She Just Doesn’t Get It
One of my most recent jobs exposed me to a world I’ve certainly heard of plenty of times, but for some reason, never ventured into. I was hired to write compelling text and then place that text on relevant blogs.
It was the world of guest blogging – the marketer’s latest buzz phrase that promises thousands of visitors from a mere 500-word blog post, and I was fortunate to have an extremely helpful client who not only introduced me to the world of guest blogging, but one of the most popular guest blogging outlets on the Internet as well: myblogguest.com.
Myblogguest.com arranges guest blogging activities between writers and blog owners for free. Blog owners request content and writers supply it. Or, writers advertise available content and blog owners request it. It’s a sweet deal between those who want content and those who have it. Being a free exhange, it’s even sweeter.
Check, Check, Check
What made me seek out blog owners outside of this comfort zone is beyond me, so I’ll blame it on curiosity for now.
I discovered a non-myblogguest member who was open to guest posts, and I sent an email message that asked if she’d be interested in viewing a piece I finished. Her blog seemed perfect for the article I wrote, and I believed her audience would deem it appropriate as well as valuable.
The article was
- ……….well organized (check)
- ……….interesting (check)
- ……….proofread and edited (check), and
- ……….500 words or more (check)… Oh, and
- ……….free as well (check) – from a published writer to boot.
Now not in my 20+ years as a freelance artist or 5+ years as an online writer would I have ever been prepared for her response. This blogger, in the midst of today’s hyperactive social trends and blog-maniac behavior, quoted me a price to place freely available content on her blog.
I LOL’d Her
I had to shake my brain after reading her message just to make sure I wasn’t having another work-obsessed nightmare. But yes, the message was as real as anything else and I hadn’t misread a thing.
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Of course, just to be sure, I asked if she was kidding anyway (just to be sure). She responded that guest posts are not only a form of advertising, but a looooong form of advertising. And judging by the price she quoted, I believe she meant “by the word” long. As unprofessional as it was, I “LOL’d,” thanked her, and wished her luck.
She didn’t get it.
- The article didn’t advertise a thing.
- 500 words catered to her blog’s niche.
- 15 words in the bio box contained two links to my client’s website.
- The article was free, as in costing nothing, as in $0.
That’s Not How Guest Blogging Works
Not even if I was in a drunken stupor – clothed in a used clown suit — run over by a semi-truck – with nothing but 500 words left in my body, would I ever pay someone to put my article on their blog. In any normal circumstance, she would be paying me for my content! But that’s not how guest blogging works, and it’s unfortunate this blogger may convince some naïve writer that her way is how it works.
Hopefully she’ll just get more LOLs in return.
