Lisa’s Note: This is a very solid article by Ann, so I hope you take the time to absorb her information. Her strategy for guest blogging is superb, and it’s why she’s been featured on so many high-profile blogs.
If you’ve been submitting guest posts and having no success with publication, this article will shed some light and help you get more exposure.
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Guest blogging has become a hot topic recently. In fact, it is turning into a mainstream tactic. On the flip side, however, more and more people are abusing the concept.
This post is meant to outline the “quality” approach to guest blogging where:
- Linking (and keywords in the links) is not the most important thing
- What matters is networking with niche bloggers and influencers as well as building a positive brand image
So read on if you are serious about guest blogging…
1. Make a Plan and Get Organized
Guest posting takes plenty of time and many people shy away from it because of lack of time and failure to organize themselves. Guest blogging is unpaid and unscheduled – this is why it is easy to put off your plans for a later date again and again.
Guest posting works best when done regularly. People start hearing your name now and then, they start reading your posts across a number of blogs (within one niche) and ultimately they start recognizing you as the expert and a person worth following.
Therefore if you are willing to succeed in building your brand via guest posting, the first thing you need to do is to plan your future strategy:
a) Make one day of the week the “guest blogging day”. This is when you will be looking for blogs to guest for, discuss your posts with the blog owners and create the content. Having a separate day for that makes it easier to commit.
b) Plan your time in advance. You should be ready as this is going to be your long-term commitment.
2. Search for Blogs to Guest Post For
The next huge step in planning your strategy is creating the list of blogs you plan to approach with your guest post. I recommend doing the following (in this particular order):
a) Start With Blogs You Know and Read.
You are probably subscribed to dozens of blogs in the area of your expertise. Many of them are likely to accept guest posts from contributors. It will be easier for you to start with the blogs you read: you are familiar with the style and the readership, so you’ll feel at home.
Actionable advice: Start with the blogs that explicitly welcome guest contributions – this will make your pitch more targeted and increase your chances of being accepted. Look for obvious signs:
* A separate category or tag called “Guest posts”, “Guest blogging” and the like;
* “Write for us” link in the sidebar or in the main menus;
* Regular guest posts featured on the blog
See screenshot below…
b) Try MyBlogGuest
My Blog Guest is the forum connecting guest bloggers to blog owners looking for contributions. It saves your time writing unsolicited email pitches because there you can connect to bloggers who are willing to publish your article.
It does take time (like any social media community it requires commitment to turn successful), so only join if you plan a solid guest blogging strategy.
c) Use Google Search
Being the most obvious way to find guest blogging opportunities, this one may not be your first alternative because it takes plenty of time: searching and emailing back and forth is really time-consuming.
Actionable advice: Use the following search queries to make your search really relative:
* “Submit a guest post” / “Submit post” / “Submit blog post”
* “Submit an article”
* “Suggest a guest post”
* “Write for us”
* “Become an author”
* “Guest bloggers wanted”
* “Contribute to our site”
* “Become a contributor” / “Become guest writer”
3. Brainstorm a Cool Topic Idea
Your post idea is crucial. It is going to grab the blogger’s attention, interest and prompt him/her to get back to you to discuss the post. A post idea will also get the readers’ attention and will make them remember you and your project (or blog). Thus you want the post idea:
* To be catchy and unique (something not really covered yet at the blog or looking at some other perspective of what has already been mentioned);
* To be relevant to the blog topic (to make sure you target the audience well).
Actionable advice: Here’s how I usually come up with the post idea: I browse the blog to get an idea of its main topic and then add my area of expertise.
This usually results in a really cool post that grabs the attention of both the blog owner and his readers. For example, for a personal finance-related blog, I might suggest the topic: “Advanced Google Hacks to Search for Deals and Special Offers.” (This would include some advanced but useful Google search operations to help readers find the best deals.)
This way the post looks fresh and interesting to the blog readers, and at the same time, allows me to share my expertise.
Actionable advice: Try searching [site:blogdomain.com guest post OR guest posts] – this will bring up tons of guest posts previously published at the site.
This way you will be able to see what other guest authors blogged about, how their content was received (commented, tweeted, etc) and what they did to grab the readers’ attention.
See a screenshot below of a search done for guest post info on Lisa’s blog…
4. Contact the Blog Owner
Many people would first write a post, then contact the blog owner. I recommend making sure your post will be appreciated first. The reason is that I usually target each post specifically to the blog I’m writing for. In case it is rejected, I’d have hard time finding a new home for it.
