Rules For Accepting Guest Posts
Accepting guest posts on your blog can provide you with many benefits, but it truthfully isn’t a simple process. I was recently speaking with Jason Pereira from TheUniversityKid.com about writing a guest post for his site, and he mentioned to me that he wasn’t really accepting many more because he had used so many as of recent. This got me thinking about some of the downfalls of guest posting and how you could avoid them. With that in mind I created a list of criteria you should consider before accepting a guest post to insure that it will benefit you and not deter any of your readers.
Why Accept Guest Posts?
Accepting guest posts could be done for 1 of 1000 different reasons. You may be going on a vacation, you may have a family emergency, or you may just be looking to bring a new voice/opinion to your site. Any reason you choose to publish a guest post is fine, but you need to be prepared to put in some work first.
What You Should Consider Before Accepting A Guest Post
- The author and his/her reputation.
- The post.
- Editing the post.
- Cross posting
- Linking
- Follow up
- Your reader relationship
- Frequency
Consider who is writing the post.
Go to the author’s site and find out as much information as you can about them. You blog has a reputation and you should not be willing to risk it by directing your traffic to somebody you don’t trust or to a blog you wouldn’t read yourself. Your guest author is going to be receiving his fair share of traffic and publicity and with his/her words you will either succeed or fail.
Consider the post itself.
Read it! Make sure the topic fits your niche, the headline makes sense, that is is on target with what you have already written, and that it has a point. Make sure it doesn’t insult anyone, or provide a controversy you are not willing to support.
Consider who will be editing the post.
You or someone else is going to have to edit the post. Fixing grammar and spelling errors, eliminating unnecessary or vulgar rants, and removing controversial content are processes that will have to be done. You will have to style it, check links, make sure the content is original and free of any copyrighted materials. If you don’t have the time to do all of this then don’t publish the post.
Consider cross posting.
Search engines hate duplicate copy, make sure your guest author knows that you will not be posting his article if it has been or will be posted anywhere else at any time.
Consider linking in the post
Think about how many times you want the author to link to himself in the post. It is generally accepted to allow the author to link to himself no more than twice within the post. Make sure they know the post is to provide your readers with quality information and not just an advertisement for their site.
Consider the after post follow up.
Let the author know that you are publishing their opinion therefore they are responsible for explaining and defending it. Make sure they know you expect them to respond to comments so that your readers don’t get ignored.
Consider your reader relationship.
Your reader knows you and your writing style, they like it and accept it, that is why they read your blog. Make sure your readers are up for reading the words of another author. If you get the idea that you might run into a negative response from your readers bring the idea of guest posting to a halt.
Consider the frequency of guest posts.
If you want a guest post to be as successful as your regular posts you should be consistent with them. Choose a few authors that have met all of the previous criteria and have them generate guest posts for you on a regular basis. This will allow them to develop a rapport with your readers and insure a greater amount of success in the future.
Accepting guests post for your blog isn’t an easy job, you have a lot to consider and you need to take it seriously. Hopefully some of the guidelines I have pointed out above will help you through the process.
Let Me Know:
Tell me about your experience guest posting, good or bad. I would love to hear any ideas you may have to make guest posting better for everyone.
61 Comments
Adam on October 3rd, 2008
Thanks Danny, I hope it helps. Maybe I can come up with something to have you review/post.
Adam
Adams last blog post..Rules For Accepting Guest Posts
kouji on October 3rd, 2008
good points here. i used to read a blog which ran into some difficulty with its readers because guest posts became too prevalent, and they weren’t of a style which the readers were used to.
koujis last blog post..haiku poem: friendship (loss)
Adam on October 3rd, 2008
Yeah,
That is some of the backlash that Jason was experiencing. The posts were of good quality, but one in particular was for beginning bloggers and most of his readers are past that stage. So the comments reflected it.
