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I love guest blogging and I’ll happily write posts for most sites, with few exceptions. Just ask, and let me know what you are looking for and I’ll do my best. If I can’t do what’s required, then I’ll tell you – no harm/ no foul, right?
I was talking to a client yesterday, he’s been with me for a month now and he’s just starting to guest blog. We’ve planned his strategy, listed the communities he’s going to target, crafted his pitch and he’s steadily made progress contacting bloggers about guest posting and even have a few published, making him very happy.
The responses back from the pitches have been interesting. One insisted there should be no links in the post or in the bio. How can the host blog’s audience find out about more about the guest poster? Another asked why they wanted to guest post as they’d had offers for guest posts from people with “less than pure reasons”. I was soooo tempted to ask him to follow that one up and find out more 
Others sent a list of requirements / guidelines and another sent an 11 page pdf full of dos and don’ts, which might sound like overkill but was actually well thought out and made sure all the particpants benefited from guest posting.
He also got a response back asking for a sample post, which we duly sent off. The reply came back that the post was similar to another post he’d (the host) recently written so could he have another one. My client happily wrote another post and submitted that too and the response was that this post was like a post that he had planned for next week… this happened 6 or 7 times before my client got fed-up – every idea and every post was already done according to the host, and he’s such an easy going chap!
We decided to move on from the idea of guest posting for that blog and look at some more and check what the status of the other posts. All good except for one. One site owner took exception to a call to action in the bio and deleted it. No request for amendment, or any communication, just a deletion of the line that suggested if you were interested in more tips from him then join him on Twitter.
I have to confess this annoyed me.
Writing isn’t free, guest blogging isn’t a free post.
Guest bloggers are not breakfast! Guest blogging always costs someone, something.
Someone gives up their time, their precious time (which they can never get back) to write a guest post, which the host blog has agreed to. The payment (and I use that term loosely) for the writer is their bio, where they are usually allowed a link or two and exposure to the host blog’s audience.
I rarely see spammy bios, I see well thought out ones and I see not so well thought out ones. I don’t think I’ve ever deleted a call to action and I don’t recall ever deleting a request for Facebook likes or Twitter follows in a bio. I’m all for educating would be guest posters about what I allow and what I don’t, but deleting a call to action to join someone on Twitter seems more than a little petty to me. Perhaps I’m too easy going and I should be telling people “just the facts” in their bio and links to their website / blog only?
It’s not just bios that cause problems
I’ve seen a client reduced to tears as the introduction to her guest post was rather spiteful and in some places accusatory! Yes, the introduction to the community, written by the host blogger was spiteful. I have to admit I had a sharp intake of breath as I read it, and I am starting to develop a thicker skin!
Words are powerful, use them with care
These experiences mean that my client’s guest blogging guidelines are going to be issued at every opportunity, and he understands as a publisher he has to keep control of the editorial content, but to be respectful to his guest bloggers as well. If he understands it with a months worth of blogging experience, how comes 3 and 4 year blogging veterans don’t?
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this – is a call to action too much in a bio of a guest post?
Sarah Arrow
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I wonder if the problem isn’t that some bloggers are confused about the identity of their blogs – are they personal blogs, or business ones? As you and I both know it’s important to establish that point, but I suspect many people don’t. So when someone guest posts using a perfectly valid and acceptable call-to-action link, the blogger (who assumes the blog is his/her personal territory) feels threatened by the business inference and so either wipes out the bio or introduces the guestie with a bitchy line.
(How anyone can be dim enough to run a guest post on their blog which they introduce in bitchy terms, however, beggars belief for me…)
Twitter: SuzanStMaur
@SuzanStMaur Yes, that could be the reason Suze. Blogs whether business or pleasure are such personal things! And yeah, the intro was appalling… As I said above, maybe they thought they were being smart or witty and it got lost in translation?
Twitter: saraharrow
Hi Sarah,
As someone who just started as a guest contributor to a blog (www.personalbrandingblog.com) it was reassuring to read your post. A lot of these boundaries just aren’t discussed out in the open! As your post demonstrates, setting the parameter between host and guest upfront is crucial…
Glad I found your site.
manoushz
@Manoush @manoushz Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts
Boundaries should be set and respected by all parties – guest blogging can lead to some amazing opportunities and a bad experience shouldn’t put people off.
Twitter: saraharrow
As someone who has both written guest posts and welcomes guest posts I cannot believe people act this way, I’ve occasionally had to chase people to actually include links in their bio.
I like to think that I am pretty flexible when it comes to accepting posts, I don’t accept blatant adverts for products, and suspect that is what the blog owner mentioned above may have received on occasion, however, a good dialogue between the guest poster and the blog owner can result in a blog post that benefits both parties.
My problem is finding suitable guest bloggers, you’d think I would be over run with contributors but it’s not easy. I even have a link on one of my websites which allows guest bloggers to submit a post direct from the blog.
I always value the contribution the guest blogger makes to my websites and would never dream of removing their bio links or call to action.
Let me know Sarah if any of your clients are suitable for any of my sites, I’ll be glad to help out.
@hlsbs Hi Helen, good conversation about what type of content should be welcomed by all parties. It seems though this blogger had been burned and stopped communicating
Thank you for the offer, as soon as I have some suitable posts I’ll ping you an email
Twitter: saraharrow
Wow. I have contributed several guest posts before and this is the first time I hear people removing call to action for twitter. If i was your client, I would have taken my blog post elsewhere. People have contributed on my site before too, and i don’t have do’s and don’ts. The only don’t I have is don’t be too promotional. Thats about it.
@AskAaronLee I agree, if he had an offensive twitter name or one that could easily be misconstrued then I could understand a conversation about removing the link. But to remove it without discussion seems a little weird.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting
Twitter: saraharrow
Wow, I can’t imagine introducing a guest author with a mean bio. I am very grateful to guest bloggers who want to contribute to The Wonder of Tech.
It is important to set out the guest post policy, though, before the article is published. Both the blog owner and the author should be clear on what is going to be published ahead of time.
Twitter: wonderoftech
@wonderoftech I can’t imagine doing it either. Perhaps the host thought he was being smart or witty? It was disappointing to see it nonetheless. Thanks for stopping by and commenting
Twitter: saraharrow
Wow, I thought it was common knowledge that you don’t mess with a guest poster’s bio and links. Like you said, that’s their “payment” for writing the post. I will correct grammar errors in the call to action just as I would in the post itself, but deleting their call to action is just wrong.
Hi Beth, I thought that too. With my clients I ask them to be respectful with their bios. If they are guest posting on another copywriter’s blog, I encourage them not to say things like the best copywriter ever but to focus on a non competing service, just in case. This is the first time something has gone this route!
Twitter: saraharrow
@beth.parker.writes sorry for the delay in replying, I’ve just learned that replying from the dashboard doesn’t work in LiveFyre yet!
I thought that too, but the blog host had different thoughts and they were removed
Twitter: saraharrow