No creature on the planet is born famous but every creature is born with a talent based on an innate passion. And if WRITING is that passion, then there is some real good news. We expect one to be well aware of the sites like Huffington Post, Business Insider etc. which not only succeeds in sweeping off the feet of thousands and thousands of visitors each day but also claims to be generous enough to publish posts by guest authors on a separate column called “Contributors” on their sites. One might be disappointed considering that these brands might only include posts coming from well acclaimed authors maintaining their authentic standard. But evidently that’s not true.
It goes without saying that these sites certainly do not promise of publishing every post that you send their way. The post goes through tremendous scrutiny and processing before it gets posted and the post certainly needs to have a certain standard as well. And to do that neither do they follow the criteria of the author being a journalist of a reputed newspaper nor do they look into the author’s degree from a prestigious school. So what’s the catch here?? Well let’s say to catch the “catch” we did go for a little survey to summarize the viewpoints of regular writers/bloggers at these sites who do not fit in the profile of being reputed journalist or an ex-student of some prestigious school as to what does it take to get a fresh blooming author’s work published at one of these sites. Following are the Do’s and Don’ts which if followed would most likely take one from a position of “An aspiring writer” to the throne of “The writer whose work has been acclaimed by a reputed site”.
THE DO’S of Guest Posting
1. Follow the Guidelines word by word:
Every major site with a big brand name has stern rules and regulations when it comes to the content. One has to go through those guidelines before stepping into the idea of writing for them. The sites clearly specify the boundaries that the author has to maintain for the content to be published. One also has to do a thorough study and observation about the style and content of the already published posts on the “Contributors” column of the site. One must sincerely follow the instructions provided in the guidelines about the procedure to apply for the content as a Contributor.
2. Mind your Language:
To maintain the authenticity of the site, the posts by guest authors need to get a green signal from the editor. One excuse and the post won’t even be read by the editor after a line or two and thrown into the trash. Remember an editor goes through endless requests by fresh authors for their work being published. Hence there is no space or second chances for grammatical errors, incorrect content style or spelling mistakes. Before one starts writing on a particular subject, one has to choose as to which site he is willing to contribute for. And once chosen one has to very minutely observe the style of contents and the quality of the posts. Bearing that in mind one needs to write error free high-quality contents and then send it to the editor.
3. Respect the value of their TIME:
Going through thousands of emails from the guest authors each day is mind wrecking task. And the editor in no way is ever willing to read the long story ideas of the contents by the author. Make sure that you express your views very precisely in very few words. Since career or degrees do not fascinate the editors in any way as long as the column of “Contributors” is concerned, hence do not bother to impress the editors with the details of your qualification. It’s the smart and brief manner of one’s expression that catches the attention of the editor the most.
4. “Perseverance Pays”- So have Patience:
The editors do deserve a benefit of doubt from the authors as they receive a cataclysm of mails each day. One’s message might be overlooked by the editor sometimes. If that’s the scenario, one can send a reminder to the editor after a span of 5-7 days. And despite of that if one fails to receive a response, one can switch to some other blog or editor with the same content.
THE DON’TS of Guest Posting
1. Never Take The Deadline Lightly:
Major blogs work in a disciplined manner and never digest unpunctuality that conveniently. Once a subject on which content has to be built up is determined an author must judge the amount of time required by him to finish that project according to his capabilities. And once the author gives the deadline to the editor, he must stick to it and submit the post within the stipulated time. If one fails to do so, one might end up in the bad books of the site and might never get a second chance.
2. Don’t Pester The Editor:
If the article has been rejected by the editor, don’t be judgmental. Try to take it as a positive criticism and work on it. Ask the editors politely as to where you went wrong with the article and try to imply the professional advice on the next articles. And yet if you believe that the article is worth being published, you always have other options and other blogs to communicate with. Never nag about your articles in front of the editor by bothering him with constant mails and tweets. That might again leave a bad impression on the editor.
These are the few Do’s and Don’ts which must be followed by the aspiring writers hunting for recognition from major sites and blogs. Definitely all these theories are based on the first principle of “QUALITY CONTENT”. No formula can help a writer if he does not understand the format and the standard of good posts. And to develop that, an author must also be an avid reader. Vicious reading is the only way that can cultivate the literary sense in an author and help him to write brilliant articles reflecting a unique signature of the author with proper use of the vocabulary.
