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Unless you write a group blog (where multiple authors contribute), I think that the majority of posts on your blog should be written by you. Sometimes, though, you can invite other bloggers to contribute to your site. A guest post refers to an entry on your blog written by someone other than you.Getting people to write guest posts
I covered this in a previous post - How to get guest writers for your site. I usually ask the authors of blogs I enjoy reading, or the people who write interesting comments on my site.Requirements for guest posts
You should aim to keep guest posts relevant to your site. You might want to discuss the subject with the author before they write it. You can review the post afterwards as well, but it's best to talk first to ensure you don't get something totally unsuitable.Other requirements are up to you - again, ensure that these are mentioned before the post is written. Best to avoid a complete rewrite if you can.
Writing guest posts for other sites
You can also write a guest post for another site if you have the opportunity. Some site owners will accept guest posts if you simply write a post and email it to them; others prefer to be asked first; some may only accept posts if they ask you.Keep an eye on the site you want to write for and see how other guest posts are submitted. Look out for posts asking for guest writers as this is usually the best time to write a post. On the other hand, it's also the time when you will have the most competition. A site that openly asks for guest writers may publish a post if you send it to the site owner outside of this time bracket.
You'll have to experiment to see what works best. It varies from one site to the next.
Advantages of guest posts
In the past I have asked people to write posts that I wanted to write myself, but that I'd had difficulties writing. Asking someone else can give the subject a fresh perspective.Guest posts are a great way for a site to promote a different author. This means the readers of one site may also start reading the guest writer's site.
Disadvantages of guest posts
I think the main disadvantage of guest posts occurs if there are too many of them on a site. It's one thing if the site owner goes away and published guest posts for a week or two, but if the guest posts come up as often as the posts from the site owner, or there are more guest posts than "regular" posts, it can look like the owner has lost interest in their site.What do you think?
How do you feel about guest posts on the sites you read?Have you written any for other sites or published guest posts on your own site?
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Tags: guest posts, networking, diverse content, building blogs
Posted by Ben on July 06, 2008 19:00 / Edited: July 06, 2008 17:17
Comments
I am completely open about this, although I have not pushed for guest posters. My brother guest posted for a while. Now he has his own blog. He mainly posted on Scottish humour, which I appreciated. I have guest posted on a number of blogs, mainly when the owner was away. One was a magazine type blog, so pretty much anything was fair game, which was what I was used to. The other was more focused, but that was easy, because I could write about cricket, which interested the owner. I have also done roundup posts and posts on group blogs.
I don't MIND a guest post from time to time. I generally go back to a blog time and time again because of the style of writing and content as much as anything. The writer's personality draws me into his posts. Guest bloggers give a little break, but I would probably not return again and again if a blog I was used to reading in a certain style abandoned that style completely in favor of a long series of guest bloggers
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In the past I have asked people to write posts that I wanted to write myself, but that I'd had difficulties writing. Asking someone else can give the subject a fresh perspective.
Ben, that's incredibly useful for your guests - gives a sense of direction and a bit of a jumpstart, no trying to guess what you might have in mind! :)
I find that guest posts tend to drop my traffic quite a bit, just for a day or two, but I like to give other bloggers the opportunity to use Domestik Goddess to write about something that might not be a good fit for their blog - much as I enjoy the occasional chance to guest in other niches as well as my own. It helps to stretch the writing muscles, and although there's a huge amount of pressure in trying to write something 'good enough' for another person's blog, there's a certain liberating quality to the experience too!
Thanks everyone for the comments. :) I think it's all about balance.
Jen, do you mean my comment is useful for the guest writers who have written for my site (such as you)? Or for guest writers who might write elsewhere? Or for guests/visitors who read my site? Multiple meanings can get very confusing...
As a writer - guest posting provides a GREAT opportunity to be seen by another audience. However, one of my greatest difficulties right now is that I've pretty much set up blogs on all of the topics I like to write about which makes writing guest posts quite HARD. Mostly because I'm so busy writing for my own blogs. This is something I really need to sit down and evaluate in terms of time management because I do believe they are an important part of promoting your own voice.
As a blogger it's not something I've ventured into. The only blog I have right now that is big enough to be attractive to guest posters is my personal blog and I'm reluctant to use guest posters because of the nature of the blog.
Nice post Ben, I've been pondering this on some of my blogs. I've been holding the idea back because I am afraid to loose the identity on my blog.
On blogs I've seen that have guest posts it has been kind of odd, like.. suddenly a whole different type of writing and topic.
I haven't written for other sites, I have enough with finding time to write on mine. :)
I do however respect that people do it, and I understand it.