We talked to an independent editor about what makes a submission stand out, and why she still reads everything that comes in.
Most of what we read online is built to be skimmed. Headlines are written to be scanned, paragraphs are kept short so the eye can slide down the page without resistance, and whole articles are structured so you can leave after the first two sentences and still feel like you got the point.
Every submission is read by an editor. We do not use automated filters to decide what gets a reader.