by Debbie Rodrigues | Jun 30, 2016 | Blogging
UPDATE 11/11/16: Debbie Rodrigues is NOT accepting guest blogging submissions at the moment. Thank you for your interest.
Among all the opportunities to share and promote content, one that is frequently overlooked is guest blogging.
Mainly in the beginning, even though writers are already producing great content to their own blog, they feel overwhelmed about writing to someone else. While guest blogging does require a little extra “love,” it’s not the boogieman some picture either.
Why you should care about guest blogging
I wrote an entire post dedicated to guest blogging, and I highly recommend you to have a look at it to read more on the topic.
Guest blogging is a great way to share your content with an audience different from yours.
Like the muscles of our body need some exercises to develop, the saying “practice makes perfect” is also valid to guest blogging.
Why guest blogging for Debbie Rodrigues
The community around Debbie Rodrigues is engaged and is growing by the day.
Your guest post will not only reach many new readers, but it will also be promoted in various social media platforms and link parties.
Topics covered on Debbie Rodrigues
Throughout the years, the blog Debbie Rodrigues grew from a Fitness-exclusive platform to a site directed to personal improvement. Our main topics are:
- Body: Weight Loss, Holistic Health, and Workouts
- Soul: Lifestyle, Recipes, Motivation, and Mindfulness
- Mind: Blogging, Social Media, Planning, and Organization
Note however that we are open to revising pitches on any topics within the framework of helping others live a balanced and stress-free life.
In other words, please do not hesitate to give it a go if you have a DIY project with gorgeous images you would like to submit.
Guidelines for guest blogging for Debbie Rodrigues
Please make sure you read and understand the guidelines before sending your pitch.
They are meant to clarify the process, not to scare anyone off.
This is who I am: transparent. None of us have time to waste.
I prefer to give you a chance to collect everything in the beginning instead of ping-ponging with you.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave them in the comments, please.
Guidelines:
- All posts should be in English and family-friendly.
- Content must be brand new and relevant to Debbie Rodrigues’ readers.
- Please send one pitch per email. It has to be on the text of your email, not as an attachment.
- Word count between 800 and 1,200 (without bio).
- No backlink spam to your website or blog (only 1 within the post – see details below*).
- Give credits to your resources and link back minimum 4 times. It includes linking to other posts within Debbie Rodrigues, but not to your own site, affiliates, giveaways or ads.
- Proofread, please!
- The submission or approval of your pitch doesn’t guarantee publication. Your content that will do the trick. Make it stellar!
- Authors are welcome to link their content to another site, but they cannot fully republish it elsewhere.
Email your pitches to debbie@debbieinshape.com , subject “Guest Blogging”.
There are no restrictions to whom can apply to guest blogging on our site.
You can also send as many pitches as you want, even if a previous submission was not accepted. Because we are looking forward making room for guest blogging within our regular calendar, there are no limits to the applications.
All submissions will be considered equally.
Below the post, a short bio with a picture and up to 2 links to the author’s website will be added to the post.
*That is why it’s advisable not to insert backlinks within the post (or it may be considered spamming – see guidelines).
If necessary, the above guidelines might be updated with or without notice.
And because I want to give everyone a chance to bring up their best game and develop their guest blogging skills to the next level, I wrote a series of posts called Everything You Need to Know About Guest Blogging. Each week, I posted about one aspect of guest blogging to help your get started and improve. And if you have any questions, please leave it in the comments below.
I can’t wait to read your submission!
Read all the posts of my guest blogging series:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Jun 23, 2016 | Blogging
No matter how fabulous your brand strategy is, blog traffic during summer is low. With these 3 suggestions, your efforts will not be wasted, though.
When it comes to blogging, depending on your niche, you will experience periods of high traffic as well low.
In my case, as I write about fitness and share tips on how to develop a healthy lifestyle, my peak is in the beginning of the year. Then, everyone is busy with resolutions, looking for ways to get and stay in shape.
By December though, with the holiday rush, presents, events and all the rest, Debbie in Shape does not get that much love. Those who write about parenting, DIY and do lots of product reviews experience the opposite.
Yet during summer, mainly in July and August, you won’t find a single blogger excited about their traffic.
It might be that because of a viral post or some extra event they get a boost. In general, though, these are pretty much dead months for everyone.
