Running a multi-author blog has all the challenges of running a blog, in addition to all the challenges of running a magazine.

Managing posts, authors, timings, editing and the upkeep of a website – needs all the help it can get.

Which is why we asked four seasoned expert bloggers who’ve successfully run blogs featuring multiple authors. And they’ve been thoughtful enough to share their advice with us.

Read on to know the lessons they learned from their vast experience.

Kevan Lee

@kevanlee
Content Crafter at @buffer,
Managing Editor, OBNUG.com
Blogger

Q1) What was your biggest productivity challenge in managing a multi-author blog, and what’s it’s solution?

Early on, I think the productivity thing for me was making sure I wasn’t stepping on any toes, taking articles others were interested in, making too many assumptions about what was publishing when. Since then it’s been neat to see the team grow, and the newer challenges are perhaps a bit more about timing: Does it make sense to stick to a consistent schedule or to allow the writers time to go through several rounds of edits to get things right? Or can you have both? 🙂

Q2) What advice would you give to others who want to be better at running such blogs?

I think this might come back to the last bit of my previous answer. Can you find a way to keep up consistent posting (to work at volume and speed) and to make sure everything you publish is the absolute best it can be (to work with quality)? I think it’s possible! New writers might take a bit to ramp up on how things go with a blog – I know this was definitely true for me. At the same time, one of the best ways to learn some of these things, I feel, is to work with a deadline and pace in mind. Learn fast, so to speak.

Jim Tobin

@jtobin
President, Ignite Social Media,
Author,
Blogger

Q1) What is your biggest productivity challenge in managing a multi author blog, and what’s it’s solution?

The biggest challenge is very basic: getting authors to hit their deadlines when writing a blog

post is typically less “urgent” than a lot of other tasks. While we use tools, like project management software that gives very specific directions and due dates, the real solution is a project manager that isn’t afraid to nudge. Ours will follow up two days prior to your due date to ask if you’re going to hit the date. Will follow-up on the date and tell you that she’s holding a publication window for you and, finally, will follow-up immediately if you miss the date asking what date she can expect it. Adding her to the equation has increased our publishing rate by over 30%.

Q2) What advice would you give to others who run or want to run such blogs?

Make sure your fellow authors are committed and see the benefit to themselves personally. Otherwise, they won’t make it a priority. Whether it’s lead generation or brand building or financial rewards, it should be clear. We announce each blogger at our agency meetings and give them each $10 “for lunch on us” for each blog post they’ve written. We also recognize a blogger of the month and provide them $50. That’s based on the best reaction to their content. Small dollars, but big impact.

Lisa Dougherty

@BrandLoveLLC
Founder, Brand Love, LLC
Blog & Community Director at Content Marketing Institute

Q1) What is your biggest productivity challenge in managing a multi-author blog, and what’s it’s solution?

Staying on top of the massive amounts of email that come in on a daily basis is by far my biggest challenge. While I love that people are so excited to blog for CMI, I need to stay focused on the many other tasks at hand. To conquer this challenge, I tackle the majority of emails 2-3 times a week for a defined period of time.

Q2) What advice would you give to others who run or want to run such blogs?

Two things:

Have an editorial mission statement (that defines your readers and how you will help them) and stay true to this. It may mean turning down posts you find interesting.

Have clearly-defined blogging guidelines posted on your website so contributors know exactly what the standard is for the type and voice of your content, the process for submissions, and set expectations for time frames.

(For reference, view CMI’s guidelines for their prospective writers.)

Erik Qualman

@equalman
Founder, Socialnomics
Author of What Happens in Vegas Stays on Youtube, Socialnomics, and more
Professor of Digital Marketing at Hult International Business School

Q1) What is your biggest productivity challenge in managing a multi-author blog, and what’s it’s solution?

The key is attempting to keep high quality content as you bring on more contributors and increase your volume of posts. Not only quality content but content that is relevant for the followers of your blog. The best way to do this is to really simplify and be specific on what you are and are not going to write about. Keep this to less than a page and make sure every contributor is aware of the goals.

Q2) What advice would you give to others who run or want to run such blogs?

First remember that a blog is free like a beer, not like a puppy. Also understand that if you try to cover everything, in terms of content, then you are covering nothing. Stay focused and simple.

To conclude

Running a multi-author blog evidently has many unforeseen challenges. Perhaps only experience, or an intensive knowledge of running one beforehand, can prevent you from facing them.

The challenges may be many. But the successful result of having a blog that features people with different areas of expertise, makes running multi-author blogs valuable for both bloggers and readers. The experts in this article prove that it can be done – and done efficiently. I hope their advice helps you in any way it can.

Do you want to start/have your own multi-author blog? What are some of your productivity challenges and possible solutions to them? Sound off in the comments below.