As I've worked with Crystal from MoneySavingMom.com, one of the tasks she has entrusted to me is Gatekeeper of Guest Posts (I just totally made that title up). 
Guest posting can be a fantastic way to build your brand, increase traffic and get a backlink or two. Backlinks are simply links to your site from another site. They can be great for SEO and the more well-established & high-ranking the site that links to you, the better.
Given the size and level of traffic of MoneySavingMom.com, you can imagine the number of people eager to get a guest post published there.
I thought I'd share a few tips about how to increase your chances of getting your guest post submission accepted. (These are in no particular order but they work for me.)
1. Guest post on sites that are read by your potential readers.
One might think this goes without saying, but not all traffic is the best traffic. You want traffic that sticks. You want people to be so intrigued by your guest post that they click over to your blog (via your link in the bio) and find even more great info they love.
Writing a guest post takes time and energy, so don't waste it by submitting it to a site whose readers aren't your target audience. If you do, you might see a spike in traffic temporarily, but it won't be long-lasting.
2. Submit only original content.
In other words, your guest post submission should not be a post you have already published on your blog (or elsewhere).
I have rejected submissions for this reason alone — submissions that would otherwise have been good fits.
3. Write well. Really well.
Again, it's a no-brainer, but it's worth a mention. A guest post submission should be your best work. It's pretty easy to tell when someone has "thrown together a little something" and when someone has really taken the time and care to produce something high-quality.
Also, take extra care to use correct, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Edit, edit, edit. If you aren't particularly confident in your writing ability, have someone else proof your post for you.
The less the blog owner (or gatekeeper) has to edit and reformat your post, the more-likely it will be published.
4. Follow the guidelines.
If the blogger for whom you would like to guest post has guest posting guidelines, it's a really good idea to follow them. Those guidelines are there to make the submission process easier for all involved.
Conversely, a submission that ignores or breaks the guidelines screams three things:
- I'm only out for my own gain.
- I don't read your blog.
- I didn't even take a few moments to do some easy research to find out what you're looking for.
If the guest posting guidelines are not immediately obvious, do a little hunting before you shoot off an email asking for them. Blog owners (big & small) are busy people, so take it upon yourself to find what you need. The FAQ, contact page and about page are good places to start and often provide a link to guest posting guidelines. Or, use the search feature to search their site. Try several different keywords like "guest post," "guest posting," "guest," "guest post guidelines," etc. Also, check out other guest posts on that blog because blog owners often note guidelines there too.
If you truly can't find the guidelines, a short and friendly email asking about them is appropriate. For example,
I have an idea for a guest post that I think would benefit your readers. Would you mind forwarding your guest posting guidelines? Thanks!
5. Go easy on the links to your own blog and don't include your affiliate links.
We all understand that the idea behind guest posting is a way to get your site noticed. However, a post loaded with links to your own blog isn't cool.
You absolutely should include a link to your own blog in your bio, but include links to your own blog within the content of your post at your own risk.
Likewise, a submission with your own affiliate links is just bad form.
6. Strive to benefit their readers…not just to get your own.
A guest post submission is much more likely to be accepted if the blog owner feels it will truly benefit their readers. Before submitting a guest post, hang out a while so you get a really good feel for the style of writing, topics covered and response of readers.
Provide really meaty content, not just fluffy stuff obviously intended to get the reader to your bio where they can click through to your blog. Not only is a lame post unlikely to be accepted, it sends a bad message about your brand and/or your product.
Remember, this blog represents someone's hard work and they have their own reputation to maintain. The last thing they want is to publish a post that doesn't live up to the quality their readers are used to.
7. Be a blog reader first.
Random, out-of-the blue, "Your readers are gonna love this!" submissions that obviously came from someone just trying to get the word out about their site/product get automatically rejected 'round these parts.
Before you submit a guest post, comment and get involved in the community. Be genuinely helpful. Be an asset. That way, when your guest post submission comes through and has your name attached, it will have several points in its favor because you will have already proven yourself trustworthy and helpful.
8. Time your submission.
If you're a blogger, you know how hard it can be to keep a blog going. Life happens and it can be a challenge to keep up. When life throws you curve balls or when other obligations take your attention, I think all blog owners appreciate some well-written posts they can pull out of their queue in a pinch.
