GUEST POSTS GUIDELINES

I do not sell links but I do accept guest posts at both AmateurTraveler.com and california.amateurtraveler.com. I would go further to say that some of the best posts we have on the site were written by other travel bloggers, travel journalists, and travelers. None were written by an offshore SEO team.

I am very very busy now that I have gone back to work full-time. I am doing 2 travel blogs and 2 podcasts so I could use some guest posts, but really I am looking for 1 or 2 good posts a week. I get pitched at least 100 times a week. So just know that I am looking for a reason to say quickly no to 99 people a week. So if you want me to say yes, at least read everything before the Bonus Information heading.

Linking

• If you want a link back to an article on your blog, that’s fine. To bloggers, I offer one link back (do-follow) per thousand words of content. For companies, you get one link.
• I do not accept links for casinos and outline gambling, marijuana, or essay writing services.
• I need to know which link you care about, as I may remove every other link you add, so tell me.

Cost

I do not currently charge for guest posts. I do charge if you want me to write an article. If you don’t have a good writer, you can sometimes pay me to write the article or pay me to find you a writer for $350+.

Requirements

• I looking for posts of 2000+ words.
• You need to get your topic approved before you send me an article.
• Pitch me articles about destinations.
• I need to see at least six photos the author took at the destination (not stock images). If you don’t have one I am not going to believe the author has been there.
• I need to make sure I have a legal right to use any photos. Don’t send me photos you don’t own. I can find creative commons licensed or public domain photos if I need to. One of the reasons that I like to see photos, even bad photos, is that it increases my confidence that the author has been to the destination they are writing about.

Deliverables Clarified

• Article: 2000+ words
• Author’s name
• 2-line author bio
• Photos you took (again, don’t send me photos you didn’t take)
• Tell me which link(s) you care about
• email host@amateurtraveler.com
• Make sure you have a gravatar at http://en.gravatar.com/, which is registered with the email of the author.

Show me you read this part of the instructions. Include the password “I can follow instructions” as the first line of your reply or don’t expect to hear back from me.

Bonus Information

What I am looking for is good travel writing articles.

1. The stories have to have a point
2. They need to be written in such as fashion as not to need a lot of editing since I don’t have time for that
3. Posts can either be destination pieces (a trip that others could also take) or essays, but I strongly prefer destination-based content
4. They need to be on a destination the writer has personally visited
5. Stories should not have appeared elsewhere
6. I am looking for articles that are helpful to readers that they will read for 2 minutes or more.

See What Makes Good Travel Writing? and Improve Your Writing – Tell A Story

How to get rejected

• Lie to me. Tell me that you loved reading a post, and then include a link to a podcast episode.
• Have poor English in your pitch letter.
• Get your facts wrong. Tell me that the Woodstock festival was held in Woodstock, NY. Tell me that surfing is good in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco.
• Be generic. Be vague. “There are lots of great museums in the city.” Oh? Like what?
• Have bad writers. 
• Send me a completed article without me approving your pitch ahead of time.
• If you write back asking questions answered here, I will ignore you.

What to pitch

• I am unlikely to say yes if you pitch me great places to see in the World or the U.S.
• I am more likely if you pitch me things to see in a specific state, especially California.
• But I am even more likely if you pitch me great museums in Los Angeles for families or favorite California State parks for history lovers. Get specific.
• Include some keyword research that shows me why the post will be good for my blog to make me really love you.