Search Results for: pitchfest

Guest blogging on this site is a multi-phase process. Here’s how it works:

Phase 1: Assimilate – read this page, take a good look around the blog, and sign up for email updates so you don’t miss any new stuff.

Phase 2: Infiltrate – show your face by joining in with the comments on existing posts. These people will be your audience when you guest post here, so get to know them!

Phase 3: Cogitate – think up a story and angle that will be useful and entertaining for Be a Freelance Blogger readers. Use the popular posts listed in the sidebar as clues to the type of post that’ll interest this audience. If you’re struggling with this part, Jon Morrow has an excellent freebie on becoming a paid freelance writer that you should definitely check out. I’m a student and affiliate of Jon’s and without his advice, this blog wouldn’t have made it!

Phase 4: Advocate – pitch your idea in outline form to teamBAFB@gmail.com, and explain why it rocks. If your outline sounds good, we’ll ask you to submit a first draft.

Phase 5: Create – write your first full draft and send it to us.

Phase 6: Iterate – as long as your draft looks promising, we’ll work together to make it sparkle.

Phase 7: Propagate – when it’s published, share the link to your blog post wherever you normally share good stuff online.

Phase 8: Moderate – check in on your guest post several times in the first few days after it goes live, and respond to comments from your readers.

Phase 9: Celebrate! And start thinking about who and what you’ll pitch next.

What I Expect From You

• A concise, detailed pitch that summarises your whole post, point by point
• A story focused on freelance blogging or a highly relevant side topic
• A well-written blog post that’s long enough to give a useful level of detail — probably at least 2000 words.
• A clear, attention-grabbing post title (we may change it later, but a strong post title in your pitch is always a good sign)
• Subheadings that break your post into logical sections
• Real-life examples, facts, and practical suggestions or instructions
• No unnecessary self-promotion (save the bragging for your bio)
• No affiliate links or sponsored links
• A contributor bio that’s 1 or 2 sentences long, with links to your blog, Twitter or other online stuff
• A source list at the end of your post draft that gives URLs or other ways to verify any facts, quotes, and whatnot you’ve used. (I won’t publish the list, but we’ll use it to make sure everything’s accurate.)

What You Get From Me

• Editing and advice to help improve your guest post’s impact
• Images and hyperlinks added to your post where appropriate
• A professional blogging clip for your portfolio
• A personal recommendation on LinkedIn (ask me after publication)
• Promotion to my blog’s audience of freelance bloggers

Guest Submissions and Payments

There are two ways to submit a guest post to Be a Freelance Blogger.

1. Unpaid Guest Contributions

If you want to submit a guest post and payment isn’t important to you, send us an outline of your idea by email to teamBAFB@gmail.com.

2. Pitchfest [$150 Prize]

If you’d like a chance to get paid $150 for your guest post, hold on to your outline and submit it during Pitchfest.

Pitchfest is a guest blogging contest in which you make your pitch publicly in the comments on a special “Let the Pitchfest begin” blog post. We choose one winning pitch in each Pitchfest, plus one or more runners-up.

The writer of the winning pitch gets $150 via Paypal on publication of their guest post, and runners-up get smaller prizes such as $75 on publication, mentoring sessions, or ebooks.

Guest Post Scheduling

• I typically publish one or two guest posts per month, maximum. Expect a delay between submission and publication.
• If you’re promoting something special and you’d really like to see your guest post published on a specific date, talk to me. I’ll try to fit your post in at the time that works for you.

Guest Post Exclusivity

• When you submit a guest post draft, you promise that it’s your own original work and that you haven’t submitted the same draft to anyone else.
• If I publish your guest post, you promise not to republish it on your own blog or anywhere else online for at least 90 days after it goes live here.
• If you republish your post anywhere, you promise to include a statement along the lines of “This post was originally published by Be a Freelance Blogger” with a hyperlink to your guest post here on BAFB.
• If you get an opportunity to republish it in a different medium –a print publication, a slideshow presentation, whatever– that’s OK with me, you don’t need to wait 90 days, and I hope you’ll let me know so that I can congratulate you!