One of my hangouts for bloggers is My Blog Guest, a blogging community centered on guest posts. It is just one place that I am grateful for etiquette of some responsible guest bloggers. Ann Smarty, a well-known blogger and social media user has been guest blogging and building relationships in the blogosphere for years. At her community you get both guest posts and can offer your own articles. They have also just launched a holiday contest.
If you blog you know how guest blogging is one marketing tool to help build your online presence. Through this method, you can gain traffic, build your brand and grow your list. These are all important benefits for an online business.
I both receive daily requests from potential guest bloggers and am a frequent guest blogger. Most of the requests I get never make it to my blog because they fall short of impressing me as a responsible guest blogger.
In order to be considered a good guest blogger, there are a few responsibilities that will help your writing be accepted more:
1. Responsible guest bloggers research the blog in question –
This is the first mistake many potential guest bloggers make. The requests I often get are a generic, “You have an interesting niche. I have a few ideas that your readers might be interested in,” and then their proposed topic does not even come close. Our content needs to be in line with the focus of the blog we want to be on.
Before sending our pitch to the blog owner, know what they stand for, what type of content their readers are interested in as well as what their guidelines are. If we don’t see them on the blog, ask about them.This is especially crucial if we are choosing a sub-niche. While an article on organically grown fruit trees might be interesting it won’t totally satisfy a blog that geared towards organically grown vegetables.
2. Adhere to the rules –
Falling afoul of the guidelines will not be looked on favorably by the host blog. My guidelines specifically state, “Provide appropriately credited photo (or 2) or video to go with the content.” Some of the bloggers who get a thumbs up to write here often do not follow through with this request, and others. Recently someone had valuable content and sent me a link to an image on one of the paying image and photo sites. That is not following the communicated guidelines.
We need to know what is expected of us and what is being asked in return.
3. Gauge the blog’s reputation –
Remember our reputation is going to be linked to the host blog after we make our guest appearance. In case you want to know, my blog has a global ranking on Alexa of about 150,000 and a USA ranking of 54,000; Google page ranking of 4. If your audience crosses over with mine in some way it could be a could fit. If a blog is not influential in the industry, we may not get the exposure we were hoping for from the blogging opportunity.
Blogs that are not relevant to our niche, won’t provide the targeted traffic that is often a benefit of such a venture. We want to think things through before we either ask to guest blog or get asked to contribute.
4. Build a relationship –
Don’t just do a guest stint and never communicate with the blog again. Consider checking in on it to become an active participant, leaving relevant comments and contributing to its reputation. If our first appearance was well received and we stay in touch this way with the blog owner, we just may be asked to appear again.
5. Communicate with your new audience –
When comments are made on our posts, answer them in a timely manner and with our expertise. Earlier this year when I was selected to be a guest blogger on a highly niched blog, the owner told me what time the post was going live and asked me to be there to communicate with the people’s comments. It seemed quite appropriate since the topic was, The Connected Life of a Blogger.
Our job is to add value to our blog posts, and to give the audience more of us.
6. Write stellar content –
Bring something new to the table as a responsible guest blogger.
Many guest bloggers make the mistake of thinking that mediocre, watered down recycled content will fly on a guest blogging stint. How wrong we are might manifest itself in a tarnished reputation.
Provide the same quality that we would if we were writing for our own site. That’s something to think about.
7. Reciprocate –
Return the favor by promoting the host blog’s content. Remind our audience to check out our guest posts. Post on social sites and encourage our readers to support the blogs who have offered us this opportunity.
It’s an encouraging act when someone offers to blog on our blogs. It’s something to be truly grateful for when they show the etiquette of responsibility.
Pat, some great advice here! Especially the part to promote the blog post – some guest bloggers forget to do that step. I find it very odd when I get requests from bloggers to do a guest post but they never left a comment or connected with me on Twitter, etc. I usually request contributors that I hand pick. It is always a great idea to know the blog beforehand and what kind of posts have been written there. Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving too Pat.
Now that is something I need to add to my own guest blogger guidelines Lisa: connect with me on my online places. Brilliant. Yes; you are. Thanks!
Very well stated my friend. So many do not understand these simple things. I get offered guest posts on a regular basis and most have to be turned away.
I wonder why people just do not understand there are some basic rules of etiquette? Thanks Cheryl. And for letting me know I ma not alone.
I am so with you on this one. I rarely give a request much consideration when they haven’t even taken the time to know what my blog is about much less to read my requirements. After that, the biggest challenge is how they present themselves with misuse of word, spelling errors and much more of that ilk. Because I’m dyslexic, I’m particularly sensitive to that kind of stuff. 🙂
Yes Susan, it is quite a dilemma. On one hand I welcome quality content. On the other hand some people just don’t understand the professional thing to do. Thanks.
Spot on! Personally never accept guest bloggers. One reason is because the blog is my online anchor i.e. about me and what I stand for. Another is that having a guest blogger can easily end up being much more work than writing the article yourself.
Catarina you are right about things taking more time: it comes from people either not paying attention to the guidelines or just forgetting. Then it spurs an email conversation!
Very informative. As you know, I am relatively new to blogging, and am still learning alot of the terms, and how blogs and bloggers interact with one another. This provides me some insight!
Thank you for sharing!
