What is guest blogging?
Guest blogging - put simply - is when you write content for another blog that is owned and run by somebody else. Although the concept has been around for a many years it has become more and more popular in the last few years due to the fact that everyone is a winner. If you are:
The Guest Blogger: You get yourself or business exposure to a new audience, potentially more traffic and a link back to your site.
The Blog: The blog wins because it gets fresh and unique content that may give a different slant or opinion. It gives the blog more variety and a different voice and can also take away some of the pressure that is felt by blog owners to consistently write tons of great material.
The Reader: The reader(s) get exciting new content, written in different styles with different points and arguments.
So read on for some tips in getting started in guest blogging.
Why should I guest blog?
- Brand Recognition
- Traffic
- Links
How do I find guest blogging opportunities?
- Use Google! Everyone has there own little tips for finding those elusive guest posting opportunities in difficult niches - but you can't beat some good old fashioned Google commands. Here are some of the ones that I would typically use at the start of a project to unearth some opportunities - you can get more advanced later!
There are of course hundreds of permutations that you could use, these are the tip of the iceberg. It is also worth narrowing your search down to posts that have been written in the last month to ensure that you are looking at blogs that are still accepting guest posts.
- Use My Blog Guest. The ultimate tool for finding guest blogging opportunities no matter what niche you work in. My Blog Guest helps bring together the bloggers who want to guest post with the specialist blogs that are looking for fresh, unique content for their blogs. Everyone walks away happy! Not only does My Blog Guest cut down the amount of time that you spend looking for opportunities it helps nurture long lasting relationships across niches that are more important than anything else (in my opinion).
- Build real relationships. Too many people think that guest blogging is all about the links. Don't get me wrong the links are valuable for your SEO, but I believe that building strong relationships with the blogs that you write for is more important. By building relationships with the blog owners you will grab the attention of other important people in your niche - which ultimately can lead to more guest posting opportunities.
Some quick tips for writing great blog posts:
- Write a great headline - it doesn't have to be beautiful. Ensure that it is not cryptic, let people know what to expect fro the post.
- Make the content scannable (don't kid yourself that people are going to give their full attention to your post). This is where bullet points or list come in helpful. It is crucial to have sub headings so that readers can quickly see whether they want to read the piece or not.
- Write in a simple succinct style - don't be afraid to cut out beautifully crafted sentences if they do not push the post along.
- Include some great images or videos or stats - as long as there is something there that will set you apart from all of the other bloggers that are saturating the Internet at the moment.
- Go back and read it again and chop out a little more.
Guest blogging resources:
- My Blog Guest - run by Ann Smarty this great site brings together both the bloggers and the sites that are looking for guest bloggers.
- BloggingPro
- BlogHerald
- Guest Blogging - The Ultimate Guide
When guest blogging, you must complement the style of writing the blog owner has. You must also know who the readers are and what they like so you could deliver and gain a level of trust.
Thanks for mentioning MyBlogGuest, Wayne. It’s great to hear it is proving useful!
Hey there Tina,
Thanks for the comment. Whilst I agree that you should have the blogs readers in mind when you write a post (especially in order to make your content worthwhile for that blogs readers) I do strongly believe that you should retain your own writing style and character.
Guest blogging is also about how you position yourself in your given industry and that should not be forgotten.
Hi there Ann,
Thanks for the comment. No problems on the mention – I do believe that MyBlogGuest is great and have used it for a number of projects. The site is packed full of people that believe in the power of guest blogging (for the right reasons)
Keep up the good work!
I think the scannable text is very important. Most readers just do a quick scan and if something catches their eye, they will take the time to read it… well that’s what I do mostly 🙂
That’s a great post, Wayne. I love the way you organized it and it was a pleasure to read.
I would like to add some pointers: Many guest bloggers follow your great tips until their guest post gets published and then forget about it! That’s a huge mistake.
There are some actions you need to take after publishing a guest post:
1- Respond promptly and informatively to comments and building relationships with commenters
2- Share your guest post on social media
3- Propose to write more guest posts on the host blog
4- Analyze your performance and learn from your mistakes in order to ensure you keep improving with every new guest post.