Adam
Sean on October 3rd, 2008
I recently posted a guest post on my blog. A visitor to my blog had more to say than was appropriate for a comment. I was happy to publish this as a guest post.
sean.
Seans last blog post..City-Bay 2008 wrap up
Adam on October 3rd, 2008
Sean,
Welcome to the site and thank you for posting a comment. I think the fact that you were able to use an insightful comment from a reader is great.
I mean it really gives people extra motivation to comment, but the comment had already gone through many of these processes as I am assuming you moderate your comments for some of the issues I had listed.
Adam
Freddie on October 3rd, 2008
Good stuff, Adam. I have never done a guess post or asked for one, but now I have a blueprint for making it happen. Thanks. It was very detailed.
I have been seeing you around the blogosphere and figured I would come and check you out, finally!
Anyway, I am subscribing and will be crashing your party often.
Peace
Adam on October 3rd, 2008
Welcome to the site Freddy I have seen you around and I believe I made it to your site today for the first time as well. I hope to see you back as I will be visiting your site since I also subscribed. I am glad that you liked the guide and hope it helps some people out.
Adam
Adams last blog post..Rules For Accepting Guest Posts
Sly from SlyVisions dot Com on October 3rd, 2008
These are some good tips you got here, Adam. I myself have had some thinking to do whenever people submit guest posts for SlyVisions. It’s hard thing to do because sometimes, you just have to reject it you know?
Sly from SlyVisions dot Coms last blog post..Comment King of September 2008
Adam on October 3rd, 2008
Yeah, it is tough to tell people no. But it is something you have to do to keep the integrity of your site. I have experienced a lot of difficult decisions and had many difficult coversations at my full time job where I am a manager of computer operations (e.g. firing people). But as long as you stay professional and honest people have to respect your guidelines for your site.
Adams last blog post..Rules For Accepting Guest Posts
IronBlogger on October 3rd, 2008
When your blog gets to the point where people are submitting you their posts, then you know that you truly have made it. It a really nice feeling knowing that another bloggers wants to guest post on your blog.
The problem is that, you have to not get carried away with it. Oh sure, guest posting means a lot of less work no your part, but that doesn’t mean you still have to work hard on your blog.
Very nice post Adam, perhaps in the future you could do a post about guest posting on other bloggers blogs to go with this one? I would look forward to that.
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SuiteJ on October 4th, 2008
Excellent outline Adam. I’ll be sure to reference this guideline if I ever need someone to write on my blog. I think I’m too anal for that to happen on SuiteJ, but maybe others in the future. lol
Cheers!
Jay
SuiteJs last blog post..SuiteJ Vs Bryan Clark: Why The Blog Flipping Blueprint Review Didn’t Happen
Simon from Otooo on October 4th, 2008
That wasn’t me was it… Link Baiting For Dummies? 
Tom - StandOutBlogger.com on October 4th, 2008
Nice post adam. I am in the process of collecting a few guest posts for while I am away and this will come in very handy!
Tom - StandOutBlogger.coms last blog post..Sunday Question: Comments - Auto Approve or Approve Individually?
narendra.s.v on October 5th, 2008
wow next time i gotto think about these before approving 
narendra.s.vs last blog post..How to color blur the picture using Photoshop
Adam on October 5th, 2008
No simon it wasn’t you. Don’t worry. Link baiting is actually more of a advanced topic. So no worries for you.
Adams last blog post..Rules For Accepting Guest Posts
Sunday Link Love - October 05th 2008 | BlogRiffic.com on October 5th, 2008
[...] Rules For Accepting Guest Posts - Creadive [...]
ZK@WebTrafficROI on October 5th, 2008
I ve never considered a guest post , but its a good option to get exposure on other sites…the above pointers are great. Thanks Adam
ZK@WebTrafficROIs last blog post..Are You Making Money with Your Blog ?
Adam on October 5th, 2008
Robin,
Thanks for the comment, and yeah it is something I plan on doing. I haven’t found the inspiration to write a post for someone else, but once I do I will definitely write my guide to guest posting; submitting a post.