Actionable advice: Here’s a helpful check list that helps me make the most of each guest posting email pitch:
* Find the blogger’s name and used it in the guest posting pitch (bloggers hate impersonalized emails; besides, this way your email has higher chances to by-pass the spam filter);
* Mention the suggested post topic (to grab the blogger’s attention);
* Include a few samples of your previous posts (for the blogger to evaluate your writing skills and style and know what to expect);
Lisa’s Note: This is huge! When Ann submitted this article to me, she included some of her sample work along with the names of blogs she had been featured on. Your approach and professionalism is very important if you want to gain the attention of busy bloggers!
* Only include a few links (don’t link to all your sites and social media profiles – many URLs inside the message body may get your email right into the spam box where it will remain unnoticed).
* Make sure the email is short and to-the point (famous bloggers are busy, make their life easier by only letting them read a few sentences that express everything you need).
5. Write the Post – Get Appreciated
To make sure your post is accepted, make the blogger appreciate your effort. Besides the obvious (writing a great article), make sure you style and format the post to target the blog. Be sure to learn the blog guest posting policy / rules (if there are any) and follow each point religiously.
Actionable advice: Here are a few tricks that have always worked for me:
* Copy the target blog formatting (H2/H3 tags for subheadings, the use of bold and italics, etc);
* Copy the target blog style of using images.
Many blogs use images to grab users’ attention: most of the time there’s an introductory image either aligned to the right/left or centered. There can also be images for each major subheading.
Remember, if you do not provide the images, the blogger will have to look for them – thus it will take longer for him to publish your post. Besides that, don’t forget to credit the images properly;
* Personalize the screenshots (if you have to visualize your information using screenshots, make sure to use the target blog in them).
6. Engage Yourself!
Now that your post goes live, your job is not done yet. Spread the word, subscribe to comments and reply to each one.
Remember, the more you participate, the more people will remember your name and the more valuable connection you make. Soon after that you will see people cite you and refer to you. Getting noticed and recognized via guest posting is hard work but it is well worth it!
Do you guest post? Do you have any tricks for getting your guest post approved? Please share them in the comments!
Nice article with great information Ann, I really enjoyed this post while reading and till now I am confused about guest posting but after reading this post I have got some ideas about guest blogging. Thanks for sharing this post.
I really need to start guest posting more, I spend so much time working on my own content that I forget that I need some back links too. Typically I take guest posts on my blog, but I don’t write them, it just seems like I don’t have the time. Tomorrow I will start a guest post and start to work on my larger SEO strategy. Oh yeah I use blogger link up.
Thanks for the info!
Hi Lisa, thank you. Had no success with my site for a long time, before i’ve learned your helpful info.
Hi Lisa, great actionable insight on guest posting.
This is a great strategy for bloggers who want to get their “know-how” into the market quickly.
Thanks for the tips on how to locate blogs that allow guest posting.
Interesting take on guest blogging. I started this a while back but then read it can actually harm Google’s opinion of you. Not sure which way to got now??
Hi Redresponsive
Guestposting can’t Google’s opinion pf you, not if you write your own original content (it’s not copied and it hasn’t been run through article spinning software.
Article marketing isn’t valued much any more by Google, or most popular bloggers, like Lisa mentioned. Article marketing; websites which ran lots of articles on different topics worked when the internet was young and there weren’t the millions of blogs that there are today, (I heard Pat Flynn say that a blog was set up every 6 seconds! Imagine that!), and people were searching for information. Finding it in a few article directories then was helpful to them.
These days, people are more internet savvy, aritlce directories aren’t what they once were.
Guest blogging, or guest posting, has taken over. Google favours quality content on a wide variety of blogs. Matt Cutts of Google says content is probably your best kind of SEO, although some specific optimisation of your content still works too.
In the end, it’s all about quality, useful, entertaining writing. So, keep up with your guest blogging Redresponsive.
Tom
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for the great article! I so thankful for all the advice you give us. Thank you once more!!!
Best Regards,
Nancy
Your “Actionable Advice” is a useful help and supportive direction on each topic.
Spending time researching what topics appear as guest posts, and the particular style and way in which they are crafted is a must. Also, getting familiar with the “house-style” of a blog is crucial.
Find your angle though. If you find guest posts following a line, perhaps offering an opposite, or side-view, perspective on the topic will bring freshness to the subject which the blog owner may be looking for. Above all, writing a post which gives a solution, answers a question or inspires is important.
Give readers something which helps them to do something better, or leaves them thinking “Aha!”, and they’ll remember you.
Think readers: Ask yourself “What are they trying to do/solve/answer now that I can offer a solution for?” then put that solution into words.
Never tried guest blogging.After reading this I should try it .
Thank you for the article, I think I should start working on guest blogging and see if that will be helpful for my website.
I just started and every advice count.
Thanks
Thanks for these great tips, I believe that gust blogging is a great way to get your name out there gain new readers build relationships and interact with other bloggers in addition a free promotion for your brand or website. I know it is time consuming but you already said Make a day of the week for guest blogging.
thanks for the help..i want to earn more with adsense..ow i??
