Aside from money , what you can offer writers is exposure to your audience . If your blog has impressive amounts of traffic , social shares , or comments from readers , share that information with the outside writers you are courting . You will find that the more exposure you have to offer writers , the less you will have to pay for their content . In fact , after your blog reaches a critical mass , you won ’ t need to pay a dime for content — writers will come to you for the exposure .
Keep in mind that the reach the writer brings to the table will affect how much you have to pay him or her . The more influence and followers your guest writer has , the more money and exposure that author will require from you .
Ensuring success with content creators
The best way to ensure success from an outside writer is to be prepared with guidelines for your blog . These guidelines , like those on the Write for Us page , communicate what types of content perform best on your blog , what audience you gear your articles toward , and other standards for an outside writer ’ s work to meet . For instance , if your blog doesn ’ t accept certain kinds of images ( stock or personal photography , for example ) indicate those restrictions in your guidelines . If you require your images to be a certain size , with a certain resolution and with a specific border , list those requirements . Your guidelines are the information your writers need to shape the content you want them to provide you , and having guidelines will save you a mess of editing , formatting , and image polishing when you receive their final work . After connecting with outside writers who have indicated interest in writing for you , send them your guidelines so that they know what to expect . You can send the guidelines in a separate document or paste them directly into your correspondence .
Next , lead with examples by showing writers articles on your own blog that you want their article to model . Also , provide links to content that has done well in the past to help the writers get a sense of what direction to take the article .
After writers know what you expect based on your guidelines and the examples you ’ ve provided , ask the writers for information about the post they intend to write for you . Have them give you the following information :
The working title : The title of a blog post , also called a headline , is a promise to the reader . The working title isn ’ t necessarily the headline that will be published on your blog , but it is a guiding statement for the writer as he produces the post .
The outline : You want to know how the post will lay out , details for each section , and what images the writer expects to use . The more detail you receive from the writer upfront , the greater the chance for the article ’ s success .
When writers send back the working title and outline , approve or make suggestions and