Guest posts

**Jessi** · 02-05-2013, 09:53 AM

What are your thoughts on accepting guest posts on your blog?

On one hand, it's a great way to get free content. On the other, though, it can be bad content or there's the potential it's duplicate content even. There's also the concern of running off regular blog readers who only want to read your posts and not some guest poster's fluff.

**Rob** · 02-05-2013, 10:03 AM

Hey there Jessi - welcome to the forum.

If its not spammy and not duplicate content, then you can benefit from guest posts imo. I recently started up theguestblogger.com to give this a shot - then i'd contact the good writers for posts on my other sites. I haven't really 'launched' theguestblogger yet, so its a work in progress.

**Jessi** · 02-05-2013, 11:19 AM

Awesome!

I have tried out My Blog Guest before and gotten some great content through them. I don't really like actively seeking out writers, though, so I usually only visit the site when someone contacts me personally. They're obviously always for promotion's sake, too, so through that site, instead of getting real bloggers, you get a lot of article/content creators who are hired by other companies to promote their links, so the links aren't even often related to the article itself.

**Glcameron** · 02-05-2013, 10:55 PM

As a writer, I love offering free guest posts on blogs based on my interests. If the information is helpful to the site and informative based on the niche provided by the site owner then I offer to do guests posts for a certain amount of time, leaving the door open for it to become a paying gig once the site is able to generate an income. To me, guest posting is a way for the writer to get their name out there, expand their portfolio and share information about a shared topic that may influence interest to the blog/site. I love the concept of having a site that places all writers in one place for guest blogging, it's refreshing, but I'm realizing a bulk of the writers whom used to offer free guest posting are now charging because of the constant changes associated with Google.

**cpvr** · 02-18-2013, 08:56 AM

Guests blogs are always nice because it helps you leverage yourself online and drive some new links. I've done them in the past.

**Don Quixote** · 03-30-2013, 09:59 PM

Not really too sure about this. The problem is I have a very different way of writing. That's where the doubt comes in. Would someone else writing in a different style on my own site change anything?

**Jessi** · 04-01-2013, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Don Quixote

Not really too sure about this. The problem is I have a very different way of writing. That's where the doubt comes in. Would someone else writing in a different style on my own site change anything?

Yes and no.

Because you ANNOUNCE that it's a guest post, no one is expecting it to be YOU writing it. They aren't expecting your voice there. They are expecting content that is related, but written by someone else.

That being said, I do think it's wiser to choose writers who are somewhat similar in personality. For example, when I accept guest posts, even if I know they're going to be coming from some random content writer elsewhere....I tell the person to 'make sure who ever writes this, knows to have some fun with it....it's okay to joke and write more casually.' This encourages them to have a bit of personality and discourages the super-serious, professional, boring crap.

**Don Quixote** · 04-01-2013, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by Jessi

Yes and no. Because you ANNOUNCE that it's a guest post, no one is expecting it to be YOU writing it. They aren't expecting your voice there. They are expecting content that is related, but written by someone else. That being said, I do think it's wiser to choose writers who are somewhat similar in personality. For example, when I accept guest posts, even if I know they're going to be coming from some random content writer elsewhere....I tell the person to 'make sure who ever writes this, knows to have some fun with it....it's okay to joke and write more casually.' This encourages them to have a bit of personality and discourages the super-serious, professional, boring crap.

I see. Maybe what I should do is learn how to do guest posts on other people's blogs. I suppose I will have to do it for free in the beginning. Where do you suggest I go to do some ex gratia guest blogging?

**Jessi** · 04-02-2013, 09:46 AM

Yes, you should.

And "guest" posts are always done for free. If they're not, then they become paid posts or sponsored posts, etc, depending on who is paying.

It's a great way to get links and spread your brand presence a bit, though. For example, that erotic post you wrote a while back? You might want to guest post something similar on related blogs and then link them back to it.

**Don Quixote** · 04-02-2013, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by Jessi

Yes, you should. And "guest" posts are always done for free. If they're not, then they become paid posts or sponsored posts, etc, depending on who is paying. It's a great way to get links and spread your brand presence a bit, though. For example, that erotic post you wrote a while back? You might want to guest post something similar on related blogs and then link them back to it.

I see. In that case, I think I should get serious about guest blogging. Maybe the first step to guest blogging would be to make blog comments. What do you think?