elements in the article builder (polls, callouts, embeds, maps, before/after comparisons, etc.) and the private ad manager.
• Subscriptions are annual. Your access will be revoked at the end of the paid period if the subscription is not renewed.
• We will endeavour to notify you by email before your renewal date.
• Private ads created as a Publisher Pro member must comply with the same content standards (Section 7) as all platform content. WordTipper may remove private ads that breach these standards.
• WordTipper does not guarantee any income from private ads embedded in your articles. Private ad revenue is entirely between you and your advertisers.
• Refunds for Publisher Pro subscriptions are available within 14 days of purchase if you have not made use of the premium features. After 14 days, no refund is due.

6. Withdrawals & bank details

You may request a withdrawal of your WordTipper balance to your UK bank account at any time, subject to the following:

• The minimum withdrawal amount is £5.00.
• Payouts are processed manually by WordTipper staff within 7 working days of your request.
• You must provide your full name, sort code, and account number at the time of the withdrawal request.
• Bank details are collected solely for the purpose of processing the specific withdrawal request. They are permanently and irreversibly deleted from our systems immediately after the payment is confirmed as sent.
• We do not store, share, or retain your bank details beyond what is strictly necessary to process the single payment.
• It is your responsibility to ensure your bank details are correct. WordTipper accepts no liability for payments made to incorrect account details provided by you.
• WordTipper is not a financial institution or payment service provider. Balances are credits representing amounts owed and do not constitute regulated deposits or financial products.
• WordTipper reserves the right to withhold withdrawals pending investigation if fraud is suspected.

7. Content standards & moderation

All articles, ads, comments, and profile content submitted to WordTipper must meet the following standards. Content that does not comply will be rejected or removed.

Required

• Articles must be accurate, honest, and not deliberately misleading.
• Content must be relevant to local communities, events, people, businesses, or places.
• You must own or have the right to use all images and media included in your content.

Prohibited

• Hate speech, harassment, discrimination, or content that incites violence or hostility on any basis
• Content that infringes copyright, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights
• Content that defames, libels, or unlawfully intrudes on the privacy of any individual
• Promotion of illegal goods, services, or activities
• Spam, repetitive content, or material designed solely to game the hearts system
• Sexually explicit material, graphic violence, or content inappropriate for a general audience
• Misinformation, fabricated quotes, or impersonation of real individuals or organisations

Moderation

All article submissions are reviewed before publication. WordTipper moderators may approve, reject, or request changes. You will be notified of the decision. Repeat or serious violations may result in account suspension or permanent ban without refund of any outstanding balance below £5.00.

Readers may report comments or content they believe violates these standards using the report button. We investigate all reports and act where necessary.

8. Intellectual property

Your content: You retain full ownership of all articles, images, and other content you submit to WordTipper. By submitting content, you grant WordTipper a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, distribute, store, and promote that content on the platform and in related marketing (e.g., social media previews). This licence ends if you delete the content or your account is closed, except where the content has been cited by other users or archived.

Our content: All other content on the platform — including the WordTipper name, logo, design, codebase, and marketing copy — is owned by WordTipper and may not be reproduced, modified, or redistributed without our express written permission.

Third-party content: If you include images or media from third parties in your articles, it is your sole responsibility to ensure you have the necessary rights or licences to use that content.

9. Platform availability & changes

We aim to keep WordTipper available 24/7 but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The platform may be temporarily unavailable for maintenance, updates, or reasons outside our control.

• We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the platform at any time with reasonable notice where possible.
• Prices, features, and payout structures may change. Material changes will be communicated in advance.
• We are not liable for any loss or inconvenience caused by downtime or changes to the platform.

10. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• WordTipper is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
• We do not guarantee that the platform will be error-free, secure, or continuously available.
• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss arising from your use of the platform, including loss of earnings, loss of data, or damage to your reputation.
• Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to WordTipper in the 12 months preceding the claim.
• Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

WordTipper is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or legality of any article, comment, or ad submitted by users. User-generated content does not represent the views of WordTipper.

11. Account termination

By you: You may close your account at any time via Account Settings. Upon closure:

• Any balance below £5.00 will be forfeited as we cannot process a withdrawal below the minimum amount.
• Balances of £5.00 or above may be withdrawn before closing your account.
• Your published articles will be retained on the platform in anonymised form unless you request deletion, which may affect the reading experience for other users.
• Your personal data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

By us: We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if:

• You breach these Terms in a material way.
• We detect fraudulent, abusive, or harmful activity.
• We are required to do so by applicable law.

On termination by us for cause, any outstanding balance may be forfeited. We will provide written notice where reasonably practicable.

12. Privacy & data

WordTipper collects and processes personal data in accordance with UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). Please see our full Privacy Policy for details of what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

• We do not sell personal data to third parties.
• Bank details provided for withdrawal are used solely for payment processing and are deleted immediately after confirmation.
• By using the platform you consent to the processing of your data as described in the Privacy Policy.

13. Disputes & governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the laws of England and Wales. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you have a complaint or dispute, please contact us in the first instance. We will endeavour to resolve disputes amicably within 28 days. If a dispute cannot be resolved, either party may seek resolution through the courts.

Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under applicable UK law.

14. Contact

For questions about these Terms, disputes, data requests, or to exercise your legal rights, please contact us via the contact form or email hello@wordtipper.com.

WordTipper · Somerset, England · hello@wordtipper.com