Having run the ProBlogger Job Boards for 10 years now and having seen thousands of jobs advertised in that time – there are a number of tips that I’d give to advertisers looking to fill job positions via our blogger job boards (note – if you’re a blogger looking for a job then I wrote a post previously on How to Apply for a Blog Job).
1. Headlines are Vital
Most bloggers who follow our job boards are tracking new ads via RSS in news aggregators. I find that many of them scan these feeds and therefore your headline needs to stand out and be specific as to what you’re looking for. In a similar way to the way I advise bloggers to carefully consider titles of posts you should do the same for the ads you post on our job boards.
2. Specific Ads Work Best
Ads for specific jobs tend to get a higher quality of applicant. Advertise for a ‘tech blogger’ or ‘entertainment blogger’ and you’ll filter out bloggers who are not interested in these topics. You’ll also attract bloggers who have more experience in these areas. Advertise for something general like ‘bloggers’ or ‘writers’ and you’ll attract a less focussed applicant and possible miss out on exactly what you’re looking for. Be specific in your headline and the body of the ad itself.
3. Advertise Actual Jobs
Some advertisers put up more general ads as they are looking for more than one blogger. While this is ok by us and I find that these advertisers do get results – it is those ads that are for one specific position that tend to be filled fastest and which get higher quality applicants. This enables you to be specific with your ad and the applicant to respond more specifically. Advertise for more than one position in an ad and you risk confusing your potential applicants.
4. Only advertise jobs for sites you control
Please do not advertise for bloggers to write for you on other sites that you do not control (i.e. paying to build undisclosed links on popular media sites). These jobs will be removed.
5. Clearly Outline What You’re Looking for from a Blogger
The more information you’re able to give potential applicants the better the applications will be and the more targeted they will be to your particular needs. Give information on:
- what the job entails (topic, posting levels, other roles you expect them to perform)
- payment (if applicable share either how much you’ll pay or what type of payment you go with – ie is it revenue share, flat fee per month, payment per post etc)
- how you want bloggers to apply (give information on what you want in an application – ie do you want a resume, examples of previous work, links to other blogs, an answer to a specific question etc)
6. Be Concise
Clearly written ads that don’t overwhelm prospective bloggers tend to do better than longer and more complex ads. Tell people what you want and how you want to be approached in the ad and leave it at that. It doesn’t hurt to proof read your ads – nothing puts off a potential blogger more than an ad with mistakes. You can edit your ad in your Employer Panel after it goes live if you need to.
7. Acknowledge Job Applications
Jobs advertised on ProBlogger get a varying number of applicants. Some advertisers literally get hundreds of applications while others get a handful (often depending upon the above factors). Whether you get a few or a lot of applicants – managing your applicants through your Employer Panel allows you to change the status of an applicant and send automatic emails to advise if they have been successful or unsuccessful. Note: You will still need to follow up these automatic emails with an actual offer and how to contact you if they are successful. Alternatively, you can have an email response ready for applicants that:
- acts as a receipt for the job application
- outlines the process from here on in (including a time line for the decision)
- gives any follow up information or questions that you want applicants to respond to
Having spoken to many applicants from the job boards – there’s nothing that frustrates them more than putting together a response to an advertisement (which can take some time) and then never hearing anything back from the advertiser. Even just a short an generic email back to applicants can help them a lot and will help your reputation as an employee.
8. If you Fill the Job Mark it as ‘Filled’
If you manage to find a blogger to fill your blogging job make sure you mark the job as filled. If you don’t you may continue to receive applications. You can easily mark your job as filled by following the instructions here.
