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The problem is inevitable once you reach a certain status as a blogger: you can’t possibly go to all the events you are invited to attend. It is definitely a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. Instead of spreading yourself thin and trying to attend as many events as possible, consider a guest blogger.

One the best ways to find a guest blogger is someone who is already a fan of yours or maybe someone who you interact with on Twitter. Asking family or friends to write rarely works. Remember – they have to be passionate about the subject like you are, or they won’t be motivated to write.

If you are already going to lots of tweetups and media events it is possible you may have met someone who wants to write for you. You can even post or tweet about it to see if anyone is interested. There are so many who only want to write occasionally, it presents the perfect opportunity for you to gain a guest poster.

As bloggers, most of us don’t make money from our blogs, but write as a hobby. In lieu of payment, you will give the blogger the opportunity to attend a fun event with no cost to them. In return, you are getting a post out of it, so it is win-win for everyone. And you are giving them a huge opportunity to write on a well-known blog.

In time, you can assign them their own account on your WordPress site. This allows the guest writer to log in and post, so you don’t have to spend time uploading a post and pictures. With an “author” account on WordPress they can upload a post but they can’t change any administrator settings like widgets, ads or the like.

A couple things to consider with a guest blogger:

• They won’t have the same voice or writing style as you. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it can bring in more readers.

• Limit their contributions to no more than twenty percent of your posts if you want to keep your voice or style the most prominent.

• You’ll probably have several others write for you before you find a guest blogger that is a good fit with you and your blog. So don’t get discouraged.

• Never give a guest blogger full (administrator) access to your site as they could delete everything.

There are some individuals you’ve never met who will offer you a free article. Be wary of this. Often times, these individuals are paid to build links and will have many links in any article they write for you. Not only does this not fit with the style of most bloggers, but the same article could be floating around on other sites.

Alternatively, if you are reading this and thinking about blogging but not sure if it is for you, why not reach out to a blogger you admire and ask to guest post for them? Bloggers are overwhelmed with the amount of press releases received and are happy to pass along some of their workload to someone who is willing to help.

Writing without compensation is no doubt a hot button for bloggers and food writers these days. As bloggers we want the recognition for writing and we know if we don’t have prior writing experience under our belt, we have to pay our dues. Food critics dislike our writing for free as it lowers their earning potential in turn. So when is it right to write for free? The answer is when it benefits you as much or more than it costs you.

I’ve been freelance writing for three years. I knew in the beginning I’d have to work for free, so I started writing for a women’s website where I learned lots about writing for the online world and Search Engine Optimization, etc. I since wrote for a couple other online publications, although the compensation was little or nothing, my meal was taken care of and I had the opportunity to re-post that content on my food blog.

About a year ago, I just about jumped out of my skin when a local print magazine asked me if I would be interested in writing a monthly food column for them. Yes! Finally, my talents are being recognized! I drove across town eagerly anticipating sharing all the thoughts about what we could do with this column and how great it would be. We met in their conference room (me, the president and owner along with three other editors), and discussed the process of how the column would work – each of them giving their input and having to sign off on my review. We discussed everything involved except for one thing – payment.

As uncomfortable as it made me to ask, I couldn’t leave before finding out how much they were going to pay me. He boldly declared “We don’t pay our writers anything. They simply get a mention of their website in the byline of their articles instead of payment.”

I sat there, stunned and speechless for a minute while I wrapped my head around the idea that this magazine that makes lots of money from its advertisers isn’t willing to pay me a penny for my writing. I then politely thanked him for his time and told him I would consider the offer and let him know my answer in a couple days.

Ultimately, I decided that this wouldn’t be a good fit. I knew that there would be lots of revisions and critiquing from not one but the three editors I’d met with. In other words, it would be exactly like having a job just without any compensation. When I found out the meal allowance was next to nothing, it made it even easier to turn down the offer.

If your aspirations are to become a paid food writer, be aware you’ll have to pay your dues. You’ll probably have to write for free for some period of time to gain exposure and experience. You may even have to write about topics you have no interest in as well.

After you gain experience and are published in some online sites, make note of this in your portfolio. When you feel you’ve gotten sufficient experience, then start charging for your writing. You may feel inclined to write for free if it is tremendous opportunity – perhaps a magazine you’ve always wanted to contribute to or a guest post on a blog you admire.

Several factors to consider:

• Are meals compensated?
• Can you re-post the article on your blog?
• If you sever ties do you still own the rights to these articles?

It is up to you whether you write for free or not. My advice is don’t ever do it because you don’t feel worthy. Blog traffic and exposure is great up to a certain point but it doesn’t pay the bills. Do you think your hair stylist, trash person, or car mechanic is willing to work for nothing?

As an observation, it seems that when we have a talent or something that comes naturally, we often discredit or undervalue it. Keep in mind that if you don’t value yourself, your skills and your talent, no one else will.