Quick note: I’m in the process of changing Web hosts for this website, so there is a chance you’ll see some downtime in the next few days. I’m doing everything I can to avoid any disruption, but if you notice an issue, please know that it will be resolved soon! And I will be posting about the process once it’s done, so stand by for that!
You should know that I spent a long time looking around the Interwebz trying to make sure that I had properly apostrophized the title of this post.
{Like how I used poor grammar to illustrate my commitment to good grammar?}
And, as I am apt to offer…a disclaimer. I don’t typically accept guest blog posts. I make exceptions, sure, for great opportunities and for topics I’m interested in but lack the knowledge to explain myself…but I’m pretty territorial about my blog space. The good news? The posts that DO make it to my site are really, really good.
I encourage you to have the same high standards. Often, it’s better not to post than to have someone step in and use your space.
Offering posts? That’s a different matter. I often give other bloggers guest posts, because I’m looking to share information, find new readers for my own work and generally…I love blogging.
So I thought I’d issue some Do’s and Don’ts for giving and getting good guest posts.
source: http://myblogguest.com/
Do
Approach bloggers that “know” you — at least a little.
- I can tell you from experience … getting an email from a person whose name I don’t recognize, whose website has nothing to do with my niche and whose subject line is something like “I’ll Help You Get New Readers” is both annoying and a turn-off to accepting any guest posts, ever. However, emails that come from a recognized blogger (remember, I audition every blogger who leaves me a comment!) and say something like
“Hi Katy! It was so much fun to meet you at #Fitblog/Social Fresh/Iron Girl/that happenin’ coffee joint, and I wanted to tell you how much I love reading your posts. In fact, your recent post about how you organize your Google Reader inspired me to change my own subscription habits. I wondered if you might be interested in a guest post? I could write about how my analytics changed after I took your advice, and I’d be happy to provide all of the HTML and images for the post.”
make me want to jump up and down and say “yes, yes, OH YES!”
Don’t
Make your first communication about the guest post.
- Please don’t think that I’m telling you to be deceitful or manipulative. But if you are interested in guest posting for another blogger, take some time to become part of his or her inner circle. Comment often. Retweet on Twitter. Like/Friend on Facebook and have some meaningful exchanges before ever asking about guest posting.
- Better yet? Be genuine. Instead of building relationships with bloggers for whom you’d like to guest post, guest post for bloggers with whom you have a relationship.
Do
Tell the blogger what you can offer his or her readers, not what you can offer him or her.
- I can tell my readers about the latest Facebook statistics. I can tell my readers about training for their first triathlon. I can tell my readers what it was like to go to college in one of the snowiest cities in America. But I can’t tell them what it’s like to work at Facebook, or to do an Ironman or to study on the beach. If you can give my readers those perspectives, and it’s something that fits my niche, you’re in. Tell me WHY my readers will care, and HOW it fits my mission statement.
Don’t
Talk about your statistics; talk about your expertise.
- If Heather Armstrong approached me (ha!!) to offer a guest post, and she told me “I have millions of readers and pageviews on my site,” I’d say, “and I should care because…?” If, instead, she told me, “I saw your post on trying to figure out the best time for having kids, and since I went through the same discussion with my family, I thought I could provide you some insight!” I would say…come to mama.
Do
Offer a sneak peek at the post.
- I much prefer approaches in which the blogger says, “I’ve spent some time learning about ABCD, and I think I can offer your readers some new insights. I have great photos to accompany the post, and I’d include several links for further reading. I’m thinking the title could be ‘TITLEGOESHERE,’ but whatever works best for your site is fine with me!’” than one that makes me come up with the title, the post details, etc.
Don’t
Offer to post on “whatever you want.”
- See the “Do.” It’s fine to offer multiple topics or points of view — “I just got back from a social media conference, and I learned a lot about creating Facebook ads that have high clickthrough rates. If that isn’t of interest, perhaps I could talk about the unique ways that I stood out (including my sparkly shoes!)” but if I have to work too hard to come up with YOUR post, I might as well just do it myself. Make it easy to say yes.
