Guest posting is one of those evergreen tactics in digital marketing: when done well, it boosts your authority, improves SEO, drives referral traffic, and helps you connect with new audiences. But “done well” means following some proven guidelines. Whether you’re the guest author or the publisher accepting guest content, these rules help make guest posts successful for both sides.
What is a Guest Post?
A guest post (or guest blog post) is an article you write and publish on someone else’s blog or website. In digital marketing, guest posts are used for:
- Sharing expertise and knowledge
- Building backlinks to your site
- Enhancing personal or brand authority
- Reaching new audiences
- Helping the host site by providing fresh content
Because guest posts involve trust (you’re contributing content to someone else’s audience), having clear guidelines is essential.
Why Guest Post Guidelines Matter
For the person who runs a blog or website (the publisher), guidelines help:
- Ensure consistency in quality
- Protect the blog’s brand and tone
- Avoid spammy or low-value content
- Make the editorial/review process smoother
For the guest author, guidelines help:
- Know what is expected so the post isn’t rejected
- Save time by avoiding rewrites
- Improve chances of acceptance
Key Components of Good Guest Post Guidelines
Here are the typical sections you’ll see in high-quality guest post guidelines, based on what’s effective in real digital marketing sites:
| Component | What it means | Example from real guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Originality & Plagiarism | Your article must be unique, not published elsewhere. Must pass plagiarism tools. | “All submissions must pass Copyscape and must not be published elsewhere.” University Of Digital Marketing |
| Word Count & Depth | Minimum number of words (often 800-1500+) to ensure sufficient depth. | “Minimum Word Count: 1000 words long” IdeaWise+1 |
| Relevance / Topic | Topics must be relevant to the site’s audience, e.g. digital marketing niches. | “Topics must be closely related to digital marketing — e.g. SEO, Social Media…” University Of Digital Marketing |
| Formatting & Structure | Use headings, subheadings, bullets, short paragraphs. Clear intro & conclusion. | “Use headings and subheadings, bullet points …” IdeaWise+1 |
| Style / Tone | Friendly, authoritative, well-written. Grammar and spelling checked. No fluff. | “Only well-written, original, high-quality content will be considered.” University Of Digital Marketing+1 |
| Links / Backlinks Policy | How many links you can include, what type, no spammy promotional links. | “You may include up to 2-3 non-promotional links…” University Of Digital Marketing |
| Images & Media | Relevant, copyright free, optimized, minimum resolution. | “Include a copyright-free featured image …” Qrius |
| Author Bio | Small bio, maybe a headshot, link back to author site. | “Include a short author bio (max 50 words) with links …” DG Royals Institute & Company |
| Review & Edits | Publisher has right to edit. Authors should expect revision requests. | “We reserve the right to edit your submission for clarity, grammar, or style.” Rankex Digital+1 |
| Submission Process | How to pitch, what format to use (.docx, Google Docs, HTML), where to send. | “Email your article draft in Google Docs or Word format …” University Of Digital Marketing |
What Publishers Often Do NOT Accept
These are common “no-go” items in guest post guidelines (something authors should avoid):
- Plagiarized or duplicated content
- Very thin/short content with no substance (only listicles with little detail)
- Affiliate links, overt promotion of services/products unless clearly disclosed
- Bad grammar, spelling, or unreadable style
- Irrelevant topics off-niche
- Image assets that violate licensing rules
Example In-Depth Guidelines to Follow (For Guest Authors)
Here’s a detailed checklist you can follow if you’re preparing a guest post, especially in digital marketing:
- Choose a topic that’s relevant and useful. Check what the blog has already covered; avoid repeating overly similar content.
- Do thorough research:
- Use recent statistics, data, examples
- Link credible sources
- Use case studies or original thoughts rather than generic opinions
- Keyword & SEO considerations:
- Pick a primary keyword or phrase related to digital marketing
- Use headers (H2, H3) that include that keyword naturally
- Don’t over-optimize (avoid keyword stuffing)
- Write with structure:
- An intro that hooks the reader
- Body broken into sections with clear headings
- Conclusion summarizing take-aways and maybe giving a call to action / ideas to implement
- Format for readability:
- Short paragraphs (2-4 lines)
- Bullet / numbered lists where helpful
- Use images, screenshots, infographics if possible
- Link policy:
- Only link to high-quality sources
- Use 1-3 outbound links (unless site allows more), do-follow or no-follow as per guidelines
- Include internal links if relevant
- Author bio & images:
- Provide a brief bio (50-100 words)
- Include a photo (if allowed or required)
- Social media or website link (if permitted)
- Submit properly:
- Check formatting: spelling, grammar, readability
- Use the format requested by the publisher (Google Doc, Word, HTML)
- Follow their email or web submission process
How to Create Good Guest Post Guidelines If You’re a Publisher
If you run a blog and plan to accept guest posts, here’s how to define your own guidelines:
- Define the audience & topics you cover
- Set minimum word count & quality expectations
- Decide how many inbound / outbound links are allowed
- Specify image guidelines (size, licensing)
- Author bio rules
- Editing rights & content ownership
- Time for review & publishing process
- Whether or not to accept republishing elsewhere
Real-World Examples & Benchmarks
Here are snippets of what real blogs do (to help you see what’s effective):
- Digital Marketing Community (DMC) requires 800+ words, excerpt summary, strong headings, no affiliate/self-promo links. Digital Marketing Community
- University of Digital Marketing demands 1000 words minimum, polished English, relevance to their topics (social media, SEO, email, etc.), limited links. University Of Digital Marketing
- Rankex Digital likes long, well-structured posts (3000+ words), SEO-friendly, multimedia inclusion, strict quality. Rankex Digital
Common Mistakes to Avoid (Guest Authors & Publishers)
| Mistakes by Guest Authors | Mistakes by Blog Owners / Publishers |
|---|---|
| submitting content off-topic | not updating guidelines over time |
| weak introductions that don’t hook | rejecting without feedback |
| too many or irrelevant links | accepting low-quality content just for quantity |
| poor formatting & readability | not editing or proofreading content |
| reusing old content without updates | ignoring contributor relationship & credit |
Wrap-Up: Best Practices
- Always write for the reader first, search engines second.
- Be original, specific, data-backed.
- Respect the blog’s tone, structure, and formatting.
- Build relationships — guest posting is a two-way street (you contribute; they help you reach new audience).
- Keep an eye on performance of your guest posts: traffic, engagement, backlink quality.