October 27, 2011 27 Comments

Take a Chance

tommy

I don’t do guest posts on [chrisbrogan.com] for a bunch of reasons.

1.) Most people used to complain that they came to read me and that they didn’t want other people’s posts.
2.) People offering guest posts didn’t write anything of value (my opinion).
3.) People offering guest posts sent them horribly formatted and I’d spend 20 minutes fixing syntax errors.

Of these, #3 was probably the most annoying, and so I stopped bothering.

On Tuesday, I posted this massive, monstrous, huge guest post by Tommy Walker, and it was heavily tweeted, heavily commented, heavily visited, and bookmarked like bookmarks were on sale at WalMart (probably because it’s the longest post I’ve ever published on [chrisbrogan.com]).

Sometimes, it’s good to take a chance. Tommy, you done good, sir. Great work.

If you’re not yet acquainted with the person, swing by Tommy.IsMy.Name and get to know Tommy Walker.

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  • http://cashwithatrueconscience.com/rbblog Ryan Biddulph

    Luved the guest post Chris.

    I look at it as giving yourself a chance, to offer a different perspective. I never published guest posts until 3 weeks ago. Lo and behold, business picked up, I made a ton of friends and 1 of my guest posts got loads of comments and shares.

    Thanks for sharing!

    RB

  • http://twitter.com/chrisjkeaton Chris Keaton

    It was a great post…..long, yes, but definitely worthwhile.

  • http://www.margieclayman.com Marjorie Clayman

    Tommy definitely deserves this credit and more.

    I hope you still talk to me down here :)

    • http://tommy.ismy.name Tommy is my name

      Margie you’re so wonderful :-) 

  • http://www.johnpaulaguiar.com John Paul

    Good stuff Chris.  I’ve just started taking in a “couple” guest posts and so far all good things have come.

    New traffic, new friendships, new opt in’s, and a little free time for me to put work to other projects.

    I never took GPs before because some of the same reasons as you.. people come to my blog to read me,  so that’s what I give them.. ME.

    But like Ryan above.. sometimes a new perspective is good.  Bringing someone in that knows a little more about a certain topic that will help your readers is a smart move too.

    I think as long as the GP’s are the minority on your blog, people will still visit you to read YOU.

  • stephen “steve” q shannon

    Boffo! Shared and sharing more with full attribution to you and Tommy every chance I get. sQs Delray Beach FL

  • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

    While it’s true that I do come to a blog to hear the author themselves, if the article is well written, on point, and good enough to leave a comment… then I say keep them coming!

    I imagine it’s not easy to CONSISTENTLY get a guest post like the one from Tommy… but yeah, it doesn’t hurt to try now and again, particularly on days when you didn’t have another post in the queue.

    I also imagine you can take more chances on something like google plus before trying them out at the home base. So Chris, have you had a guest google plus post yet? :)

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    great post.

  • Mary Ulrich

    So many people write that “guest blogging” is the way to fame and fortune. I’ve never thought about what it means for the owner of the blog.

    Tommy’s article, er dissertation had some great ideas. I admit I only got about half way through, but it did get the wheels cranking.

  • http://iamconvicted.com Brett Henley

    I imagine the challenge of “value control” is more difficult for Chris. 

    When you’ve reached the level of influence that writing about your teeth brushing habits will drive conversation … guest posting would be a hell of a process to manage.

    Thanks for giving it a shot Chris, I’ll have to check out Tommy’s post for sure.

  • http://twitter.com/NancyD68 Nancy Davis

    I have had the privilege of guest posting on some pretty cool blogs. I will tell you that for me, I am always hoping to provide value. I feel a personal failure if someone think my post sucks.

    Don’t worry. I would never ask you for a guest post. You are in no imminent danger of me sending you something that no one would like.

    A few months ago, I sent Danny Brown a pitch for two possible guest posts. He emailed me back, suggesting that I blog about how I blog with feeling. I sat down to write the post, and checked it over a few times for spelling and grammar.

    I sent the post off, and heard nothing for a month. I thought it must have sucked. Then I got a message from Danny with a short message and the link to my post. That post got 90+ comments and 100+ tweets. People loved that post.

    You really and truly never know unless you give someone a chance what they can bring. I remember replying to those comments and really feeling so fortunate.

    I know I am a real small fry, but I do pack a good wallop :)

  • http://tommy.ismy.name Tommy is my name

    And thank you Chris for “Taking a Chance” on me :-) 

  • http://twitter.com/susangiurleo susangiurleo

    High quality guest posts rise the bar for everyone. And, shout out to Tommy! It was a great post and worthy of a large audience.

  • Bobby

    Tommy’s post was great, timely, and a much needed kick in the pants! I, too, come here to read Chris, but an occasional guest post with substance and value is a perfect way to change things up, make Chris look like a gracious host, and stir the pot. The key, I suppose, is finding the balance. 137 posts to 1 guest post? 500 and 1? I don’t know – but this felt right. Thanks to both of you.

  • http://prostarassociates.com/ Kenneth Northcutt

    Tommy’s post is worth reading though. Not all the time you get annoyed with guest posts. And so Tommy’s post have proved it. Such a long article but worth reading. I think you just have to be so picky when it comes to allowing guest to post on your blog..  Nice post Chris!

  • Melissa Metcalf

    I bet you get a lot of people asking if they can guest post now.

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