10 Tips for Writing a Guest Post

Have you been asked to write a guest post for a website? Congrats! It’s a great opportunity to share your knowledge, connect with a new group of readers, and build your authority.

While there are people who say guest blogging is dead, it is part of your toolkit, along with social media and other tools, to introduce yourself to a new audience and share your expertise.


To add some variety to what I share on this blog, I’m planning to have more guest bloggers this year.
You can expect to read some different topics about websites, technology, accessibility, and usability from guest bloggers in the next few weeks.

My plan is to invite friends and colleagues I know who are passionate about specific topics.
I’ve already confirmed two guest bloggers (woohoo!) and I’m looking forward to receiving confirmations from others whom I’ve already invited.

I put together a quick list of guidelines for my guest bloggers and thought the list might be useful to other writers who are looking to write guest posts.

10 Tips for Guest Blogging

  1. Write about something you know.
    What’s your passion? Write about what you care about. You want to provide value to the reader. Lessons learned while you were troubleshooting an issue are popular. Share what worked, what didn’t (and why it didn’t), and what the final outcome was.
  2. Write concisely and align your style to the blog.
    Keep it short and chunk your content. Add headlines, bulleted lists, images (that you have permission to use) to add interest to your guest post. 

    You’ll want to check with the blog owner for guidelines on image sizes.
    Read the blog owner’s posts so you understand the tone and writing style of the blog. Use a similar tone in your post.
  3. Offer useful resources.
    Link to resources that will help the reader learn more about the topic you’re writing about. Either include the resources throughout your post or consider adding a “Helpful Resources to Learn More” section at the end of your post.
  4. Attribute quotes correctly
    If you’re sharing a quote, make sure you attribute it correctly. Double-check spelling of the person and confirm they approve the quote in your post.  
  5. No more than one link to your website in the body of the post.
    A guest post will bring more traffic to your site, but it’s not a sales pitch. Include a short biography at the end of your post, with information about who you are, what you do, and the link to your website or LinkedIn account.
    Add more personal interest by including what you do outside of work. 
  6. Check your guest post for readability, grammar,and spelling.
    Depending on what application you’re using for writing your guest post, you may have built-in spelling and grammar tools. If not, check readability of your post and make your writing clearer with the free online Readable.io and Hemingway tools.
    Grammarly will also eliminate errors and grammar mistakes.
  7. Ask the blog owner how they want the post submitted.
    The blog owner may give you author permission to their website to write directly on their site. Or they may ask you to use their template or to send your guest blog in a particular format.
  8. Ask about deadlines and editing.
    Find out when you should submit the post and what the process is after the guest post is submitted. Expect your post to be edited for clarity or wording. (The blog owner should provide you final copy before the post is published.)
    Ask the blog owner to give you an estimate of when your post will be published.
  9. Reply to all comments.
    Thank people who comment for their feedback. Answer their questions and follow up with additional information. 
  10. Promote your guest post.
    You’re been given the opportunity for a free promotion on someone else’s website. Thank them by promoting your post on your website as well as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media channels.
I hope these guidelines are valuable to you and I wish you the best with your guest post! Please leave a comment or share your ideas and tips for successful guest posts.

This article, originally published in https://www.lireo.com/

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