How to Write a Brilliant Application for a Blogging Job

This is a guest post by Ali Hale. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

If you’ve been around the blogosphere for a while, you’re probably aware that blogging jobs exist. That’s right, people (like me) actually get paid to write regular blog posts, working as “staff bloggers” on various sites. And there are are loads of bloggers – you might be one of them? – wanting to get on board. I’m not surprised; it’s a great way to make a living!

(For those who’ve no idea what I’m talking about, go and take a quick look at the ProBlogger job board for some examples.)

Many bloggers are failing at the first hurdle, though, by sending applications that get deleted almost as soon as they’re opened.

So how can you write a great application?

Step 1: Treat it Seriously

You don’t need to spend hours and hours agonising over every blogging job application you write – but you should take it seriously. That means allowing time to read the advert several times and to make sure you’re providing all the information that’s requested. It also means writing in a professional way: you can be friendly and a little more informal than you might be in an application for a traditional job, but you don’t want your email or resume to be littered with typos or full of inappropriate language.

Step 2: Follow the Instructions

Blog editors are busy people, and they generally know what they want. If you’re asked to send two samples of your writing along with a covering email, don’t send your resume instead. Even if the instructions seem a bit arbitrary (such as putting a certain word in the subject line), stick to them anyway: a seasoned editor may be testing applicants to make sure they can follow instructions.

In many cases, editors end up so overwhelmed with applications that they simply delete any that don’t match up to what was requested. Don’t give the editor an easy reason to bin your email.

Step 3: Tailor Your Application

If you’re asked to send your resume, don’t dig out the one you last used when you graduated from high school. Make sure your resume is blogging-specific. That might mean including some or all of these:

• Details about your own blog (especially if you’ve been running it for a long time, or if you have reasonably impressive readership levels)
• Any writing courses you’ve taken – including school or college classes
• Knowledge of social media
• Your experience or qualifications that relate directly to the blog’s topic

In your employment history, you might want to draw out points that highlight any areas that particularly relate to blogging, or to the topic of the blog you’re applying to.

Step 4: Send a Concise, Comprehensive Email

Your email is the first thing the editor will read. However great your samples are, if your email’s badly written, you’re going to make a poor impression.

This is a simplified version of a template from the third unit of my Staff Blogging Course; it’s a suggested email structure to help would-be staff bloggers secure their first paid job. It’s an easy way to make sure you’ve included everything necessary without adding a lot of waffle or irrelevant detail:

Dear [editor name],

Paragraph 1: I saw your advert for a [type of blog] blogger, at [link to the ad], and I’d be very interested in writing for you.

Paragraph 2: I run my own blog, [name of your blog] and have also written for [name some blogs you’ve guest-posted on – try to make them relevant to this application.]

Paragraph 3: [Make it clear that you have the specific skills that the advert asked for, e.g. that you use WordPress on your own blog, if WordPress knowledge is required.]

Paragraph 4: I have attached [three samples/my resume/etc] as requested. [OR link to samples if the editor has requested no attachments.]

Many thanks for your time and consideration, and best regards,

[Your full name]

[Your email address and, optionally, other contact details]

Make sure that the samples you choose are as relevant as possible to the blog: if you’re applying to write for a golfing blog, a sports-related piece is likely to go down better than a parenting article that you wrote.

Step 5: Proofread, Proofread, Proofread

Many of us in the blogging world get a bit haphazard about proof-reading: it’s easy to correct a post after publishing it, so the occasional misspelling or accidentally omitted word doesn’t really matter. Most of the emails or Tweets we send are to friends and casual acquaintances who won’t think any worse of us if we typo something.

Think from the blog editor’s perspective, though: a carelessly written email suggests that you’ll be a careless, slap-dash blogger. It really does matter:

Those looking to hire bloggers for commercial positions will take your abilities [with the English language] in your application as a hint as to how well you’ll perform on their blog.

(Applying for a Blogger Job? Treat it Seriously, ProBlogger)

So make sure you proofread your email, at least twice. Don’t just run it through your spell-checker – there are a lot of mistakes it won’t catch.

Step 6: Congratulate Yourself!

That’s it! You’ve sent off a brilliant application, and you can sit back and feel justifiably proud of yourself. Blog editors do often receive hundreds of applications for every job going – but by taking the above steps, you’ll have put yourself in the top 10% of applicants.

Good luck!

Ali Hale pays her rent and bills through freelance blogging, and has written the Staff Blogging Course to teach other bloggers how to find and apply for jobs, write brilliant posts, and keep up their motivation once they have as much work as they can handle!