Do
Give the absolute best you have.
- You’re competing against the content that the blogger could create on his or her own. So take the post that you KNOW would get you thousands of page views…and give it away. Seriously. I know it’s counter-intuitive, but keeping your “A” game to yourself is a little like keeping that beautiful dress in the closet until the perfect occasion. It’s better to offer your best stuff, because it could be the first and only impression these readers get of you. Make them want to come to you. And make the blogger glad that he or she said yes.
Don’t
Rehash something you’ve already done, or save the best stuff for your own blog.
- Please don’t look at guest posting as an opportunity to get people back to your blog. Look at it as an opportunity to expose yourself to a new audience, and prove your expertise. If you do that, the readers will come. But if you are just recycling your content, it’s not going to be attractive to the blogger.
Do
Include a biography, links to social media sites and contact information.
- You know yourself better than anyone. So provide a BRIEF biography, links to Facebook and Twitter and, if appropriate, your email address. Example:
Katy Widrick is a television producer by day, and trains for triathlons at night. She writes about healthy living in a hectic world — a balance between fitness and friendships, all built through social media, and is also the founder of the #Fitblog Chats on Twitter. Subscribe to the feed for updates and follow @kwidrick on Twitter and find her on Facebook!
Don’t
Forget to market the heck out of the post once it’s live.
- Once the post is up, be sure to link to it on your own website (so you drive traffic to the other blogger), post it on Facebook and Twitter and even consider emailing it to key people. It’s great to show people that your work is good enough to be posted on other websites…I’d also recommend adding it to a special “guest posts” page on your website.
I found these posts to be really great — for what to do AND what not to do (ahem …read Roni’s post).
3 Tricks For Getting People To Guest Post On Your Blog (via For Bloggers By Bloggers)
I Don’t Want or Need Your Content (via Roni Noone)
How to Easily Find Guest Posting Opportunities (via Blog World)
3 Ways to Snag More Blog Opportunities (via We Blog Better)
9 Ways to Become an Exceptional Guest Poster (via Pro Blogger)
How to be a Tacky Guest Poster (via Crafterminds)
8 Tips on Guest Posting Your Way to Twitter Dominance (via TwiTip)
MyBlogGuest.com (the whole website)
So — what’s stopping you? Go on and find guest posters for your blog or offer a post of your own!
About Katy
My first ever guest post is scheduled to go live this morning so I got super excited to read your do’s/don’ts. Also super scared…luckily I think I did okay. I gave my girl Aron at runnersrambles.com a post on tips for running her first Boston Marathon at her request. And I definitely aspired to make the post worthy of her website! I wrote and rewrote that sucker SO many times before I finally sent it to her.
This post could not have come at a better time. I have committed to writing three guests posts over the next few weeks and definitely will be applying these tips to my writing!
What a fantastic post, Katie, and with such perfect timing! I was asked to do my very first guest post evaaaaar last week, and I think it’s sheduled to go up tomorrow (at fannetasticfood.com!) I tried to make it as easy as possible by including all my HTML formatting and image links in the post body, and after seeing what you wrote I’m convinced that I did it all “right”, haha. I’m definitely trying to get more of my blog’s exposure out there, and I know that guest posts are one of the best ways to do it! Plus it’s less greasy than other means of self-promotion, because at least I’m getting to share some (hopefully) good content, too. Thanks for this one!!
This is fantastic advice. I think it’s funny … lately, I’ve seen a lot of bloggers say that they generally prefer no guest posts, but I love guest blogs! I love writing them, I love having them on my blog, and I love reading them.
Awesome post! I seriously just wrote a guest post for someone last night!
Great post! I’ve had a guest blogger contact me and do exactly what you say not to do and I was annoyed as well. I respectfully declined.
Hi Katy!
First of all thanks for sharing a link to my post here – I really appreciate that!
Anyway, guest posting has produced the greatest impact on my blogging career. I started guest posting because I found it as an awesome to borrow traffic from other blogs, but then I discovered that it also allowed me to connect with some other great like-minded people.
