As a blogger you put hard work into getting great content available to the random blog trolls and loyal readers. However, a portion of your visitors may not be looking to read every word you click into life. Some readers may be perusing your site for guest posting opportunities. Imagine their disappointment when they find that your blog is a perfect fit but they can’t get in touch with you.
Well, you’ll be disappointed to know that you may be missing out on a great opportunity, as well. Making your blog guest post friendly will be beneficial for all parties involved, and that means you, too.
How You Benefit
Although you have a death grip on your admin login information, it might be a good idea to hand some content creation duties over to someone else once in a while. Your blog, your readers and your keyboard will thank you.
- You’ll keep your readers happy with fresh content
- You can take the day off to focus on other areas of your blog
- You’ll reach new readers when the author promotes the article
- You get outbound links
Step One: Contact Info
Once you’ve realized that allowing guest posts is great for you, your blog, your readers and the contributor, it’s time to get your blog guest friendly. The first step to doing this is making sure your contact info is readily available. This is a mistake many bloggers make, and one that will surely cost them in the end. But, wait; don’t slap your email address just anywhere.
- Upper right hand corner: after skimming your blog title, it’s the first place readers will look.
- Contact page: it would be ideal to have a whole contact page. Easy to find and pick out.
- Sidebar: as the place where your social media icons are likely located, this would also be a strategic position.
Step Two: Lay Your Ground Rules
This is critical to getting the level of work your readers expect. You put hours into creating good content, and guest posting shouldn’t hurt that. The best way to ensure quality work is to lay out what you’re expecting right away. This will vary depending on your preferences, but a basic list should include:
- Word limit
- Subject/suggested topics
- Author bio rules: link limits, word limit, bio picture
- Social media promotion rules
- Submission preference
Step Three: How Friendly, Is Up To You
If you welcome guest writers, but don’t want to be taking on a significant amount, then the first two steps will be enough for you. However, if you’ve found that this is a positive direction for your blog to go in, consider making some other additions to welcome your new writers.
- Guest post section: You can put the posts here, in addition to the main page. This can be helpful for potential writers and make it easy for your guest authors to find their work.
- Guest author page: Blogs that post from guest authors frequently tend to add a page for them. In here you can allow them to add an unmoving author link back to their page, include a photo and a short bio. If you get good work, this is a positive way to highlight those who create it.
- Admin access: While some blog owners prefer the posts to be emailed, many others grant guest authors limited admin access. This way the writer can put the post into a queue where you can read it over and publish easily.
Allowing others to guest post on your blog is a smart idea for everyone. Your readers can get a fresh perspective, you can take time off from creating content and the writer gets publicity while giving you some too. It’s important that you make your blog guest post friendly so you don’t miss out on great opportunity. You never know who’s reading your blog.
About the Author: Jessica Sanders is an avid small business writer touching on topics from social media to telemarketing. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including phone systems for lead generation resource, Resource Nation.
About Guest Blogger
Hey, I'm Trung - the founder of this blog. I'm a part-time blogger who is making real money online from blogging.
Nice post , Yes i agree with you we should let our readers know about other bloggers too this way they do trust you more as you introduce them with other bloggers too
Kj Rocker recently posted…kjrocker.com in new skin
Can anyone tell me how to enable guest post option to my blog plzzzzzzzzzzz.
p.harikesh409@gmail.com
P.Harikesh recently posted…Age of Empire Conquerors 1.0c Hack Destructive v8 Game Ranger
it is Awesome post. I got some useful and informative tips in this post. but I have one more question. How i can get guest post for entertainment blog and website. please solve my problem. coz i have entertainment blog.
Regard
Rahul Kashyap
Rahul Kashyap recently posted…Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Thanks Jessica. This article is exactly what I was looking for before publishing first guest post on my blog…
punit recently posted…Smiley Saturdays – 17 (Story of Two Smiles and a Frown: Zanskari!)
Great information! My question is: How do I go about finding the right bloggers to guest post on my site?
Very useful post. Good luck to you. I like your blog.
Since sometimes the logistics of setting up your blog for guest posts can be a hassle, I thought I would let your readers know that we have a great solution for allowing guest blogging to your blog and it just takes about 5 minutes to setup.
This allows blog owners to not only easily accept guest posts but expands their audience as it will expose their blog to other Ultimate Guest Bloggers.
You can read more on our home page at: http://ultimateguestblogger.com/
Or, follow the link below to get started right away.
Cheers,
Robert
Thanks for sharing, the tips is so useful to. I just set up the guest post last week but loss some points of your tips perhaps I will correct it as soon as possible. Anyways, this is the nice tip I think
Kimsea recently posted…Drive Up Home Business and Website Traffic With Guest Author
I must say these are really very important lines that you have threaded above. You are right most people wish to publish their article on a blog that has got good stature in web. But without contact information they don’t any option. Yes, Blogger has always chance to see if content is worthy for his reader or not. Otherwise delete button is always under his finger. Just he needs to press it
Thanks for your great comments here, Jessica’s post is really helpful for me, I applied it and my blog attracted a lot of bloggers to write for us
Hi trung,
thanks you rock man
really nice and effective post i tried it and after trying it messageing you it work effectively for me
rohit kothari recently posted…How to Root Galaxy Y S5360 in 7 simple steps
I’m really happy because this post helped you, keep visiting my blog, friend.
Jessica Great Article
I Already Receive Many Guest Posts On My New Blog
But Also Check Links That Guest Author Want As Backlink
Yep, check the guest blogger’s backlink is an important step when we open for guest bloggers
Nice & Very Well Written… Very beneficial for bloggers…
You’re welcome, Jassi.
Nice info and loved the picture
presto recently posted…Apple iPhone 4S(64GB) Price in India
Wow, many of my readers like this picture like you, it’s really fun.
Trung Nguyen recently posted…How to Start a Blog: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
Great article Jessica! Every blogger knows that in order to get a blog going, you need to give and receive guest posts! So this particular area is very important! As you said, creating a contact page is the first and main step, but in my opinion the second step is the most crucial! Laying good and clear ground rules will save you time, as you won’t need to check out a bunch of articles that do not fulfill them! On the same time, you are being honest and helpful before your applicants.
Thank you for sharing Jessica!
Sara, thanks for reading and giving your input! All the best to you!
Hi Jessica,
Aweosme post and informative specialy for new bloggers who don’t know about it. Guest blogging is one of powerfull method to get fresh content to your blog without doing anything. Just Create a “Write us Page” Or “Guest Blogging” like me, And Clearly write some guidelines about guest posting. Also Create a “Contact Us” page where all Guest Authors contact with you.
Thanks
Ajnabii recently posted…7 Small Business Tips for Using Social Media
That’s right
I also created my “Write for Us” page and many bloggers contacted to me to send their guest posts 
i think you share very well information.
ranaji recently posted…Html Intro
You’re welcome, keep visiting man
Abishek, Thanks for reading! I agree, if you have a quality site and you want to maintain it, it’s important that your writers know what you want and how you want it. I think sometimes, with length, etc, it can be burdensome for a good writer to have a lot of rules, but for the casual blogger its a good way to keep the content controlled. Thanks again!
These are some great points that you have listed out,Laying ground rules is really important for post quality.
abhishek recently posted…Top 5 Laptop Brands To Buy From
Actually my blog was not getting too much guest posts but i think i should apply these points.
Mohsin, you should definitely try to make it a little more guest post friendly. While the dedicated guest posters will search out contact information, a casual reader won’t — if you make it known that you accept and want guest posts, you’re much more likely to find that more people want to guest post for you! Hope these tips help!
Nice post and tips jessica. I like them all and thinking to make a enable Guest post on my blog too.
Jafar – from – Trace Tricks
Jafar recently posted…How To Crate A Nameless Folder In Windows
Thanks, Jafar! Glad you liked them, best of luck to you!!
I have stopped accepting guest posts the day my blog got penalized. After working weeks to over come the affect Google Panda had left on my blog I have realized the biggest mistake I did was accepting guest posts without even checking the links to those guest posts.
Right now, when my blog got its position back in Google. I got very choosy in terms of accepting a guest posts. And i believe one contact page do the work of accepting guest posts better though i appreciate your effort you put in describing such a beautiful ways.
Irfan recently posted…All You Need to Know About Internet Marketing
Irfran, Thanks so much for taking the time to read. Yes, guest posting can be tricky, and it’s always good to approach it with caution. Some times people are in it for the wrong reason and thats when the owner of the blog ends up paying, such as yourself. Thanks again for reading!
My pleasure!
It’s good to see that you give time to your fellow commentators. Really, I appreciate the time you put in for it.
Irfan recently posted…Tip for Low Cost SEO: Link Exchange and Freshness
Appreciate the tips. I realized we didn’t have contact info on our blog, low tech as it is, so I put our names in the header. Kind of blatent but what the heck? My experience with guest bloggers is that many don’t write well and those who do prefer to repost their material on better read sites. Thanks Jessica. Nicely written, too.
Mike Nemeth recently posted…Grid parity and the rooftop solar revolution
Mike, as a guest blogger I can’t express enough how frustrating it is to find a great site, but no contact info! Glad you put your information in the blog, but perhaps consider putting it in your sidebar next to your social media information — aesthetically, that just might look a little better. If you don’t get very good guest posts, perhaps consider laying some ground rules for posting? Just some thoughts!
Thanks for the compliment, and thanks for reading!
wow Jessica killer article, I allow guest bloggers and I think if it’s good content and the blogger interacts with the readers it’s fine. The worst is when the guest blogger posts and doesn’t come back. I haven’t had that yet but if I do I woudl remove that blogger right away.
Brian, thanks so much for checking it out! Yeah, you have to watch out for those bloggers who are just looking to post for SEO purposes and have no stake in your blog. While sometimes that’s okay, it’s good to keep an eye on those looking to use your blog and turn the other way! Thanks again!
Well, this article is very helpful for those who want to open for guest bloggers. Thanks for sharing with us these great steps, Jessica.
Trung Nguyen recently posted…How To Start a Blog From Scratch: The Only Guide You Need
Thank you Trung, and you are very welcome. I look forward to contributing another piece!
That’s exactly what I want to hear from you, Jessica. Thanks so much.
Trung Nguyen recently posted…How To Start a Blog From Scratch: The Only Guide You Need
Amit, thanks for reading! You Should definitely have everything in place before accepting guest posts. It’s a great way to keep your blog fresh after you’ve been churning posts out for a while. Thanks again!
Nice Article Jessica. We should concentrate on all points before accepting guest post or before creating guest post Page. Thanks for sharing with us.
~ Amit Shaw from iTechCode.
Amit Shaw recently posted…iPhone 5 Features & Specifications – Why to go for it?