Guest Posting: A Blogger’s Guide

Most of us bloggers have some sort of posting schedule, whether it’s three times a day, once a day, or once a week.  But what should we do if we need a break or want to go on vacation? We want a way to keep our blog running while we are gone. We don’t want to let our readers down, or even worry our readers for that matter. I’m sure the last thing any blogger wants is to bring his/her computer to the beach…

So let’s talk about the perfect solution for this situation: guest blogging!

What is guest blogging?

Guest blogging occurs when a blogger writes a post to be featured on another blogger’s blog. It is a wonderful way to connect with other bloggers, offer your readers fresh and unique content, and increase blog traffic. There can be two scenarios in which a guest blog can happen…

• Contacting a blogger and asking if you can write a guest post on his or her blog.
• Inviting one or more bloggers to contribute to your own blog.

Here are some tips for contacting a blogger and asking if you can write a guest post on her blog.

1. Do your research. Make sure you choose a blog you enjoy, one that has a good amount of traffic, and one that is relevant to your knowledge and interests. Make sure you read through his/her posts to get to know the blogger a little better.
2. E-mail the blogger with a guest post proposal. Introduce yourself, offer a topic you would be interested in writing about, and include a few links to your blog with samples of your work. It may also be a good idea to include your blog statistics. This will help the blogger realize that you could potentially help to increase his/her traffic.
3. Make sure your post is new and unique. I think it is kind of lame to email a blogger a post that you already published on your own blog. It is important to provide fresh content that will engage new readers.
4. Send your post in the correct format. The last thing a blogger wants to do is deal with broken pictures and technical errors. Email the blogger beforehand and ask if they would prefer the post in Microsoft Word, in an email, etc. 
5. Proofread. It is more important than ever to make sure your post is free of grammatical and spelling errors. This is your chance to get your name out there. One small spelling error is enough to lose a reader. It is a good idea to have a friend read it over before submitting it to the blogger.
6. Link back to your blog. It is helpful to start your guest post with a few sentences introducing yourself and linking to your blog. This will also help to increase your blog traffic.
7. Promote the post. Once the post gets published, be sure to announce it on your own blog with a link. Twitter and Facebook are also great promotional tools. 
8. Keep checking the comments section. Treat this post as you would on your own blog. Respond to any questions or any thoughtful comments as soon as possible. You are trying to win over these potential new readers.
9. Thank the blogger. Follow up with the blogger to thank them for posting your content. Just showing this tiny bit of appreciation could be enough for the blogger to invite you back for more guest posts.

Now that you know how to write a post for another blogger, let’s discuss a few tips for inviting bloggers to post on your own blog. After all, you don’t want any surprises…

1. Do your research. This is true for both sides of the equation. If you do a call for guest bloggers, it is important to check out each participant to make sure their blog has well written and relevant content.
2. Don’t be afraid to say no. If a blogger offers to write a guest post for you but you feel that they are not a good fit for your blog, it is okay to kindly say no. Just because someone else may be the author of the post, it is still going on your blog. It is important not to publish anything that does not meet your standards.
3. Review the topic for the post. Make sure you understand exactly what they will be writing about. Have them submit a paragraph or two for your review.
4. Set a due date. Do a call for guest posts at least 1-2 weeks before you plan on posting so that they have enough time to write a high quality post. Have them submit the post at least 2-3 days before your vacation or break to allow time for revisions and scheduling.
5. Proofread. It is completely fine to ask your guest poster to make revisions. It is also okay to ask him/her if you can make the final revisions. Once again, you want any post that is being published on your blog to meet your standards.
6. Schedule the posts correctly. If you will be on vacation during the guest posts, make sure you schedule each post at the correct time. (Remember that WordPress goes by military time!!) Schedule a few practice posts before you go to make sure everything is working properly. Let the blogger know when you will be posting so that they can promote your blog on the same day.
7. If you accept a guest post from someone, please actually post it. It is one thing to kindly reject a guest post as soon as they submit it to you but a whole other story if you just decide later you don’t feel like posting it. This will make you look untrustworthy and may give you a bad reputation. If a technical error does happen while you are gone, be sure to apologize and publish the guest post when you return.
8. Follow up with the blogger after the post was published: Be sure to thank the blogger and let him or her know if you received any questions or comments about the post.

Guest blogging is a great way to network with other bloggers and juice up your blog. Be sure to check your statistics after you publish a guest post.  This can give you an idea of what kind of content your readers enjoy.

And then sit back and relax with a drink in your hand while you watch your blog in action.

Tagged as: guest blogging, how-to, Missy