From Blogger to Author: How to Write a Decent Guest Post
Hey folks!
Any blogger or author knows that a guest post is a labor of love and a tricky one at that. Both parties want to make it interesting, both don't want to work too hard at it, especially if they are in the middle of promotion or busy time in their life in general.
I know how frustrating it can be and I'd like to share what I usually want to see in guest posts as a host. Please, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. Or ignore it completely *grinning*
1. Keep it short, keep it simple.
Create bullet points with topics you want to talk about first and then expand them to 1-2 paragraphs each. 1 page in total is great! Don't make it longer than two.
2. No infodumping.
You are promoting your novel, so talk about why you chose the topic and what kind of research you needed to do, with an interesting trivia which you've used in your novel thrown in between. You don't need to share everything you found. The reader's eyes will glaze over and they will skip the rest of the post.
3. Keep it conversational.
Engage the reader, talk about what made your main character unique and exciting, share what made you fall in love with them.
4. Give promo info at the end of the post.
Your author bio, how to find you and a synopsis of your book should be given to the reader at the end. If you want to do a giveaway, ask readers a question relevant to your book (for example: what was the last book with the same topic they read and enjoyed?) to create an association.
5. Break the monotony of text with pictures.
Simply, it's easier on the eye and we are visual creatures on the whole, who engage and remember more that way. Make sure the images are safe to use (look for Creative Commons license, for example).
This is it! A very simple formula.
Let me know if it was of any use, ladies and gents, and please, feel free to share.
Any blogger or author knows that a guest post is a labor of love and a tricky one at that. Both parties want to make it interesting, both don't want to work too hard at it, especially if they are in the middle of promotion or busy time in their life in general.
I know how frustrating it can be and I'd like to share what I usually want to see in guest posts as a host. Please, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. Or ignore it completely *grinning*
1. Keep it short, keep it simple.
Create bullet points with topics you want to talk about first and then expand them to 1-2 paragraphs each. 1 page in total is great! Don't make it longer than two.
2. No infodumping.
You are promoting your novel, so talk about why you chose the topic and what kind of research you needed to do, with an interesting trivia which you've used in your novel thrown in between. You don't need to share everything you found. The reader's eyes will glaze over and they will skip the rest of the post.
3. Keep it conversational.
Engage the reader, talk about what made your main character unique and exciting, share what made you fall in love with them.
4. Give promo info at the end of the post.
Your author bio, how to find you and a synopsis of your book should be given to the reader at the end. If you want to do a giveaway, ask readers a question relevant to your book (for example: what was the last book with the same topic they read and enjoyed?) to create an association.
5. Break the monotony of text with pictures.
Simply, it's easier on the eye and we are visual creatures on the whole, who engage and remember more that way. Make sure the images are safe to use (look for Creative Commons license, for example).
This is it! A very simple formula.
Let me know if it was of any use, ladies and gents, and please, feel free to share.
