Promotion Overload

The online writing community rocks, right? I love how supportive everyone is and the willingness of writers to "share" their online space so other writers can promote their work. We all know how helpful it is to get our work in front of a new audience.

I love writers helping writers!

But is there such a thing as being too helpful?

As a reader of blogs, I have my favorites. Other writers and agents who offer something I find valuable. And I enjoy visiting these blogs to find occasional guest posts, cover reveals and tour stops. But when this "other" content starts to take over a blog, I miss the value that drew me to a blog in the first place. And over the course of time, a favorite blog can become a forgotten blog.

So how do you stay an active, helpful member of the community without alienating your own audience? When it comes to external content, it all comes down to Quantity and Quality.

Quantity
It's really up to you on how often to include external content on your blog. The key is to decide and make a plan. You might pick a day of the week as open to others. Another option is to set a number of posts per month for promoting others. No matter how you decide it, stick to your guns. There are always going to be writers looking for places to promote their work. Bending the limit can create a landslide that sets your blog on the path of becoming a billboard.

Quality
I'm not talking about how good the guest content is written, but how good it is for your readers. Think about the genre and age you focus on, but also on your niche. This means making sure that a guest post of tour stop provides the kind of content your readers are looking for. Don't be afraid to ask guest posters to tailor their topic to your blog. Tweet this!

For example, while I'm happy to let others promote their books here, I ask guests to write content that focuses on their marketing efforts. It allows them to talk about their work and provides my readers with helpful information that can aide in their own marketing efforts. Hello, win-win.

So don't stop being an awesome member of this amazing community. Just know the appropriate quantity and quality to share with your readers.