// photo credit
Whenever possible, I love having the chance to contribute to other spaces, or have other bloggers come and contribute here. No matter how long you’ve been blogging, or how well versed you are in the topic your blogging about (even if you just blog about life) you have done, learned or experienced it all. Inviting and contributing guest posts are a great way to add a little diversity to your content.
Not to mention, guest posts are a great way to grow your relationships with other bloggers.
Some bloggers go ahead and create a document that has all of their guest posting guidelines on it, which is totally fine. It saves some of the hassle of having to remember exactly what you told the last blogger who contributed to your site, and saves the contributor the struggle of guessing and hoping they format and structure their post correctly. Personally, I have written up formal guest posting guidelines, mainly because I haven’t seen the need, and don’t have many requirements for guest posts.
Regardless of whether you receive guidelines or not, there are still a few simple rules you can put into practice to make sure your guest post is well received every time.
Pitch well, but not too aggressively. The secret to finding guest posting opportunities is incredibly simple: pitch your ideas. Oftentimes, bloggers looking for guest posts will send out a call of some sort by reaching out to certain bloggers or posting their need over social media. If there haven’t been many call outs and you’re looking to submit a post, reach out to the blogger who’s site you’d like to post to and pitch your idea.
When I say pitch, I don’t mean demand that they allow you to post or send them your article over the first email. Rather, share your idea with them, why you’d think their readers would enjoy the post, and what inspired you to want to guest post on their blog to begin with.
And don’t be afraid of reaching out; bloggers don’t bite!
Ask for a short list. Even though I don’t have formal guest post guidelines for E&M, I do send a little short list whenever having someone guest post. It includes the bare basics: word count limit, when I need it by, any other small deets I need for the post (photo, bio, ect). Once a blogger has okayed you to guest post, if they haven’t already sent you a short list, ask for it! And make sure you stick to the specks that they give you, especially regarding word count and images you include.
Meet the deadline. Nothing is worse than allotting space in your editorial calendar for a guest contributor only to have them lack follow through. Now, the blogger either has to scramble to get a post together or leave a hole in their ed cal, which is never fun. If you ask to contribute to someone else’s space, meet their deadlines, too.
[Tweet “Talking guidelines for crafting the perfect guest posts on Ember & March”]
Proof read, proof read, proofread! Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. We all make innocent typos in our posts every now and then, but when you’re entering someone else’s space, you really want to put your best foot forward. Imagine performing on stage in a new city for a huge crowd for the first time. You’d practice a little more than when you prep to sing in front of your family after dinner, right? Right! Carry that thought over when guest posting.
Talk about promotion. Once your post is live, tell everyone! Ask the blogger you’re contributing to if they’re willing to link any of your social profiles in the post so that readers can connect with you and keep the conversation going. Share a link to the post on your social networks, and maybe even write a post on your blog directing readers over to where you’re contributing.
Guest posting is a win-win for everyone, and is a great way to promote yourself as a blogger and contribute to the pool of knowledge bloggers create every day. Treat other’s blogs the way you’d want them to treat yours, and all will be well.
Do you guest post often? If not, why not? And have you created guidelines for guest posters who contribute to your blog?
I honestly wish I could guest post more. I love having people on my blog, and I would love to return that generous favor to my blogging pals, but I just can never come up with the right ideas. Hopefully as summer begins to slow down I’ll have the time to get out there more! 🙂
I’m hoping for the same thing! I loved getting to post on your blog last week and hope to have the chance to get around more this fall. You always have an open invite to share with E&M readers here 🙂
Great post! I’ve never guested posted on a blog before, partly because I’m not sure how it works. =) This really cleared things up for me. Thanks for sharing!
I love this post is what so helpful! I am currently about to do a guest post I have never done it before and I’m super nervous. She is also going to do a guest post for my blog as well and it will be my first. Any pointers? Is there a certain way I should post it or what because I have no idea. Please help!