Okay, stop panicking about guest blogging being dead. That is not what Matt Cutts said. However, let us hope that spammy guest blogging will die a quick and merciful death.
Publishing guest posts on other blogs is a highly effective way to expand your audience. Doing it right requires that you:
- Identify good blogs in your niche.
- Approach the blogger with a well-thought-out proposal.
- Create quality content.
- Interact with the blogger’s audience when the post is published.
Everyday, I get emails asking about guest posting on my blog. Usually, they read something like this:
Blogging is my passion. I am a professional SEO writer and i have been published on many blogs. I have read three posts on your blog and I want to send you my contents for your website. Please tell me how many links you will allow in the article and how much time you will take to publish my one article?
Where to begin with all of the things wrong with this?
Let’s start with something simple: There are obvious errors. In the second sentence, “i” should be capitalized: “I have been published…” The last sentence is not a question, and should not end with a question mark. Really. Read it again. It is a request, but not a question.
There is another error in the third sentence. “Content” should not be plural. This is something I see a lot from writers for whom English is not their first language. I have a lot of respect for people who speak and write in multiple languages. This writer’s English is much better than my ability to write in any other language. But combined with the other errors it makes me wonder what the quality of the final article would be. After all, this is the email s/he is using to approach me and get me to agree to publish his or her writing. This is supposed to be their best work.
A bigger concern about quality is raised by the line, “I am a professional SEO writer.” That means they are trying to place an article to promote one of their clients. Nowhere here do they say what site they represent or where the article would link. They just want to put some links to their client’s (possibly) spammy site on my site. Does the site they want to link to have anything to do with the topics covered on my site? What is the quality of the client’s site?
Where can I see examples of this “professional” writer’s work? The email includes no links to blogs or anywhere I can read what s/he has written. In fact, the writer doesn’t even include his or her full name, only a first name. All I know about this writer is what I see in this not-very-well-written email.
The information they ask for is about what is in it for them: how many links and how long to publish. They do not ask what my requirements would be for a post, such as how many words should be in the post, would I like them to supply an image, when would I need the post, etc. They do not suggest a topic or show any familiarity with my website and the things I write about.
In fact, here is a big clue that this is just a steaming pile of spam: Nowhere in this does the writer say which of my blogs s/he wants to write for. I have several blogs. That makes me think that this is random spam sent out to see who bites.
Although this is clearly just a junk email from a spammer, some “real” offers to guest post are not much better. How should you approach a blogger for whom you would like to guest post?
Looking at their blog can give you a lot of information about the types of posts they use, the length of posts, how they credit authors and link from posts, etc. Look for a link to something such as “Guest Posting,” “Write for Us,” or “Submit a Post.” Many bloggers will tell you exactly how to suggest a guest post.
If there isn’t an information page for guest bloggers, send them an email or fill out their contact form. Here are some points to include.
Start by showing that you know who they are. Address them by name, and spell the name correctly. (I get lots of emails for someone named “Kathy.” No, it’s “Cathy.”)
Show that you have read the blog you want to write for. Maybe you have been reading it for years, maybe you just discovered it. But let them know what you liked about their blog. If you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t want to write for it, would you? Mention a recent post that especially resonated with you and why. Don’t be phony and don’t suck up. Just tell them why you like their blog and want to be a part of it.
Suggest a topic or two you think would be of interest to their readers. Ask if they would like you to submit a post and what their requirements are. Let them know how long it would take to write and send it. Unless they say otherwise on their blog, don’t just write and send the post without contacting them. Some bloggers will want to offer suggestions on how to make the post right for their audience. Offer one or more images to go with the post, if you can. (Note: Although some bloggers want guest posters to provide images, I never accept images without knowing exactly where they came from. Unless the bloggers took the pictures themselves or can point to a legitimate source for an image, I will not use it. Images are covered by copyright and saying that I didn’t know my guest poster stole the image will not protect me from having to pay damages.)
Tell the blogger a little about you and where they can see examples of your work. Keep it short and sweet: “You can read my posts at myblog.com, where I have been posting about online business and technology since 2008. I have guest posted on sites including bigmarketingblog.com and bigbloggingblog.com.” Linking directly to your guest posts makes it easy for them to verify that you have guest posted on those sites and read what you wrote.
