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Review: 6 Surefire Ways to Guarantee Your Guest Blogging Pitch Gets Instantly Rejected (via Blogging Bistro)

August 6, 2018 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Guest blogging is a great way to spread your knowledge and expertise without having to building anything. Instead, you can tap into someone else’s audience, taking advantage of the work and effort they’ve put into building their online presences and followings.

Getting those guest-blogging gigs, however, takes a bit of research and finesse. You don’t have to spend time building your own audience, but you should spend some time finding the right site for your post.

Think of it like going out to dinner: you can’t just walk in to any restaurant and expect to eat Chinese food; you need to go to a Chinese restaurant.

The same is true for blogging. Each blog has a specific message and audience; your writing won’t be appropriate for every blog. It’s understandable to think that contacting more bloggers will yield more blogging opportunities but that’s not how it works. When you send generic pitches to multiple bloggers, they can tell!

Laura Christianson knows what it’s like to receive bad blog pitches. Owner of Blogging Bistro, it’s sort of her area of expertise. Before you pitch a blog post with an email that starts with Dear Admin, Hello, or Dear Blog Master, read her article and increase your chances of securing that guest post spot!

Do you have any other questions about the best ways to pitch a guest post? Ask them below!

Did you find this information helpful? Sign up now to receive more business writing and entrepreneurial tips right in your inbox! And don’t forget to connect with me on Facebook!

Filed Under: best practices, blogging Tagged With: blogging, Blogging Bistro, Laura Christianson

Top Five Tips for Being a Better Guest Blogger

November 14, 2016 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

time-273857_1920Are you looking to spread the word about your business or products? Are you trying to reach more people? A great way to get your name out there is to volunteer to write guest posts for other people’s blogs – you can share your expertise with someone else’s audience.

If you’re going to write a guest post, however, you need to be professional about it. Here are my top five tips for being a better guest blogger.

  1. Follow the guidelines. If a blogger with 10,000 followers lets you write a post, then you need to write the same type of post the readers expect. If they only write top-ten lists, then write a top ten list. Also, use proper formatting and, for the sake of everyone involved, stay within the word limit!
  2. Stay on topic. If you’re a guest at someone else’s house, you don’t go in and rearrange the furniture to fit your style. The same is true of guest blogging. You’re not writing on whatever topic you want to discuss. The content of your post needs to fit within the main topic of the blog. Make sure it does.
  3. Put it on your calendar. If you volunteer to provide a guest post, then it’s your responsibility to know when to submit it to the blog owner. Don’t make them chase you down and beg for the post – write it and submit it on time (early is better!).
  4. Communicate. If the blog host contacts you, respond. Make sure he or she knows that you’re getting the emails and are still available.
  5. Edit. Never submit your first draft. Ever. I’m a writer and editor by trade, and even I never send a first draft. I proofread everything. If you’re not a professional writer, then you definitely need to edit, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone else read it for you as well.

If you can do these five things regularly, you can become an in-demand guest blogger. And the more in-demand you become, the bigger the audience you can reach.

Happy blogging!

Filed Under: guest blogger Tagged With: blogging, guest blogging, marketing

5 Tips for Better Blog Posts

January 11, 2016 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

social-networking_1100030699-012814-intI’ve been blogging since before blogging was cool. Seriously – my first blog post appear on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004. I wasn’t trying to develop a following or promote anything special, I just wanted to stay in touch with my family on the other side of the country (this was before Facebook!). Since then, however, I’ve launched a business, started writing novels, and have created two new blogs. Unlike the first, these have a mission, and I’m hoping to attract more readers than my parents and sisters. That means more time and energy on each post, but there are a few simple tricks that will attract readers and keep them coming back to your blog.

