Most unpaid guest posts don’t start with a scam. They start with vague terms: “we’ll pay once it’s live” with no date, or “payment after indexing” with no idea how long that means. Clear terms, agreed before you publish, solve most of it.
The three common options
Payment upfront. The buyer pays, then you publish. This is the safest for you and many bloggers ask for it from any new buyer. Some agencies won’t pay upfront to a blogger they don’t know, so it can cost you the odd deal.
Payment on publication. You publish, send the live link and an invoice, and they pay straight away. This is the most common arrangement and works well with buyers who have a good record.
Payment within a set number of days. Larger agencies often pay in batches, for example within 7 or 14 days of the invoice. That is fine if it is agreed and written down. It only becomes a problem when the number of days is never stated.
Terms to avoid
- “Payment after indexing.” Indexing can take weeks and is not in your control. If they insist, put a time limit on it.
- “We’ll pay at the end of the month” without saying which month.
- “Payment once our client approves.” Their client is not your customer. Agree that approval happens before publishing, not after.
What to write in your reply
You can copy this and change the numbers:
Thanks, happy to publish this. My rate is £X per article, paid by PayPal or bank transfer. Payment is due within 2 days of the post going live; I’ll send the live link and an invoice on the day. If payment hasn’t arrived after 7 days, the post will be taken down or the link removed.
For new buyers, or anyone with a mixed record, ask for payment first:
As we haven’t worked together before, I ask for payment upfront. Once it arrives I’ll publish within 24 hours and send you the live link.
Make it easy to pay you
- Send a proper invoice with your name, the article, the live URL, the amount and the due date.
- Offer one or two payment methods you trust. Don’t accept “payment” offers you can’t verify.
- Keep the whole conversation in one email thread.
Use the record you already have
Check the sender on Outreach Ratings before you reply. A buyer with a strong record can usually be trusted with payment on publication. A mixed or empty record is a good reason to ask for payment first. A poor record is a good reason to walk away.
You can also add our email footer banner to your replies. It tells every outreach sender that you check payment records, which on its own tends to bring better buyers.
When terms are broken
If a buyer misses the agreed date, you have it in writing, which makes chasing simpler. Our guide to what to do when a guest post buyer hasn’t paid walks through the next steps.
