Guest Writers Best Practices, Your 5 Guest Posting Duties

As a guest writer, there are a variety of actions required of you. While they vary from blog to blog, based on personal preference and blog needs, you can count on a few standard procedures. Before and after your blog post, blog owners expect multiple things from you, and it’s important to keep a good guest blogger reputation by doing them – every time.

Follow Guidelines

Each and every blog has its own set of guidelines; these spell out what is expected of you. Because blogs have different needs, target audiences and linking preferences, it’s important to read through them before creating your next great blog post.

There are a number of rules you should be on the lookout for.

• Word count: Many blogs prefer a specific length. Don’t give the editor more work by ignoring this. That is a surefire way of getting your blog nixed before going live.
• Link rules: The point of guest blogging is to increase traffic and gain visibility. Be sure you know how many links they allow, and where you can place them. This will help you decide if it’s a blog worth pursuing. You will also avoid having the wrong link used in the case that they take one or more out.
• Topic suggestions: Most blogs simply suggest you keep in line with their general blog theme. However, there are many that outline the categories or ideas they’d like you to explore.

Check Live Post

Once the post has gone live, you should head to the site to check for any errors. With a busy posting schedule, it’s easy for an editor to misspell your name, miss a link, or make an error in your post itself. To avoid any of these problems, do a quick read through.

• Copy: Check the copy for any drastic changes you may not have known about. It could have been a genuine mistake and easily fixed.
• Bio: Be sure that your name, blog, Twitter, etc. are all spelled correctly.
• Links: Check that the links provided are working and active. A broken link will defeat the whole purpose of your guest post, and your host will appreciate it too!

Thank the publisher

After you’ve checked the live post over for errors, be sure to thank the blog who published the article. In a large, but tight blogosphere, you want to keep on good terms with anyone who is willing to publish your work. It could lead to a working relationship in the future or great recommendation.

• Email: Send them a quick one line email, “The post looks great. Thanks for publishing!” Acknowledge that you’ve seen it and everything is okay.
• Twitter: You can thank them via Twitter as well. Following that blog looks good on you, and shows you are truly interested in the blog for more than publicity.

Comment

Commenting on your post is the most important aspect of guest posting. Blog owners are trying to build a community, just as you may be trying to do with your blogging ventures. You are the expert on the article topic, and need to be available to the readers.

• Thank every commenter: No matter what the comment, always thank people for reading your post. You never know what could come from that interaction.
• Answer questions: Address any concerns expressed. Answer any question proposed. If you don’t know the answer, look it up. You are an expert and readers are relying on you fill in any blanks.
• Be thoughtful: Writing a great comment is a topic all on its own. The brief: Write thoughtful, comments that provoke further thinking and bestow additional credit upon you as the expert writer.

Spreading the Word

Whether a blog spells this out in the guidelines or not, it is generally assumed that you will get the post out to your circle of social networks. You want to get the publicity, and the blog does as well. Whether you Tweet it out, put it on LinkedIn or create a status on Facebook, blog owners are looking for you to do this.

It is important that you cover all your guest posting duties fully, every time. If you’re a frequent guest blogger, it’s good to maintain a professional, yet friendly relationship with all the editors and commenters you come in contact with. If you are new to all this guest blogging thing, grab this free blogging book and you may just learn a thing or two.

By following these basic rules of guest posting, you can be sure to get the best writing opportunities.