  1. Give them something. It doesn’t have to be a physical product, but visitors should get something for their time and effort – knowledge, links, tips, suggestions. Even the most entertaining bloggers usually offer some kind of revelation that they can share with the world.
  2. Listen. Don’t write and run. Monitor your posts and respond. Let your readers know that you’re reading their comments. Let them know that they’re valued.
  3. Edit, edit – for the love of God – edit! It doesn’t matter how much you know or that you’re the leading expert in homemade hot glue – if your post is confusing, badly punctuated, or rambling, people won’t read it. People will judge your knowledge based on the quality of your blog post, so if writing isn’t your strength, have someone help you with it.
  4. Format it. It doesn’t matter how interesting the title is, if I go to an article or blog post and it’s one long page of continuous text with no spaces, graphics, or art work, I’ll skip it (and I’m a writer who loves to read – imagine how many non-readers run from those posts!). If the look of your post isn’t appealing, people won’t take the time to read it (not fair, but true). Use bullet points. Make lists. Leave white space.
  5. Use pictures.* When I started writing for a local paper, the edit told me up front – if you want to get on the front page, you need a good photo to go with your story. It doesn’t matter that the paper was published to distribute stories and words. The hard truth is that people judge a book by its cover, a newspaper by it’s front page photo, and a blog by its pictures.

These tips don’t guarantee that people will engage with your blog (you still have to provide good content!), but a few changes in these areas will definitely appeal more to the online reading audience.

*Stock photos are a great options when you’re getting started, and there are several sites where you can get free photos. Be careful, however, not to just pull pictures off Google Images and use them in your blog. You need to find a source that gives you permission to use their artwork, otherwise you could end up in a lawsuit.

Filed Under: writing Tagged With: blog posts, blogging

Make Your Blog Work For You

September 14, 2015 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Working Hard Typing On The Computer

Most business owners know that they need a website, but not everyone understands the importance of a blog. Every blog post increases your site’s footprint by adding pages. You boost your reputation as an expert by providing valuable advice. You shorten your sales cycle because you’ve let potential customers gather their own information through your site and posts. Plus, adding new, relevant content pushes you toward the top of internet search results.

Among those who realize the importance of a blog, however, many still struggle with content and frequency. Blogs are a great way to promote your business, but only if they’re maintained and updated regularly.

So, what makes a “good” blog?

Simple – good content shared on a regular basis. Essentially there are three main components of a good blog:

  • Posting Regularly (at least once a week)
  • Attention-Grabbing Titles
  • Good Writing!

What’s “good” blog writing?

Blog writing differs from article writing, promotional writing, or fiction writing. There’s a different audience online than there is at the library. If you want to get their attention, know how to do it. Here’s what you need to know about good blog writing:

  1. Keep your posts short: 200-600 words, tops.
  2. Write to the 8th grade reading level: don’t use big words when short ones will do.
  3. Use short paragraphs: 3-5 sentences.
  4. Use photos whenever possible.
  5. Leave plenty of white space (that’s exactly what you think – open space on your blog)
  6. Include subtitles and bullet points/lists.
  7. Use action words (use! write! leave!).
  8. End with a call to action.

If it’s that easy, why don’t more people do it?

Because it really isn’t easy. Starting and maintaining a blog requires commitment and a basic level of understanding that not many business owners have time for – they’re busy running their businesses. Investing time in a blog, however, can be worth the effort when it makes it easier for your clients to find and trust you.

If you’re still not sure that you have the time to invest, consider investing some money. A professional copywriter can help you create relevant, attention-grabbing content that will boost your website and connect you with your customers. If you’d like to know how – or if you’re still not convinced – contact me at karin@karinbeery.com to see how I can help.

QUESTION FOR YOU:

Do you have a blog? How well do you maintain it?

Filed Under: copywriting Tagged With: blogging, blogs

10 Times You Should Be Sending a Press Release

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Copywriting

Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

Editing

Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

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Press Release Tool Kit Stop waiting and hoping for people to notice you and your organization! With this Press Release Tool Kit, you’ll learn to apply the step-by-step process I use to … [more]

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