How To Run A Successful Guest Post Series

I started the Womanly Wednesday series pretty soon after I started this blog, and it has been one of my favorite parts of blogging.  I’ve had weekly guest posts for almost eight months, and these posts are consistently some of my highest viewed and most shared posts.  It truly has been an honor to host the stories and hearts of so many women on my blog and I love how it brings new readers to my corner of the internet and the blogs of the women who share.

Over these last eight months, I’ve learned quite a bit about how to run a guest post series that continually draws in new posters and readers.  If you’re interested in hosting guest posters on your blog, I hope these tips will help you to create a series that you love and that stays true to the heart of your blog!

Six Tips To Run A Successful Guest Post Series

1) Only choose posters who are a good fit with your values, brand, and the mission of your blog or the series.

The heart behind my Womanly Wednesday series is that women would vulnerably share different parts of their stories so that other women would be encouraged and know they’re not alone.  When I opened up the series and let people apply, I pored over their submissions and blogs to find women who’s hearts and stories would be a good fit.  There were a few posters who had interesting stories but blogs that didn’t share some of my values, so I had to say no.  If you make sure your posters all share the key characteristics you’re looking for, your series will feel more consistent to your readers.

2) Have a mix of posters and topics that still fit within your niche.

I love having my blogger friends share their posts, but my most viewed guest posts are consistently from people who don’t blog at all.  My theory is that the friends and family of these people are more likely to pop over to the blog to read something by them because they aren’t consistently sharing anyway, and I love giving them that chance to share part of their heart.  I know having non-bloggers share isn’t always an option, but having a mix of posters who still fit your blog’s values can be a great way to bring new readers to your blog.

3) Clearly communicate your expectations from the very beginning.

Once I selected a poster, I immediately sent a very thorough email detailing all of my expectations for the post.  This is helpful for your posters because they know exactly what is expected and saves you from answering a million questions along the way.  I typically include the following in that initial email:

• What format I’d like the post in
• How many words it should be
• What kind of images I’d like and in what format
• Some guidelines for choosing a title
• When I need the post by
• How I’ll be sharing the post via social media and a request that they do the same

By expressing all of these things ahead of time, I made sure posters knew exactly what they needed to do and saved both myself and the posters lots of extra emails.

4) Be timely in your responses.

I have been so frustrated in the past when I emailed someone I was supposed to guest post for and they took forever to respond or didn’t respond at all.  I was committed to posting for them but their lack of response made it hard for me to finish things! I’m definitely not perfect at this and have been slow to respond a time or two, but I try to prioritize sending quick responses to posters’ questions or thoughts.

5) Send reminder emails 1-2 weeks before the post.

Life gets busy and we all forget things from time to time.  After a couple frustrating moments where people who had agreed to guest post just completely forgot and I had to go without a post that week, I started emailing posters at least 1-2 weeks out to confirm everything was good to go and see if they had any questions.  I found this to be a helpful “reminder” that they were posting for me without making it seem like I expected them to forget! I haven’t had as many issues with last minute cancellations since I started doing this, which makes this Type-A planner very happy!

5) Be encouraging and honest when you receive the drafts of the post.

One of the first times I submitted a post I’d put thought and energy into, the blogger didn’t even respond.  She just emailed me the day of and said it was live.  Ever since then, I am super intentional to read through the poster’s draft and give some genuine comments and compliments about the post.  I want to affirm their hearts and the time they put into posting for me, and showing them I care enough to read the post is one way to do that! At the same time, I’m also honest if I feel they could add something else or if I have any suggestions to make.  I don’t have to do this very often, but I find engaging with their post and giving feedback ahead of time shows that I’m invested in them and their writing.

6) Say thank you over and over!

It is ALWAYS an honor to have someone else share their heart and creativity on your corner of the internet.  I say thank you over and over again throughout the process and try to remember to send a “digital thank you note” (aka an email) affirming the post, people’s responses to it in comments or on social media, and thanking them for their willingness to collaborate with me and share their heart.  I never want to forget what a gift it is to have other writers share with me and try to express that with lots of heartfelt thank you’s!

Have you ever hosted guest posters on your blog or written guest posts for other people? What did you learn from the experience?