If you are looking for guest posting, it might be a great time to contact other bloggers.
Many are going on vacation and would love to keep their site alive with content from other writers.
In fact, the search starts in May already. So if you missed offers from your favorite blog(s), make sure you add it on agenda for next year. Plan in advance to make sure you do not miss it again.
While it can be frustrating if you are working to increase your traffic and readers’ engagement, there is no reason why you should spend your time just hitting the refresh button endless times.
Why not using the summer blog traffic to work on other aspects of your site?
Read also these posts about blogging:
Back to basics
Maybe you have your blog for just a couple of months. Maybe you have been around for quite some time. Whichever your case is, it never hurts to go back to the basics and have a look at your website and content.
Things change so fast that chances are you have a different approach today than the one you had last month.
Take some time to study your stats:
- What posts have generated most traffic in the past 3 or 6 months?
- From where does most of this traffic come?
If Google Analytics is not your friend, start giving it more attention.
It’s a relationship that will pay off at the end.
Should you need some step-by-step tips, please visit Kathleen’s blog as she has a nice series on the subject.
Action plan
Whether you have deciphered your analytics or not, you can also set up a basic action plan for other things during the low traffic months of summer.
Remember that to be successful, your blog needs to be in line with your Brand.
It does not mean that you must be A or B. It is only a matter of deciding what your Voice is and sticking to it.
Your “about” page
My number one place to start is the “about” page:
- When was the last time you reviewed yours?
- Have you ever updated it at all?
- Did anything happen recently you would like to add to it?
- Did the information change?
Revise your pictures, text, layout, everything!
People come to your blog because of your great content, but most of the time, they stay because of you and your history.
Even if you do not want to go (much) personal, make sure you are introducing yourself accordingly.
Go to the List
Your content
No matter how your editorial calendar looks like, you may need to slow down during summer.
It can be because the kids are at home, you have vacation, or you simply want to enjoy the great outdoors more. On warm sunny days, spending hours behind your computer writing posts is not exactly in your plans.
One option is reinventing your old content. Again, it makes no difference if you have been writing for weeks or years.
There are always things you can improve.
And if you want to go for a totally different approach, check this post on CoSchedule blog.
Go to the List
Your presence
When you look at your stats and you feel hopeless, remember that you are not alone.
With that said, instead of dwelling in loneliness and despair, why not stopping by other bloggers?
They are in the same situation as you. Whether they are having 10 or 1,000 visitors per day, it is surely not their usual numbers.
You can take extra time to:
Do not be afraid of being social. Your blog’s growth depends on such interactions, also during summer.
Go to the List
What else?
These are my top 3 suggestions to inspire you get started. Work on:
I am sure you’ll come up with other ideas yourself as you start working creatively on your content. All it takes is a trigger.
Plan some time for brainstorming and go to work.
Do you do extra work during the months of low summer blog traffic?
Read also these posts about planning:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. However, when you order through my link, it helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you, in advance for your support!
by Debbie Rodrigues | Nov 18, 2015 | Blogging
Guest blogging is something that still scares off many writers. To show you that it’s not a boogieman here is a series of posts on everything you need to know about guest blogging but never dared to ask.
And it’s time to wrap things up, my friends. With the information I shared with you the past 5 weeks, you’ll be able to start scoring opportunities and leveling up your guest blogging skills.
Always remember that your first guest post doesn’t have to be perfect and it won’t. Whether you are a brand new blogger or one “seen on” a famous site, you are still growing. Anyone interested in becoming better is improving every single day. So I’m going to repeat myself: don’t wait for the perfect time. Your time is now!
Your Guest Blogging Checklist
To help you get things rolling, I prepared a guest blogging checklist for you. With it, you won’t be missing any step on the way. You can print it or use it electronically.
While the advantage of having it on paper is that you can make notes on it, the e-version contains links to the related posts. If you want to read the original posts again, they are all one click away.
Moving forward
What is left now? Plan your strategy!
As a blogger, I know well how it goes. We consume massive amounts of information every single day. We absorb tips from the friendly bloggers we visit, fantastic articles we read or great courses we follow.
It’s so much information we feel overwhelmed and get stuck.
You look around at all the things you already have to do for your own blog, plus family, work, and life in general, and you freeze.
“How am I going to find time for that, Debbie?”
Believe me: time is there. It’s just a matter of planning it well.
