Guest Blogging Isn’t Difficult, Yet So Few Get It Right
September 25, 2012 
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I started offering the opportunity for readers to submit guest blog posts for The Future Buzz in 2010. The reason being, I know many of you are smart and have ideas you want to share with the rest of the community. I also enjoy editing.
Since then many of you have shared your thinking and experiences with us. But for every one post that does get published, there are probably around 20 we don’t. Why? They are spammy, the topic is inappropriate or the content is just rushed / poorly written.
The thing is even those who send quality content still rarely get everything right. For example, almost no one remembers to include an image, and probably half of people forget to include a bio (shockingly). And formatting for the web? Yeah, no one does that (huge paragraphs = fail, headings / short paragraphs = win).
But this post isn’t to serve as a complaint. We do appreciate the ideas sent and love to publish them when we can if the ideas are worthwhile, even if it’s not well-written. I don’t mind spending time editing content submitted to make it readable for you.
The point is: writing a guest post isn’t all that difficult. I don’t think I need to spell out the tips, just look at the site you want to write a guest post on and understand the style, type of content and format. Then match your ideas for that site. Simple. I still don’t understand why almost no one does this, but if you can you should find no problems getting your ideas published.
image credit: Shutterstock
matt storms replied | Sep 25, 2012 (1 comment)
I have a whole page dedicated to how I will accept guest posts. I still have issues. I just reject them now if they cannot follow the directions.
Jeff @ MissionPLR replied | Sep 25, 2012 (1 comment)
Thanks for this post! I imagine that a lot of the people who would be naturals at guest blogging are the ones who tend to overthink it.
They may fear rejection even though their content is probably pretty darn good! I think I may be one of those people.
I definitely see the need to do more guest blogging now – so many posts going on about this topic recently.
Don Sturgill replied | Sep 25, 2012 (1 comment)
You nailed it, Adam. Just like losing weight (diet + exercise) and catching fish (timing + persistence), there ain’t nothing to it … but diligence and focus.
Jason replied | Sep 26, 2012 (5 comments)
Thanks for writing this post, Adam. I really couldn’t agree more with you in the last paragraph. No one need to read tips for writing guest posts. You merely have to “look at the site you want to write a guest post on and understand the style, type of content and format. Then match your ideas for that site.” No one needs a manual for that. Just adapt and adjust your writing style to the one on the wanted website.
Josh Braaten replied | Sep 26, 2012 (32 comments)
Looking at the site you want to write for and then matching your ideas is the only way to go.
30 seconds with Open Site Explorer reveals that Social Media, Web 2.0 And Internet Stats, 19 Reasons You Should Blog And Not Just Tweet, and Blog Post Ideas That Always Generate Buzz are among the most popular articles here.
Anyone who took the time to read those three articles would probably get a feel for the sweet spot of the blog pretty quickly and be able to craft a killer pitch.
Benjamin Cook replied | Sep 26, 2012 (3 comments)
Haha, I think I’ve figured this out the hard way. There are number of local marketing blogs in the Twin Cities that I’ve tried to comment on. Some blogs are more easy to get published on than others. There is this one blogger that I pretty much know will not publish my comments unless they truly are value-adding to the blog post.
I think oftentimes respectfully disagreeing with the author’s perspective/opinion is the best way to get your comment accepted. For me though, I just ask myself before I even attempt to blog, “Am I really adding to the conversation or just creating noise?”.
Arik Hanson replied | Sep 26, 2012 (10 comments)
Funny–I could have written the same exact post based on my recent experiences. Like you said, even the folks who did write thoughtful posts that actually made sense for my blog missed some pretty major to-dos (links, pics, etc.). Having written guest posts/content for a few clients, maybe I’m hyper-sensitive to this, but if you’re going to offer to guest post on someone’s blog, at least have the courtesy to make the post on point to their audience–and to include the basics for any post. Makes for less work for the blogger.
Alex Aguilar replied | Oct 1, 2012 (18 comments)
Unfortunately when it comes to guest blogging you get a lot of enthusiasm but not much competence. That being said, if I see a guest blogger making a true effort but falling short in one or two areas (i.e. doesn’t include images or a bio) I make it a point to give them feedback so they will do better next time. A lot of novice bloggers out there have a real talent and passion for writing; they just need to keep at it until they get better. A little encouragement and help goes a long way!
Nick Stamoulis replied | Oct 4, 2012 (30 comments)
You don’t want to approach guest blogging carelessly. The first thing you want to do is see if the content that you want to share is relevant to the blog’s audience. Once you’ve established a relationship with a blogger, work to maintain that relationship so that you can guest post on a regular basis.
Vincent replied | Nov 7, 2012 (3 comments)
If you write good content for other sites, you’ll have your posts approved and you’ll receive the benefits that guest posting has to offer. If, however, you put in minimal effort and product sub-par content, then you will have done nothing but waste your time. Even if your post gets published, nobody will take the time to check our your website and they certainly won’t subscribe for future updates. In my opinion, just take the extra time and write something worth sharing! Instead of the cookie cutter machine style approach so many guest bloggers take today.