Blog Tipz

Opening up your blog to guest posts from your readers and other bloggers can be a huge step in the direction of building your blog and one that needs to be thought over. I’ve covered some techniques to improve guest posts in the past, but now we will be taking a look at the proper approach to preparing your blog for guest posts before they arrive.

I’ll assume you have never accepted guest posts before on your blog, as that is the reason you are reading this post. Guest posts can be a great source of traffic for both parties, as new readers will come to your blog looking for an alternative source. However, they can also lead to more stress on your part, as you aren’t in complete control.

Step 1 – The first step is to create a post that explains the requirements of a guest post and what they will receive in return. Generally, guest posters want at the very least, a link back to their website in return for the time they spent writing the content. Don’t say you will do this and then fail to provide a little background on the author.

Step 2 – Spreading word about the opportunity can be were some miss the opportunity to gain a lot of extra guest posts. Write a post on your blog so everyone can see it, post a link (temporary) in the footer area of each post above the comments, and include links wherever possible. Having more guest posts will bring positive energy to your blog.

Step 3 – Be sure your contact form works properly. It can be difficult to contact bloggers at times, so you need a contact form or email address listed on your Contact page. Having this will allow easy submissions. If there are any requirements for posting photos to the posts, please list them on this page, or include a method of sending attachments.

Step 4 – Wait for the guest posts to arrive. When they have arrived, read through them, and determine whether they are worthy of being published to your blog. If they are, insert the “about” message, and publish them when appropriate.

Step 5 – Keep in contact with the author. Doing this will allow the line between you to be open, in the event you need more guest posts. It is also somewhat courteous of the guest poster to respond to comments on his or her post, as they were the ones who wrote them, so they have the main ideas.

Conclusion

If you feel I am missing any steps, or if you want to give your own tips on how to properly prepare your site for guest posts (as the main blog), please let me know in this post’s comments area.