Guest Posting: Stacking the Odds for a Yes
It takes some courage to step up and ask a blog owner to accept your guest post. Someone you admire is going to be looking at your work and approving it, after all. What if you’re not good enough?
Don’t worry; it’s okay. Those feelings are common. You can help stack odds on your side, too, to help get that “yes” you’re looking for:
First, have a thick skin. Rejection isn’t personal, and it’s not a reflection of your self-worth. Thank the blog owner for considering you and taking the time to read your request. Graceful acceptance of a refusal matters, and it can keep the door open for another try in the future.
When asking someone to accept a guest post, attach your post to your request. Big blog owners are busy people, so give them as much as you can and don’t make them chase after you. Remember, you want them to like you – make it easy.
Be friendly and personable when you send your request. Mention something about the blog owner or the blog, too. Show you know who they are and grease the wheels with a compliment. Also, don’t be stiff or formal. Relax. Present your request with friendly confidence.
No answer? No problem. Some blog owners receive so many requests that they turn off their customer service when it comes to guest posting. (Sucks, but hey.) Don’t be afraid to send a follow up email in a week or two if you don’t hear back – maybe the person just has been too busy.
No luck? No worries. Use the guest post on your own blog and be done with it. Write something better and try again at a later date. Look for what you can improve, too. Analyze posts on other blogs that get many comments. Find new angles to present old ideas in new ways. Be fun. Be interesting.
Offer something of value, too. There has to be something in it for the blog owner. If you’re just asking for handouts, your chances of acceptance become slim.
The best value you can offer? Rocking content. It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete no-name brand and just walked into the Internet. If your writing kicks ass, it’ll get posted, and it’ll have an effect on your returns.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, where you’ll learn exactly how to blow all your chances at getting anything out of your guest post – and how to avoid throwing it all away.
36 Responses to “Guest Posting: Stacking the Odds for a Yes”
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I definitely know this to be right from experience, James. You approach a blogger with content in hand and if they like it, they’re jumping up and down saying “Yes! Yes!” kind of like those Herbal Essence ads.
If you just ask if they’re interested in a guest post without showing them your voodoo, they’re hesitant and closed because they (understandably) don’t want the risk of accepting content that’s utter crud. Good post!
Joel Falconer’s last blog post..Traditional Public Relations Needs to Change to Survive Online
I can relate well to this post. I have a personal development blog and I really wanted to write for Dumb Little man. I was so.. afraid to ask since Dumb Little man is a “celebrity” blog on personal development.
I had loads of self doubt; the fact that English isn’t my first language doesn’t help either!
Anyway, after sometime, I thought ok. I am going to give this a try! In the title of the email I mentioned it was a guest post and stated the title of the post.
To my surprise my post “8 Ideas to Break Your Hurry-Habit While Preserving Your Sanity” was excepted an published a few weeks ago.
Shamelle
My problem is different. I am sure that you have experienced this. How to say “No” to someone requesting that I post his/her guest post!
I look forward to tomorrow’s post.
Nicole Price’s last blog post..Free Online Language Resources
Requesting a guest post is like anything else. You can’t control what someone else is going to say, you can only control your own role in the exchange. Do your best and if it didn’t get you what you were hoping, then perhaps it was for a reason. If you keep doing your best, you’ll get there. Paul Thomas Anderson (director – Magnolia, There Will be Blood) said in an interview a few years back, “Just keep writing and writing. Eventually someone will think your a genius.”
Writer Dad’s last blog post..Swallowing Without Chewing
Overall, you’ve got some good advice.
However, I would have to disagree with this: “When asking someone to accept a guest post, attach your post to your request.”
As a blog owner and as someone who has blogged professionally the LAST thing I want to get is a bunch of unsolicited posts.
My suggestion instead would be to include the URLs for several of your very best posts on your own, or on another, blog.
Otherwise, nice solid advice (as usual).
Laura Spencer’s last blog post..Coffee Break
@ Laura – Having the guest post attached saves you a step. Sure, the applicant could send you links so that you can see the overall potential and quality, but then you have to look once to screen and then look again when the post is submitted.
Also, consider that the guest post you receive may not be what you want, need, or any good.
When the post is already attached, you kill three birds with one stone. A quick glance, a yes or no, and you already have the post ready to go.
But you bring up a good point – dealing with unsolicited posts. Hm, hm… another fodder idea for me
Well, one thing that you should caution would-be guest posters about is to carefully consider whether or not their guest post aligns with the tone and purpose of the blog where they want to be published. If the answer is “no,” then I would suggest they look for another blog where their post would fit in better.