The biggest change in my blogging came over a year ago, when I wrote a guest post for a popular site, the next day the editor of the blog asked if I’d like to take over another blog, since he had too much on his plate. Ever since I’ve been blogging at WeBlogBetter, it has continued to grow and grow. I’ve had some amazing opportunities come as a direct result of writing for this blog. All because of one great guest post!
This is really good advice, Katy, especially the line about don’t offer to post on “whatever you want.” Thanks for narrowing that down, buddy!
By the same token, when I was asking people to guest blog on my last blog, I would give them specific advice, such as which story to write about, or how they should focus the post, etc. Because the alternative usually wasn’t too pretty.
You really are a wealth of information. Ever since I started reading your social media posts I have a whole new view on blogging/twitter. I haven’t done a guest post, but these are really good tips to keep in the back of my mind for the future. I’ve been contacted by bloggers that automatically offer to do a guest post off the bat and it’s definitely thrown me off being that I don’t even know much about them or their blog…
same here! when i get an email that’s like “hey julie! i love your blog and just started mine. check it out here: ____. let me know if you’d like me to do a guest post!” – i just cringe b/c it seems like they’re blogging solely for hits and views. it takes time to build a genuine relationship with other bloggers and maintain a quality blog that’s written because it’s the blogger’s passion.
Thanks for sharing the link to our post, and for writing this fabulous post. I’ll be sharing it on our FB fan page.
I love the post! To bad we couldn’t talk more about this in Tampa. I have not done any nor have I been asked to do guest posts yet, but when the time comes I will have the knowledge thanks to you. We really need to have a blogger meet up in Orlando. I miss you guys already
Perfect timing! I’ll be looking for guest posts soon, such great advice and tips! Thanks Katy =)
This is such great advice! I’m a newbie blogger, but not new to social media. I’m writing for myself because I really enjoy it & it provides a relief from stress from work, grad school, and training!
Your posts always seem to pop up at the best times! I committed to write a guest post here in a few months and have never done one before. I’m very nervous about it! I’m still very new to blogging, so your information is very helpful!
I am a fairly new blogger and you have a wealth of information. Thank you for sharing it.
I’ve been using Blogger LinkUp at work. It’s an email that you get three times a week that has opportunities for guest blogging on other blogs and people who have guest blog posts to post. However, I’d probably use it more for (and am) backlinks than any other reason.
Thanks so much for this post, Katy.
I have been getting offers from potential guest posters almost daily, as of late. At first it was flattering, but now I just feel annoyed. I’m trying hard to find my own voice and don’t want my readers to be exposed to something that isn’t up to the standard I usually offer (or think I usually offer…).
You’ve given me some great tools for dealing with situations in which I feel bad when I say no!
I love to write guest posts (I am guesting at one of my favorite blogs today!), and do it fairly often.
This is a great list of do’s and don’ts (haa, now I see what you mean…)
that I will definitely keep in mind for future writing!
Hey Katy!
I found your blog today through Google while I was looking for info on media kit and it’s been like 4-5 hours and honestly speaking I’m hooked to your content. Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful tips, so helpful for new bloggers like myself. Keep up the great job!
Golly! (am I the only one who says that anymore?) I clicked on over to this post from Tamara’s guest post and it led to 2 hours of reading posts about guest posts! I’ve written one guest post. It was a good one and for a tiny second, I regretted sending it. I thought maybe I should have kept it for myself, but from all I’ve read today, I did the right thing. Unfortunately, the host didn’t promote it at all and it didn’t get much traffic.
I love your content, thank you for sharing all that you do. I’ve been a lurker on your blog for a few weeks now, and I’m doing your #28DBC and learning a TON. Thank you!
What a bummer that you didn’t get the promotion you deserved…it’s hard when you put a lot of work in and the recipient just sees it as a day off from blogging. Having said that, the more that you can get in there and respond to the post’s comments, etc., the better!
I also think there is a statute of limitations on guest posts and I’d absolutely consider re-posting it on your blog once a decent stretch of time has passed.