The Power of Selective Guest Posting
Posted by Joel Falconer in New MediaJul 22nd, 2008 | 18 responses
There’s a blog that I used to read every single day. Absolutely religiously—every time something new was posted.
The author of this blog was a smart guy and really knew his field. And I knew that every single time the lights lit up next to that blog’s name in my feed reader, I was going to learn something new, or at least learn to do something I could already do, a whole lot better.
It was that dedication to providing valuable content that caused this blog to skyrocket into the so-called “A-list” and achieve great successes in a variety of ventures throughout the blogosphere.
Unfortunately, things changed and now I don’t read this blog anymore.
What did the owner of this blog do wrong that not only lost my interest, but the dedicated, loyal interest of readers all around the globe?
The problem was that he failed to see the power of selective guest posting.
When most of us subscribe to a blog, it’s to get the advice, teaching and point of view of the individual, or individuals, who make the blog work.
So when a guest post crops up, we expect it to be truly great and hopefully introduce us to someone just as dazzling and valuable as the owner.
Over time, the number of guest posts being published on the blog in question skyrocketed. And at the same time, the number of posts the original writer published shrank and shrank.
Some of the new writers became regulars publishing helpful material. But most were fly-by guests and their work was never particularly good. It wasn’t valuable and informative, or even entertaining. There didn’t seem to be any criteria for getting published on this blog.
Not only was the work dull, but these guests detracted from the work that the regular writers of this blog were doing. The signal-to-noise ratio got so bad that I dropped my subscription.
Guest posting is a great way to get your name out there; you gain credibility because the publication of a guest post is basically an endorsement. And if the blogger practices selective guest posting, it’s truly effective promotion.
And on the other side of the pond, posting a guest post lends yourself credibility. It means that others have found you and your site valuable enough to want to contribute.
But mark my words and burn this into your skull: if you become the harlot of blogs and let every half-assed writer who comes knocking on your door publish whatever they like on your blog, your reputation and your own writing will suffer for it.
When you select your guests carefully, you only strengthen your reputation, and you offer more value to those who are kind enough to gift you with well-written, considered articles.
There’s a blog that has a whole lot of respect throughout the blogosphere and from myself personally. If you’re a regular reader of this site, no doubt you know the Men with Pens. They practice selective guest posting, too—and today, I’m their third.
18 Responses to “The Power of Selective Guest Posting”
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Joel,
Almost immediately, I knew exactly which blog you were referring to (I think).
If it is the same blog, I’ve noticed and thought the same thing for awhile now.
Some of the contributers on there are putting up some really bland stuff that we’ve heard plenty of times before.
But…I still find a really helpful post on a regular enough basis to maintain my interest in the blog in question.
That blog’s fundamental teaching point has really sold me on a core aspect that has absolutely benefited my blogging and writing.
Of course, we could be talking about two completely different blogs…but I doubt it.
And the post you offered was truly stellar, indeed.
I’ve never allowed a guest post on my blog yet…perhaps it’s something to consider (waaaaay) in the future.
Data points, Barbara
I’ve always preferred quality over quantity.
I have no idea which blog you are referring to, but I can understand what you are saying. There are certain blogs that you can’t wait for their next post, and every post they publish you feel like they wrote it about you, but when you see other writers who “contaminate” a blog or site that you really like, and you wait for the next post, you feel like an “abandoned” child who has gotten lost in a content forest.
I read your article posted on Men with Pens. Good stuff.
This subject matter is interesting. But, you know, it almost seems obvious to me. Which makes me surprised that someone would over do it with guess posting. Entirely short sighted.
I’ve never had anyone guest post on my blog, yet. But if I did, I would want it to make my blog look good, not bad!
@Jesse: When you can tell which blog I’m talking about just from reading that, you know there’s a serious problem. I’m hoping it gets fixed and I can go back to consuming it religiously like the little fanboy I am.
@Barbara: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! There’s a first time for everything—I’ll be interested to see who it turns out to be. Waaay in the future, of course!
@Thomas: Absolutely. I don’t mind the occasional, well-chosen guest post on any blog, even those I read the most, but there’s definitely a fine line and too many people step over it. I’d say that one guest post for every ten-fifteen original posts is even pushing the limits.
@Bamboo: Yeah, it seems obvious to me too. And the person who runs the blog in question should know this given their field. But what can you do? Hope that things are rectified at some point, I suppose.
Guest posts are useful—for both the blog owner and the blog guest. BUT you’ve got to be selective and it’s got to be one of those rare occasions. The kind you get dressed up in a tux for.
If there’s nothing special or at least unusual about the occurrence, it’ll do nobody any good.
When I discover a new blog, Joel, I like to browse through quite a few of the previous posts to get a sense of the blogger’s voice.
If the views and ideas expressed are consistent throughout- and the quality appeals to me- then I’ll subscribe.
I agree that selective guests add a new perspective to the mix.
Too many, however, and the strength of that original voice which first attracted me weakens.
After a while, I might simply leave to search for other unique viewpoints. There are many fighting for my attention.
Hi Joel,
Great guest post on Men With Pens. This is the third time in a week, I’ve been led to your site. Guess it’s time to subscribe.
I agree. I just published a guest post today and I am ever so aware that many readers WILL be disappointed to find that the new post is by someone other than their beloved blogger.
Off to check out your guest post. :)
I choose the blogs that I work with very carefully. There’s a reason for my selections. Do other people water down the quantity of the blog at times? Yes, it happens. Do I unsubscribe? No. Have I considered it? No.
