I founded DivGro in January 2013 and joined a growing community of dividend growth (DG) bloggers tracking their portfolios online.
By interacting with like-minded investors, I've become a better DG investor. I've learned a tremendous amount about DG investing, how to value dividend stocks, and, frankly, the benefits of blogging.
I've also learned so much from reading other DG blogs. It is fascinating to see what motivates other bloggers and how they approach DG investing. Many of the things I do here at DivGro blog are based on things I've seen elsewhere.
As I'm approaching my 500th article, I'm wondering if adding guest posts to DivGro would be helpful. Doing so would expose readers to other DG bloggers and their approaches to investing. Perhaps we'll all learn something new just because other voices are being given a chance to speak up!
Would other DG bloggers want to guest post on DivGro? My guess is they would—I've received several requests from other bloggers via my Contact page about guest posting. So far, I've declined these requests saying that I'm not presently accepting guest posts.
Also, I think other DG bloggers could really benefit from guest posting on DivGro, especially if they include a short bio and link back to their own blog. For new bloggers, it could be a great way to introduce themselves to the DG investor community.
So, what do you think? Would you like DivGro to host guest posts? If you're a DG blogger, would you be interested in writing a guest post for DivGro?
Below is a survey form with a few questions. Please fill it out and you can help guide DivGro's future! As always, feel free to share your opinions and suggestions in the Comments section below the form.
Thanks in advance! – I'll run the survey through May 31st and share the results in an upcoming post.
Hello:
ReplyDeleteI only can say, thanks and congratulations from Spain. This idea is good, but it can change a little your blog. Promotion of other blogs always is good, but I think they should follow the DivGro way.
Tanks and congratulations.
Hi, El Dividendo -- good to hear from you again!
DeleteI'm thoughtful of the potential impact of hosting guest posts, that's why I wanted to poll my readers first. There are definitely pros and cons. I've listed just a few of the pros above.
Depending on how the questionnaire goes, I'll definitely develop some guest post guidelines to help authors and to ensure that the guest posts are of the quality that I believe my readers appreciate.
For example, I wouldn't accept straight-up promotional pieces. If authors write and post great content on DivGro, my readers would want to visit their websites to read more great content.
Take care!
I agree with El, I think it's important that your guest posts follow similar format to your website. Cheers
ReplyDeleteThanks, Buy, Hold Long -- I agree that guest posts should follow a similar format. I'll develop some guidelines to help with that and I'll also work with authors to ensure a similar "look and feel".
DeleteCertainly, guest posts should be relevant to what my readers would expect to find at DivGro. For example, I would encourage submissions about DG investment strategy, selection criteria, valuation methods, stock analyses, etc.
Thanks for commenting!
I've gotten a couple requests for guest posts as well. Some have even asked how much I charge for a guest post. I'm not entirely opposed to it. The extra money would be nice. But, for one, I don't know how much to charge and, more importantly, I want the post to have substance and not be one big advertisement. I actually recently had a guest author on my site (http://www.twoinvesting.com/2017/05/5-financial-metrics-you-should-ignore-when-investing/). Troy contacted me via email and asked if he could do a guest post. He didn't ask to be paid and the material fit with my site. I think guest posts like that are very appropriate. They'd even provide some new perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI have also gotten emailed about including an advertising link to the bottom of a few of my posts. I've emailed them back asking to see examples of this commercial link on other sites and so far have not heard back... Again, I don't know what to charge for this if I would even do it.
As most of us do, I also have some advertisements on my site. These ads so far just earn enough to pay for the hosting. I'm not popular enough to count on the advertising revenue to contribute anything substantial to my investments.
As long as the guest posts aren't a big advertisement, I am all for it.
Scott
Hi Scott -- thanks so much for sharing your experiences and thoughts.
DeleteMy thought is that charging for guest posts would invite exactly the kind of thing that I wouldn't want, namely some sort of marketing type article. So I agree 100% with you that I'd much rather have something with substance. Furthermore, I feel that if someone writes for DivGro, they should do it without expecting payment and rather to create a little more exposure for themselves and their websites.
I would certainly welcome new and even different/controversial perspectives. Healthy debate is fun and I tend to learn from listening to other's viewpoints.
As for advertising, I don't want to see much more than what is currently on DivGro. Further, I would probably discourage the placement of affiliate links in guess posts, unless I can be convinced that it would really be beneficial to my readers.
Take care!
I second what Two Investing mentioned: "I want the post to have substance and not be one big advertisement."
ReplyDeleteNoted, dividendGeek -- I agree 100% that guest posts should have substance and not be one big advertisement!
DeleteDo it and charge them a fee.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a different perspective! I'd prefer great substance, though.
DeleteGo for it! And, I may be interested in contributing a guest post.
ReplyDeleteOK -- thanks for letting me know! I see you added your website to the form.
DeleteI like the idea Ferdi. It's a great way for other bloggers to get exposure and it takes the pressure off of you to consistently create new content.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Investment Hunting! Based on the feedback so far, the majority seems to like the idea. And, so far, I have about 10 volunteers that would be willing to write a guest article!
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