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Introductory Guide to Accepting Guests Posts For Your Fashion Blog

IFB's Introductory Guide to Accepting Guests Posts For Your Fashion Blog.

Accepting Guests Posts Fashion Blog

I penned a blog post about growing your audience that sparked some conversation in the comments about the idea of guest posting.

If you're anything like me, your inbox is filled with emails from random people. And they're all asking if they can write a guest blog on your site. In order to clear up any confusion and to help you field these requests, I've partnered with IFB to create a guide on the topic.

Check out IFB's “Guide on Accepting Guests Posts For Your Fashion Blog” below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Introductory Guide to Accepting Guests Posts for Your Fashion Blog, by PR Couture's Crosby Noricks

Different Types of Guest Post Requests…

In my experience, there are three main types of people who will reach out to you to write a guest post on your blog. The two main motivations of each of these groups are exposure and links. A guest article will introduce the author to your readers. If they like what they read, they (hopefully) will also follow the author on social media and read their blog. The guest post will also include links. These links will help drive traffic back to the guest poster's website, but these inbound links will help with that websites search ranking. This process of getting links on other websites is called link-building, and it's a core component of how SEO experts help companies, blogs etc rank higher in search engines.

Guest Post from Other Bloggers or Freelance Writers

The best scenario is for another blogger to email you with an idea for a guest post. Ideally, this person already has a strong social media following. They're probably looking to get in front of your audience, by sharing an article they've written for the byline and short bio with a link to their blog. On PR Couture, we have a subhead underneath the article title that reads “A PR Couture Guest Article By Lady Gaga” that typically follows a guest post. And then at the end of the article it says “About Lady Gaga,” and includes a few sentences about the author and a link back to her website.

Again, the key benefit is that the blogger gets in front of your audience, and, by promoting her guest post, she will likely send some of her own readers over to discover your blog, and hopefully become loyal readers.

Here is a sample pitch that resulted in my acceptance of  a guest post…

Hello,

My name is [name withheld] and I'm a Publicist here in the [location withheld] area. I am looking to gain exposure for myself and my brand and this is the reason for my email today. I specialize in fashion, beauty and entertainment PR and would love to become a contributing writer for PR Couture. It would be an amazing opportunity to write for you guys, as I follow the blog and I'm also subscribed to newsletters. Please see below for writing samples.

Looking forward to working with you soon.

For someone looking to become a recurring writer, I often respond by asking them to pitch a few ideas they think would fit. I then choose one and work with them on that post. If all goes well I might ask them to stay on and continue to contribute to the site.

Guest Posts from Link-Builders…

The most common type of request you are probably getting are from individuals who purport to be freelance writers, but are actually attempting to place articles on blogs are part of a link-building SEO strategy. These guest post requests come in several forms, but the are often easy to spot because they will likely not use your name in their inquiry. They can also be overly formal or just plain bizarre.

Here is a sample pitch, that I recently received from a Link-Builder…

Sir/Madam,

A very good Afternoon to you! It was a great pleasure to read your blog http://www.prcouture.com/. I believe the articles which I have on “Fashion, Beauty, lifestyle, Shopping” will certainly grab the attention of your visitors. So, I am really eager to know whether you will be interested enough to accept the articles as guest posts. You can also provide me other topics if you want to.

In case you have any query or you need some information, you can certainly email me whenever you feel like. I will really be waiting to hear from you. Thank you once again for your delightful blog.

With Regards,                                     

[Name Withheld]

N.B:- I would like to request you for a bit of free by-line exposure and also a link to the site for which I blog.

This example is a quick delete for me…

It's not always so easy to spot these types of emails. Many will have a fake Google profile (even fake social media links) and might also include articles published on other sites. What's the trick to spotting them? Somewhere in the email, there will likely be a sentence saying that they will provide the article. All they'll want in return is for you to link back to their website, in the article.

Now, it's not always the worst idea to work with someone seeking to build links, if they represent a website that is a fit for your community. This just seems to be rarely the case. I can always spot someone with an ulterior motive when they reach out to me and suggest writing a fashion or style post like “5 Summer Accessories,” as this shows me they clearly don't have any idea what type of things we actually cover on PR Couture.

