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I’ve been writing Beyond The Brochure, my blog about applying to private elementary schools in Los Angeles and my life as a mom at one of these schools, since September 2009.
For the first year or so, I wrote the blog entirely on my own, with an occasional reader question answered by my private schools book co-author.
As all of you on BlogHer know, doing all your own original writing is fun, rewarding, inspiring and time-consuming. I have two kids and sometimes things happen that prevent me from writing.
When I first approached a few women I know about writing a guest blog piece, they said “yes” but never followed up. I was puzzled. They are subject matter experts, having children who were accepted at several top private schools in Los Angeles. I asked a few more friends. They politely declined, saying they were too busy. Hmmm. How would I find the guest blogger I needed?
One day, I had a chance encounter in the nail salon with a mom I knew from our kids’ preschool. I hadn’t seen Jenny in awhile, but she mentioned she had just moved her daughter into a top private school. Perfect! I asked her if she’d be interested in writing a guest blog piece and she agreed.
I gave Jenny the basic information about my blog: who reads it, my goals for the blog and how many page views we get each day. I also have a stat counter on the blog, so she could see how many viewers have visited the site.
When I got her first piece, I was amazed. It was extremely well-written, funny and very honest. I posted it. Readers loved it. She’s been guest-blogging for me ever since. What I didn’t know at the time was that she has an M.S. in Journalism and used to work as a reporter and in advertising. She also has her own gift giving blog, Find A Toad. Lucky me!
I’ve also had several other one-time guest bloggers. These are other bloggers or moms who I’ve invited to write for my blog. This too has worked out very well. I suggest a topic, word count and general guidelines for the piece. I also let them know what my blog readers are going through (stress!) as they navigate the ultra-competitive private schools admissions process.
Then, I get the first draft from the guest blogger. I may have suggested edits, or maybe not. We discuss photos for the piece and we’re done. I don't get their approval on the final version before I post it. I always link to their blog and sometimes generate publicity for the piece via local mom message boards. I’m a former vice president at a global public relations firm, so I have experience editing colleague’s work. If I didn’t have the professional background that I do, I might be hesitant to edit another blogger’s work. Again, just remember it’s your blog, written in your voice.
I’ve read about bloggers who’ve had negative experiences with guest bloggers. Missed deadlines seem to be a big complaint. But, I don’t have the kind of blog where I’m asking a guest blogger to work like a reporter and cover an event or gather information. If you do that, you’ll need to be very careful about relying on someone for that type of guest blogging. Don’t forget it’s your name and your credibility on your blog.
Here’s what I’ve learned about working with guest bloggers:
- If you ask people to guest blog who don’t have writing experience or their own blog, they may be very intimidated and decline the offer.
- Ask people who have their own blogs to write a guest blog piece for you and offer to link back to their blog. Let them know they can remain “anonymous” if they want to (for example, if the subject matter is sensitive).
- Remember that it’s your blog and the people who read it are your readers. Therefore, the tone of the guest blog piece should be consistent with the tone of your blog. A sharp deviation in subject matter or tone by a guest blogger can frustrate readers and lead to negative comments.
- If possible, publicize their guest blog piece on your Facebook page, Twitter and local Internet message boards. This will bring more traffic to your blog and theirs. They will appreciate it and want to write for you again.
- Don’t be afraid to give a guest blog piece a heavy edit. If it’s not quite
