Guest Blogging: How Long Should You Wait for a Response

Guest blogging is a great way to increase your blog’s traffic. However, as blogging is still a relatively new medium, there is no set way of going about it. Who to approach, how, what to say, how long to wait for a response, etc., are all questions I still wrestle with.

Guest Blogging Conundrum: To Wait, or Not to Wait for a Response?

The idea for this post came to me when I was going through my guest blogging file the other night. My guest blogging file is a document I keep of blog posts that I’ve submitted. It has the post, the date submitted, to whom — and if it was published — when.

This helps me to track the guest blogging posts I send out — and more importantly, to keep track of unused posts. And, “unused guest blogging posts” are my problem. I have a few of them sitting there that I submitted back in May. I’m not going to say which blogs I submitted them to, because this is not a rant, but a problem I really want to propose a solution to.

The reason these guest blogging posts just sitting there bothers me is because I agonize over writing them — they’re darned good in my humble opinion! I’m very busy and finding time to craft good guest blogger posts is no easy feat. This is why it rankles me to see unused posts going to waste. Every time I open my guest blogging file, I feel like they’re mocking me.

So here’s my proposed plan to ward off the “are they going to publish it” question.

How to Get a “Response” to a Guest Blogging Post

I propose that you submit with a 90-day deadline. Why 90 days? Because popular bloggers get a lot of email. Anything less I think is being too “demanding” of their time; anything more is “demanding” of my (your) time. I think 90 days is sufficient for even the busiest blogger to read and decide if they want to use your post.

Your email to them might go something like this:

Dear Mr. Popular Blogger:

I read your blog and found it very informative. I’m in a complementary niche, and wrote the following missive as a follow-up to your 8-27-07 post (shows you’ve read their blog).

I hope you can use it. If your schedule is anything like mine, I know you’re busy (shows you respect their time) so no immediate response is needed. I’ll assume that if it’s not published within the next 90 days, it’s okay to post to my blog.

Thanking you in advance for your consideration,

Your Signature
Your Blog URL

Guest Blogging Tip: Don’t query bloggers asking if you can do a guest post for them. Just send the post along. Most bloggers — especially popular bloggers — are very busy. If they have your post right in front of them, they’re more likely to say yes.

For more on guest blogging, read, 5 Rules to Adhere to When Approaching Others to Write for Your Blog (invert these rules if you’re applying for guest blogging spots).

What happened to my unused guest blogging posts? I’ve submitted them to other blogs. Out of courtesy, I notified the blog owners that I previously sent the posts to, telling them that I’ve contacted other blogs about using them. That way, they won’t publish them thinking that it’s unique material.

And, all guest blogging posts should be unique posts — not something you’ve published on your own blog or anyplace else.

Happy guest blogging!