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How to Advertise for a Blogger

Blogger-JobsUpdated September 2016

Having run the ProBlogger Job Boards for 10 years now and having seen thousands of jobs advertised in that time – there are a number of tips that I’d give to advertisers looking to fill job positions via our blogger job boards (note – if you’re a blogger looking for a job then I wrote a post previously on How to Apply for a Blog Job).

1. Headlines are Vital

Most bloggers who follow our job boards are tracking new ads via RSS in news aggregators. I find that many of them scan these feeds and therefore your headline needs to stand out and be specific as to what you’re looking for. In a similar way to the way I advise bloggers to carefully consider titles of posts you should do the same for the ads you post on our job boards.

2. Specific Ads Work Best

Ads for specific jobs tend to get a higher quality of applicant. Advertise for a ‘tech blogger’ or ‘entertainment blogger’ and you’ll filter out bloggers who are not interested in these topics. You’ll also attract bloggers who have more experience in these areas. Advertise for something general like ‘bloggers’ or ‘writers’ and you’ll attract a less focussed applicant and possible miss out on exactly what you’re looking for. Be specific in your headline and the body of the ad itself.

3. Advertise Actual Jobs

Some advertisers put up more general ads as they are looking for more than one blogger. While this is ok by us and I find that these advertisers do get results – it is those ads that are for one specific position that tend to be filled fastest and which get higher quality applicants. This enables you to be specific with your ad and the applicant to respond more specifically. Advertise for more than one position in an ad and you risk confusing your potential applicants.

4. Only advertise jobs for sites you control

Please do not advertise for bloggers to write for you on other sites that you do not control (i.e. paying to build undisclosed links on popular media sites). These jobs will be removed.

5. Clearly Outline What You’re Looking for from a Blogger

The more information you’re able to give potential applicants the better the applications will be and the more targeted they will be to your particular needs. Give information on:

  • what the job entails (topic, posting levels, other roles you expect them to perform)
  • payment (if applicable share either how much you’ll pay or what type of payment you go with – ie is it revenue share, flat fee per month, payment per post etc)
  • how you want bloggers to apply (give information on what you want in an application – ie do you want a resume, examples of previous work, links to other blogs, an answer to a specific question etc)

6. Be Concise

Clearly written ads that don’t overwhelm prospective bloggers tend to do better than longer and more complex ads. Tell people what you want and how you want to be approached in the ad and leave it at that. It doesn’t hurt to proof read your ads – nothing puts off a potential blogger more than an ad with mistakes. You can edit your ad in your Employer Panel after it goes live if you need to.

7. Acknowledge Job Applications

Jobs advertised on ProBlogger get a varying number of applicants. Some advertisers literally get hundreds of applications while others get a handful (often depending upon the above factors). Whether you get a few or a lot of applicants – managing your applicants through your Employer Panel allows you to change the status of an applicant and send automatic emails to advise if they have been successful or unsuccessful. Note: You will still need to follow up these automatic emails with an actual offer and how to contact you if they are successful. Alternatively, you can have an email response ready for applicants that:

  • acts as a receipt for the job application
  • outlines the process from here on in (including a time line for the decision)
  • gives any follow up information or questions that you want applicants to respond to

Having spoken to many applicants from the job boards – there’s nothing that frustrates them more than putting together a response to an advertisement (which can take some time) and then never hearing anything back from the advertiser. Even just a short an generic email back to applicants can help them a lot and will help your reputation as an employee.

8. If you Fill the Job Mark it as ‘Filled’

If you manage to find a blogger to fill your blogging job make sure you mark the job as filled. If you don’t you may continue to receive applications. You can easily mark your job as filled by following the instructions here.

About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. Hey Darren thanks for the great advice.

    Someone once said that specific questions get specific answers. The same thing applies here. Specific job postings get specific responses from people fitting your specific criteria.

    I think the best advice is to be specific and keep it simple folks.

  2. Thanks for the great tips as usual Darren, always useful info.

  3. When you mention the importance of headlines and titles in advertising for a blogger you made me think of the way I sort and view everything on the Internet. If the headline or title does not get my attention I pass right by it.

    I don’t know if I will ever have the need to hire a blogger but I always come away with some new knowledge from your posts.

    Thanks again from a new blogger as I am going back to review my titles of blogs and reports in my website to see If changes could increase readership.
    Max at http://ConsumerFight.com

  4. What you just advise could also be applied to many other topics: applying for a real job, posting, asking, etc.

  5. Thanks Darren, for your comment about mistakes.

    I don’t want to work for an organization that can’t proofread its own ads — one bulletin board I frequent really ripped a job posting asking for people who “knew there city.”

    Way to make yourself look dumb!

  6. is this for real ? how can i earn from this job ?

  7. Great post, Darren. At the risk of sounding conceited, I’ll say that I think I’m a pretty good catch for a company looking for a blogger, and I’m always looking for a new opportunity. However, I find that I don’t apply to most blogging jobs because they don’t list the specific requirements or pay structure. I’d rather not waste my time applying for a posted blogger position that doesn’t list the pay under the assumption that the pay must stink or the advertiser would list it in the ad. I’m sure that’s not always the case, but my point is that many advertisers drive good applicants away by not listing the pay and posting requirements.

  8. And yet another great post. And nice jump in your feed count too :)

  9. Thanks Darren, I like ProBlogger job page.

  10. This is all great advice. problogger jobs is such an awesome resource too! *=)

  11. Great tip Darren. Few tips you mention could be applicable when placing any job ads (Not just blog related).

  12. This is a fantastic idea and something that I’ve been looking for for a while. I run a number of businesses that would certainly benefit from bespoke blog content and I’ll pass the word onto others. Derek at http://www.gampay.com :)

  13. Finding jobs online is easier than finding on the newspaper.

  14. “Acknowledge Job Applications”: This isn’t practical if your project has a stealth component and you don’t want to set up a fake identity for the acknowledgments.

  15. The funny thing that quite some job boards do not have the set if instructions like this – on how to publish a job propperly. :)

    Well done!

    Cheers,
    Ivan http://www.JobsBlog.ie

  16. I am looking to hire a blogger to post articles on blogs. I would appreciate if you could provide a cost and frequency to post on blogs. These articles are true accounts and we want to get the word out and need help. Looking to scope the cost, get approval and start as soon as we are able. This is a serious inquiry and would appreciate your time.

  17. Its a kind of service I was looking for disparately. Finding a quality blogger can be one of the most tedious tasks. I am going to post a blogger request shortly and I believe I will get one quickly. Thanks a lot for this service.

  18. Before placing an ad for a blogger it would really help us to know more about the kind of people who read the problogger jobs board – ie what countries are they from? What industries do they specialise in? – more demographic info to help us work out whether advertising here would be in our interest.

  19. Hi Rosie, in answer to your question..

    I am a blogger and I read this board (obviously *wink*)

    I am based in the UK, but my clients have been based in the USA, Canada and the UK. I am paid via paypal.

    I can’t speak for other bloggers, but my blogging topics are wide, from natural health, job hunting, affiliate marketing to dating and relationship advice.

    Like most bloggers I have my own website where I showcase samples of work and testimonials.

    If you are looking for bloggers, you can do no more than post the details here. This site draws a lot of traffic from work hungry bloggers like myself. The competition is fierce and you will have your pick of the crop.

  20. Darren, as always great advice, but, what happened to the following sentence?
    “Even just a short an generic email back to applicants can help them a lot and will help your reputation as an employee. ”
    It should be “short and generic” and “employer”
    Just saying… ;)
    Regards.

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