The thing about time
If we compare the life most of us have nowadays with the one of our (great-)grandparents, the number of responsibilities increased dramatically.
It’s not that they didn’t do much. But because most the work was done manually, there were only that many activities one could perform during the day.
Now we can stand on a line, listen to music while reading the news or checking what our friends are up to. Everything at the exact same time!
I forced myself to cut down the multitasking for the sake of mindfulness, and I don’t regret it. I have been more productive since, doing a lot more I thought I could handle. But it doesn’t end here.
One exercise you should also do on a regular basis is reviewing your priorities.
You set your goals and define your plan to accomplish them, but life happens in between.
Maybe you thought you would be able to get home on time every day this week, but you had to do some overtime because of some urgent matter. You hired a babysitter to watch the kids while you worked on your ebook, but she got sick, and you didn’t find a replacement. Your computer crashed, and you’ll be able to get another one before the end of the month. All these things happen to people every single day whether they are great planners or not.
So it’s important to:
- accept that the unexpected happens and it’s OK
- adapt your priority list accordingly
In my case, I started to provide Holistic Life Coaching sessions. One of the changes I already announced and implemented was the end of my link party Tip Tuesday.
Even though I love putting the link party together and am thankful for the relationships I built through it, I had to free time in my agenda for my clients.
For you, it might be watching one TV show less per week or blocking a couple of hours in the weekend to work on your guest blogging. Or you may even need to rethink your editorial calendar and change your posting frequency to free up time.
Either way, you want to optimize your (blogging) activities without missing other responsibilities or neglecting your well-being. An eight-hour night sleep is not a luxury.
How to plan your guest blogging strategy
It makes no difference if you are a blogger or a professional who wants to write a guest post for the first time. To be successful without losing your sanity, there are some points you should always have in mind:
- You want to play safe and take your time when setting goals and building relationships. Read as many guest articles as you can. Become a student of the game.
- Don’t neglect your website. Improve your content with every single post. You want to be ready to write your best blog ever when you score the opportunity of your dreams.
- Be realistic. I don’t mean to be negative about the quality of your content, but be careful with over-confidence. While the first will stop your progress, the second will damage it.
- Set a deadline and work it out. Let’s say that you want to have a guest post published before the end of the year, don’t wait until tomorrow to set your goals.
- Be consistent with your plan. Don’t leave things for tomorrow that you can complete today. If you only have 1 hour free per day, cut down Facebook time and use it on your blog.
Guest blogging opportunities
As you already know, we are offering guest blogging opportunities for Debbie in Shape. Please note that the guidelines have been slightly updated to be in line with the new direction of the blog.
My friend Haley from Haley’s Vintage also offers regular guest blogging opportunities. Her guidelines can be found here.
I wish you many successful guest posts and may these tips be useful to you.
After going through this series, I have a question for you:
[poll id=”6″]
Read also the previous posts of this series:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Nov 11, 2015 | Blogging
Guest blogging promotion is something that still scares off many writers. To show you that it’s not a boogieman here is a series of posts on everything you need to know about guest blogging but never dared to ask.
Last week we went through the process of writing a guest post and I wonder how many of you thought it was the end of the line. There’s no reason for concern if you did. In fact, that’s most people also think.
Because I’m breaking down the process in many small steps, it might look like a lot. However, it’s only a matter of personal approach.
Some may prefer to get all information at once and digest it as they go. I prefer small consistent doses. I wanted to give you time to compare my process with your previous experiences. Maybe you could figure out what you have done right and what you could have done better.
Today, we will go through a very important part of guest blogging. It’s frequently neglected or not taken that seriously: the promotion. Still it’s key no matter what your goal is.
From the guest blogger’s perspective
There are many ways you can promote and support your guest post. The most important ones are:
- Share, share, and share it
- Promote it with your tribe
- Reply to comments
- Ask for feedback
1. Share, share, and share
Remember those automatic social media shares you schedule for your own posts? Yeah, those. Do the same with your guest blogs. If you are shy about spreading the word on stuff from your website, go shamelessly with your guest writing.
You want to drive all the traffic you can to your host.
“But wait, Debbie! I’m doing it to drive traffic to myself, not to the publisher!”
I know it. Yet, you want to increase the reach of your article anyways. Because it’s not a post on your website, it will feel less spammy even if you go a little over the top with your sharing.