Often, I receive requests from would-be guest posters who wish to publish posts that have absolutely nothing to do with my blog and would probably not interest my readers. Other times, guest post requests are just a thinly veiled attempt at getting some free advertising from a blog that has some page rank. Usually these requests have nothing to do with the blog topic either.
Laura Spencer’s last blog post..Coffee Break
The authors themselves know when what they have written is decent to good or whether it is flat out gangbusters. So my sentiment is, unless the author can look at their piece and say “wow” they shouldn’t submit it for a guest post.
I’d also like to add, that it would be ideal if the two blog owners could swap guest posts. But, I’m sure this can’t happen too often because usually the person you’re trying to have publish your entry as a guest post is a huge blogger, and they will have little interest writing a guest entry on your blog.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..You are The Writer of Your Own Story
Also, I agree with James about attaching the guest post. This is just the way the world works, period.
The blog owner may take a peak at your guest post and be persuaded… But if you send an e-mail asking if they would be interested with no attachment, they may settle on the knee jerk reaction of, “no.”
What’s the better strategy? I think it’s pretty clear.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..You are The Writer of Your Own Story
Great advice.
Even better than being friendly when sending the writing is to cultivate friendship with the blogger ahead of time. By the time I sent my article to Albert at Urban Monk, we already exchanged several emails and we had basic trust. Of course, I didn’t do this to get my post published there — I like Albert, he is a great guy and blogger, period.
I’ve got fair amount of rejection, too, on the other hand. Part of the reason is that I didn’t aim well. The post maybe great, but if it doesn’t sit well in the host blog, that is no good.
Just for your amusement, here is an example of rejected post (rejected by two major blogs, actually) that I later posted on my own blog:
Is Hiring a Coach Worth The Money?
Akemi – Yes to Me’s last blog post..Know, Like, Trust: Three Steps To Winning The Business
First I love the rhino skin as metaphor.
Second, I think it never hurts to know a bit about the person you are asking and especially what they are about. A personal touch tells them that you’ve done your homework and you’ve put some thought into it.
And it has to be that you are interested in adding value, not just passing a test. So
It has to be mutually beneficial. Just some thoughts.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Small Steps and Beginnings
@ Bamboo – I’ll disagree with that one. Many, MANY writers have no clue of how poorly they write. We are artists, after all, and the arTEESTes out there are swarming around. It takes a very strong person to admit something is crap and be okay with it. Then there are all the paranoid writers who never accept that they are good and believe it.
Then you get people like me. I’m the exception
( the artist is so glad to hear you say finally that writing is not merely a trade, but an art…:) )
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Small Steps and Beginnings
I think another great tip is to pay attention to the blogger’s posting schedule. If they suddenly drop off from their usual amount of posts per week, pay attention to that. Especially if they give indication as to the reason why.
My guest post at DIY Bride went up today – Khris, owner of the site, is pregnant and has been having a rough time with sickness during her first trimester, which interrupted her usual posting rotation.
I approached her because I knew her situation, and knew she would most likely be grateful for the help. And I was right! In her response she told me she was about to make a call for guest bloggers in coming days.
Kristen’s last blog post..How Is Creativity Important In Your Life?
@ James: Maybe I should have written, “the writer should know.” I honestly can’t see how someone wouldn’t know. Unless they are deceiving themselves.
If I can read your blog, James, and say, “this is good writing here” then I should be able to do the same exact thing with my own writing. That being, assess it in a reasonably objective fashion.
If the reader can decipher what is good and what is poor with other peoples writing, that means this same innate ability can and should be applied to their own work.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..You are The Writer of Your Own Story
@ Janice – Well, I don’t actually believe it. I was just using the word to make a point. I’m still firmly camped out in the Writing is a Craft/Trade trenches
@ Bamboo – Self-deception. Mmhm. Happens. Often. People want so badly to be good at something they love doing that it’s tough to be objective.
Hey James,
I think another great idea is to treat a guest post just as you would a magazine piece: pitch an idea to the blog owner. It might be useful in fact to have two or three ideas on hand in case the blog owner doesn’t like a particular idea, or is writing a similar post already. And unless you have another place to publish the piece, it avoids writing the piece in vain.
Talking to the blog owner ahead of time also gives you the opportunity to review things like tone, word count, etc. which reduces the possibility of rewrites or rejection.
That’s been my experience anyway!
~Graham
Graham Strong’s last blog post..What Makes Your Blog “Successfulâ€?
GREAT advice as usual. I love the suggestion of making the approach with the post in hand. At least have an outline of what you’d like to share with the other blog’s audience so the blog owner can get a “feel” for what you want to share.
Having a blog is a lot like running your own virtual magazine. (Go Grahm!)