Thanks Lisa this guest post blogging guide part 1 is very helpfull.
The few times Ive guest posted the only thing happened was that my link would disappear after a while. But I believe the information matters the most and people would atleast get to read about the company!
no doubt guest posting becoming the best method to get quality backlink?but is it worth admin?please do reply
Thnks.. It Really Nice And Helpful Thanks for Post…
Nice article Ann. I am a membero of MBG. Recently instead of just guest posting, I also accept guest post on my blog. The difficulty is finding people who can write in the narrative from (in other words, a first hand experience) so my readers can imagine themselves in the location. Many people write documentary or encyclopedia style… yawn. A nice flow of people wanting to engage about their experiences would be refreshing. Again, thank you for the post.
Really, I have found this truth by my experience. I have written guest posts for some blogs and certain users write guest posts in my blog (this is all a give and take business). Bloggers do this in order to increase their exposure as well as build healthy relationship with fellow bloggers.
Guest blogging is really a great help in one way or another. Just like the pointed topics that you cited, It’s a great help for those who are starting to guest blog and do blogging.
Blogs like these are interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.
This was a very good post!
You sure put all your effort into your blog!
Thanx for sharing this things with us!
One thing to always keep in mind is that the post you’re going to publish as a guest is way more important than a regular post on your blog.
I usually go by the rule: making the guest post 10 times better than it would be if I published it on my blog.
Why? Well, the audience is a lot bigger. And you would not want to miss out on oppurtunities like that.
/Nab.
Guest blogging is definitely beneficial in many ways, I have used Ann’s site with much success and have had many quality guest bloggers on my site. At first it is a little nerve wrecking to approach bloggers and ask them to guest post on your site but don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you. You will be surprised at how many more nice willing bloggers are out there than negative rejectful ones.
this is really interesting. my site doesnt generate to much traffic maybe i should try this. by the way you have a very nice site and a very good linkwheel 🙂
I appreciate the content and the input received from the followers. There is always something new to learn on blogging. Lisa you have made key points. Thank you!
Monica Beltran
Hi! Mr. Anderson Goncalves!
thank you for youe valuable information.
I am deeply interested in making money from work at home.
I am a Korean operating a small business. I am not a native speaker, so I wonder if I could do the home based work or not. Please give me your advice.
Regards!
Gai Bong Choi
thanks for this post, I’ve been avoiding guest blogging for a while because i’ve always felt that any content I write should be for my site, but i’m learning now that I need to share, give and it shall be given unto you. The potential increase in traffic is a good payoff for my guest posts I guess.
Like, how do I set my blog up a little more? What are some good plugins to use??
Wow, you have a nice blog. I found out about you on youtube, you really are useful when it comes to blogging!
I will use this for sure, although I have one problem. How do I set up my blog? I’ve been all over google back to back all day long determined to find out how to secure, better my blog, etc. Any idea?
Thanks for this excellent post! I have several blogs of my own but would like to start doing some guest posts. What better way is there for you to put out quality content to help new readers find my sites.
really a nice article, i started blogging 2 weeks before and i planned to take my blog to next level by writing guest article in other blogs,,but the main problem with me is my english.. my english is very bad,, so i think no one will accept my articles in their blog,,
Hi Ladies, Very solid article Ann. You bring up some great points here, in particular about doing your research PRIOR to pitching a guest post idea to someone.
Also engagement is so important. You can write great stuff but if don’t take the time to engage your readers then you will be missing out on the opportunity to create a great community.
My biggest issue has been organization so this will definitely help me out.
Thanks for sharing!
Wow, I found this post to be very informative. I am new to blogging (less than two months) but I have already received one invite to guest post. As I read other blogs in my niche, I notice the amount of guest-posting that the prominent players do. Everyone’s path is different but I feel like I want to get into guest-posting. This information will definitely serve as a quick-reference guide!
Thanks!
– Ali
I’m looking to understand the importance of blogging and building a website for my new company which will focus on making custom hair/wigs for alopecia suffers. I hope to provide this service everyone from children to post cheotherapy patients to assist with restoring not only hair but body image as well. Would blogging this topic make since?
Thanks for the great entry. I’ve got to apply one of those techniques in my blog.
I’m learning so many things through 2createawebsite and sure when i come out it’s going to be a BAM! Thanks so much for this post Ann.
Hi Lisa and Ann-
Ann, I think that this was a really well-organized article. Love the structure to the piece. I love your use of screenshots and your examples. I learned alot from your post. I will be visiting your site.
Good luck to both.
