Guest blogging brings up many topics. Here are my thoughts on some of the major considerations.

Some blogs will ask for contributions on the basis what they are offering the writer promotional value. While this might be useful to you, consider the size of your existing readership in comparison to the blog.  Ask yourself if you are getting value from the blog exposure or is the blogger benefiting from your “big name” being on their blog.  If they are offering payment then that makes for another income stream a good thing, assuming they will actually pay. Some bloggers offer to share advertising revenue from the page where your post is published, this sort of commission based fee is tacky, in my opinion.  You might also rate whether or not to ask for a fee based on whether or not the blog has an income stream from advertising, paid memberships, product sales or something else.  Maybe you can negotiate including your CDs/Videos in their online store, if they have one.

The rates for blog posts vary wildly from nothing to a few hundred dollars per post. I would evaluate it based on how much time it will take you to write and edit the post,  how long the post is (2 paragraphs take a lot less time than 15 paragraphs), whether or not the blog wants editorial control and the value of other content requested a photo, a sample song, or a video track.

Also remember that the more guest blogs you do the less valuable they become.  Perhaps set out a schedule where you agree to one a month (or whatever interval works for you) so that you aren’t spending all your time writing blog posts and promoting them.  You’ll need time to promote your post through your social media channels. I would also ask the blog host about how they promote their blog as their tweets, status updates, etc. will enhance the value of the guest post for you.

Reputation is also a key thing to consider. You want to make sure your name appears only on blogs that relate to your topic and values.  For an extreme example, you may not want to guest blog on a parenting blog that is anti-abortion if you are pro-choice, or vice versa.  You could limit the invitations you accept by creating some guidelines about the types of blogs you’ll write for – parenting, kids, and music blogs would be ideal for children’s entertainers.  Creating this sort of policy is a good idea, even if it’s informal, so that you can gracefully turn down an invitation.

Remember bloggers have an audience and may be slighted if you say no without a really good reason. The last thing you want to do is make them cross and, potentially write bad things about you out of spite.  I know it seems petty but there are lots of petty people out there.

Overall, do what your heart tells you.  So tell me, what thoughts or questions do you have about guest blogging?  What’s your biggest tip or suggestion?  Be sure to post a comment and share!

As you browse tweets on Twitter, you’re sure to stumble across words prefaced with the “#” symbol. You might know this as the pound sign or the tic-tac-toe board but in Twitter it’s called a hashtag and is used to mark a conversation or event.

A hashtag is simply a word, phrase or string of characters that make Twitter easier to search. If you attend a conference, there might be an official hashtag. The Surrey International Writers’ Conference used #siwc2010. Other hashtags are ongoing discussions for brands (#iPhone), activities (#amwriting) and timeless information (#quotes). Use the search function to find a list of tweets featuring the hashtag of interest.  If you want to join the conversation, simply include the hashtag in your tweet.