Sometimes, magazine editors say “no” based not on the quality of the writing but rather that the subject doesn’t fit into the magazine’s theme or voice. Sometimes the magazine says no because they’ve already run several articles on the subject or perhaps they have an article already being written on a VERY similar topic. These are all reasons why a blog owner may say “pass” to your post.
I suspected as much. Sounds like spies … trade craft, does. Mission “Not” Impossible scenarios come to mind especially in this context today.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Small Steps and Beginnings
When you attach your blog article to the email you send requesting a guest post opportunity, what program do most people use (or do you use)?
Do most people you know draft it up in Microsoft Word and then attach it to the email?
John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post..Hello & Welcome To The eVentureBiz Blog
Let me just play total Devil’s Advocate here. If I send my post along with my request, am I at any risk of my post being stolen by the recipient, either verbatim, or the concept? Just asking because there seems to be a lot of discussion going around about plaigarism, and I tend to be an overly trusting sole.
Urban Panther’s last blog post..Whatever you do, don’t go there
@ Urban – Good question. Not sure if it’s a concern, because when you guest post, you’re carefully selecting blogs that are trustworthy and reputable. It’s a given you get credit for your post, so… never ran into a problem myself.
@ John – I attach a Word doc, because it’s easily openable. However, I’ve had many people submit articles directly in an email. That’s not my personal preference, but it may work for others.
@ Janice – None of my missions are impossible. Except, of course, those that are.
@ Beyond – Yup, one glance and it’s a yes or no. Painless. Like ripping off a bandaid quickly versus slowly, heh.
@ Graham – Personally, I think that may or may not work. Again, bloggers are busy and it’s important to be able to have the foresight and initiative to take a stab at what might be good for them. I think they appreciate that more. Dunno. Personal preference here
@ Kristen – That’s actually a very helpful idea. Bloggers do burn out and some people would love having someone else help maintain their blog during an absence.
@ Akemi – I agree with you there. Some people submit to me and I have no idea who they are. While that’s okay, it generally leans me to a no before a yes. Then again, we’re a rare breed in that we typically don’t accept guest posting save ones we’ve gone to tap and request personally, so the relationship is there already.
I used to hate getting Word docs but now WordPress has that cool “past from Word” feature in the “kitchen sink” toolbar. But IMHO, best way to do it is to write the post in your own blog, copy the html (not visual) and send it as a text file. Then recipient can just copy into html tab in WordPress. Sounds like a lot of work, but trust me, there is very little or no reformatting needed–and that is what takes a long time to futz with.
Michael Martine’s last blog post..Attract Attention with These 3 Types of Curious Comparisons
I was thinking along the same lines as Graham. Basically you have two different models from traditional publishing that could be followed here:
1) the magazine model, where you pitch the editor / blogger with two or three ideas and include links to your own posts as “clips” to show your writing ability
2) the literary journal model, where you submit a piece of work and hope it somehow finds its way out of the slush pile and into publication.
I think it would really depend on the personal preferences of the blogger being solicited and how many pitches and/or guest-post submissions he receives. I know literary journal editors who get 20,000 to 30,000 manuscripts a year and publish only 80 to 120. So that method can overwhelm and dishearten somebody who has to constantly say “no.”
The magazine model might not work that much better, since you’re still having to judge guest-post ideas. And in both cases someone could accuse you of stealing an idea, so it’s conceivable that popular bloggers would just start sending out an auto-reject message of some sort.
Maybe the email first method is best. Akemi’s approach sounds like it would work, though only if done for the right reasons. It’s just one of those things that bloggers need to decide for themselves. Having a line or two about a blogger’s submission policy on the About page wouldn’t hurt.
Bill K.’s last blog post..Keep the 3-second rule, ditch the 3-second habit
The one block for guest-posting for me is time. For example, this morning I’ve spent 2.5 hours commenting on blogs and responding to my blog’s commentors. Analyzing other blogs for the right guest post topic, then writing it, perfecting it and sending it out just seems to be something that my schedule doesn’t allow at the moment.
Of course that being said, everything is a choice in life and if guest-posting was something I felt passionate about, I’d get it done.
I guess I’ve discovered the real reason I don’t guest post – lack of passion for the idea.
But with the possible link-love that happens from that, maybe I should find some passion. (one more thing for the to-do list…)
Alex Fayle’s last blog post..Vacation Notice
@ Alex – Today’s (29th) post is for you. And I have another one coming up this week you’ll like too.
Hi,
I’m currently researching various weight loss programs and courses.
So, if you don’t mind please answer in this topic: What’s your single most important question about weight loss?
Cheers, JD
@ JD – I’ll allow the question because you didn’t link drop and because my spam radar was only giving me a yellow light and not a horn-blaring red… but… yeah.
So how do I find blogs of interest to be a guest poster?