Rant, but also a real question. I’m a content writer who does guest posts for a handful of B2B clients, and this year I’ve noticed a big change. I pitched 70 sites in the marketing and HR space with actual topic ideas, not generic stuff.
– 31 replied
– 22 of those asked for a “publishing fee” or “editorial fee”
– 6 accepted a free contribution
– 3 wanted it but with no link allowed
Even sites with real editorial teams now reply with a rate card. A couple said they only accept free contributions from “recognised experts” which means someone with a big following.
So the free route is basically: spend 5 hours writing something good for a site that will maybe publish it with one link. I’m not against paying in principle, but then I’m not sure what separates it from buying links.
Are you still finding sites that take genuinely free guest posts? What kind of sites, and what got you in?
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