J.T Dabbagian

If you’re going to be serious about blogging, you’ll eventually want to go into guest blogging, which is basically kindly asking a particular individual to post a blog entry that you write. Before we go further, I would suggest you check out Blog Me Famous’s Five Guidelines to guest blogging (found via Lorelle on Wordpress,) to get the basics of guest blogging. This entry covers the proposal you will be making to the head of the blog in question.

One of the things we learned in journalism is the basics of writing what’s known as a Query Letter. A Query Letter is a letter that proposes that a writer writes an article for a particular media outlet. We will be using this to get the point across in blogging. It consists of basically the following info:

1. An introduction to the prospective article
2. Significance of article and your experience concerning the subject
3. An estimation of how long the article would be
4. Specific requests/questions (Payments, links, bylines, etc.)
5. Links to samples and/or your main site/blog.

Let’s say you wanted to write an entry for Gizmodo about the fictitious new jPhone, which has so many features it makes the iPhone look like a rotary phone. Here’s some explanation on how you would query The Giz:

First, after acknowledging the blog (Always find an editor name,) always start out explaining the subject. In this case, a sentence like “A few days ago, FakeFone Inc. released the jPhone, which promised to have all the cool features of the iPhone,  and the coolness, without the price.”

Then, you explain why you are qualified to write the entry. Something on the lines of research between the i and j phones, or if you’re a reviewer for another gadget blog, among other things. Do sound like you have experience in the matter, but don’t lie.

Most guest blog entries range from 400-500 words, although features could go a little longer. Always try to have an outline of the entry when submitting.

Some bloggers will link back to you, some will give you revenue, and others will give you jack squat. Say what things you would like. However, don’t ask for too much if you’re just starting with someone, otherwise you’ll look like an ass. Furthermore, try not to touch too much on the technical details until you’ve been offered the chance to write the post. Then you can negotiate.

Above all else, try to write the letter as if you were writing a blog entry. The samples you give out, as well as your blog are as much important in the initial offering as the letter itself. Write in a style similar to your blogging style, or people will think you’re trying too hard.

Questions for you:

• What are your tips for writing that perfect query?
• If you read lots of queries, what are things you look for when approving/disapproving emails?
• What was your best query letter, and how did you write it?

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