How to Be an Ideal Guest Blogger

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.