It almost seems ironical that I am writing an article on guest blogging. Being a guest blogger myself, you cannot even begin to imagine how close guest blogging is to my heart. I do it regularly, as it is my passion and has eventually become a way of life for me. I simply cannot keep off it. It simply keeps growing on me.
Many readers would probably know what “Guest blogging” is. But just for the sake of educating unaware readers I shall define it once again. Guest blogging or guest posting means writing and getting published an article on someone else’s website or blog. That site or blog publishes that article after approving it.
Many sites offer and welcome guest posts for their websites. For a writer it is a great way of connecting with newer audiences and making a name for him or herself. For websites or a blogs, guest posting is a nice way to get their hands on high quality write-ups on their chosen topics, without doing the effort of writing it themselves.
Even Google considers guest posting as a perfectly legitimate way of getting high quality BackLinks. So in short guest posting is a niche for all, the writer, publisher and also the readers who get access to high quality content. Who more than me, shall know how websites approach writers like me through emails and make requests for guest posts? I have written for many and refused to some as well.
A writer is a kind of person who has mood swings and can be unpredictable at times as well. A pleasing guest post request can impress a writer and an offending one can leave him or her bitter for a considerable amount of time. After all a writer is a person with his own sense and sensibilities. If you are a website or a blog owner and need guest posts for your site, here’s how you should ask a writer for them.
- Be Gentle and Polite
A thought can be conveyed to a person in different ways and different tones. But surprisingly, the tone of a sentence makes all the difference. An email going towards a writer should be polite and gentle. You certainly don’t need to beg, but just have to make a polite request. Avoid an arrogant tone. Remember that you are inviting a writer, not commanding him. If you manage to please him, he is sure to return the favour by not only accepting your request but by providing you with a good article.
- Flatter, if you can
Flattery is a common age old tactic for wooing people. Your writer cannot be immune to it. A writer being a creative person needs encouragement and motivation. If you can tell him/her that he/she has done a good job in the past and has good writing skills, then nothing more like it. It will surely motivate him/her in doing something even better for you. You however need to be careful of not piling on too much praises that could make him/her high headed. Excess of everything is bad, praises included.
- Tell about the rewards at stake
Remember that it’s all about convincing. Explain in detail to him/her the benefits involved in writing for your blog. Tell him/her the facts like the amount of user traffic on your site, the potential audience he/she might get and also the quality of the backlinks you shall provide. A writer gets totally convinced when totally sure that he/she will get a decent amount of views, reviews, tweets and re-tweets for the write-up.
- Spare no effort to explain the Title of the Topic
A writer might be professional, but still cannot penetrate into your mind to know, what exactly you want from him. If you can explain the topic in detail to your writer with a few precise emails before he/she begins writing, then it will save a lot of time and energy. Tell your writer about the word limit you want and the idea behind the post you require. If fully aware about the topic, the writer would be able to write the article effortlessly.
- Provide a decent time limit
Writing involves gathering your thoughts and concentrating on something you are going to write about. It takes time to be able to do so. Having strict deadlines for writers is never advisable. Allow your writer with a decent time limit for completing the write-up. Good work always takes time. Many writers when confronted with strict deadlines falter with their article in terms of missing important points or making silly grammatical mistakes.
Conclusion
Guest posting benefits everyone involved. Be it the writer, the blog owner or the readers. So follow these simple rules and make life easier for your guest blogger and for yourself the most. After all making friendship with a good writer comes with lifetime benefits.
Author Bio:
If you need Guest Blogging tips then Anna Brown is the right person. She has created a niche for herself by blog marketing for websites. She has numerous articles and short stories to her credit. Reach out to her on Facebook or Twitter.
This is an original article from WP Cypher Copyright 2012