Writing guest posts is a great way to build backlinks to your blog to help drive traffic. Accepting guest posts is also a great way to grow your blog by getting more fresh, quality content to attract readers. But any experience blog owner can tell you that getting quality guest posts is often easier said than done, as many submissions are either poorly written, misguided, or blatant promotions of questionable sites.
Blog owners can attract more quality guest posts by changing their approach. Here are a few tips for how you can get more quality submissions:
Promote, Promote, Promote
Make sure that good writers know about opportunities for guest posting on your blog. Advertise it in forums, on other blogs, through directories, and any other place you can find bloggers. Don’t overlook social media or your own e-mail list. The more you promote your desire for top guest posters, the more likely you are to reach those top writers.
Write Clear Guidelines
If you are getting a lot of submissions that don’t provide what you need in a post, perhaps you need to rethink your published guidelines. Be as specific as you can be in your guidelines: What topics will you accept? What is the required word length? Are images needed? What links are allowed in the post? If you have a wish list of topics, go ahead and list them. Make it as easy as you can for people to give you what you want.
Offer Incentives
What’s in it for other bloggers to write good content for your site? Tell them what you’re willing to offer: Links in the bio box, links in the body of the content, permanent placement in the archives, or featured placement. Be sure to highlight statistics for your traffic, your subscribers, and your social media followers. The more you can offer writers to give you a post, the more likely you will be able to attract quality content.
Consider Payment
If you really want to have people beating down your door to write for you, offer payment. Of course, the more you offer, the more interest you will get from other writers. However, as little as $15 per post should be enough to start generating more buzz around guest posting for your site. Make your payment terms clear on your guidelines page.
Offer to Promote the Post
Show your guest posters that you care about making the submission opportunity really benefit them, as well, beyond just a link. Make it clear that you will actively promote the post on your social networks and to your e-mail list. The more incentives like these you can offer, the more quality guest posts you are likely to attract.
Guest posting is a two-way street: While it helps to build links to your site when you write posts for other blogs, it also helps you to grow your blog when you accept guest posts written by others. You get a fresh supply of quality content, boost your SEO efforts, and offer more value to your readers. Use these guidelines and you will improve your chances for getting the best content for your site.
What do you offer guest posters on your site? Share your tips in the comments!
