A Note from Cary
Iʼm so excited to have you write for Vend Raleigh! Guest blogging is a great way to get more visibility for your business! If you don’t know why guest blogging is great for your business, click here!
For those who are scheduled to post for a specific month, please submit an outline of your post no later than 1 month prior to your scheduled publish date. The final post should be submitted by the 20th the month before. (For example, if you are scheduled for May, please submit an outline by April 1st and then submit your final draft to me by the 20th of April.)
For those who are new to guest blogging, an outline will help your writing process. I can give you feedback on what will be most popular with our readers. This will not be a difficult task- I promise! Just have fun and talk about what you already know about! You’d be surprised how much you know about something and how little others know about that topic. I wonʼt be critiquing. I want your voice to come through!
A best practice, even if you arenʼt scheduled to post for months out, start writing now and keep it on file! You can always go back and update information later. We know life (sick children, unexpected travel) can sometimes get in the way, please communicate if you will not be able to complete the task so that I can offer that space to someone else. We can certainly reschedule.
Iʼm very open to all blogging topics. Feel free to share your ideas with me!
Many thanks,
Cary Heise
Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions
Iʼve never written a blog post before and Iʼm not sure how to get started. Can I still participate?
Absolutely! You are a perfect candidate! Vend is a resource to be used to give you more experience in social media. Submitting an outline of your post to me will help your writing process. Think about your blog title, this will help you organize your thoughts as well.
Top 5 Tips for ________
7 Secrets to _________
Best Advice for ________
How to ___________
What I learned from ________
What you should know about ________
Can I use an older blog post? Whatʼs the word count?
All writing for Vend Raleigh must be all or mostly original. Your writing can be a collaboration of other work you have done. We would like to see somewhere between 650-1500 words.
What should I write about?
Your angle for writing shouldnʼt be to “pitch” your business, but in true Vend Raleigh fashion to educate, share and connect with other Mompreneurs. You may have been asked to write on something specific, thatʼs easy enough. For general blog ideas think about what experiences youʼve learned from, speak from your heart about the passion you have for your business, challenges youʼve had balancing work and family, successes you have had, or business advice you have to offer, etc. Iʼm glad to help you create a post and we can always write in an interview style. When closing your post, ask questions to call readers to comment, “What tips would you add?” or “How did you XYZ?”.
Note: If you are looking to solely promote your business, see the answer below.
Do you offer sponsored blog posts?
Absolutely. In addition to guest blog posts written on topics specially asked for by Vend, twice a month we allow sponsored blog posts. These posts are yours to write on whatever you’d like (approved by Cary). You can introduce yourself, promote your business, products, services or events! These are paid sponsored ads. (Rate for Vend Raleigh Directory Members is $50, non-members $75.)
Do I need a headshot?
Please include a headshot or a logo image. A professional headshot is preferred. If you do not have a one, we can certainly use another image for your post. (If you donʼt have a professional headshot, I encourage you to invest in one!)
What is the audience Iʼm writing for?
Youʼll be speaking to Mompreneurs in all professional areas, but sometimes youʼll be speaking to a group that is specific to your field (photographers or direct sales for example). With the new Vend Raleigh Directory, you will want to consider future clients reading your work. The directory brings people outside our group to shop/hire local, small, mom-owned businesses- you!
Don’t forget your bio!
Once you have access to the Vend Raleigh website, you will be able to edit your contributors profile. Those details include items like, 3 or 4 sentences about you and your business, social media hyperlinks, headshot and a hyperlink to your website.