Guest Blogging: How to Keep the Editor Happy & Get Published

Posted by Sian Phillips under Online Marketing
From http://tweakyourbiz.com 3101 days ago
Made Hot by: advertglobal on May 26, 2016 6:05 pm

Here are my suggestions for becoming successful, and likeable, with your guest blogging and I have also included some quotes from friends and colleagues in the business too. So you don’t have to just take my word for it.

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Comments

Written by FrederiqueMurphy
3098 days ago

Hi Sian!

What an 'epic' post!!! I'd not be surprised if it becomes an integral part of the TYB guest blogging process ;-)

Two things came to mind as I read it, and I wanted to share.

The first thing has everything to do with the questions we receive from our audience. While I understand, our initial reactions in replying to "common sense" questions, I like to always keep in mind the famous Disney's example. I've blogged about it before as I first heard it during one of the most fascinating tours I've ever had the pleasure to participate in: the business behind the scenes one at the Disney's resort in Orlando, FL. Did you know what one of the most frequently asked questions on a daily basis at a Disney resort is? It's "What time is the 3 o’clock parade?” And, it's great to keep this in mind with the frequently asked questions we get from our own audience as this is a brilliant reminder that it gives us the chance to exceed expectations and go above & beyond for our visitors with our responses. As what they actually need goes beyond the 3 o'clock answer ;-)

And, second thing has to do with style. As you know I lead with value and contributing is something that I love to do but I've had unpleasant experiences before, where an editor would make changes to my copy and in the process, negatively impact the effectiveness of the post. The solution is of course to communicate, and have a mutual understanding of the material, as most editors do not have quantum linguistics skills, so would not be apt in "fixing" such and such turns of phrases.

My 2 cents ;-)

Great series of reminders for experienced guest bloggers, as well as a great checklist for newer ones. Thank you!

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Written by Sian Phillips
3097 days ago

Your 2 cents are very valid Frederique - thanks for the comment and the sugar :)

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Written by annsmarty
3099 days ago

I really appreciate your honesty and openness here. Thanks for being so flexible when it comes to ghost writing too! Now I have a link to send to my site contributors too!

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Written by Sian Phillips
3098 days ago

Thanks for the comment and the vote Ann. Ghost writing has to be done - not everyone can write or has the time so there is a demand for it. It has to be done well though.

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Written by lyceum
3100 days ago

Sian: That's what I thought. I wanted to get the point across, as an experienced blogger (14+ years).

I have some ideas re. TweakYourBiz. I will be in touch in the near future.

All the Best,

Martin

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Written by lyceum
3100 days ago

Mike: I will check out your guest blogging page. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

All the Best,

Martin

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Written by lyceum
3100 days ago

Mike: I have great experiences (10+ years) with Small Business Trends. Here is my author page:

http://smallbiztrends.com/author/martin-lindeskog

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Written by Kimberly721
3100 days ago

So many great tips here! Unfortunately, too many guest bloggers are now seen as spammers because this practice has gotten abused. I say it's unfortunate because when done right, everyone wins. The key is getting quality content from those who are intelligent on a specific subject.

I also think the "sharing is caring" tip is often forgotten. It benefits everyone if the post is shared on multiple social media profiles, so why not spread the word about your great content?

Thanks for putting this ultimate guide together!

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Written by lyceum
3100 days ago

Kimberly: Have you seen that Social Media Club's motto: "If you get it, share it"?

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Written by Sian Phillips
3100 days ago

Thank you so much for your comment Kimberly - it means a lot coming from a writer like you. You'd be surprised how many people don't share their posts - madness I know.

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Written by adamjayc
3100 days ago

Hi Sian, really enjoyed your post and thanks so much for allowing me to contribute. Much appreciated!

There are plenty of great tips here, and so many of them needed to be said because they're so often ignored.

Your point about not relying on Grammarly is spot on. I've used a few other tools as well and none of them are perfect. They definitely help speed up the process though.

Not replying to comments or promoting are important ones for me. In the early days of Blogging Wizard, I used to have quite a few guest authors that took a real push to get comment replies and they didn't share posts at all.

Fortunately I'm a lot more careful with vetting potential guest contributors now, so it's usually not an issue anymore :)

Thanks for putting this together for us!

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Written by Sian Phillips
3100 days ago

Thanks for your comment and your contribution to the post too. Hopefully some bloggers will take my suggestions on board

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Written by lyceum
3101 days ago

Mike: Thanks for your input. I think you have a valid point here. Do you want to share your favorite places for your guest blogging?

