After five email exchanges and no progress, I wrote asking to pull my article from publication. I was bummed.

That’s how the story ended. But the story started when a friend emailed about a Facebook call for guest contributors. She thought of me because they specifically asked for posts dealing with the legal side of running a creative business.

I had to do some research first because it’s not a blog I read. But my research found them to be reputable and they regularly featured guest contributors. It also seemed like my voice and way of talking about the law would fit in well with their existing content. I couldn’t find any guest post guidelines, so I reached out and introduced myself.

Several weeks later I finally got a response. And and I wish I had thrown in the towel then. The response was to several people, dozens of paragraphs long, and full of excuses. But it also contained their guest post guidelines, a request to submit ideas, and their upcoming theme.

I wish I had thrown in the towel then. The response was to several people, dozens of paragraphs long, and full of excuses.

Given the theme, there were two obvious topics I could discuss. So I sent over my possible topics and again waited several weeks for approval. After getting approval, I slaved away over a post that met their guest post guidelines. And even with their delay, I met the deadline I’d promised in my original email. (Even though my timeline for writing the post went from about a month to less than a week.)

A week and a half went by without an acknowledgment that they had received it. So I sent several follow-up emails asking for receipt confirmation and the publication date.

I had it after a mass email to all contributors (where we all saw each other’s email addresses once again). It was another email full of excuses on why they were MIA. So I sent an email requesting that they pull my post from publication.

Similar to Rachel Mae Smith’s story about her bad guest contributing experience, the two lessons I learned from this was:

• stop at the first sign of red flags
• request expectations are put in writing before I start

These lessons help both sides develop a healthy working relationship. They also help preserve reputations by making sure you don’t unintentionally disappoint the other.

What should your guest post guidelines and contract include?

Process leading up to guest contributor contacting the blogger

The first thing you can develop is a page on your website outlining your guest post guidelines. Tim Ferris does an excellent job of this. He lays out:

• his contract
• how long your post should be
• what kinds of details/stories your post should include
• the need for actionable takeaways and next steps
• what kinds of links he wants
• timeline
• how you’ll work together, including topic selection and editing roles
• required formats
• popular past guest posts

As the blogger, creating this page is work. But having it is a favor to both of you. This page is actually a gift you give to your potential guest contributor. Because she can see this page, read it over, and decide that she isn’t a good fit. Or she can revise her pitch based on your requirements. Ultimately, this page saves you both several email exchanges and wasted energy.

This page is actually a gift you give to your potential guest contributor. This page saves you both several email exchanges and wasted energy.

In addition to your guest post guidelines, you might want to include a contact form. This form can gather all the information you need to make a decision about a guest post.

For example, do you just want a pitch idea? Or do you want them to send a completed post? If you want a pitch only, add a spot to the form to explain the pitch. If you want a post, have a spot to upload the file or a field to copy and paste the post.

When you create your guest contributor form, make the fields you need “required.” That way, the form cannot be submitted without the necessary information. Again, you shouldn’t think of this as being “mean” or “harsh.” They’ll have to get you this information eventually, so requiring it up front saves you both time.

You shouldn’t think of this as being “mean” or “harsh.” They’ll have to get you this information eventually, so requiring it up front saves you both time.

The final thing you might want to add is requiring them to “sign” your guest contributor contract when they submit the form. The easiest way to do this is by including an “I agree” checkbox that must be checked before submitting. Personally, I wouldn’t go this route. We all have a habit of quickly checking these boxes, without reading what we are agreeing to. So, I would hold off on sending the contract until after we agree to work together.

Process between contact and publication

So the pitch has been sent and you’ve decided to work together. The next step is sending over your guest contributor contract. Once again, a guest contributor contract is a kindness you extend to your contributor.

To send over your contract, I would use a service like HelloSign. It allows you to upload the contract as a PDF and for you both to electronically sign the agreement. Making it quick and easy for both of you.

So what goes in your guest contributor contract?

There will be overlap between your contract and your guest contributor website page. But, remember the point of a contract is to make sure everyone is on the same page and has the same expectations. So it’s important to include these details in your contract too. And not assume that they read or remember these details from your guest contributor page.