Great tips Ann and nice to see you practice what you preach,, since I see you everywhere..lol
I have used these to get on some nice blogs.. but what I can say is to just ask.. you never know what they will say once they say yes, then its time to write a grat post to get your foot in the door with new readers.
I have actually being following Ann for some time now, I have come to believe in guest posting now but I am beginning to think guest posting might be going out of fashion soon like pinging, the buzz is becoming the order of day for so many blogs, what do you think?
I think guest blogging and pinging cannot be compared 🙂
As for the buzz, guest blogging is one of the tools to generate buzz actually 🙂
Nice article 🙂
I must say guest blogging is new to me and I have to start writing Guest Posting. I can wait part 2.
guest blogging vs article marketing and other traditional ways of marketing online have serve completely different purposes, or they can at least. whereas the earlier is done to gain exposure to targeted crowd and increased “followership”, the later was really to strengthen the PR and build rank through incoming links.
sure, there are those that benefit from the link building even when submitting guest posts, and those that benefit from increased followership even when their intentions are merely to build backlinks, but it is important to keep the main intention and purpose of each in mind when developing your overall marketing strategy.
one should not be done independent of the other – marketing is a collective interdependent effort of all sorts that lead to the achievement of a common goal through several complimentary benefits.
Wow, what a treat. Two blogging divas in the same place. I’m so glad you cleared up the article submission vs. guest posting controversy. I’m always hearing the other side of the coin about article submission but I couldn’t figure out why it never worked for me. I got it now. Thanks Ann and Lisa!
Very nice post. Maybe in the future you could publish one about how to attract guest blog posts? I for one could do with some help in that area. 🙂
Stay tuned: part to is just about accepting and attracting guest contributors 🙂
Sorry, I meant part 2 🙂
Guest blogging is new to me, but isn’t writing articles for ezinearticles or articlecity pretty similar. I did write a guest blog for this site (which I was thrilled about) but I haven’t really searched the running blogs hard for opportunities. Seeing how it benefited to do it here, I really should pursue it in my niche.
Hi Dave,
I think you get a different kind of exposure with guest blogging than you do from article submissions. In my opinion, most people who use articles from the article submission sites are people who do not have a lot of traffic and have a smaller audience, so exposure for your content may be limited. Think about it. You never see established bloggers like Darren Rowse or Brian Clark suggesting you get your content from ezinearticles, nor do you see them publishing that kind of duplicate content on their sites.
Most established/high-profile bloggers demand original content from their guest posters and have high standards for guest post submissions. Not to mention, well-trafficked blogs typically don’t use these sites for their regular content either. So if you want to appear on more heavily trafficked blogs, I think you will get far more exposure with guest blogging than article submitting.
Keep in mind, my feeling on article submissions have changed over the years (not in a good way) so that is tainting my view as well. I just wasn’t seeing the value anymore. I’d rather do 3 guest posts on high profile blogs than submit 30 articles to ezinearticles.com. But that’s just been my experience in the past few years. I don’t want to say that article submitting doesn’t work because some people may see a benefit. It’s just not for me anymore.
In 2010, I think you will get more bang for your buck doing guest posts than article submissions (assuming you have a good strategy.)
My thoughts precisely, Lisa.
Marketing in 2010 is not merely about links. Search engines get smarter and they are taking effort to use many more signals than just backlink profile: like brand name mentions, new mention, etc. Therefore today’s marketing is more about brand building than anything else.
Article marketing is unable to offer you brand exposure. Guest posting is the best choice for that (for now)!
I’ve never considered this, but I will plan for it now. Thanks for the tips.
Nice article, Ann! And thanks for having her, Lisa. I’ve been trying to get started doing more guest posting, but it’s been hard to make the time. I will have to set aside a day for it, as you suggest.
Lisa,
Thank you so much for accepting the post as well as for your kind words.
I am thrilled to be here!
Hey Lisa,
I do agree with your article about Guest Blogging. I am now starting to understand how guest blogging works. I really appreciate the way you do the step by step guide. I love visiting your site is so resourceful. Thank you again.
Nancy
Lovelyn, I agree. Being well prepared is key. It is always very clear to me who took the time to write an article for my blog and my audience over those who are just submitting the same generic article to multiple blogs hoping to get some quick exposure. Ann’s article is an excellent example of the kinds of guest posts I’m looking for.
Thanks for the great post, Ann. I did some guest posting last year and I was so surprised at how easy it was. I don’t know why, but I was extremely nervous about contacting other bloggers at first. Being well prepared goes a long way though. I decided that the website I was promoting wasn’t really my passion though and I’ve abandoned it since to do something more interesting.
Hi Lisa; Hi Ann,
I’ve slacked off guest posting, but I found that it maximizes the effect when you respond to comments and really try to connect with readers. I try to follow commentators on Twitter and check out their blogs. It really creates a lasting impression.