As you follow the blog for which you'd like to guest post, take note of any special events coming up for the blog owner. Are they speaking at a conference? Are they in the throes of writing a book? Are they about to go on maternity leave or take a vacation?
If you catch wind of a disruption to their normal schedule, that's often a good time to send a friendly email asking them if you might be able to help by submitting a guest post.
9. Don't be desperate. Don't be demanding.
Provide content that fits well — yes! — but use your own voice and be yourself.
"What do you want me to write about?" "How do you want me to say it?" "I can write whatever you want!" type of emails aren't impressive. The last thing a blog owner wants to do is hold your hand through the process.
Conversely, "You need to publish this!" or "Your readers need to hear this!" type of emails are also turn-offs. Trust me, the blog owner has a pretty good idea of what they're looking for and what they're not.
10. Make accepting your guest post easy.
- Be kind at all times, even especially if your post is rejected.
- Eliminate as many emails back and forth as possible. Try to answer your own questions. Be thorough and succinct Keep your emails short, sweet and to the point.
- Provide well-written, useful, on-topic content that the blog owner can use "out-of-the-box," their readers will truly find beneficial and you will feel proud to put out there.
What did I miss blog owners? What else should we remember?
Oh! While we're on the subject of guest posting, here's my other simple tip to boost your SEO right in your bio!
I would also add that you want to do guest posts for blogs that will be worth your time.
Even though some smaller blogs would be perfect for a guest post, with such a small readership it isn't worth the time to go to the work of writing one special post for each of them if you aren't going to get a lot of people coming back to your site.
So for us before we spend hours writing one guest post we are going to make sure that
1- the readership is big enough to be worth it and
2-it will be something we can use on our own site if it's rejected.
Yes, great point Tawra — "write something you can use on your own blog if it's rejected."
I think sometimes there are exceptions for small blogs. It's great to help out a fellow blogger when the circumstances dictate and he/she needs a helping hand due to illness, pregnancy, vacay, etc. Who knows, that small blog starting out may skyrocket their readership in a few months. That's what happens sometimes, for instance with TheLetter4 blog.
Amy, could you explain a little more why a "submission should not be a post you have already published on your blog"? Or, another question, would it be unethical to delete the post from your own blog, then submitting it to another?
The reason I ask is that I've (and I'm sure others) written some great posts but didn't get much recognition or traffic for it. But if it's possible for a much larger audience to view it, I'd rather delete it off my archives.
Thanks for all you teach us!
There are two main reasons I say make a guest post original:
1. You don't want to risk getting yourself (or them) into hot water with the search engines for "duplicate content". Now, there's varying opinions about whether or not this is something to be particularly concerned with, but still, better to be safe.
2. There's something about "original" and one-of-a-kind that makes it more valuable and noteworthy.
Instead of deleting a post from your archives and submitting it as a guest post, I would rework it — edit, rewrite, update, add new stuff, make it better — and then submit that one as a guest post. I'm not suggesting you change a word or two, but if you can genuinely redo it and present it from a new angle or go into more depth, I say go for it.
Thank you SO MUCH Amy… that sounds great! I think I received my first guest post request too yet.
One way to get some traffic on a post that didn't get as many views as you'd hoped would be to post it to a relevant blog hop. The first time I linked up with a blog hop in my niche I doubled my average daily views, the next time they tripled. Just make sure to follow the guidelines they provide.
Great tip, Magi. Thanks!
I like that idea of being able to use it on your own site if it is rejected. I am curious about asking people to do guest posts. I know my blog is pretty small still, so I don't want to get laughed at. SHould I wait until I have a certain number of readers before reaching out?
Erica made me think of another question.
More than a year ago I did a guest post for a blog, that was before I really even had one of my own. I have linked to that post to get people to read it. BUt there is quite a bit of my back story in that post, and I would lilke to be able to share it with my readers, and be able to do some referring, or linking to it.
Can I repost it on my site ever? or if I posted something similar would that be lame?
I think you can absolutely link to your guest post. I also think you could write a more in-depth (or summarized) version — whichever is appropriate — on your own site and reference the other if it makes sense.
Staci,
I would for sure at least ask. It NEVER hurts to ask! Also, please, please don't think I am putting down small blogs in anyway. I have been there and had a ton of help from other "big" people myself.