The point of a contract is to make sure everyone is on the same page and has the same expectations. So it’s important not assume that they read or remember these details from your guest contributor page.

In your guest contributor contract, you’ll want to outline:

• expected post length
• how much of the post can previously have been published elsewhere
• what kinds of links are acceptable
• how often linking should occur
• who will prepare graphics
• the format that the post should be delivered in
• what kind of credit the guest contributor will be given
• the anticipated timeline (when the post is due and when it will be published)
• what the editing process will look like
• who will own the copyright in the published article
• what the guest contributor can do with the article after publication
• if payment will be made and if so, how

What happens between the pitch and post delivery

A good chunk of your contract will outline your expectations on what the post will look like. For example, you’ll explain your expectations for the post length and content. You’ll also want to let her know how much of her existing content she can “remix” and how much must be new. Or if you accept previously published content, you should make this clear instead.

Another area that can lead to misunderstanding is the number and type of links in the post. First, there’s the issue of how you want her to link to your site’s content. Then there’s the how she should link to any materials she uses to research the post. Of course, you also have to think about her content. If you have any limits to the number of links she can have to her own sales or opt-in pages you should lay this out. Finally, there’s the issue of affiliate links and if either yours or hers can be included in the post.

You’ll also want to address the post graphics. If you’ll be creating them, then let her know. If she’ll be creating them, you should provider her with the size dimensions you’ll need. It’s also important to spell out what kinds of licenses she must be able to get in the content. For example, do you only use Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licensed photos on your website? If so, you should explain this fact and include links to your favorite CC0 sites to make it easy for her to find images. (Don’t have one? Pexels is my go-to source for CC0 images.)

Once she has the post written, she’ll need to provide it to you. So your contract should outline the process she’ll use to deliver the post. You’ll want to outline the post format. For example, you might want the post delivered both in HTML and as a Word/Google Doc. That way you can edit using the Word version and quickly add it with formatting to your website.

Finally, you should outline anything else you’ll need to publish the post. If you offer guest contributors a short bio and a photograph, then make sure she delivers them with the post. If you’ll create a simple byline and a link, make it clear that you only need a URL.

What happens between delivery and publication

Next, you should outline what your process looks like between post delivery and publication.

Probably the biggest room for misunderstanding in this phase is the editing process. Guest contributors might feel different about heavily editing versus style guide changes. If you fall on the heavy edit side, you should explain the process. For example, you should explain if she’ll get the chance to review your edits before you publish. Or if you’ll send it back to her for a round of editing before publication.

The final thing to consider in this section is who will own the copyright in the post. The U.S. Copyright Act requires copyright transfers and exclusive licenses to be in writing. (Another reason for a contract). So you want to own the copyright or have an exclusive license, you must spell this out in your contract. (And get it signed by your guest contributor.)

The U.S. Copyright Act requires copyright transfers and exclusive licenses to be in writing.

What happens after publication

At some point, you’ll hit publish and the guest contributor’s post will be live on your site. So the final area your contract should address are any post-publication expectations.

For example, if you have expectations on how your guest contributor will promote the post, you should outline this. (Remember contracts aren’t mean, they just make sure everyone’s on the same page.)

Another area that can cause conflict is how else the post can be used. Your guest contributor will want the biggest bang for her buck. So if you have any expectations around how much of the post she can publish in other places, you need to lay this out.

Of course, the final issue that should be covered is compensation. Many guest contributor posts are not paid, and so if you choose not to pay them, you are in good company. But if you will pay, then you should outline the payment along with the process of getting paid.

 

Writing the contract

While this seems like a lot to cover, it can be done in just a few pages. In fact, the template I wrote for the artist’s Courtyard, covers all this (and more) in three pages. And depending on what’s important to you, you could whittle this down to a single page, like Tim Ferris.

Having a guest contributor can be just as good for you as it is for them. So you should make the process as easy and painless for both of you as possible.

Do you have guest contributors? Have you been one? What’s the one lesson you learned that you don’t want to repeat? Share your experience in the comments.