WritingThoughts

Adapted from ©iStock.com/Rouzes

You fill in the blank: e-book, guest post, website, app, etc.

I get a lot of requests from readers wanting me to review something of theirs. Occasionally, when something really interests me, I do publish a review or a guest post here. But, most of the time I don’t do the reviews that I’m requested to do.

Here’s why.

Reason #1: Reviews Take Time

I’m sure you can understand that if I’m going write about something for my blog, I need to take the time to really study it.

Even if you’ve submitted a guest post that’s “ready-to-go,” I still need to read it and make sure that it fits my blog. Plus, a surprising number of “ready-to-go” guest posts aren’t really ready-to-go at all.

The truth is that I have to put my paying work first. I don’t get paid to do this blog and so sometimes the blog goes on the back burner.

Reason #2: You Didn’t Do Your Homework

Many review requests appear to be sent out in a mass mailing. The emails I get seem to follow the exact format:

Dear (Insert My Name):

I have a (blank) I would like you to review for your blog (insert my blog’s name).

The (blank) does blank. All that I’d like in return for you promoting my (blank) is a link back to my website.

Here are some more links about my (blank) and/or other posts that I wrote.

(Insert list of posts on blogs I’ve never heard of.)

Sincerely yours…

I actually don’t know if there’s a standard review request format out on the Internet somewhere that people are just filling out, but it certainly seems like it.

Often, the products and posts being referred to by these generic looking emails have nothing whatsoever to do with my blog.

You didn’t do your homework. Instead, all that you did was skip researching my blog and sent me the same standard email that you probably send to dozens of bloggers.

Reason #3: Your (Blank) is Trash

Once again, you fill in the blank.

More often than you’d think, whatever it is that I’m being asked to review isn’t very good. It may be a poorly written guest post, a half-baked app, or a badly designed site.

The thing is, I’m not going promote a badly conceived product or share a badly written post on my blog. Nor am I going to publish your material just so that you can get some links. You see, I still feel that what gets published here represents me.

What You Can Do Instead

I’m more likely to review something or publish something if I recognize the person it is coming from. Of course, there are no guarantees because I still get busy, but if I am familiar with your work and know that it is generally of high quality I’ll probably take a look.

The other thing you can do is make sure that whatever you’re promoting is really something that would be interesting or useful to me and to those who read the blog. Be honest with yourself about this. Most companies that want me to review products or services have something that doesn’t fill my needs at all. And most guest posts that are submitted don’t fit in very well with the style or purpose of the blog.

You can learn more about what I might consider publishing by really reading this blog.