How to Become a Guest Blogger
May 10
Last week we talked about submitting your content to high profile sites. This week we’re going to discuss one of THE very best ways to get targeted traffic to your site.
Become a guest blogger.
The benefits of guest blogging are pretty similar to the high profile content sites. You get to put yourself in front of a well established community. You have a blog owner ~ who wants to get traffic to HIS site, so he’ll promote your post on his site, which brings traffic to your sites as well. You also get at least one excellent anchor text link in content, which rocks.
So How do you become a guest blogger?
Well, I gotta tell you, it can be pretty intimidating “walking” up to people you don’t know and asking them to publish your content.
That’s why I NEVER do that.
I never ask to guest post on blogs where I don’t know the blog owner. It’s intimidating, and I imagine there would be way too much rejection for me to keep doing it regularly.
How do I get guest posting opportunities then?
I network. I get to know people. I let people get to know me. THEN I ask them if I can get a guest post. It may seem tricky, with so many people online, to get to know people, but all the people online actually make it easier. I bet there is someone you know ~ who knows the person who owns the blog you want to post on.
It may be tough to get to know an A list blogger ~ but you can get to know his/her friends ~ and then it’s just as good as knowing them yourself.
This is what happened to me with my guest post at Then Life Happens. My friend Frank Dickinson was a contributor there, and introduced me to Darren. Of course I filled out all the paperwork to become a contributor, but by the time Darren got my paperwork I wasn’t just a nameless face with who knows what kind of writing ability. I was a recommended, trusted resource.
I want you to create that for yourself too!
It really doesn’t have to be that hard. There are so many places you can get to know people and network with people. I love using forums ~ mostly Lynn’s Elite forum ~ but any friendly, on blog topic forum will do. You’ll have to really talk to people, answer their questions, help them out, but it is very doable.
I really got the “big picture” of this networking thing when I read Dave Navarro’s free report 7 Steps to Networking Your Way to A Listers Fast. Dave lays out a killer step by step plan to network your way into the places you want to be. Whether it’s for a guest post or whatever. I highly recommend you grab the book and create a networking plan for yourself.
While Dave lays out a very organized and methodical plan for networking, here’s a quick brain dump of places and ways you can network.
Twitter **
Facebook
Blog comments
Forums ~ especially if the A lister in your sites has one of their own!
Blogs of friends of people you want to guest post for
twitter with people who help the person you want to guest post for
have friends introduce you
Send the person candy
Let’s do an example, just so you can REALLY see the difference this networking is going to make.
Option 1.
Here’s an email I received recently. (I took out the site domain for privacy reasons)
Dear,
I want to make 1 guest post in your site: [deleted by me], if you permit me. The post contains 300 words above and totally unique as it is written by my content writers. In return, I will place your link in one finance sites.Please contact me at erica(@)
mydebtconsolidationprogram(.)com soon.
Kind Regards,
Erica Smith
Affiliate Manager
E-mail: [Deleted by me]
Option 2.
What if I got a tweet from someone I know on twitter? I may not know them “personally” but I’ve tweeted with them, conversed with them, I recognize them and feel comfortable with them. The tweet said, “Hey I’d like to talk to you about doing a guest post on your blog, can we talk?”
Do you think I would respond to the tweet? Hell, yeah I would. Do you think I might actually let the person guest post on my blog. Probably, if the post was on topic and helpful to my readership.
Even though the request may be the same… coming from someone you know it’s much more likely to be accepted.
So grab Dave’s networking ebook and get out there and get to know people!!
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For me guess blogging is like article submission. Your article might still decline by the web master is it feels that the article don’t suite for the blog theme. So research first what does the blog’s theme.