This is where personal branding comes in and hurts a blog. If you personally brand your blog, you can never step away. Never. Ever. You never get a break.
I believe that some of the blogs out there are realizing this problem and taking transitional steps to adjust. I support them, because their retraction is my opportunity to step in.
I also support them because the blog becomes a resource of many voices from many angles - it isn’t just one tired same-old from the same blogger becoming redundant. When we become greedy consumers that would suck a person dry, we’ve become a selfish society indeed.
I hope that Men with Pens will live on for years, no matter which Man holds the Pen. If my readers would turn their back to me because I need to take a break, or move on to other projects, or retire because I’m old… well. Those aren’t the readers who really cared about me in the first place, are they?
Because let’s face it, Joel - bloggers are people. Not machines.
This is where careful selection of who to accept as part of the crew when stepping away from personal branding is crucial. If you’ve set the bar of standards, you need to choose people who can maintain and uphold those standards.
I like to think that I fit the requirements nicely. ;)
Too often, bloggers hand their sites over to guests whose writing just isn’t up to par. And like you, I’ve noticed that most guest posts that turn me off are rehashed content that I’ve already seen all over the blogosphere. In fact, some post titles have me clicking “mark as read” faster that you can say BLOG because I can see it’s something I’ve already read a hundred times before.
However, like James says, guest posting can be very beneficial, both for the blogger and the guest. The key is to make sure guest posts adhere to the blogs’ standards of quality content. If the blog you’ve mentioned had done that, it wouldn’t have lost you as a subscriber.
“the harlot of blogs” You’re funny Joel. And I agree. Having a guest post every now and then by people who write well and have something interesting to say can make a blog even better; while allowing just about anyone to submit a post to your blog will lead to a drop in the overall quality level of the blog. It’s kind of like owning a restaurant: the owner always has to be there.
Heh, Marelisa - you just proved my point.
Restaurants hire employees. You rarely see an owner working the kitchen once the name is made.
Joel -
This is the best advice that I’ve read about blogging and importance of guarding the reputation of my blog. I’ve had three guest posts on my blog but what you’ve discussed never crossed my mind.
Thank you so much mate! Shilpan
@Scott: I also never subscribe to a blog unless I’ve looked through a fair bit of content and had time to evaluate the long-term quality of the site. One post might be great; doesn’t mean anything else there necessarily is.
@Writer Dad: I suppose it was meant to be then
Thank you for subscribing!
@Vered: I enjoyed your guest post. It was a good bit of work and after some of the recent guest posts that weren’t so crash hot on that particular site, it was refreshing.
@James: There’s nothing wrong with making that branding transition and there’s nothing wrong with bringing multiple regular writers in. But if the content of a blog degrades into a series of substandard guest posts, I wouldn’t say unsubscribing means you don’t care about the owner in the first place. I’d say it means there’s more noise than there is signal and the transition has been done incredibly poorly. It’s nothing personal: if I don’t want to read the content because it sucks, I’ll unsubscribe.
I should be clear: I’ve run multi-author blogs. I’m subscribed to many. I enjoy them. When they’re run well and the editorial policies are good, at least, or they’re no different to the blog I wrote about. What I’m talking about is when site owners get big enough to receive guest post submissions every day of the week and end up lazy enough to sit back and take those offers up even if they’re crap.
@Melissa: Exactly. It’s getting harder and harder to find content that hasn’t been rehashed a million times, too. It’s a bit like gossip magazines—they all do the same rehashed thing because it catches attention, not because it provides value. The Internet has long since gone the same way.
@Marelisa: Yeah. Nothing wrong with guest posts; just something wrong when the owner isn’t being selective.
@James: But the owner would’ve interviewed and selected those employees pretty carefully, or the restaurant goes down the drain, just like the blog
@Shilpan: No worries mate. Nothing wrong with guest posts and no need to feel bad about the guest posts you’ve published. It’s just a matter of being selective with who you allow to publish what on your blog.
@Joel, Yep and that adds to the challenge because as bloggers, we have to constantly find new and unique topics to write about. I actually enjoy that challenge and I think it’s one of the reasons that the more personal posts and blogs (even if they are on common topic) get a greater response.
I completely agree. One of the surest ways to screw up a blog is to water it down with substandard guest posts. I don’t know which blog you’re referring to, but it’s not hard for me to imagine the situation.
In fact, I tend to dislike multi-author blogs (and I know you don’t dislike them; this is just my own opinion that I’m adding). I subscribe to a blog maybe 80% because of the author and 20% because of the topic. It’s just so rare for all the authors of a multi-author blog to be good enough, and even if they are, I prefer the consistency that comes with one author.
The bottom line is absolutely quality. I would stay subscribed till the end of time to an endless string of guest posts — provided the blogger was choosing top-quality guests.
Transparent guest posts are the worst kind of branding. If the reader can tell that you’re phoning it in just to get a link for your own blog, well, it’s not good.
I’ve only guest posted a few times, but I always feel an obligation to provide my best work, as well as something that fits the general theme of the hosting blog. While I want people to fall in love with me, it shouldn’t come at the cost of the host’s subscribers.
Great perspective on guest posting. I’ve seen quite a bit of cross-talk on this issue, but I think you’ve nailed it. I also hopped on over to Men with Pens to check your post. (And you gave me one less reason to slack off on my writing and the dishes…) Thanks.