How A Blog Admin Scans and Rejects A Guest Post

106Shares

 

If you are a blogger who wants to know about how to get your guest post published, then you will appreciate this post.

Today I will be giving you insight from a blog administrator’s point of view about how a blog administrator (like me!) scans a blog post prior to accepting/rejecting it, and what we are looking for when reviewing posts.

When a blog starts accepting guest posts, the blog’s administrator is bombarded with numerous submissions. Some of these submissions are from genuine bloggers, and the rest of them are from SEO link builders who are guest posting on behalf of a client or for the purpose of link building.

Let me be honest about how I view guest post submissions for my blog:

  • When a guest post is submitted by an SEO link builder, my first reaction is to reject it.

Initially, allowing guest posts was my way of opening ShoutMeLoud to other bloggers who wished to guest post in an effort to demonstrate their talent in front of the reader-base that I have built over time. This was not an easy decision, but I am happy to give genuine, hard-working bloggers some exposure.

That said, I will never let my blog become an article directory or a platform for SEO link builders to guest post and earn a link without actually adding any value to my readers.

In this post, I will be sharing a magic trick to ensure that whenever you submit your high-quality guest post to my blog or any blog, it will be accepted without a second thought.

Why your guest posts are rejected, and why they will continue to be:

guest post rejected
  • Save

Let’s go back to the basics, and think about the concept of guest blogging.

When a blog’s administrator opens his/her blog to guest bloggers, the aim is to attract quality submissions from other bloggers in the same niche who wish to showcase their talents and add value to the readers of their blog. At the same time, the guest blogger wishes to earn credibility as well as a genuine backlink.

It’s a win-win situation.

When Google launched the Google Penguin update, it killed article directories, and SEO link builders began using guest blogging as a platform to build links. This not only created a new business opportunity for SEO companies and freelancers, but it also greatly damaged the whole concept of guest blogging.

Many bloggers voiced their concern about the guest blogging industry turning into a link building industry, thus destroying the essence of guest blogging altogether.

Recently, I changed the submission guidelines for ShoutMeLoud to ensure that I annoy all SEO link builders and allow only genuine bloggers the privilege of guest posting.

In the past few months, I have rejected most guest post submissions. I refuse to waste my time scanning a guest submission which doesn’t deserve my time.

The following points will give you an idea of what qualities a blog administrator looks for in a guest post submission, and perhaps even more importantly, what makes us decide to reject many guest post submissions.

1. Title of the blog post

This is the first thing that factors into my determination of whether or not an article is appropriately targeted for the ShoutMeLoud audience, or whether it’s just a random submission.

If the title is not directly related to the of my blog, it will be rejected straight away.

Why would I accept an article entitled “Forex Loan” when my blog is not about this topic?

Answer: I wouldn’t.

2. Length of the article

The quality of an article has nothing to do with the length of the article, but when you are doing a guest submission, you should ensure that you meet the minimum guest posting guidelines.

I have stated clearly that the minimum word count for submissions should be 700 words, so why would I waste my time reading something which does not even meet my minimum submission criteria?

Answer: I wouldn’t.

3. Links

As previously noted, many bloggers have changed the dynamics of guest blogging to make it nothing more than a way to build links. Guest blogging is certainly an easy way to earn a genuine backlink, but a backlink should be earned with the submission of a quality guest post on a quality blog.

For ShoutMeLoud, guest blogging is all about helping other talented individuals showcase what they are good at, and not just a vehicle for building links.

When I see a guest post submission full of links to the author’s blog, I immediately reject the post. I do make an exception when a guest post is of the highest quality and adds excellent intrinsic value for my readers, as long as the links are relevant to the context of the article.

But why would I accept a post that’s been written as a means to generate backlinks?

Answer: I wouldn’t.

4. Article quality

Writing a blog post is not rocket science. Anyone with average knowledge of blogging or writing can choose an existing article, re-write it, and add additional points to create a new article. But this is not the kind of work I am seeking.

I look for high-quality articles which are original and capable of adding insight and value to my blog.

Why would I accept a post that offers little to no value to my blog and my readers?

Answer: I wouldn’t.

Here is a bonus tip for guest posters:

  • Write an article that is unique, shows your creative side, and adds value and insight to the topic at hand. It doesn’t have to be an SEO-optimized article, but it does need to be meaningful and capable of offering value to readers.

Goodbye SEO Link Builders

I understand that, as bloggers, we are busy people. I also understand that companies hire freelance writers to ghostwrite articles on their behalf. This is acceptable as long as an article is high-quality work.

But if the article is written by a mediocre writer, it becomes a mediocre product that goes straight onto my ban list.

Hey, SEO link builder – this blog welcomes guest authors who wish to demonstrate their talent. We don’t accept link-bait.

Sorry, no donuts for you!

no donuts
  • Save

If you wish to maintain the quality and authority of your blog, you need to consider many things before accepting a guest post submission.

If you are a genuine blogger and your guest post is rejected, you should look at it as an opportunity to learn and grow as a blogger. Try to figure out what went wrong, and why your post was rejected.

Above all, value the meaning of being a “guest”, and try to earn the respect of your hosts.

It will be appreciated.

Let me know what other criteria you consider prior to accepting guest post submissions on your blog. Or maybe you’re a guest blogger who is consistently getting rejected. What do you think you’re doing wrong? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you find this article informative, don’t forget to share it!