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Written by Legalmorning
3100 days ago

How's your experience with SmallBizTrends?

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Written by Legalmorning
3100 days ago

Besides TweakYourBiz? There are many where I have guest posted and each one has its "favorite" points. Here is a list of places I have guest posted over the last couple of years (http://www.legalmorning.com/writing-services/guest-post/). Keep in mind I may have missed listing a few. All were great to write for but I only had limited interaction as it was a single guest post.

For places where I contribute regularly, I would say AllBusiness and Business.com. The editors there are as professional and responsive as Sian is for TweakYourBiz. It's too early to say as I just started writing for them this week, but Entrepreneur has been a wonderful experience up to this point. Anytime an editor will engage you in discussion about your article ideas and provide regular feedback its a bonus.

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Written by Legalmorning
3101 days ago

Sian, I must say you nailed it with this article. It is a great read for anyone trying to get into guest posting or becoming a regular contributor. It is also a great refresher for old timers like myself. Thanks for the tips and its bookmarked for future reference.

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Written by Sian Phillips
3100 days ago

Thanks for your comment Mike and I'm glad I can be of some help.

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Written by cendrinemedia
3101 days ago

Great reminders in this post, Sian! Very important!

I have very strict guidelines for guest blogging on my own blog and they scare many. But at the end of the day, whatever is posted on Social Media Slant is high quality. Like you, when I see typos and grammatical errors, I run away. lol

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Written by Sian Phillips
3100 days ago

Thanks for the comment Cendrine. I know how great the quality of content is on Social Media Slant and it's good to see.

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Written by lyceum
3101 days ago

Regarding the topic of outgoing links, we could start a debate thread here, I think! ;) I am all for outgoing links to external sources (e.g., blog post and newspaper articles) that are relevant to the post. Without relevant links, I think the blog post is missing an important element. It takes time to do research and find great source material, and you should give credit there credit is due. Right? That is often the different between today's sloppy tabloid journalists from the mainstream media, and sharp citizen journalist from new social media hubs.

That said, it seems that I also have a "knack" for spotting out of placed links (that are either bought or link baits, without giving a full disclosure).

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Written by Sian Phillips
3100 days ago

I agree with you Lyceum - it's exactly what I have said it my post. The links providing further information are great and never taken out. As I mentioned in the post links to affiliates and for advertising purposes are the ones we frown on and will remove

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Written by Legalmorning
3101 days ago

Great comment. For links, I use anything that comes natural and is relevant to the story. If I look something up to help me with a story, I link it. If I am using a quote, I link to the expert. Simple as that.

The problem that editors run into is there are too many authors who think "link first" and write content they can fit the link into. That is the complete opposite of what needs to be done and hopefully all editors catch this type of stuff.

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Written by lyceum
3101 days ago

Sian: This is great primer post as a reference material for future guest blogging. I have said in the past that I will start guest blogging here, and your post gave me an extra push now... ;)

I recently celebrated my 14th blogiversary.

All the Best,

Martin

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Written by smpayton
3101 days ago

As a blog owner, I have to say that a GOOD guest post is worth its weight (well, more, since it's technically weightless) in gold, but one that has no intention or effort put into it just wastes my time. If you're going to guest blog, do it right!

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Written by Sian Phillips
3101 days ago

Excellent tip, Susan. Thanks for mentioning here. It really does surprise me sometimes how people just write something and then forget about it.

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Written by ShawnHessinger
3101 days ago

Hi Sian,

The reason becoming an expert contributor has fallen out of fashion -- with Google et al -- is that it has been so terribly misused. So-called contributors are often simply out for themselves and not trying to add any value to the sites they shamelessly ask to promote them. Many have no business approaching website owners and asking them to publish their self-serving content. They are opportunists, not collaborators. Fortunately, for those interested in actually creating great content and working with other site owners instead of simply exploiting them, it will make you stand out and be asked back to help again and again.

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Written by Sian Phillips
3101 days ago

Thank you so much for your comment Shawn and also for providing a quote for the post too. I know exactly what you mean. There are some people out there who are giving the bad name to guest blogging. For me, writing a blog post has always been about providing advice to others. I'm not in it for links or out for myself either. I just want to provide helpful information. A few years ago this was mostly the same for all bloggers but it has now been infiltrated by those wanting to make a fast buck or just link-building. Weeding them out is the editor's trick. Thanks again

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