10 Important Tips for Setting Up Guest Post Guidelines

Mark T. Hancock, author of the Leave the Gate blog, (www.LeaveTheGate.com), sent me his new guest column guidelines (modeled after Blogging Bistro’s guest post guidelines).

If you solicit guest posts for your blog, make sure you develop a set of guidelines that spell out exactly what you expect of the guest poster in terms of:

1. Article topic
2. Article length
3. Article formatting
4. Professionalism (correct spelling, punctuation, usage)
5. Links (how you want them structured, how many to include, the types of links you DON’T want to see)
6. Title/Headline structure
7. Whether you accept images, and if so, what size they need to be
8. Whether you accept reprints or only original articles
9. How to submit your post
10. Whether the guest columnist should expect a reply from you upon receipt

I have received some fantastic guest submissions as a result of posting my guidelines. So far, only one submission was a poorly written, word-for-word reprint from an article they’d just published on their own blog. The entire post was a long sales pitch for a product they were selling. When I informed the person that I wouldn’t accept their post because it didn’t follow the guidelines, they got huffy and told me I was a big meanie for not publishing their wonderful article. Oh well.

Here are Mark’s guest post guidelines:

Submit a Guest Column to LeaveTheGate.com

Do you have something to say about “leaving the gate”?

Submit a guest column.

LeaveTheGate.com is dedicated to drawing believers out of a casual relationship into a full, active and vibrant relationship with God.

I want to see people let go of their secure “place at the gate” and embrace the spectacular life that comes with partnering with God in big Kingdom business.

If you are interested, here’s the scoop:

Submission Guidelines

• Your article should range from 300-750 words.
• Your post can be an adaptation (not a complete reprint) of an article you’ve posted on your personal blog at least six months ago (I cannot accept articles previously published on commercial sites, on other people’s blogs, or in magazines/newspapers).
• Your article should encourage people to step out of their comfort zone; or it can be a testimony of your having stepped out of something that had become ordinary, placing your faith in God, and triumphing in the process.  I’m thinking of a friend who left banking to work in an orphanage in Guatemala, or another who finally wrote the book he always wanted to write.
• It would be nice if your article included practical action steps readers can use.  And scripture is just about mandatory.
• Carefully edit your article for correct grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
• Include up to two links in your byline (i.e. a link to your blog and another to your Twitter or Facebook account).
• If possible, include a low-res (72 dpi), good-quality headshot of yourself. I may or may not use it depending on other art I might have that would work.

E-mail your post as a Word attachment to Submissions@LeaveTheGate.com.  In the Subject line, put Guest Post Submission for LeaveTheGate.com.

I will acknowledge receipt of your post via e-mail, usually within 48 hours, and will let you know whether your post has been accepted for publication.

…And here are Blogging Bistro’s Guest Post Guidelines:

Would you like to share what you’re learning about blogging, Twitter, or Facebook? Submit a guest column to Blogging Bistro.

We accept guest blog posts on a variety of topics:

• Business blogging
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Social media in general
• Internet marketing
• Web-based writing
• WordPress (such cool plug-ins you’ve discovered)
• Reviews of social media tools and apps
• Tutorials (video tutorials or written tutorials with screenshots)
• Personal stories about what you’re learning in regards to social media
• Tips for social media newbies

Submission Guidelines

• Your post can be an adaptation (not a complete reprint) of an article you’ve posted on your personal blog at least six months ago (we do not accept articles previously published on commercial sites, on other people’s blogs, or in magazines/newspapers).

• Your article should range from 300-500 words (if you go a tad over 500 words, that’s okay).

• Your article must be tightly-focused on a single aspect of social media.

• Your article must include practical action steps readers can begin using immediately.

• Your article should NOT be a sales pitch for products or services you sell.

• Carefully edit your article for correct grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

• Include up to two links in your byline (i.e. a link to your blog and another to your Twitter or Facebook account).

• Include a low-res (72 dpi), good-quality headshot of yourself. We reserve the right not to use your headshot if it does not meet our quality standards.

• If you submit images or screenshots to accompany your guest post, size them appropriately (72 dpi, no larger than 300 px) and send them as JPEG or PNG attachments.

E-mail your post as a Word attachment to Blogging Bistro. In the Subject line, put Guest Post Submission for Blogging Bistro.

We will acknowledge receipt of your post via e-mail, usually within 48 hours, and will let you know whether your post has been accepted for publication.

Readers, if you have guest post guidelines, please share the link to them.

Related article:

• Three Great Places to Find Guest Blogging Opportunities