Pay to guest blog? is this normal?

You say you don't want no selling anything or promote anything...

Well, is it not the point to promote your site or service, with guest blogging?

Cheers

I think the OP is talking about paying to be a guest blogger.

I thought as much... and it's a waste of my time, only after I submitted the article, with pics, was I informed that I'd have to pay to have it published... I'll report them to admins, this has to be against TOS.

Can anyone recommend the best way to find blogs to guest blog on...

So far, I'm using google, "keyword blog"

Is this the most efficient way about this?

I tried to contact many such bloggers, but was unsuccessful. In most cases, people asked me to show the self-owned blog. Can anyone share Guest blogging sites where technology related article are accepted without asking for a self-owned blog?

I both accept guest post and write them - and no money ever changes hands. Yesterday 2 articles of mine were published. According to Quantcast, one of them has traffic of 447,000/month and the other 832,100/month. If you want to find people you can write for, join this site: http://www.bloggerlinkup.com. It's free and there are a vast number of opportunities - and growing.

No need for the insult. If you have a proper rebuttal, make it. If not, don't comment.

There's no question guest posting is a link scheme. Even the OP in this thread said he gets 'paid in backlinks' for content he writes.

That's pure unadulterated link scheming if ever I heard it.

The guy who wants $9.95 for the post knows it too. That's why he wants to get paid on the permanents links instead of giving them away for content.

People get very touchy about this I can tell

If that's what you think you obviously don't get the concept of guest blogging.

Link building and SEO is a by-product of successful guest blogging (which ultimately is just another term for quality "article marketing" or "content syndication" - an extremely white hat marketing technique that has been around since the 1990's).

SEO is not the primary focus. Providing high quality content is. There is a BIG difference.

Duncan

The truth is that if you want to "have a good to very very good site / blog / name / reputation etc.", then you will be very selective about what you publish on your site, period.

You cannot cater to the masses of marketers and win the game. You must cater to the few, and restrict participation with an "entry fee".

If your post is accepted on such a site, then the site's links, link value, traffic and reputation will rub off on you in a positive way.

If your post is lost among the hordes of the uncivilized, then the site's potential links, link value, traffic and reputation will be lost in the muck.

Really? PM me please, I may be interested in delivering some sick nasy content for you and your blog.

We seem to have forgotten to send you the bill?! ;-)

Seriously, as @JohnMcCabe mentioned, blogs are happy to run guest posts when they're topical, authoritative and incredibly relevant to the blog's audience. You may need to pay if you don't know how to write but then why bother?

As a newspaper friend of mine once said, "if you want us to publish a story, send us a story; if you want us to run an ad, buy a [expletive deleted] ad!"

The guest post is your opportunity to get my readers interested in you by providing a quality experience. The resource or author box is your opportunity to offer a way to continue that experience.

To use the cliche example, I have a dog blog. You want to promote electronic training collars.

Example A: You submit a guest post supposedly reviewing one of the collars, but it's a thinly veiled promo loaded with anchor text affiliate links. The resource box is a blatant call to buy a collar via another affiliate link.

Example B: You submit an informative guest post on the right way to use such a collar as a training aid rather than an instrument of torture. In your author box, you mention that you wrote a book on training hunting dogs for field trials and link to the page offering the book for sale, along with a free subscription to your tips newsletter.

As a publisher, B has an excellent chance of not only getting published, but of being featured. A is DOA.

I have no problem with someone using a 'pay to post' model. I do have a problem with the way this guy went about it. Definitely underhanded, and if it violates the TOS of the site you found his offer on, deserves to be reported.

As for finding blogs to post on, you're on the right track.

Search for your keyword and things like "write for us", "guest posting", etc. When you find an opportunity, jot down the query you used to find it.

Good to know. I reported him to you after WF confirmed my suspicisions that this was not common practice.

In the words of Father Ted, "Down with this sort of thing"

I said "IMHO." I gave an opinion. I never said anything about 'bad apples' or the 'sky falling.' I said IMHO guest posting for the most part certainly resembles people taking place in a 'link scheme.' I also feel that eventually Google will discount it the same way they have article directories, link directories, Web 2.0 properties, etc etc etc.

Right now guest posts are one of the last bastions of getting 'high quality backlinks.' That means everyone will flood to the practice. Once they do, the abuse will become rampant. Then, finally, Matt Cutts will sit down and program the penalties.

I hadn't given the matter much thought, but I believe you are right.

I have seen blogs that are nothing *but* guest posts, and as you say, they're probably going to proliferate.

Good, thoughtful analysis. Thanks for posting it.

fLufF
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I have heard of ppl charging for guest post. Its quite normal. Make sure you research on how reputable the website is and how many traffic they are getting on average.

Personally, I feel that bloggers who are reputable in the field won't charge you for guest post. Instead they are looking for good quality content. And they are very strict in their requirements.

I would suggest going for the free method. but if you can't meet their requirements. Then pay for it. Hope it helps.

In the original context of this thread, which was guest blogging requests on MyBlogGuest, their policy is that people are not to ask for payment. In a private setting I would say you are correct in that $30 to $50 is a fair price.

Kevin