Rommel@Chicago Web Design´s last blog ..Businesses Plan To Increase E-Commerce Investment in 2010
In case this link sends my comment to SPAM, I’ll post it separately from my comment. Here is a list of posts that I’ve published on blogcatalog for your reference:
http://www.blogcatalog.com/community/author/thatgirlisfunny/
cheryl@I love blogging tips´s last blog ..Site Map – Guest Posts
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This is really great! I’m reading all of your guest post blogging tips this morning. I would love to have you guest post for me on thatgirlisfunny or – which might be a better fit for you – on blogcatalog. I’m a featured editor there. It’s my job to advocate and promote other bloggers! Join in! Next week is open
cheryl@I love blogging tips´s last blog ..11 blogging tips from expert bloggers – be undeniably interesting
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Great suggestions for laying a foundation for networking. Over the past year I have to admit I have been neglecting in the area of social networking and my online properties have definitely suffered as a result.
Wow Jackie, that’s some spiffy lookin’ form-letter type email ya got there. lol
Blog commenting – oh yes dear friends, it is one sure key to guest post opportunities; trust me on this. Become a regular “face” and you have an “in”…some will even come to you asking if you’d like to guest on their blog.
Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..A TRUE Make Money Online blog – Part 2 – Choose My Domain Name
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Darren I think you’re right – it is important to be part of the blog community before you ask. I’d personally ignore requests from people I at least don’t recognize.
Jackie, great post!
Katherine´s last blog ..An Adventure with Constant Content
Great example Todd ~ and Mark has a great blog (I read it regularly!). That would be an awesome guest post. You did a great job of networking there.
Follow me @momtohanna on Twitter!
Great tips Jackie! Ever since I have been twittering with my new niche, I have met countless people. There are at least 10-20 blogs that I could guest post on. Not all of them would get me A LOT of traffic… but everyone would get me some while a few would get me LOADS!
Mark Sisson, the head guy behind the Primal Blueprint (heard of him?), commented on my blog for the first time today. Today is only the 19th day of existence and right there is potential for an ENORMOUS flood of traffic. I will be asking him about me guest posting sometime soon… his blog is in the top 5 for health and fitness…………
He posted a primal blueprint fitness challenge on his blog one week ago from today. I went ahead and did the challenge, videotaped it, placed it on youtube, did a blog post about it today – the one Mark commented on. I am sure he loves the fact that I did the challenge and am encouraging others to follow suite. So, it seems to me that he would enjoy a guest post by me, especially since he has done it in the past.
Sorry for going on and on… Lol. I guess I feel as if a few people can learn from me!
Simply make friends -a lot of them! Twitter and a popular forum is my favorite way
Time to start guest posting on the several blogs I can choose from!
Thanks Jackie!
Primal Toad´s last blog ..Primal Blueprint Fitness Challenge by Primal Toad
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Great post Jackie.
I was always intimidated and a bit fearful of the whole guest blogging thing.
What I discovered: That was way more about me than about the blog owner. Blogger, large or smaill are always looking for good content. They often want or need guest bloggers.
Take FrankDickinson.me in May. I am faced with back surgery. I needed help. I put feelers out for guest bloggers and enlisted 6 different top-notch people.
Just an example of how this wonderful thing called the blogging community can work.
Great tips my friend!
Frank Dickinson´s last blog ..Affiliate Marketing Simplified
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Jackie,
These are really great tips and, again, thanks for listing and linking to Then Life Happens. As I hope you know, you are welcome to contribute again if you wish.
I also want to reiterate the importance of using the social media available to you to really connect with the blogger in question… I am currently working on two guest posts to some rather busy blogs (I don’t want to list the blogs at this point because it could be months before the posts actually go live). I attribute my relationship with the blog owners as being 95% responsible for my request to guest post being accepted. I contributed to their blogs in comments, and offered my own advice, and engaged the writer(s) on the blog. I promoted their blog content to my social networks… they were able to get to know me and I them.
Blog owners (especially the big ones) are very busy and get hundreds of e-mails every day. I didn’t feel that sending a message like the one you received above would be appreciated by someone who didn’t know me.
Thanks again, Jackie,
Regards,
Darren Sproat
Darren Sproat´s last blog ..A Mother’s Day Reminder
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