Rates for Contributing Positions

By: Melanie Blodgett. Photography by: Present and Correct

Some of the questions I hear the most about contributing to other blogs are about payment. To be more specific, how much should you expect? How much can I ask for and still be reasonable? I kind of wish there was a rate system for contributing comparable to a sizing chart for clothes. The fact is rates vary – a lot. Here are just two of the variables you’ll face:

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Link Love: Best Practices for Being a Contributor

By: Melanie Blodgett. Photography by: Have & Hold Design

Still wondering about contributing and if it is right for you? Check out these links and have a great weekend!

1. If you missed out on the contributing panel at Alt, here’s a recap.

2. How the Huffington Posts works (in case you were wondering).

3. The perks of being a blog contributor.

4. Blog Brunch held a session on contributing, these are what some of the participants had to share.

5. How to get big names to know your name.

6. Advice on how to set your freelancing rates (contributing is freelance blogging!)

Still want more? Be sure to sign up for the Contributing 101 class next Monday, 4/29.

Spring Cleaning Your Business

By: Sara Urquhart. Photography by: Amanda Catherine Designs

Whether or not the sun is officially shining in your town, spring is here and it’s time to look around and make some improvements.  Find some inspiration below to help you spruce things up around your business.

• Pick up that business book you keep hearing about (or take time read that one that’s been sitting on your desk for a few months)
• Find a potential mentor, and ask if she’ll share her wisdom
• Develop an accountability partnership with a friend or colleague who has similar interests
• Tweak your site design
• Refresh your bio
• Update your profile photo
• Choose two loose ends that are bothering you and put a deadline for them on your calendar
• Take a baby step toward something big you want (and calendar a deadline for that, too)

Why Contribute?

By: Melanie Blodgett. Photography by: Gabriela Herman Some of you may be excited about the possibility of contributing, but some of you may be wondering why you would choose to create content for sites that are not your own. Here are 5 reasons why contributing is beneficial: Contributing is a money maker If your own site isn’t large enough to pull in much cash flow, you can make money contributing. Sites that hire contributors have the advertising revenue to be able to compensate you. In turn, you can take the money you earn to help build your blog by investing in a custom design or hiring contributors of your own. Contributing will help grow your traffic Your traffic grows the more readers with similar interests are drawn to your site. Contributing to sites with a larger readership will attract visitors who will hopefully become faithful readers.

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Three Tips for How to Keep Readers on Your Site

By: Melanie Burk. Artwork by: Sandy Welch

In today's world, keeping readers on your site is simply a race against the clock. With the advent of instagram, pinterest, and the veracious amount of information on the internet, our viewers have become accustomed to a "scroll, scroll, scroll" quick glance at your content, and then  with a click they are gone. 

In fact, I have found that for most of my blogger clients, users spend an average of 2 min to 2 1/2 minutes on their site. If you don't believe me–check your analytics! Viewers are spending less and less time on sites, and now the trick is not only getting viewers to your site, but keeping them on your site.  Here are a few design tricks that can really help your viewers really focus on your site and actually read your blog content.

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