In this post, I take a look at guest posting and how you can publish a guest post on this blog.
What is guest posting?
Guest posting (sometimes called guest blogging) is a way of writing for another blog to reach a new audience, build links, and expand your network of peers.
Guest posts are best for writers who already have a website or blog of their own. While this does not excluded those who do not have a blog, the most benefit will be felt if you have one. After all, assuming you wrote something our readers loved, they might want to check out what else you have been writing.
The deal is very simple. You write one or more good quality posts which are published on another blog. In return you get to close out your post with a few links back to your own blog. If readers enjoyed your writing, they may pay you a visit and even subscribe too.
There was a time when all guest posts were of a very high quality and something to be proud of. However, like most things, spammers have spoils things somewhat.
It is too easy to mass main every blog you can find with a generic cover letter and then write a spammy low-quality post.
Thanet Creative and guest posts
Before you submit a post to Thanet Creative, you might want to look at “why you should not write for us“. There are a lot of good reasons to offer Thanet Creative a guest post but there are some very good reasons not to do so too.
With that said, let us look at how to write a guest post for us.
First you will need an Author Buzz account. Don’t worry, these are free. You can create a fresh account on Author Buzz or just log in using your WordPress account.
Second, you will need to visit our group/forum. The moment that you join our group you will pick up contributor status on this blog. Contributor status will give you limit access to the administrative section.
In the admin section, you will have the chance to compose your blog. When you are ready to publish, it will be added to the pending queue and a site admin can review your post and – assuming they like it – schedule it for publication.
What to write about in your guest post?
There are four distinct categories of content that we are most interested in.
- Helpful articles for writers
- Interesting opinions (about authors, Thanet, books, or writing)
- Original writings – fiction or poetry
- Book reviews
If your article idea fits within one of these four topic areas, you are on the right track.
When it comes to fiction and poetry we like to know two things:
- That it is all your own work.
- If it has been published before (and where).
We categories fiction depending on if we were first to publish it or not. If it is a reprint, please indicate that you have retained the right to offer it to us. If in doubt, ask in our forum.
End with “About the author”
At the end of your post add a title such as “About the author”. Under that title, write a bit about you. Include a photo if you wish.
Most writers like to link to their website, their Twitter profile or something else where people can connect with them. This is exactly what this section is for and links to your other work are fully encuredged.
If you have some connection to Thanet, this is the place to talk about that.
What we look for in a guest post
You might have noticed that we do not publish very many guest posts. When we do, we like them to be of a certain standard.
We like our non-fiction writing to be as definitive as possible. Simply rehashing a few posts you have read somewhere else without any real insights of your own is unlikely to get you very far. We have turned down a few guest posts like that. One was pretty much just text from the wikipedia.
If you are speaking from experience, perhaps you could take the time to share how you came to learn what you know. A personal story can make a post quite compelling.
If you are citing the work of others please feel free to link to supporting works, wikipedia articles, and other sources of useful further reading. Showing where you did your research is the sign of a good writer.
We love a good picture with our posts. Be sure to only add images that you have the right to use.
Something you simply found on Google Image Search might be subject to copyright. There are plenty of true public domain and Creative Commons galleries. If you are feeling creative, why not take a picture yourself?
For more information see, “Become a contributor“.
Rights offered?
We only ask for sufficient rights in order to post and display your contribution. All other rights remain yours.
Check our submissions agreement which covers this in greater detail.
Publishing timetable
We do not work to a fixed timetable. Instead, we like to take our time and ensure that what we publish is of a high standard. You can be sure that we will get to your post and give it our fullest attention.
If we have any questions, we will contact you on Author Buzz via private message. Make sure that you are receiving notification emails or check the site regularly.
Should you feel that we are dragging our heels a bit. Feel free to start a thread in our forum. We check it regularly.
Why we might say no to your guest post
While we will be looking to say “yes” to your post, there are some things that might stop us. Most of the time, these are things that can be rectified. If we say no, feel free to edit and resubmit. We will be happy to talk to you about our reasons – that way you know what to look at if you wish to resubmit.
Here are a few reasons we might say no to a post.
Quality of a post
The obvious one is quality control. There is no need to rush. Take your time to write something you can be proud of. Use an appropriate number of full stops and paragraph breaks.
Use the preview button at least once or twice so you can see how it looks. Preview is a good opportunity to read through your work. If you notice anything in need of attention you can take care of it without anyone knowing.
We are looking for contributions that are interesting for people to read. We do not demand perfection (because it is impossible) but we do ask for an honest effort.
Outside of the scope of our site
An article about starfish conservation in southern Australia might be the most interesting thing ever written but it is outside of our scope. We tend to focus on writing and creativity (often in the Thanet area).
Have a look at some of the things we have published before, to get an idea of what we are looking for.
All ready done to death
Sometimes certain topics can be covered to the point of tedium. If you are writing about something we have covered a lot of in the past, try to bring something fresh to the table.
You might like to link to one or two of our similar articles and discuss a different point of view. You could, should you feel like doing so, disagree with us. There is room enough for more than one opinion on a topic.
Mature topics
While we have yet to rule our mature or more adult themed content, we are not actively seeking it. It may just be that your steamy romance is just a bit too steamy for us. If that is the case, we will let you know.
We have to keep in mind that this site is for readers and writers of all ages. some topics, therefore, are simply not for us.
If in doubt, ask some questions.
Should you be unsure if your topic idea will work, you can always drop by our Author Buzz forum (or our Facebook group) and talk to us. If you have not used WordPress before and need to know how to do something – ask. Someone will be bound to offer you some useful tips.
I look forward to seeing your article in my editing inbox very soon.