These guidelines were updated December 15, 2015
Thanks for your interest in writing for Be A Better Blogger! My standards are high, but I’m always interested in quality guest posts from quality bloggers.
Just make sure you read this page in its entirety, okay? It’ll save both you and me a lot of time and hassle. 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
What are your expectations for guest bloggers?
I expect my guest bloggers…
- To be active in the comments section during the 72 hours after their guest post is published (and to periodically check in afterwards)
- To diligently promote their guest post during its first week, and to promote it periodically in the weeks and months to follow
- To write thoroughly-awesome guest posts
Nothing too crazy, right?
What should I write about? What topics?
Hopefully – and this doesn’t just go for Be A Better Blogger, but any site for which you’re trying to write – you have a good idea of the type of content regularly published on this site. If you don’t, please browse around and get a feel for the place.
Most pitches I receive are for “high-level” ideas. Rather than really dig into a topic, these posts speak in general terms and merely scratch the surface.
These are not the types of guest posts I’m looking to publish.
I’m looking for posts that will make my readers go “wow.” Posts they can’t wait to share with their friends. Posts people won’t forget two seconds later.
What about length of posts?
This is a big one. While I have let a blogger or two slide in the past (I was young and foolish), guest posts should be a minimum of 1,500 words.
And this doesn’t mean write 1,000 words and add another 500 of filler. If anything, it means you should try to write 2,000 words and edit down to 1,500 words. Your post will be crisper, clearer, and far more likely to be accepted.
What about links?
Your post can contain links to other, relevant things you have written (provided I approve of them, and provided the links make sense within the post), as well as links to other, relevant sources (blog posts of others, Be A Better Blogger links, etc.).
Should I include photos?
Yes, but only if you have permission to use them. If you’re using a Creative Commons image, be sure to provide its link so we can give proper credit to the owner. Screenshots are welcomed and encouraged.
To ensure they look the best in Be A Better Blogger’s theme, please use images with widths of 640px or larger.
I like to curse like a sailor sometimes – is that okay?
No.
Profanity, adult subject matter, crude humor, and the like are prohibited. This is a family-friendly site, so if you want to be published on Be A Better Blogger you have to keep it clean.
What should I do after publishing?
It’s expected you will promote the post on social media and email it to your list of subscribers (if you have one). It’s also expected you will be active and timely in the comments section.
Also, while you should?never?republish the post, it’s perfectly okay for you to offer an excerpt of the post on your blog, and then supply a link where your readers can read the rest.
Who retains ownership of my post?
You will always be credited as the author, but once your post has been published on Be A Better Blogger?it becomes the property of?Be A Better Blogger.
In short: You’re the author, but you’re giving over ownership to it.
This means you shouldn’t publish it elsewhere. It?also means you shouldn’t take it, tweak the title, change a few words here and there, and publish it elsewhere. Google won’t like that (and neither would I).
Do you pay for guest posts?
Guest blogging for Be A Better Blogger isn’t a paying gig. What you get is the opportunity to write for an up-and-coming blog, add to your writing portfolio, and expose your work to a growing audience.
Can I be a regular contributor?
If you prove to be a quality writer who actively promotes his/her guest posts and interacts with readers in the comments, I may ask you to write on a recurring basis.
What will happen after I submit my pitch?
Once you submit your pitch, I’ll review it. If your pitch is accepted, I will send you an invitation to edit a Google Doc.
This Google Doc will be populated with your headline and filler text (comprised of helpful instructions for formatting, tips for writing, etc). You will write your guest post draft within this Google Doc.
After your draft is complete, you’ll send me a quick email and the editing process will begin. I’ll make comments and suggestions right there in the Google Doc. And once I’m finished, I’ll hand the Google Doc back to you.
We’ll repeat as necessary.
Please Note: Your post will not be scheduled for publication until it’s met the BaBB standards. Don’t feel bad. Even great bloggers like Jon Morrow get edited.
Anything else I should know?
Your post needs to be free of spelling and grammatical errors.
It needs to be insightful, helpful, and worthwhile.
It needs to be new and unique. By that I mean it has not been previously published in any form.
It should be written in a?conversational style. In other words, the fewer similarities to Russian literature the better.
It should keep paragraphs short. White space is your friend.
It should break up sections using H2, H3, or H4 headings (like I’m doing on this page). This helps with clarity.
How to submit your pitch
Got all that? Good. 🙂
To send me your pitch, please click the button below…
Reminder: If you?re a student of Jon Morrow?s GuestBlogging.com, be sure to let me know!