Suggest what you will do to promote the post when and if it is published. Don’t expect that the hosting blog has all of the responsibility for promoting the post. Tell them that you will tweet the link to your 30,000 Twitter followers, link to the post from your Facebook page, or whatever you can do to send traffic to their site.
Thank the blogger for their time and consideration. Popular blogs get lots of emails, and it takes time and effort for someone to go through all of them. Finding a great guest post proposal in there is a little like finding a gold nugget in a pile of rocks.
Give the blogger at least a week before following up. At least. Make your follow up polite. It helps to include a copy of your original email so they don’t have to hunt for it.
When a blogger says yes to your proposal, get started on the post as soon as you can. Make sure it is your best work before you send it off. This may be the first time the blogger’s audience learns about you. Make a great first impression with quality content.
When a blogger says no to your proposal, just move on. You might be able to submit the same idea, with or without a bit of tweaking, to another blog. And you might be able to approach this blogger again in the future with a new idea.
Once the post is live, send a quick thank you to the hosting blogger. Subscribe to comments and respond when readers leave comments on the post.
You might think that you are doing someone a favor by offering them a post. In fact, you are asking to borrow their audience. Be respectful of the blogger and the blogger’s audience by submitting a thoughtful and thorough proposal. You will stand out from the dreck and spam and have a much better chance of having your guest post proposal accepted.
What do you want bloggers to do when they approach you about guest posting?
Re; what do you want bloggers to do when they approach you about guest posting? Just get the spelling and grammar right for starters! And LISTEN to what we, as hosts, want. I asked for a 1,000 word post as mu audience loves longer posts but one arrogant ‘blogger’ insisted 400 words was fine!!
Absolutely right! It is so simple to just follow the hosting blog’s guidelines and produce a post their audience will like. They know their blog and their audience much better than any guest blogger will, so let them guide you to producing a great, useful post.
Thanks for the comment!
Nice write up, Cathy.
I’ve found that outreaching with a video e-mail rather than a standard e-mail has a much better response rate. It doesn’t take much longer than typing an e-mail either. There are lots of tools out there which integrate with most e-mail platforms, just Google for “video email”. It’s a nice way to add a really personal touch to your outreach e-mails.
Interesting idea. I am not a big fan of video in general (I can read faster than I can watch) but video is preferred by many. And it can be a way to get a feel for a guest blogger’s language skills and overall professionalism. Sounds like a good strategy.
Thanks for sharing your idea with us!
Thank you Cathy. Do you have any advise for how to assess a website or blog that you submit to? For example, on your blogger linkup, as a blogger how am I to know what their audience is? (Without directly asking.) I think ‘comments’ can sometimes be a bit misleading but should we be wary of submitting to a site with no comments?
Good question. There are lots of things to look at on the blog and tools you can use to analyze the blog. (I think this might be a good future post!)
I would start by reading several posts on the blog. What topics do they address? Are they offering general, beginner information or is their audience more advanced? There are tools such as MozBar that give you data about the blog’s authority. Comments can be an indicator that the blogger has an engaged audience, but they are not necessarily an indication of traffic. Very few readers actually leave comments, so even blogs with significant traffic may have very few comments.
Thanks for commenting. I will give more info in upcoming posts.
Cathy,
Yeah, I know these kinds of emails are really getting old. Why don’t they show you their work or even mention your blog or other places they have published? Sure, I am a professional guest poster too and also a lizard makeup artist! LOL. For laughs you can always ask them which blog are you talking about. Then tell them a couple blogs you don’t even own. Honestly, I have stopped allowing guest post because of the amount of crap I receive. It’s sad how lazy and uneducated people have gotten over the years! But, if that is their pitch they will eventually just quit because they are not going to see any results from these open ended pitches.
Garen
It is not going to stop because it takes no effort to spam a million people, and some of them will respond. I wouldn’t stop accepting guest posts because of the crap, I just won’t deal with the crapmeisters. Those go right into spam.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Do you have any suggestions (or a post – could make a good post!) about how to send the finished guest post to a blogger? I mean the actual logistics of getting the content to them, with the least amount of unnecessary work (reformatting, for instance) on both of your parts?
