This is a Guest Post by veteran freelance writer Daniel Cassady whose work has been published in Search Engine People, Technically Personal, and Bash Bosh Blog. Daniel is a regular contributor to the Benchmark Email Marketing Blog.
Most people have a hard enough time juggling work and family, let alone a blog. Adding fresh content, managing comments and promoting your blog can be incredibly time-consuming, especially if all the work falls on your shoulders. Good help is hard to find, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look.
Choosing a co-blogger is tricky, not unlike finding a roommate in the local newspaper. So, consider some questions to help make the right choice:
- Do they have their own blog?
Make sure everyone you consider already runs a blog. You wouldn’t let someone borrow your car if they’ve never been behind the wheel.
- Do they consistently post on their own blog?
Follow their blogs for a while. Do they post like clockwork, never missing a day? Are they consistent, but take a day off once in a while for work or family? (Both are okay.) But you’ll want to avoid a person who blogs erratically — too much time between posts should raise a red flag.
- Are they easily reachable through multiple channels?
The perfect co-blogger is someone you can contact a number of ways. Test their lines of communication: send a message via Twitter, an email, and a text message if you’ve got a phone number. Track how long it takes to respond; if you can’t get in touch with your co-blogger when it’s important, you’re asking for trouble.
- Do they pass a fact-check?
While you are familiarizing yourself with your could-be-comrades blog, keep an eye out for where they are getting their information. No good can come from aligning yourself with a gossip hound that pulls information out of thin air just to have something to write about. Remember, ultimately it is still your blog. You don’t want anyone writing for you that isn’t completely trustworthy.
- Can they deftly handle criticism?
Find someone easy to get along with. The point of joining forces is to make life easier, not more difficult. You’ll need someone who can handle constructive criticism. Assign a topic and ask for a sample post; make a few legitimate changes and send it back. This is a great way to check if you’ll make a good team or not.
- Can they write to your blog’s tone?
Look for someone who writes in a similar tone as you. You don’t want your audience turned off by a strange new voice. Each of you developing your own personalities will come with time, but they’ve got to seem compatible to the audience from the start.
If you’re ready to pick a co-blogger, know that there are plenty of good writers out there who would be more than willing to help you in your time of need. Answer the questions above and you’ll greatly increase your chances of finding the perfect blogmate.
You can read posts by Daniel Cassady on email marketing strategies in the blog hosted by Benchmark Email, a global email marketing company. He also wrote some great tips on How to Make Your Blog More Mobile Friendly.
Gail Gardner
Do they have similar traffic (or larger:)
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also: how much do they know about your area.
That is a great list. When looking for a co-blogger you should just print this list out with some checkboxes next to them and just go by them one by one.
Would add Sharon and Kristi’s points as well.
But if they are already a part of your community then they will probably keep interacting in the comments as they have done before.
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I’ve never thought much about a single co-blogger, more about creating a collection of good writers to post stuff on a blog. What’s your take on the maximum number of people you should allow to do this sort of thing? Or is there only a recommended restriction if you aren’t keeping close enough tabs on them?
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There are a lot of variables in finding a co-blogger, that’s why i like to go solo.
It involves more work and maybe i sleep only 3-4 hours per night, but i know i don’t have to rely on anyone to get the work done. I’ve had bad experiences with people that eventually let me down.
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Hi Timothy,
While going it alone allows for full control, you can’t sleep only 3-4 hours per night forever. You’ll crash eventually. Yes, people can let you down but sometimes that is because we have unrealistic expectations – such as thinking they can accomplish with less experience what we can do – or that they will also sleep only 3-4 hours to get more done.
IMHO we are all trying to do way too much and would be better off being more selective about what we’re doing instead.
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This is a great post for those considering guest bloggers for their blogs. I have a few excellent guest bloggers over at my site. Another important tip is to check that they are prepared to answer comments to their posts.
Hi Ana,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. That is Kristi Hine’s pet peeve so she was the first blogger I know to make that a requirement for guest bloggers. It benefits the guest blogger to answer them anyway!
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The last point is the most important..Having any other blog which your readers cant accept is not a good idea
I like to use the blog aggregate services like blog catelogue to find other bloggers with similar interests and see if they would be interested in doing a guest post.
Worst choice you can do when looking for a co-blogger is to hire a friend or a family member. I did just that recently and i’m regretting it every day.
A stranger will have a greater sense of responsibility.
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Hi Maria,
You aren’t the first person to discover that and it just came up again yesterday. Definitely true that most of the time friends and family will be more likely to take advantage of your good nature and goof off far more than someone else you find.
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If I had to hire a person for writing for my blog, I would ask him to write some articles for a trial. I would follow this writer for some time and only then I would allow him to post in my blog.
Also I would ask him about the remuneration 🙂 Everybody wants to get money for their work 🙂
Hi Kristi,
You make a very good point. Finding a co-blogger is more than finding a good counterpart, you definitely want someone who is willing to do just as much heavy lifting. The publishing of a post is just the beginning of the process. Interacting with the people who comment is just as important as throwing up a post, IMO.
I agree with you, Kristi. To me, it’s important to communicate back with readers. Those that just dump and article and are never heard from again shouldn’t expect a second appearance on the same blog what-so-ever.
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Perhaps the most obvious question is “Do you get along with each other?”. Have you been through some trials before, or will the first trial be “the first” trial you experience together?
There WILL be trials.
Wayne John would love you to read ..The missed opportunity many blog commenters forget about- 3 way links
This is a sore point for you, eh Kristy?
These are great points, and I think the most important one is to find a co-blogger who is capable of writing in your blogs tone. And of course, the person should also have some good expertise in your niche.
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I’m going to find some people who could help me with my site, but i don’t earn money yet so i couldn’t pay them, how could i convince someone to work for free(of course at the beginning)??
Hi Daniel,
These are very good points if we are hiring someone permanently or for long term but when we hire any Freelance Writer, we can only see his previous work as reference.
Thanks
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This is something I might have to consider in the near future, but that last one could easily glitch for me a lot of the time.
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I am also agree with these points but i am facing trouble in adding dynamics to my wordpress blog. Is there any wordpress plugin which will help me to fix this error?
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I think finding a perfect co-blogger requires looking for someone who can complement your writing style. You dun want someone who has the same style and expertise as you.
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I kinda agree with this. It’s also good to have some dynamics in your blog.
Great post. Reminds me again how lucky I am to have my sis as my blogging partner! Being able to reach her anytime/anywhere is of utmost importance and just because we live under the same roof doesn’t mean I’m above texting or tweeting her from down the hall to check on something! Knowing I can trust her judgment when writing for and representing our project allows me to sleep at night. Hmmm – I think I better verbalize my appreciation as soon as I get home tonight! Thanks again!
You’re very welcome! Glad I can be of help.
Good Point Kristi, I do however like to point out that don’t take all that into account some blogs interactions are more than others. Like my new blog, it hasn’t gotten a comment yet but that isn’t the lack of me trying. You have to consider if they are interacting on other blogs as well as their own!