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November 19, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Building an Effective Guest Blogging Program

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ContentChat Building an effective guest blogging program (1)
Running a blog can quickly become resource intensive, especially if your team hasn’t first taken the proper planning steps. Scrambling to push out content, some teams may default to inviting guest bloggers to fill the content gap. While this can be a great idea, it’s not the best for every blog, and not every guest blogger is a fit for your brand.

In this #ContentChat, we explore how to tell when your blog is ready for guest bloggers, and how to approach the relationship.

Q1: When is a blog ready to start inviting guest bloggers to contribute?

Your team first needs to develop the objectives and goals for your blog before you can bring on guests (we explored how to start your planning in this content chat). Also, ensure you have an established brand voice to find contributors that complement this.

Double check your blog traffic to make sure that you are already meeting your goals and that there is a value for any guest contributors.

To make a long story short, Tod recaps it well:

Q2: What kind of rights should I ask guest bloggers to give to my blog?

This largely comes down to whether you are paying for the content. If you are not paying the blogger, you should probably default to first rights of publication.

You can get as specific as you want with the rights, including setting a specific time frame that the content is exclusively on your site.

Keeping the content in one location can help with SEO, or you can ask bloggers to slightly change their posts if they appear across multiple sites.

Just work with your blogger to find a mutually beneficial agreement that is clear. There’s no better way to burn a bridge than to use a contributor’s content in a way they are not OK with.

Q3: What is the best way to find guest bloggers who might want to contribute to my blog?

Ask and you shall receive. Invite contributors across your channels to find folks who are already following and engaging with your content. You can also turn to partners to help.

Look outside your immediate following by researching industry influencers and thought leaders. You can do this by searching your competitors and peers, or doing keyword research to see who is already speaking to topics that align with your goals.

There’s also a handful of tools to help with this process.

Keep a critical eye when evaluating potential bloggers. It’s important to find contributors to supplement your existing content by adding new value, versus distracting or detracting from your strategy.

Q4: What should my guest blogger guidelines include?

Be as detailed as you can about what you need in the content. Everything from the word count, topics, visual requirements, and submission formats.

Keep a focus on the value your audience will receive, and you can even quantify the takeaways each post should have.

Distill your larger guidelines into an easy-to-digest format for a kickoff meeting, where you can also mine for new content ideas. Don’t try to fit your writers into a very specific box if they have different, equally valuable content ideas.

Be clear on any review timelines and the rights that you are requesting for the content.

And, again, Tod is the recap MVP.

Q5: What are some things a first-time manager of a guest blogger program should watch out for?

Monitor the quality of content you’re receiving and the intention of the contributors.

And, everyone’s favorite, keeping track of deadlines.

Plagiarism is a top concern as well, and we dive into this in the next question.

Q6: What are some ways I can spot potentially plagiarized content?

Compare the blogger’s emails to the content they provide you and trust your gut.

Look for sources in the contributed piece. If there are no sources, that’s a red flag.

Some tools are out there to help, and a simple Google search can go a long way!

Q7: What are the benefits I can pitch to potential guest bloggers if we can’t pay them?

Simply appearing on your blog can be enticing because it gives the contributor direct access to your audience.

Amplification and promotion on social or through newsletters are great value adds, especially if you have a loyal following. Be sure to share your anticipated reach across channels.

If you can, offer a discount on your product, an extended free trial, access to events, or other perks.

Q8: I’ve managed several guest blogging programs on the B2B side. Ask me any questions you have about guest blogger programs!

For most blogs, you want to post guest-written content less frequent than your own content.

Always keep an eye out for plagiarism, because people always try to take shortcuts.

Measure your guest blogger program success by page views, relationships built, domain authority and more.

If you’re contributing content, being invited back is a sign that the relationship is going well.

If you’re trying to build a two-way guest blogging relationship, make it easy to engage, clear on the value, and customize the experience for each individual to show that you care about them.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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