1. You email a blog owner asking to guest post without even knowing the blog owner's name.
2. You ask what kind of post the blog owner wants when the guidelines are written on their blog.
3. You forget which date you've been booked in for, and email the blog owner to remind you. Whoops, it was TODAY? Omg ...
4. The blog owner gives you a second chance, slots you into another date, and scurries to find a replacement for your missing post, only to reach the new date and you still have not sent them your post. Instead of apologizing, you totally ignore the blog owner. (It's not just a blog. This is business. This is your career. Keep your reputation intact.)
5. Rely on the blog owner to send you reminders. (It's not their responsibility, it's yours. Write your appearance date down. Get your post to them by the date they specify. I can't stress enough: it's YOUR responsibility.)
6. When the blog owner is kind enough to send you numerous reminders and is courteous and understanding that life can often become overwhelming, you reply to their emails with one sentence. No greeting, no sign off, no thank you. (This is disrespectful.)
7. If a blog owner asks how you are in correspondence, it's nice to ask them how they are too. (Common courtesy, folks.)
8. If a blog owner asks for a guest post, don't just send them your book blurb. (Despite this not being what the blog owner asked for, how exactly is just posting a book blurb [unless it's really freaking awesome and impossible for anyone to ignore] going to get you noticed?)
9. You don't stop by to comment on your guest post. (I think a simple, "Thank you for having me." is good enough. But it's even better if you reply to commenters. Show them that you are real. Human. Interested. This will only make people like you. And that's really what you want, right? Being liked, leads to followers, and maybe leads to readers.)
Overall, behave how you would expect others to treat you. Kindness, common courtesy, and a little organization can go a long way. Blog owners are doing YOU a favour by hosting you, so make it as easy on them as you can.
How do you keep up with your guest appearances?
