Writing the insertion paragraph itself: a craft checklist

Gathered from editors who place links for a living.

— Add real value first: the new sentence should improve the host page, not just host a link (an agency note).
— Match the host's voice and tense so it reads native — a forum thread flags tonal mismatch as the giveaway.
— Place the link mid-paragraph, not as a tacked-on final line (a Reddit tip).
— Vary anchor and surrounding phrasing from your other placements to avoid a footprint.

Editor's note: several sources argued the paragraph quality is what gets your edit approved and kept.

Pick of the week: a post showing a before/after where the inserted line answered a question the page left open — and the host thanked them.