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Longtime readers of this blog will already know that I’m a big believer that bloggers should accept guests posts on their blog. I’ve run down some of my top reasons for accepting guest posts in the post, but to recap, accepting guest posts on your blog:

• Gives you fresh content
• Offers your readers a new point of view
• Lets you expand the topics you cover by bringing in people with expertise different from your own
• Helps your network with other bloggers
• Opens the door to guest posting opportunities for yourself
• Helps lighten your load
• Allows you to learn from other bloggers
• Brings new readers to your site

In my view, accepting guest posts on your blog just makes sense. It offers so much upside that it’s worth considering at the very least.

Not All Bloggers Agree

Of course, not everyone out there agrees that it’s a good thing to accept guest posts. There are some bloggers who adamantly refuse to allow guest authors on their blogs.

Why do some bloggers not allow guest posts?

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Okay, I admit that I’ve been on a bit of a guest blogging tangent my last few posts. Most recently, I offered some tips for attracting more guest posts on your blog. Once the guest posts start rolling in, you’ll need to have a system in place for accepting and posting them. If you aren’t organized, this can be time-consuming and overwhelming. The good news is it’s pretty easy to create a workable system for managing your guest bloggers.

Here are some tips to streamline the process.

• Immediately decline posts that don’t meet quality standards—Don’t waste your time struggling to make low quality posts fit your blog. Your time is more valuable than that. Just immediately respond to those who submit posts letting them know the reasons you’re rejecting their guest post. If they wish to correct the post and resubmit it later, you can allow it, but you don’t want to be spending your time having to go through every little detail of posts that are obviously not up to snuff.
• Let the blogger know when the post will be published—Once you’ve accepted a guest post, schedule it and tell the blogger when he (or she) can expect to see it go live. This way, the author knows when to check back so he can respond to comments, promote his post, etc.
• Consider creating contributor accounts for guest posters—If you use WordPress for blogging, you can allow guest bloggers to register for a basic author account. This allows the writer to put the post into WordPress, format it, and submit it to you for review. Then, if the post is good enough, all you have to do is schedule it to be published. This can save a lot of time as you don’t have to upload the posts and format them.
• Try publishing guest posts on a specific day each week—As a frequent guest blogger, one thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of blogs have specific days of the week they post guest content. For instance, I just submitted a guest post to an internet marketing blog, and the blog owner explained it would be published 2 Wednesdays from now, because he only puts out guest content on Wednesdays. This helps your readers know when to expect guest posts, and it just keeps your blog structured properly.

How do you manage incoming guest posts? Share your tips by leaving a comment.

If you’ve followed this blog for any time at all, you know I’m an advocate for guest blogging. I think guest posting is a powerful tool you can leverage to build brand awareness, gain more backlinks, and drive traffic to your website.

But guest blogging is more about just being a guest blogger on other blogs. It’s also important to allow guest posts on your blog too. Why?

1. Fresh content for your blog—Want to keep your readers engaged? You need to give them fresh content on a regular basis. You can’t always come up with it on your own, but with the help of guest bloggers, you can have a backlog of new content whenever you need it.
2. Offer your readers a new point of view—You’re a great blogger, I’m sure. But you’re just one person, and you can only have so much perspective. Occasionally, it’s nice to give your readers a fresh point of view. This broadens horizons for your readers, gives them new information, and keeps your blog interesting.
3. Networking with other bloggers—Blogger outreach is an important part of any successful PR campaign today. By accepting guest posts on your blog, you build relationships with other bloggers that could come in handy in the future.
4. Earn new guest posting opportunities for yourself—Ever heard of the concept “Give and you shall receive”? The same applies for guest blogging. When you allow others to guest post on your blog, you build relationships with these bloggers, and in the future, they may return the favor by allowing you to guest post on their blogs.
5. Give yourself a break—Blogging on a daily basis can be tiring, and it can lead to blogger’s burnout. By accepting guest posts, you can give yourself a bit of a break from blogging, allowing you to get away and recharge your blogging batteries.
6. Learn other bloggers’ best tactics—No matter how long you’ve been blogging, there’s always something you can learn. It’s easy to get caught up in your ways as a writer and to never grow. Learn from your guest bloggers, and you can become a more well-rounded blogger.
7. Reach new readers—Whenever someone guest posts on your blog, they’ll likely promote their post to their followers. This can drive new traffic to your blog and even earn you some new loyal readers.

Do you accept guest posts on your blog? Let us know!