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!
  • Save
106Shares
Authored By
A Blogger, Author and a speaker! Harsh Agrawal is recognized as a leader in digital marketing and FinTech space. Fountainhead of ShoutMeLoud, and a Speaker at ASW, Hero Mindmine, Inorbit, IBM, India blockchain summit. Also, an award-winning blogger.

15 thoughts on “How A Blog Admin Scans and Rejects A Guest Post”

  1. Felix Abur

    Hi Harsh,

    Been following your blog for 2 or more years now. It’s great that you offer guest blogging opportunities to other writers. Shout Me Loud has made a name as one of the most useful resource for bloggers. Keep it up and thank you for all the insights you’ve shared over the years.

  2. Rohit Sharma

    Perfect article & I agree with this, whether it’s guest post or It’s your own blog post. Quality + Quantity is very important thing that you have to keep in mind.

    Specially Thanks!
    Harsh…

  3. Charles emmanuel

    Wow!

    Am blown away by the awesomeness of this post.
    Really. the headline got me thinking On why so many guest posts are rejected.

    I love the post because it spells out the one reason why its all happening.

    I must admit it right now that am a guilty!

    This is exactly what i needed,

    But thanks for this post. An eye opener indeed!

    I just shared it

  4. Kishore Krishna

    Nice article harsh.Unfortunately I stumbled upon this one after submitting my guest post .Now I am in a better position in writing the guest posts

  5. Cris

    Well put, Harsh.
    Our blog recently opened our doors for guest posting, but so far, I had to sift through tons of unrelated articles, comments, and pitches. -_- I’ve had my fair share of rejections (and still do!). I normally ask why my content was not accepted (if not mentioned in the email) and send another mail, hoping to work with the blog admin in the future once I improve. It’s a great way to be a sport about it.

    Besides, if we’re genuine writers/bloggers, rejections shouldn’t make us quit, right? Thanks for this post 🙂

  6. Mudasir

    Hmmm so here you solve my many doubts. For a week i am trying to do guest posting but it was always rejected. So now after reading this I think I would be able to do guest posting.Great article sir

  7. Abhay

    Harsh,

    You talked about the value in the guest post. But the meaning of VALUE is subjective. For a creative writer who can talk about a topic in exceptionally different dimension and may be much lesser awesome words then what you expect for a guest post, which is his quality and the way of VALUE addition… on the other hand a technical writers talks about the facts and figures which can prove the concept under discussion and here quality and VALUE wanders around the facts and figures.

    You may be having readers on the blog who love creative writing and readers who love the facts to read. If an admin is biased for only one flavor of writing then it would be an unfair treatment to the authors of other writing flavor and its readers.

    What objective solutions you do suggest for such a problem or should we go blindly with the rules defined for guest blogging.

    1. Felix Abur

      Abhay, I might be wrong, but I think Harsh’s description of value is simple. You have to address topics that interest Shout Me Loud’s audience.

      He gave a perfect example of someone pitching a guest post about Forex Loans. Some readers of this blog may be interested in Forex loans, but they did not come to Shout Me Loud to get advice on that. There are many other platforms dedicated to that topic.

      Just stay on topic. The Shout Me Loud audience wants to know how to create a great blog. One that will engage readers, capture audiences, address client pain points, and monetize. That’s the kind of value that keeps me reading all of Harsh’s blog posts.

  8. Polygon Labs

    Some people try to take advantage of the guestblogging thing in order to promote their blogs. I have seen many people linking their blogs with the guestpost entensively. Some even try to give image credits to their own blogs. This is ridiculous.

  9. Divyansh

    Nice description of admin’s insight to a guest post.
    Th Link advise is especially essential and
    I want to add that – dmins should also/especially check links for any malware containing webpage by simply opening the page and see if the internet security software they use try to block it or not/ or go to some link scanning website.
    This is helpful to avoid penalties that might be shown in webmaster account

  10. shyantan

    hii harsh..you have written a great post. i learnt a lot of things today how to accept a guest post. and all way how to check a post.
    i have only one guest post in my blog and also want to start guest blogging in my blog.
    i need a help from you. that how you check a post is orignal or a copy pasted . how you check the palgrarism of the blog. wheather it is orignal or copy pasted .

    this is the problem i can face in start guest possting in my blog.

    1. Felix Abur

      Hi Shyantan. There are many plagiarism checkers online, both free and paid. I would suggest CopyScape, Grammarly, and plagiarismcheck.org. Google is your friend, there are many more plagiarism checkers

  11. Rahul Kuntala

    Hi Harsh,

    Good post buddy.

    I’ll add 2 more cents:
    Try to check out the guest blogger profile (it becomes easy once you know the blogger has good reputation in writing quality contents).

    And build a blog based on accepting guest posts ONLY from the regular contributors. Best ex: WeBlogBetter (really Kiesha doing it better). Although this criteria varies from blog to blog, but it’s worth giving a try.

    Cheers Harsh!

  12. yashobant

    Hey Harsh thanks for the information, I was looking for these guidelines. I have a question- can I write ‘ how to’ articles related to wordpress troubleshooting or of opencart?

  13. Stephen Malan

    Thank you for mentioning WangGuard plugin. Just what I needed.

    Thanks again for the fantastic content!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top
106 Shares