Early in my marriage, my husband, our two children, and I lived in Hawaii. As many people who originally lived on the mainland who moved to Hawaii can attest, having house guests is a common occurrence. Who doesn’t like a free room in paradise?
The best types of guests were what my friends and I referred to as “low maintenance guests.” They were the ones you could hand car keys or a bus pass and a map to, and know they’d have a blast, grateful for all you did for them, even though it wasn’t much!
When you guest post on a blog, you are just that; a guest. It’s a privilege to be there, and depending on how you handle things, you’ll be a source of pleasure or pain for your host.
Here are some ways to be an ideal guest blogger:
1) Respect the House Rules
When you stay in someone’s home, the house rules may include things such as no smoking in the house and no loud music after 10:00 pm. Whether you smoke or play loud music in your own home is besides the point; different house, different rules.
On a blog, the house rules may include things such as no affiliate links and no mention of or linking to competitors. Whatever the rules may be, be sure to respect them with a good attitude, even if you would do things differently on your own blog.
2) Get Home On Time
Deadlines are important. If your blog host is expecting your post by a certain date and it doesn’t come, it can be a source of anxiety and can result in throwing off their blogging schedule.
In the same way that it’s rude to keep your host up late at night waiting for you to come home while you are out partying, it’s also rude to keep the host of the blog waiting for your post. Do everything you can to get your post in on time (early is even better), and if something comes up that is making that difficult, be sure to let the blog owner know you’re running late.
3) Look for Ways to Benefit the Host
Your blog host is benefiting you by providing you with exposure to a new audience. Don’t take that lightly, and in return, do what you can to benefit the host.
Here are five ways to benefit the blog owner when guest posting:
- Provide a good quality post, free of punctuation and spelling errors.
- Promote the post on social media.
- Respond to comments on the post.
- Speak highly of the host when you share your experience with others. (If you have negative things to say, be sure to speak honestly with the blog owner, rather than to others.)
- If you provide images, be sure you have the legal right to use them.
4) Appreciate the Lodging
When you’re in your own home, the bed you sleep in is likely exactly right – for you. When you sleep in someone else’s home, the bed may be harder or softer than you prefer. The food they serve may be too bland or spicy for your taste. The bottom line is that it’s someone else’s home, and there may be little things about it that you don’t like.
The blog you guest post on may be on a platform your don’t like, and your post may need to be written in a style that’s not your favorite.
You can feel grumpy about the things you don’t like, or you can have an attitude of gratitude for what you’ve been given. Make the choice to be grateful for the hospitality, knowing the owner of the blog is likely giving you her best.
Keeping these guidelines in line will make you a guest blogger that your host will want to welcome back again and again.
Got a tip on how to be an ideal guest blogger? Share it in the comments below!
About the Author
Rebecca Livermore is a writer, editor and virtual assistant with a specialty in social media and content marketing. She blogs at Professional Content Creation.
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I liked your tips and thought the analogy to being a good house guest a very apt one! Thank you for sharing your insights!
I am especially a stickler for good grammar and punctuation. That is often overlooked!
Laura recently posted..Note of Thanks from Student-Tutor
I love the comparison to being a house guest
Way to practice what you preach! (I see that you’re super responsive to the comments left here LOL!)
Kelly McCausey recently posted..Assume You Are The Source For Your Peeps!
Rebecca I’m just jealous that you stayed in Hawaii. It is a paradise indeed. Lol!
It’s so funny to see many website owners posting poor quality articles in article directories and commenting on blogs to build links to their websites when contributing great content you’re knowledgeable about to the net is actually so much easier.
Julian Venter recently posted..SEO in Cape Town and how websites have changed in SA
Julian, you are so right that there are a lot of people out there trying to take shortcuts to accomplish their goals. The bottom line is that unless the quality is good, it just doesn’t work!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I appreciate it!
Rebecca
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Rebecca Livermore recently posted..Why You Should Use Podcasting to Market Your Business with Cliff Ravenscraft [video]
My biggest gripe with people who pitch me to write guest posts is they tell me that they want to get in front of my audience “to get a link back to my blog.” And then they ask, “What would you like me to write about?”
If you want to write for me, read the blog, pitch 2 or 3 ideas I can choose from, explain why you’re the expert, and show me samples of your work. Otherwise, I hit the Delete key.
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Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound recently posted..8 ways to promote Small Business Saturday
Joan,
I hear ya on this one! The worst is when you get an email that starts with something like, “Dear Sir. . . ” and it’s quite clear they send the exact same email to everyone! Needless to say, those don’t get a response from me!
Rebecca
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Rebecca Livermore recently posted..How to Plan and Start Your Business Blog by Spying on Your Competition
Aloha Rebecca – love your analogies! I’ve just stepped into
the guest blogging arena, and while I do have impeccable
manners, I really appreciated your mention of maintaining
an ‘attitude of gratitude’.
Everyone does things a little differently and it’s a great reminder to stay cool & enjoy the “roof that’s been put over your head.”
Playn’ by the ground rules! Best, Paula
I like this, smiling ear to ear as I read this- you accepting guest blogs? Dud- obviously.
Roberta Budvietas recently posted..Are there 100 ways to prevent getting stuck waiting?
Roberta,
Glad to hear this brought a smile to your face. That’s always a good thing!
Rebecca
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Rebecca Livermore recently posted..Why NOT to Publish a Kindle Book
Great article…and your suggestions are spot on! I have only been blogging for a few months, but am definitely interested in the guest blogging thing (and inviting guest bloggers on my own blog) so I appreciate the tips!
Kimberly,
So glad to hear you’ve started blogging. Best of luck to you with your new blog!
Rebecca
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Rebecca Livermore recently posted..What is Google Analytics and Why Should Businesses Use it?
Rebecca, it’s funny, the minute I read the first 2 paragraphs I recognized your style. Great post and so many good points, especially under point 3. I think it was you that suggested to create a “contributor” account on your WP site when I guest posted for you, which made replying to comments so much easier, since I always got an e-mail when a new comment was submitted!
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Sarah recently posted..Top Tips for Driving Traffic to Your Blog
Sarah, funny! I guess you can recognize my voice! Yes, it definitely helps to get an email so you’ll know when comments are posted.
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. I appreciate you!
Rebecca
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Rebecca Livermore recently posted..Top 5 Business Blogging Benefits