Adam
Adams last blog post..The Truth About Cats And Blogs
Adam on October 5th, 2008
Jay,
Thanks for the compliment. I am glad you enjoyed it. By the way I emailed you about the book I am looking for a cheaper alternative for shipping as the shipping cost almost exceeds the price of the book. If I can’t I will just buy it on amazon and have it shipped to you from there.
Adam
Adams last blog post..The Truth About Cats And Blogs
Adam on October 5th, 2008
Thanks Tom,
If you have any topics you would like for posts why don’t you send them my as I would like the exposure, but nothing has struck me as good enough to publish on someone elses site.
Adams last blog post..The Truth About Cats And Blogs
Adam on October 5th, 2008
narendra,
I am glad you liked it. I hope it will help you next time.
Adam
Adams last blog post..The Truth About Cats And Blogs
Adam on October 5th, 2008
ZK,
Guest posting is a great way to get yourself some exposure. But be sure you write it well otherwise it might be the wrong type of exposure.
Adam
Adams last blog post..The Truth About Cats And Blogs
Blog for Beginners on October 6th, 2008
I have accepted some guest posting on my blog as well as doing some for another blogs. I have far more comments on my own article than the guest article itself.
I think the most important factor to consider is whether the style of writing is acceptable by your readers and if it adds value to the blog as a whole. I’d usually screen all the submissions and kindly reject those I think it doesn’t fit into my blog.
Yet another good article, Adam.
Yan
Simon from Otooo on October 7th, 2008
Oh, I think I know which one you’re talking about here - 20 ways to build links or something like that, right? It was more recently
Simon from Otooos last blog post..It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know
Chetan on October 7th, 2008
Many times, Giving do follow links to the guest auther may harm your Ranking !!!
Yes, really ,…
If your post is spammy it may harm your Pagerank stats.
So always prefer to give NOFOLLOW links.
Chetans last blog post..Send E-mails with others E-mail IDs.[Fake Mail]
Dr. Teeth on October 7th, 2008
I totally second you on this!
Guest blogging is very dangerous sometimes if you are not careful and can ruin your reputation in no time.
Dr. Teeths last blog post..My Guest Post at Balkhis.com
Adam on October 7th, 2008
Dr. Teeth,
Thanks for stopping by and adding to the discussion. I agree and that is why is is necessary to make sure you take you time and do it right.
Adam
Adams last blog post..I Choose Darren Rowse.
Julie on October 9th, 2008
I haven’t had any notable guest posts, I’ve had friends who’ve posted random things on myspace that I liked and posted, and was suprised when recently a post I found extraordinary simply bombed. This was a very interesting read.
Julies last blog post..His Opinion of the Debate
Adam on October 9th, 2008
Julie, thanks for stopping by and contributing to the discussion. I hope to see you around.
Adam
Adams last blog post..Link Building For Beginners
Robert Stanley on October 10th, 2008
Excellent Post! I haven’t done any co-authoring or guest posts yet. It seems like it might be more work than is worth the effort. However, I guess finding a good collaborative partner within any realm isn’t an easy process.
-RS.
Robert Stanleys last blog post..Ebook Platforms - Publish Your Own Ebook
Armen Shirvanian on October 15th, 2008
It sure is a big deal that one checks on a guest poster and reassures themself about their competence before giving them the opportunity to write for their site.
Armen Shirvanians last blog post..Spoken/Written Words vs. Intent
Rules For Writing a Guest Post Part 1 | Creadiv on October 16th, 2008
[...] the continued success of my article the Rules For Accepting Guest Posts, I felt it was time to write it’s counterpart. But with all that can be said about writing a [...]
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I hadn’t even thought about cross posting and duplicate content. I’ll keep it in mind for future guest posters.
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Really well thought out post Adam! My December Case Study is guest posting, so I’ll be referring back to this from a writers point of view.
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