Is Accepting Guest Posts a Bad Thing?
Happy Thursday! Today we explore guest posting, what the top sports card brands are, and much more!
So today I decided it was a good idea to “clear my cookies” and “clear my chat history” and “clear my browser history” and restart my machine. From time to time it just feels good to purge.
But boy oh boy did that turn into a day of unproductivity lol. If that’s a word. I was blow away with how long it took to clear things up, restart things, log back into things, and so forth… A whole day challenge.
Anyways, story time gets robbed when I’m running “short on time” myself. But as we get near the end of the week I want to lead with a simple question…
Are you enjoying this newsletter at all?
I’m enjoying putting it out here each and every day. And I’m a numbers guy — so love seeing the increase in subscribers, readers and all that. But would love and encourage replies and feedback anytime :)
Ok, onto the news…
Below are the news stories and press releases you won’t want to miss across our four pillars.
Quinn Ewers & Arch Manning's Sports Card Impact [SPORTS] — At the start of the football season, Panini announced an exclusive partnership with Texas, Ohio State, and Nebraska. Meaning they would be the only company to be able to make sports cards of players on those teams. Panini NIL?! Keep reading…
Google Gemini Successfully Licenses AP's News Content For AI But Coming First to Paid Users [TECH, CONTENT] — This latest partnership successfully granted Google a way to feature the news stories from AP, securing the license for Gemini AI.
Huge High-End Jordan Collection Set to Enter Market [SPORTS] — I’m a big Jordan collector… Some day I’ll showcase my collection and autographs here in the newsletter. But this collection here is WELL into the 6-figures.
DirecTV has a new sports streaming service, MySports [SPORTS, BUSINESS] — Sports lovers have another streaming service to consider for watching NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and college sports: MySports from DirecTV, available now in 24 cities.
Circa Sports' football contests break records by awarding $20.2 million in payouts [SPORTS, BUSINESS] — That’s a hefty payout!
ALT Sports Data deal to provide betting markets for X Games [SPORTS, BUSINESS] — I love ALT sports in general. Always cool watching the random sports, now can bet on X Games!
TGL’s success will ride on its players, not its technology [SPORTS, BUSINESS, TECH] — I agree with this a little bit… The tech is important as well.
Word of the Day: Decisive
Quit overthinking. When I’m decisive, things get done. Trust your gut. Trust your knowledge. Analyze, decide, and take action. Being indecisive doesn’t solve problems—it just makes them pile up and feel heavier.
Are you always going to make the right decision? NO! But that’s okay. What matters is that you keep moving forward, learn from the misses, and build confidence with each step you take.
Question for you: What decision have you been putting off that you can tackle today? Drop me a reply — I’d love to hear how you take action!
When we started buying sports cards at Knup Sports Cards, we didn’t know much about the best brands to target. We’d buy anything, rip the packs, and hope to hit something big. It was fun, but over time, we learned that focusing on specific, trusted brands is key if you’re collecting to invest or resell.
Thought I’d make this process a little easier for any of you starting out in “the hobby”.
In a 1-liner → when I go to Walmart or Target I look to buy Bowman, Prizm, Optic…
For baseball, Bowman is the go-to brand for prospecting. The coveted “1st Bowman” cards are a must for investors because they’re the first cards made for top players. Each year, collectors chase these cards, hoping to find the next big star like Paul Skenes or Dylan Crews. Topps is another strong option, especially their Chrome and Sapphire lines, though I avoid ripping it myself because of all the base commons.
In football, Prizm and Optic are the top brands to focus on. Prizm rookie cards are highly sought after, especially the silver parallels, while Optic’s Rated Rookie cards offer a more affordable entry point. Personally, I collect both a Prizm and a Rated Rookie card of any player with superstar potential. Mosaic and Select are decent alternatives but rank just below Prizm and Optic.