Here’s a detailed ezine article on How to make the most out your guest post AFTER publishing it:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Social-Media-For-Business-%2821%29—Top-5-Smart-Guest-Blogging-Tactics&id=6187499
Thanks a lot for your comprehensive post, Wayne. All the best 🙂
Hey there Heba,
You are correct in your excellent points – if you want to get the most from you guest blogs you don’t just write it and leave it…
Guest blogging is all about the relationships you create.
Consider me off to have a look at your blog and see what you are up to on Twitter.
Cheers,
Wayne
Hi Jen,
Thanks for your comment. We live in a busy world, information is so easy to access. If you give the people chance to work out whether your blog post is relvant to them you have a better chance of grabbing them. The Internet changed the way we consume information a long, long time ago and i think the way you scan posts applies to more people than you think…
Hi Wayne, Great post! You did a fantastic job of covering the important aspects of writing guest posts. I have both written a guest post and had a guest blogger on my blog and the experience in both cases was energizing.
I also liked Heba’s reminder that the guest blogging commitment doesn’t end when the post is published. Getting the word out about the post and responding to comments are important too!
But I respectfully disagree with you and agree with Tina about how the tone of the guest post fits in with the blog. Tina said the style of the guest poster should complement the style of the blog. I agree with you that the writer should write in his/her own style, but if the style of the guest blogger is too different it can be jarring.
I recently visited one of my favorite blogs where there was a guest post. The blog was usually full of witty insights and positive energy. The guest blogger was very negative and critical so the style didn’t complement the blog at all. I was lucky that wasn’t my first visit to the blog or I would not have returned.
By the way, your style complements this blog very well, Wayne!
Thanks for your amazing post!
Hey there Carolyn,
Thanks for your kind comments. I have to agree that Hebas comment is the sort of thing that is often ignored. People tend to think of guest blogging in terms of links but at the end of the day they are great way to forge lasting relationships and position yourself within your industry.
I understand where you are coming from with regards to complementig the style of the blog – maybe we can agree to disagree!!!
I agree – a style that is too different can have negative effects on the readership, in which case I guess it should be flagged by the webmaster. Maybe I was just trying to get across that you shouldn’t change how you write too much….
Hmmmm – food for thought for me there!!!
Hey Wayne,
I believe that guest blogging is an extremely powerful SEO tool. Of course as you mentioned, there are some tremendous benefits over and above the link value but focusing specifically on the SEO, it has benefits that can’t be beat.
I am a beginner to intermediate SEO but based on what I have seen, learned, and done in the past 2 years, I believe that guest blogging is going to be one of the best sources of one way backlinks. Google is cracking down on spam, link directories and pretty much anything that offers short cuts. Google wants to see people naturally linking to a site because of great content, not great SEO. Guest blogging typically gives you a relevant, in content backlink which is huge, especially on a high ranking site with a lot of traffic.
I also believe it is huge, because you can’t shortcut a guest post on a high ranking blog or it will likely not be approved. Since there is no easy shortcut, most people will not take the time to do it, and that is why I think it will remain a very valuable tool for SEO’s that can provide the web with better content.
Hi there Damon,
Guest blogging is great for so many reasons. It is a win/win/win situation. The guets blogger wins with the link and the reach to people they would have not previously had access to (and if the blog is popular in social media circles it reachers an audience that is even bigger). The blog gets more content and the readers get orginal and exciting new content (if everything is done correctly).
I have to agree that it is a tactic that most will not entertain becuase it takes time and effort. Alas, there are people that abuse (just like verything else)
Thanks for your comments.
Hey Wayne,
Thanks for your list of Google commands, I have them too but the tip about which ones you’ve had the most success with helps.
I’ve actually found some great sites to guest post on through CommuntLuv as well.
Your advice of chopping out content that is not needed, is well taken. I’ve been doing a lot of that myself lately. With as much reading as people do online, more succinct copy that gets to the point quickly, is a much better strategy.
Liz 🙂