Guest Posts from Brands

Guest posts can also be a strategy employed by a brand that is looking to get the word out about a new product, build links back to their website, or demonstrate thought leadership. If you receive a request from a brand to write a guest post on your blog, it's worth it to ask if they have any budget – as these types of guest articles are essentially advertorials – you are giving up space on your blog for pre-written content, which is advertising. Of course, if it's the right brand and the right article idea, it's up to you to figure out what makes the most sense.

Developing A Guest Post Policy

If you do decide you want to open up your blog to guest posts, there are a few things you should do first.

Create A Contributor Style Guide

You have a particular voice and tone on your blog, and it's important that anyone writing an article for you understand your brand personality. Of course, one of the great benefits of inviting someone to guest post is the ability to expand that a little (perhaps your new writer is incredibly funny, or a great photographer), but they should know your guidelines. Here is a link to the PR Couture contributor guidelines, for your reference. We created the document for our regular writers, but I have taken to sharing it with anyone who writes a guest post for us, just to give them as much information as possible about what I am expecting. This cuts also cuts down on revisions. Speaking of…

Clarify The Revisions, Editing & Review Process

If someone is writing an article for your site, I believe that you should still retain full editorial oversight. This means making any edits or notes on a draft article before publishing. Clarify with your guest author that you will review a first draft. Then, send them an updated draft for approval before publishing.

Have A Promotional Plan in Place

Support your guest post by making sure you promote it throughout the week that it goes live. Tag the author's social media handle in tweets, Instagram stories, etc.

The idea behind guest articles is that you get content for your readers to enjoy (that you don't have to write!). In return, it's nice to thank your writer by acknowledging him or her in social media.

 What other questions do you have about requests to write guest posts for your blog? Let us know in the comments below.

 This post was originally written by Crosby Noricks and was published on February 13th, 2017. It was updated on November 17th, 2017 by Laura Kell.

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29 Responses

  1. Roxanne D'souza

    Thank you for this. I believe I was the one who sparked that discussion.
    I still do not feel the need to allow guest posts yet. Although I know many bloggers around me who do. I might be busy and not be able to write a post for over a fortnight, but I still don’t think I’m ready to accept it just yet.
    But I’m bookmarking this page, because I’ll need to read this again when I’m ready 🙂

    head2heels.co

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      Hi Roxanne,

      I am a fashion stylist, makeup artist and a brand ambassador of eye makeup brand.

      I am looking to provide you an article about something related to “How to get a glamorous smokey eye look for the night party?” and thought that it may go well on your quality blog http://www.head2heels.co/

      Please kindly let me know how and where I should send you the article.

      Thanks, Jennifer Kurtz

      https://twitter.com/jenniferkurtz06

      Reply
  2. Asia Mays

    I like this post a lot especially with the creation of the Contributor Style Guide. Something I should definitely consider moving forward.
    Great post!

    Reply
  3. Musank

    Thank you for this guide; I’m considering to open my blog for guest posts, so this introductory guide comes very handy!

    Cheers,
    Musank

    Reply
  4. Alyssa Martinez

    This post is so timely ’cause I am now accepting guest posts on my blog since I always receive tons of email asking if I accept it. And I did received all those kinds of emails mentioned above everyday.

    I hope on your next blog you could teach us how to approach or send an email to a blogger we like to contribute on our blog with “low budget” meaning no money compensation. Can you recommend any compensation we could offer to them besides money? 🙂

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      Hi Alyssa,

      I am a fashion stylist, makeup artist and a brand ambassador of eye makeup brand.

      I am looking to provide you an article about something related to “How to get a glamorous smokey eye look for the night party?” and thought that it may go well on your quality blog.

      Please kindly let me know how and where I should send you the article.