Basketball follows the same pattern, with Prizm leading the pack and Optic as a strong runner-up. Prizm rookie cards of stars like Luka Doncic or Victor Wembenyama are hobby gold. Optic cards, especially Rated Rookies, provide another option for building a smart collection without breaking the bank.
College sports cards, like those from Bowman University, are becoming more popular. They feature sharp designs and the “1st Bowman” concept, but their long-term value is uncertain since pro cards usually overshadow them. If you love college teams, though, they’re a fun product to chase.
Lastly, always remember the difference between licensed and unlicensed cards. Licensed cards, like Bowman and Topps in baseball, feature official team logos and branding, making them far more valuable. Unlicensed cards, like Panini baseball or Wild Card, don’t have logos and are typically not worth your time if you’re investing.
Stick to trusted brands, and you’ll have a much better chance of building value in your collection. I did a full post called “Best Sports Card Brands to Buy, Collect & Invest In” over on Knup Sports if you want to read more…
Huge game in the NBA tonight as the Cavs travel to the Thunder. Both teams lead their conference and are having amazing seasons with a combined 67-11 record!
OKC is missing some bigs but I don’t that will matter much against this Cavs team. The Thunders last loss came at Cleveland — I look for them to get a bit of revenge tonight at home. Give me OKC to win the game straight up.
PICK: Thunder ML
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Pros and Cons of Accepting Guest Posts on Your Site
I’m blown away by the number of times a day I get an email that says, “Do you accept guest posts?” I’m talking like 15-20 individual emails every single day. Unreal.
Now, the short answer is yes we do accept them, but there’s a lot more to it. Guest posts can bring fresh perspectives and valuable insights, but they also come with their own set of challenges. Let’s break it down.
The biggest pro of guest posts is the diversity they bring to your content. Every contributor has unique experiences and insights, which helps keep your site fresh and engaging for readers. Guest posts can also boost your output without overloading your team, making them a great way to stay consistent with publishing. On top of that, many contributors promote their work, driving new traffic to your site and helping your audience grow.
There’s also a hidden bonus: monetization. Many people are willing to pay for the chance to publish on established platforms. If managed carefully, these paid posts can add a nice revenue stream to your site while covering operational costs. The key is to balance monetization with quality, so you don’t dilute your content.
But it’s not all smooth sailing. Managing guest posts takes time—reviewing pitches, editing drafts, and ensuring the content fits your brand isn’t easy. You’ll also run into spammy or overly promotional content that needs to be filtered out. Without strict guidelines, it’s easy to risk SEO penalties or confuse your readers with inconsistent tone and style.
Across the Knup Brands, we’ve found that the benefits outweigh the challenges. Guest posts help us share diverse perspectives, connect with industry experts, and keep our content fresh.
That said, we’re selective and stick to high standards. If you’re thinking about contributing, pitch us an idea—just make sure it’s relevant, original, and adds real value!
We did a full blog post on the pros and cons of accepting guest posts. But… If you own a website — do you accept guest posts?
Two CEOs are debating how to handle a big problem…
One says, “Let’s analyze every option.”
The other replies, “I already made a decision.”
“What if it’s wrong?” asks the first.
The second shrugs. “Then I’ll make another one faster than you finish your spreadsheet.”
Happy Birthday to my LinkedIn network… Anthony Mathenge, Simon Field, Miriam Mendoza, Tyler Webb, Oded Vilner, Mark Collins Sr., Bobby Bowers
Special Happy Birthday to… my friends Scott Frickleton and Shawn Durbin
Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you have a great Thursday night. Reminder, big NFL weekend of Divisional games. And then the National Championship is on Monday — who you got? I’m rooting for Notre Dame!
Until tomorrow…
Knup
So I've been in breaks before but it's been a while. Any suggestions you have for best and funnest groups to break with? I have the Fanatics Live app but it's a sea of breaks so not sure if there is anyone specific I should look for. For me I'm more into baseball thank any other sport. Thanks Knup!