Delighted you found it helpful Mark. I’m planning a Monday series of them so do check back. Thanks!
I think you are very spot on with this! I have never had a guest blogger that I did not personally invite. I learned my lesson early one when I accepted a request to guest blog for me, but the submission was not good and had nothing to do with my theme of…Where’s The Justice? When I told the blogger I would not be running the post, I was greeted with a tirade. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again! Personally, to ignore these guidelines for guest blogging is yet another symptom of the decline of civility! One would think that they’d be common sense. Wonderful article!
Wow.Now I have never had a tirade although I have turned down many posts. People just don’t get the whole process and so guidelines seem like a waste to send over the internet.
As it’s said, common sense is not so common. Thanks Jacqueline.
Hello; I have read a lot of posts that tell you about the need to write guest posts, but none of them were so thorough on how to improve your chances of being published and getting the traffic that a guest post is designed to generate. Your suggestions were solid. I think it shows a lot that you mentioned relationship building as part of guest posting. I am of the opinion that posting quality comments sharing posts emailing the site owner and other actions that build relationships should come before pitching a guest post. But that’s just me. Thanks again and keep up the great work, max
Max if the proof in it being helpful is using the ideas and discovering for yourself that your being published will be easier! Thanks!
Pat — all your points are spot on. I get numerous requests and so often they are completely off topic. Also, it amazes me when a writer doesn’t include a last name, or any contact information. How am I supposed to evaluate their writing? Then there are the people who assume an over familiarity with me — “Hey there Jeannette. How’s it going,” etc. I’ve taken the time to edit a blog I’ve received and asked for them to make changes and I never hear from them again. So I’ve gotten a lot pickier about the posts I accept.
One reason I request links to at least 3 blog posts or articles from a potential guest blogger Jeannette is in part for what you say: I wan to evaluate their writing! I too get those familiarity requests and they go – in the trash. Thanks for being pickier – it helps the blogosphere.
Excellent post. I’m always amazed at the dipsticks who ask to guest post on my blog and yet they’ve never commented on my blog, don’t know/understand my audience, and have no good ideas re a possible topic for a relevant guest post.
You make me laugh Doreen: dipsticks indeed! How about the ones who email you would a list of ideas and NOT one of them relevant for your blog? Dipsticks. Thanks.
There are some good points in here. I have had some people contact me about being a guest blogger. I doubt they have actually taken the time to see what my blog is really about.
Short of posting your guest blogging guidelines on your blog (which I choose not to do) the best thing you might do to help someone potentially worthwhile is to have your own list of guidelines ready to email them and then the ball is in their court. Thanks Jason.
I’ve been aiming to write two guests posts a month in an attempt to raise my page’s Google page rank. It surprises me how many decent blogs don’t have readily available guest post guidelines. I’m still trying to get my guest post series off the ground where guest posters write about a memorable book, but the trouble is most respondents write about more than one book. Back to the drawing board… I look forward to your series of posts on guest blogging.
I’m guessing some bloggers who welcome guest bloggers are more like me – posting the guidelines actually can invite more slackers. I understand what you mean about wanting them available right there, although I look at it being like waving a flag for the race to begin. Thanks Jeri. Let us know how your guest blogging succeeds.
Great post Patricia and such smart guidelines. I’ve had one guest blogger and have been a guest blogger once, so my experience is limited and thankfully, has been good. I’ll be hosting some guests next month, but so far the content looks great, so I’ve been lucky. Rather than rely on luck in the future, I think I’ll just send along the link to this post. 🙂
We can always be grateful from those more pleasant experiences. Lucky you off to a terrific start. You are too kind – and funny! Thanks Debra.
Super useful post, Patricia – good reminder!
I have never hosted guest bloggers on my English blog (yet) and i have hosted a few (not more than 10 for the last 4 years) on my non-English blog – but all of them were handpicked – i asked them to guest blog.
I have used My Blog Guest for a couple of years for one of my client’s needs and it was superb experience – that’s how i found Ann Smarty, too. I would definitely go back to that platform if i one day open my English blog to guesting.
To your question – i would add only one thing to your list. kind of obvious – but my experience shows that obvious is often most overlooked, so… Whenever a blogger offers a guest post to another blogger – along with ALL the tips and guidelines you shared, i would suggest the content is original and specifically written for the blog you want to guest post on. Even better – first pitch a topic and only after you know that the other blogger is interested in your article – then write it specifically for them.
I have been approached so many times by bloggers with the same piece of content which can be published on so many other blogs – nothing there that would speak to my audience though. Not good approach. Pitch, discuss, agree on and only then write, specifically for the blogger’s audience, not “in general”.
I love that Diana – original content. Not copied from someone else. Valuable addition. Thanks.
Thanks for your kind words, Diana! We do really want you back! 🙂
Thanks for this list. We hate generic emails as well. I really wish folks would show a genuine interest (or pretend really well) before trying to pitch a guest post. Awesome and very useful post once again!
Well I suppose when I think about it, genuine interest is going to be used less and less as we get either overwhelmed with technology, don’t have a clue about professionalism or really, just don’t care to take the time. Thanks Chris and Angela!
Patricia, that’s an awesome list. Thank you so much!
And I appreciate the mentions and your using MyBlogGuest! THANKS and Happy Holidays!