Guest Post Writing Guide - Tips & Tutorials

Most articles should be between 1,000-2,000 words; this helps them rank well on Google. Some articles may not reach the minimum word count if they're addressing a simple topic. However, it's better to avoid adding "fluff" to your article than it is to meet the minimum word count requirement.
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If the Black Ghost Audio blog had a writing theme, it would be "all killer, no filler." Primarily, the Black Ghost Audio blog is meant to be educational. If something you've written doesn't provide new information, ask yourself if it's truly necessary.
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When writing your tip/tutorial article, it's okay to touch on complex subject matter, but you should deliver content in a way that's accessible to people who aren't audio professionals. Assume the person you're writing your article for has only been producing music for a few months.
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Speak to readers like you’re having a one-on-one conversation with them. Say “you” when referring to the reader, and “I” when referring to yourself.

“It’s important to identify what you’re looking for in an audio interface before you buy one; this will ensure the audio interface you buy provides all the features you need.”

“Before catfishing you into rather expensive music production territory, I should mention that a lot of outboard gear is available in the form of analog-modeled plugins.” Refrain from saying “we” when you can say “you.”

Avoid referring to yourself and the reader as part of a group. For example, instead of saying, “We don’t want to wrap cables this way,” say that, “You don’t want to wrap cables this way.”

Start with a catchy sentence to snag the reader’s attention. This could be an intriguing statement, shocking statistic, rhetorical question, anecdote, statement of a problem, or proverb.
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Your introductory paragraph should draw the reader in and then reiterate the title of the article. The title of the article that the following quote is taken from is called “How to Apply Sidechain Compression Using FabFilter's Pro-C 2.” At the end of the paragraph, the title of the article is reiterated word for word.
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“Sidechain compression is a form of compression that uses the signal running through a compressor’s sidechain circuit to trigger compression. You can use sidechain compression to prevent frequency masking and add creative pumping effects to your mixes. In this guide, you'll learn how to apply sidechain compression using FabFilter's Pro-C 2.”

Break down your article into different steps. At a glance, readers should gain a general understanding of how to do what they want. For example, in "How to Correctly Clip Your Master Bus," the section headers include the following:

1. Apply a Limiter to Your Master Bus
2. Reduce the Output Level of Your Limiter to -1 dB
3. Apply a Clipper to Your Master Bus
4. Set Your Clipper's Ceiling to -1 dB
5. Increase Your Clipper's Input Gain to Clip Your Master Bus
6. Automate Your Clipper On and Off
7. Dither When You Export Your Master

Body paragraphs are meant to elaborate on the section headers. Explain why each step is necessary, and how to complete each step at a technical level. If appropriate, include pictures to provide clarification.

Recap the content mentioned in the article and direct readers toward one or two related articles on the Black Ghost Audio blog.

Some of the websites that Black Ghost Audio is affiliated with include Sweetwater, Amazon, and Plugin Boutique. If you link to hardware, try to link to the product on Sweetwater. Assuming the product isn’t available on Sweetwater, link to the product on Amazon. When linking to plugins, link to them on Plugin Boutique. As a last resort, link to products on their manufacturer’s website.

Linking to a product multiple times within the same article can damage the article's SEO rating. Once you've linked to a product within a header, you shouldn't link to it again afterward.

Use Grammarly to check for grammatical errors. The free version catches basic grammatical errors, while the paid version catches more advanced errors.

Once you’ve completed your guest post, please submit your article as a Google Drive Document for consideration. If you haven’t submitted a guest post to Black Ghost Audio in the past, please include a short author bio, along with a 500x500 px author image in your submission email.