Guest Posting

Interested in writing a guest post for my blog? Thanks. Here’s the standards by which I accept posts.

Subject Matter

This blog is focused on intentional spiritual growth in the way of Jesus. Its purpose is to help people experience that they are included, beloved and free and to offer practical tools for cultivating a healthy and vibrant inner life and spiritual vitality. Topics that support this focus are welcome.  Browse through my archives for examples of the kind of topics I post on.

Guest Posting Guidelines

  • Length: 500 – 800 words.
  • Originality:  Your post must be your own original content, not previously published in print or on the web.
  • Sales:  No affiliate links, please.  If you have personal information products like books, eBooks, or programs, you can mention them so long as they serve the larger topic of your post.  I will not generally accept posts that seem to be sales or advertisements.  I will accept posts that support your book, if the post is helpful to my audience, and written in a way that doesn’t come across as a sales pitch.
  • Cross-posting:  If you guest post here, you are agreeing not to publish the identical post anywhere else for at least three months. Understand that if you do post the exact same post elsewhere, Google will penalize both of the sites hosting the article, since Google search prioritizes original content.
  • Compensation:  I’m only able to compensate you in gratitude, and a pile of social media support pointing to your blog, your book, or other efforts.  I can also post on your blog in exchange if that’s something you want or find helpful, and my writing serves your audience.
  • Openness to Editing:  I care deeply about the quality of material that gets posted here.  I very likely will copy edit your submission for spelling, grammar, and such.  If I want to make larger changes, that’s something we’ll discuss.
  • Images:  I use 2 attention-grabbing images in each post.  One is a large evocative image that ties into the theme. The second is a sharable meme including an image and a quote from the post. It must be square and a minimum of 300×300 pixels. You can see examples of these in any of my posts. You can provide these, or I will.  If you provide them, they must be properly sourced and credited.

Social Media Support

  • My Support:  I will promote your post via all my social media outlets leading up to your post’s publication.  I will also link to your blog. If your post seems to resonate with my readers, I will also set it up for regular recurring social media shares
  • Your Support:  When guest posting, you are agreeing to support your post by inviting the readers of your blog, your mailing list, as well as other social media followers here to see your post.  It would also be great if you would be present in the comments section on publication day, following up with any questions or comments.

How to Submit

I know how much work a good blog post is, and how much you’ve invested yourself in it.  So, I don’t want you to spend hours crafting a post only to have me decide it’s not a good fit.  So, please don’t email me completed posts.  Here’s what you can do:

  • Email your concept.  If you’re interested in posting, email me here with a short paragraph explaining your concept.  Include a link to your blog, if you have one.  If you don’t have a blog, include a link to at least 2 samples of your writing somewhere online.  I’ll get back to you within a week as to whether I’d like to proceed.  If so, we’ll schedule a publication date that works for both of us.
  • Email your Post.  Once you’re scheduled, email your post to me at least 5 days before our agreed publication date.  Include a short byline and bio (up to 250 words) in the 3rd person, including three links: one for your blog or website, one for your bio or About page, and one for your Twitter profile or Facebook page. It is easiest for me if you submit this via a Google Docs share link. That allows you to easily see and approve any edits I want to make.

Want to write better posts?

If you’re wanting to improve in your blog post writing (and you should!) here are some great resources to get you started.  Posting on a blog is a bit different from writing for other media, and there are a few tips and hints that will help you improve quickly.  Check these out: