{"id":38137,"date":"2021-01-25T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simpleprogrammer.com\/?p=38137"},"modified":"2021-01-25T12:48:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T17:48:42","slug":"guest-posting-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simpleprogrammer.com\/guest-posting-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Mistakes You Are Making When You Are Pitching Articles to Simple Programmer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Have you ever wanted to write a guest post for Simple Programmer?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Like our website, it is something that can often appear complex, but is actually quite simple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We even have\u00a0an entire page<\/a>\u00a0dedicated to helping contributors to learn what we are looking for, and how they can pitch us their submissions, including two previous articles I\u2019ve written with the exact details and process for getting guest posts published with Simple Programmer (and, for what it\u2019s worth, many sites\u00a0beyond<\/em>\u00a0our little corner of the internet.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Even with all this information, the declining state of my submissions queue and inboxes tells me that giving all the\u00a0how-to\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0and approaching this positively still is not working.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So today, I\u2019m going to tell you the top mistakes we see in the Simple Programmer submissions queue, and how you can avoid making them \u2014 so your piece gets published!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Simple Programmer\u2019s Submissions Approval Rate<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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This is something that has never really changed, and can sound a little intimidating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At Simple Programmer, our editorial team approves less than 35% of the submissions we receive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That sounds scary, huh?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But it doesn\u2019t have to be!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Because John has invested in his editorial content so much, we are often more than willing to work with a contributor who is inexperienced with writing for other websites, or has an idea but needs some help pulling it together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There are only a few things we need to see here to take a chance, most of the time:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • You\u00a0actually want to write<\/em>\u00a0for Simple Programmer.<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m not talking about \u201cYeah, a backlink from a website with high domain authority would be great for my brand\u201d \u2014 I\u2019m saying that you have an idea for a piece that you think would really resonate with our readers, and you are excited to work with us to get it published.<\/li>\n
  • You\u00a0actually followed the directions<\/em>. <\/strong>Sending a submission in for us to review is not rocket science. There is a massive orange button at the bottom of the page that says \u201cSubmit Your Article Here\u201d, and that\u2019s really where you should submit your article.<\/li>\n
  • You\u00a0actually want to work with us<\/em>\u00a0at Simple Programmer. <\/strong>Our editorial process is not to get a half-assed draft and publish it without review. Instead, we have a number of editorial rounds your piece may go through. There are guidelines for pieces published on our site. Most of our regular contributors come back to publish multiple pieces because they\u00a0like<\/em>\u00a0this honing of their writing skills \u2014 and our editorial team is a delight to work with (though we may be a little biased!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
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    It\u2019s when people make the mistakes I\u2019m about to share that we start seeing massive red flags, and choose not to move forward on a piece or with a contributor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    This is going to be pretty short and sweet, because I don\u2019t like to dwell on negatives when it comes to a writer putting themselves out there for approval. It is one of the worst feelings a creative person can go through, to lay it out and wait for potential rejection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    No one likes\u00a0rejection<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    And honestly, I don\u2019t like doling out rejections. It is one of the suckiest parts of being a Managing Editor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Before I jump into these mistakes that people make again and again in our submissions queue, let me make one point very clear:\u00a0I\u2019m always looking for a reason to say yes<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Unfortunately, there are some things that instead give me a reason to say no.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mistake #1 – You Didn\u2019t Read the Guidelines and Process<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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    You could say that this one makes me the angriest.<\/p>\n

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    The editor’s internal struggle:<\/p>\n

    Want: WOULD YOU READ THE FUCKING DIRECTIONS & GUIDELINES I SENT YOU BEFORE REPLYING W MORE CANNED AND TEMPLATED SHIT?!<\/p>\n

    Actual: Thanks for this. I suggest reading the directions and guidelines I sent carefully before submitting again.#amediting<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 Elisa Doucette (@elisadoucette) May 20, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n