      Thanks, Jennifer Kurtz

      https://twitter.com/jenniferkurtz06

      Reply
  5. Heidi // Frantic But Fabulous

    Great outline of basics for guest posting. I’ve found that it helps to have a very detailed guest posting policy on my site to point back to when I get inquiries. That tends to weed out the non-legitimate requests.

    As for paid guest posts, be very careful with these. They should always be disclosed as paid and ideally the links should be “nofollow,” otherwise you run the risk of violating Google’s webmaster quality guidelines which can harm you in SEO.

    Here’s more information from Google’s official Webmaster Central blog about their policies regarding paid links: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2007/12/information-about-buying-and-selling.html As you can see from the dates in the post, this is a long-standing policy of theirs.

    Google’s head of webspam, Matt Cutts, says this about guest blogging: “I wouldn’t recommend accepting a guest blog post unless you are willing to vouch for someone personally or know them well.” (http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/guest-blogging/)

    And IFB has a great guide to writing clear disclosures: https://heartifb.com/how-to-write-a-solid-post-disclosure/

    Reply
  6. Debbi

    Thank you so much. I have not yet accepted guest posts, but now I will be prepared when I do.

    Reply
  7. Kelly

    As always, great post. I’ve had negative experiences both as a guest author and as a host. Your ideas on setting a policy/plan is something I’m definitely going to do.

    xoxo
    Kelly
    www.dreaminlace.com

    Reply
  8. Fashionur

    Thank you for sharing. Although I know many bloggers around me who do. I might be busy and not be able to write a post for over a fortnight, but I still don’t think I’m ready to accept it just yet.

    Reply
  9. Naz

    Thanks so much. This is very informative.

    Someday I might consider inviting other bloggers to write on my blog. But for now, I’m just not ready yet, as I haven’t been writing much myself.

    Reply
  10. A Vintage Covered (Riris)

    whoooohoo, this post is very helpful for me. I start write guest post on my blog on January, but I not write it in february because I haven’t blogger to write. I send some massages but they doesn’t accept my offer. really bad for me! I hope I can write a guest blogger again this March.thank you for share this post.

    Reply
  11. Lavo Collections

    We have just started our blog open for guest posting. We were not aware about guidelines you mention into this post. We will take care of couple of important points you discussed like link back from about us snippet in the bottom of article and to send guest post requests from freelance writers to trash.

    Thanks or sharing this informative post.

    Reply
  12. Johny

    Thanks for such a good information , You helped the bloggers as well as their audience to get their article published, because real audience who wants to really part of these website was unable to get their article published because of spamming & this post will help out to filter the real audience from fake one.

    Reply
  13. Andy Bell

    This is a Great post. I like this post especially with the Guest Posts from Link-Builders. Realy this post is very nice..thank you for helping out…

    Reply
  14. Bertha

    I’m considering to open my blog for guest posts, so this introductory guide comes very handy!

    Reply
  18. Stephany Baker

    Useful information. I’ve guest posted on a few different fashion blogs, and i’m considering allowing some guest posts on my newer blog. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  20. leah

    Wow! what a great article, thanks for the tips on adding the promotions:) hopefully with your help ill have some success. Im sending out emails now !

    Reply
  21. Liyana Aris

    I would love it if you guys at IFB do a follow up post on this topic and touch on the subjects of how much to charge / how much to accept as payment, and more importantly, dofollow link VS nofollow link!

    Overall such an informational and great article for style bloggers, because I’m sure we get approached plenty about guest-posting on our blog but still haven’t quite figured things out!

    http://www.affordorable.com

    Reply
  22. Larry Holmes

    I have been getting more into guest posts lately and this is exactly what I needed. I’ve been procrastinating to be honest, but I plan on getting started. Thanks for the guide!

    Reply
  23. Emma letzer

    Great post. Thanks for sharing the post regarding fashion post. I also read a guest post regarding the fashion here http://bit.ly/2ksNdGP yeah BTW its a great idea for the guest post. I also interested in sharing a guest post for my website.

    Reply
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      Reply
  24. Karmaplace

    That is a great list. Thanks for sharing the list and my blog too. I will think about guest blogging for these blogs soon ?

    Reply
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