I know some bloggers already have “systems” in place for how they prefer them to be sent, but I’ve not worked with any yet who had a particular method they wanted me to use. And I’d like to set up a good “system” for my own blog, so I can suggest something to guest posters who are wondering the same thing.
Rachel, that is a tough one, because many bloggers have their own processes. Some might prefer to receive a Word doc, some might want a text doc, others might like to see it come in the body of an email…and, of course, some have a form where you can enter the post or give contributors their own accounts so they can enter their posts.
For your own blog, come up with a system that works best for you. You might want to see if there are any plugins that would fit into your process.
Whatever your process is, I can guarantee that a lot of people won’t follow it! ;o)
Thanks for the comment!
Good post, Cathy. I agreed with some of your points and disagreed with others.
I like your point about being extremely skeptical of submitted images. This flies in the face of other advice I had heard that a submitted image enhances your chances of getting accepted.
I also liked your point about specifically referencing some of the items that had appeared on the blog you’re submitting to the show that you have actually read it. If referencing your own site is so important, however, perhaps you should provide a field for this on the blogger link up guest posting submission form.
The one thing I disagree with is that the blogger is doing you a favor by running your post. This plays in the hands of those who wish to charge to run guest posts. In reality, I think both the guest blogger and the blog are doing each other a favor. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Really good points, Timothy. It can sometimes be difficult to find good images to use with posts, so I understand the temptation of requiring guest bloggers to submit them. I just don’t want to get the “$3000 letter” from Getty telling me that I have violated their copyrights.
We do have a required field for those offering guest posts at Blogger LinkUp to enter a URL. They also may enter more URLs in the body of their listings, and some do.
I understand your disagreement with the idea that the blogger is doing you a favor by running your post. I agree that guest posting really only works when it is mutually beneficial. But I also believe that when you want to work with someone, you should always come from the perspective that you should look for what you can do for them rather than what they can do for you. That is why I made the point about the hosting blogger not doing you a favor.
Thank you for a very thoughtful comment.
Cathy,
I agree with you 100%. Most of the guest post submissions I receive are from overseas. I know because there are some mistakes in the e-mail that no American would make. I also get a lot of guest posts requests from the UK and Australia. I know when they are from there because I always see “Cheers” at the end. Nobody in the USA would ever say that.
Real guest blogging is still alive and kicking.
Yes, Americans make completely different mistakes. LOL!
Guest blogging is not going away any time soon.
Thanks for your comment.
I received lots of spammy request too and i hate them. All they are interseted in is to build backlinks and it really sucks.
Daniel, that is what Matt Cutts was talking about–people who want to guest post only for links. That is not good for you or them.
Thanks for commenting.
Cathy,
Great pointers on guest blogging!
Really in depth.I don’t get many requests to guest blog on my blog but I do get lots of spammy comments, which I am ruthless about marking as spam. Guess I have something else to look forward to (sarcasm).
Someone commented that they can recognize correspondence as British when it closes with Cheers! Well, I’m from the U.S. but lately I’ve been using “Cheers!” frequently. I believe it has a nice tone for the Internet. Not as formal as “sincerely” and a little friendlier than just my name.
-d
Diana, spammy comments are another common problem. Having a plugin that catches most of it saves a lot of time for me.
As for cheers, I agree that is has a nice ring to it, but I don’t see a lot of Americans using it yet. Maybe you will start a trend!
Great article Cathy (With a C!). I agree that it is very frustrating when people send these sorts of generic requests. Guest posting needs to focus on quality, not spammy linking. I think Matt Cutts’ comments caused panic because people were not taking on board that he was referring to a certain type of guest posting.
Kostas, everything Matt Cutts says causes a panic! Keep producing quality and you should be fine.
Love this article Cathy! Guest posting is getting harder and it can be very time-consuming and sometimes soul-destroying – especially when you know you write good content but can’t seem to make much progress/post on high quality sites. There are some tips here I hadn’t considered such as informing the host how I would promote the blog piece. To me it’s a given, but I should remember never to assume anything!
Nicole, guest posting can be hard, but landing a post on a site that is a good match for your audience can lead to lots of targeted traffic–so it’s worth it.
Just remember that you are always looking for ways that you, the hosting blogger and your audiences all win.
Thanks for the comment!