Guidelines for Accepting Guest Blog Posts

Writing by Brick Marketing in Content Marketing

Guest blog posts can be mutually beneficial for both parties involved. The guest blog post author is able to share their opinions and knowledge with a new group of people and the blog owner gets fresh content that will keep their blog active and thriving. However, if you own a blog and accept guest blog posts, don’t think that you can just sit back, relax, and merely hit “publish”. Here are some guidelines to follow when a blogger submits a guest post to you:

Research the author
You don’t want any old Joe Schmo writing on your blog. Check out their background and online content writing history. Browse their blog to make sure that their opinions are appropriate and in line with your own.

Ask for writing samples
If someone has just begun their content marketing journey and doesn’t have a lot of content built up yet, ask them to submit a few writing samples with the kind of content that they’d like to share on your blog.

Proof all posts
Any content that is posted on your blog is ultimately a reflection back on you. Don’t let guest bloggers publish posts, you should be able to review/edit them before they go live. Check the post not only for spelling or grammar errors but also for the accuracy of the content. Do some fact checking on stats or ask the author for resources when including data.

Include a preface
It’s important to keep your voice active on your blog. You don’t want guest bloggers to overshadow you. One way to do this is to include a preface at the beginning of each guest post. Introduce the blogger, say what the post is about and include a few brief sentences that include your view on the topic.

Thank guest bloggers
Guest posts can add value to your blog. Thank the authors and pay them back by promoting the content via social media, newsletters, etc. or by guest posting on their blog. It’s not just about filling up your blog, but also about forming relationships with other people.

Accepting guest submissions is a great strategy, but you don’t want to rely too heavily on them. Remember, it is your blog and should primarily be your voice.