Be creative, use alternative headlines and add some variations. Your followers will love it without feeling annoyed by it.
Go to the List
2. Promote it with your tribe
Are you a member of some mastermind group? What about those fellow bloggers that are always working together with you?
Ask their “love”. If you don’t ask, they’ll not be able to help you out.
In such groups, you can not only share content from our site, but we also promote each other’s guest posts, reviews, and sponsored posts.
It’s not something to be ashamed of. They are your friends, remember? And that’s one of the many things that fellow bloggers are for. We help each other also by supporting and celebrating our victories.
Their comments on the post and social media shares are like throwing a party for you. Let them know how much you’d appreciate it.
Go to the List
3. Reply to comments
It may sound obvious, but sometimes it’s forgotten. Mainly if you are not informed of the date when the post is coming out, you may overlook the comments.
Small and medium bloggers are more careful here. They will let you know the date and even send you the permalink to your article to facilitate the promotion.
Bigger blogs may not always inform you though (I’m not speaking Huffington Post-like big because I wouldn’t know it – and I’m not going to pretend I do). Their editorial calendar is planned months beforehand. It may take ages for your article to show. So, drop by a couple of times and check things out.
Remember you built a relationship with the host and their readers anyway before scoring the opportunity. Visiting their site not a waste of your time.
Go to the List
4. Ask for feedback
Congratulations. You got it! You landed the guest post you worked hard for. I’m proud of you!
Even though you surely did an awesome job, I’m sure you can make it even better. And it has nothing to do with you or your content. It’s just how it goes with everyone. If you look at your older posts, you may find many ways to improve them. The same will happen if you look at your content next year.
Send a thank you email to the host and ask them if they have some extra tips for you. Whether they give you 1 or 10 points, try to use them next time.
Besides, let them know it if you’re interested in sending them another pitch in the future. It may soften them up their feedback and guide their tips towards this next opportunity. Win-win. 😉
Go to the List
From the publisher’s perspective
I know I have been focusing this entire series on the side of the guest bloggers. But I want to call out hosts here this time. Mainly if you have a small or a medium size blog.
Whether it’s because you created an opportunity or because someone contacted you for a guest post, show them some love too.
I’m assuming you were careful with the selection of the post and the writer brought you an awesome article. If he or she did her part of the deal, why not supporting their efforts as well?
Some of the things you can do are:
- Write a warm introduction of the blogger (it’s easier when you have a relationship, though)
- Promote the post together with the writer
- Leave a comment
- Answer to the comments along with the guest blogger
- Include a bio
Yes, guest posts are a fantastic way to open doors for writers. Why not using the opportunity to boost your traffic too?
Now it’s up to you
I really hope I shed some light into the subject guest blogging with this series.
Next week, we will be doing a wrap-up, so if you have any questions, please feel free to share them below. It’s going to be a great opportunity to clarify any points I may have missed or I could have gone deeper.
If you offer guest blogging opportunities on your site, also leave the link to your guidelines in the comments if you want me to share it with my tribe.
If there’s one final tip I want to share with you is that you don’t need to wait for your writing to be perfect.
I’m not a heavy guest blogger (for now), but I like to expand my reach as well from time to time.
To give you an idea of my evolution here are my samples:
Sites where I write as a contributor:
For PurePharma, it all started with a project for which I was going to write only a handful posts. The project is long gone, but I remained as a contributor because of the quality of the content I deliver.
Every single tip I shared in this series is exactly what I apply for myself.
Is it incredible to be able to write for a brand I love and respect as a consumer? Hell yeah!!! But it’s an equal pleasure to join fellow bloggers on their websites too. I learn with every single post I write and become better in what I do.
I truly hope you’ll find this series helpful. Guest blogging is an amazing opportunity to get visibility and build credibility, but it has to be done right.
Remember that we are now offering guest blogging opportunities on Debbie in Shape. If you want to get started or practice your skills with us, it’ll be a pleasure to publish your post(s). Guidelines and details are available here. I cannot wait to read your pitch!
Make sure you come back next week for more guest blogging tips. Or sign up to receive an email notification whenever a new post is published.
Hey! One more post and you graduate as a beginner guest blogger. How does it feel?
How excited are you to start guest blogging?
Read all posts of this series:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
