it's always a good time for a PSA, right? today i'm here to take the guesswork out of guest posting. just in time for the big
covert robin guest post link-up! a few of the participants have emailed to ask me a few questions about the how-to of guest posting, so i thought it might be helpful to put together all of the answers in one convenient post for lots of you out there who haven't done guest posts before. i promise that it's super easy and practically painless! and i'll even add in some guest post etiquette tips that will ensure that both the poster and the postee (or host) will be pleased with the results. let's get started....
writing a guest post: where in the world do you start?
in the case of the covert robin, that's an easy one. talk about what you made, what inspired you, what techniques you used, and a little bit about why you made what you did. include lots of pictures. everyone loves pictures! want to throw in a few tips that people can use for similar projects? go ahead! everyone loves tips and tricks too :) and include links. this is a great time to reference other related posts you've done... people may be reading who aren't already familiar with your blog and why not share a bit more about yourself with them?
if you're writing a guest post not related to a specific event, ask the host if they'd like your post to be about a specific topic. a lot of times hosts will ask for tutorials or posts about motherhood or your favorite type of crafting, etc. if this is this case, stick with the theme. if there's not a clear-cut theme, i advise running your idea past the host just to make sure you're both on the same page. sometimes you might want a bit of direction if there's no theme, which is fine too. ask your host to provide a jumping-off point. if they want you to guest post, i feel like they should be more than willing to throw out a few ideas for you. again, make sure to include pictures, tips, tricks, and links!
sharing your guest post: what is html?
i'll be the first to admit that i actually don't care one darn bit what html is. i know enough little symbols to get by, but i mostly let blogger do the heavy lifting for me in that department. i suspect that most of you are in the same boat, yes? so here's what i recommend: write your post up just like you're going to publish it on your own blog. after it's all composed and the links and pictures are all in there, click over to the "html view" (which may differ depending on where you host your blog, but in blogger it's simply a button that says "html"), select the whole thing and copy it. then open up an email, paste it in, and send off to your host. typically i'll send a second email just saying that i sent the post and to let me know if anything needs to be corrected, etc.
hosting a guest post: now what do i do with this silly html?
you just received an email with the guest post code... what you'll want to do is basically the reverse from the last step. copy all of the text in the email, start a new blog post, click over to the "html view," and paste in the text. then click back over to your normal "compose" view and make sure that everything looks good. check sizes of pictures to make sure they're not too big or small depending on your own blog format, check the spacing to make sure it looks good, and check that all of the links work. nothing worse than links that don't work, right?
publishing and hosting guest post etiquette tips:
1. let the guest poster know that you have received the code, and address any link or photo issues right away.
2. write an introduction to tell your readers why they should read the guest post, what you like about it, and why you're posting it.
3. make sure to let the person who wrote the post know when it will be published (unless this has already been discussed). this way, they can share with their readers as well.
do you have any other guest post questions or tips? share with us in the comments! and don't forget that the covert robin guest post link-up starts on april 1.
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