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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I enjoyed reading this article. There are some great tips here in becoming a guest blogger and I have to admit I have been neglecting blog commenting and even thinking seriously about guest blogging. This have given me a new line of thinking in my social media management. Cheers!
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