But….
if you are going to write a guest post it can take several hours and you want to make sure that your time is well spent and you will get traffic because of it if it's posted.
You also might ask to re-print other's articles. We let people re-print our stuff all the time with credit. It isn't great for SEO but it does give quality content that your readers will like. Amy would know more on the SEO part of it reprinting something that's already out there but we do let other people do it all the time.
FABULOUS post, Amy!
Great post, and really timely too, since in the next month I plan to start seeking posting opportunities.
My target audience is moms who want to make their budgets stretch. Coupon and deal sites are an obvious place to find those moms. But I was also thinking of going to craft sites, do-it-your self sites, homeschool sites, etc. The thinking being that moms there are likely to be interested in my topic, but not over saturated in the frugal blog market.
Am I on the right track?
GREAT post, Amy! A couple things I'd add:
If you are hoping to guest post:
PLEASE, do not just send a generic email saying, "I'd like to guest post. What should I talk about?" As you stated, it's important to get a feel for the blogger's tone and audience. I like to pitch bloggers with 2-3 topics/title ideas of what I could write about. This will also help your chances I've found.
If you are a blogger looking for guest posters:
For the love of all that's good in the world, DO NOT put out a generic tweet or email saying, "I'm going out of town…anyone wanna guest blog?" You will just not get the sort of response you need. Try contacting specific bloggers you enjoy and ask them to write for you…and give them specific ideas of what you'd like them to cover.
I also find it inappropriate when a blogger asks if they can copy and paste an entire one of my posts on their blog. With RARE RARE exception do I say yes or offer this as an option. In general, this is a faux pas in my book.
I'm actually headed out of town for BlogHer and I put out a very specific request recently for a series of posts I want on my blog during my absence. I chose a topic that I knew would garner interest and that folks would like to both write & read about. The response was overwhelming…in fact, I got more folks emailing me than I knew what to do with.
Sometimes it's all about your approach. Be friendly & be professional. Finally, understand that we're all busy over here, so do your homework first.
Great points. Thanks Angela!
Hi Amy, I'd like to add that once you get your guest post accepted and published, it is also important to connect with readers and reply to comments, just as you do.
OK, just to clarify…if I would like to guest post for another blog, I should write the blog's author, professionally (we've covered that) but I am unclear about what to include at that point….am I to suggest several topics? Or should I include a completed post? Or should that wait until I hear from them?
Just a little confused….
Hi Kelly,
Sorry I confused you.
I think it depends on the situation. For example, maybe you and the blogger have briefly commented back and forth about a particular topic or they visited your blog so they have an idea of your writing style. In that case, a simple, "I'd love to guest post sometime" should be sufficient.
If the blogger doesn't know who you are though, I'd recommend giving a brief description of your idea. "Brief" is key here (bloggers are busy and are much more likely to skip an email if it's long). Be sure to succinctly highlight why the topic you would write about would be an asset to their blog. I say a few sentences would be ideal.
Not sure if you saw my post about GuestBlogging.com, but Jon Morrow provides some excellent tips in there including what to write in your email.
I am hoping to start doing a bit more guest posting in the near future, now that the kids are done homeschooling for at least a little while, giving me a few more hours a week to work on building readership on my blog. This article has great tips as well as the comments. Thanks
I am a real newbie at guest blogging, but just completed my first guest blog post, at the request of a blog owner who has read my previous work, liked it, and asked me to guest blog for them. I spent many days writing this quality post–a lot of research and effort went into it, and it is some of my best work. It is a gardening blog, and many of us with gardening blogs do share our work at blog hops each week. What I am gathering, from what I have read in the comments above, is that it is not okay for me to repost at my website this blog post that I wrote. I can rework it and repost, but not post it in its entirety. Do I have that correct? Although the blog owner who asked for the guest post wanted to submit it to the blog hops, I asked her not to, so that I could do it when I repost the material on my blog. Was I wrong in doing that? Also, I am not inclined to do any more guest posting, because I wrote a really excellent post, and now I don't get to put it up at my site in its entirety?? I used all my best, original photos in it as well. It seems like a bad deal for the original writer. The blog that requested my post does have a larger readership than I currently have, but it is in no way a big blog. I really could use some advice with this–thank you!