You’ve read about the importance of getting guest blogging in order to drive traffic to your site. You know it’s something you need to do. You want to get the attention for your site or your products that they deserve. Here are the strategies I’ve used to get guest blogging opportunities:
Offer to Fill in Gaps
For my first guest blog opportunity, I was reading an article on the marketing site, Mirasee.com, and I noticed that while the blog author mentioned creating your own job title as a strategy for setting yourself apart in the market place, he didn’t detail how a person could or should approach creating their own job title. So I looked up their submission guidelines and I put forth my proposal. They accepted my offer and a month later, I was featured on their blog and being mentioned in emails to their subscribers.
Participate in Communities
Get yourself and your work known. Get out there and meet people. Sign up for free webinars and then participate in them. Don’t just lurk. Get active and be visible. One of my guest blogging opportunities came because I did the homework asked of us by the free webinar host. They chose my response, it caught the attention of another author, and she reached out to me to ask me for a guest blog for her site.
Ask for One
If you like a blog and have an idea for something you think could help that site draw more visitors, reach out to them and make the offer. The worst they can do is turn you down. It won’t hurt you to ask. This is how Emily Lock came to be a guest blogger for my site.
Subscribe to HARO
Haro is a service that brings opportunities to interact with reporters and bloggers on a wide range of topics. A recent guest blogging opportunity came because I combed through and found an opportunity that was relevant to me. As a result, my advice was included in an article at Recruiter.com. There is an article that I will be part of in an upcoming Family Circle magazine, as well.
Provide Value
When you compose your guest blog article, think about how you can add the most value to that blog site’s audience. Do your homework and put real meat on the bones of what you’re offering. If you aren’t speaking from personal experience, back it up with research that agrees with what you are saying. Pull quotes from other authorities to add in to the article. Give them more than what they expect to receive.
Let Your Article Speak for You
Do not trumpet your own brand or your own products throughout the article. Let the quality of your content be your calling card. If people like what you have written and found value in it, they will look to you for value in other areas. Save self-promotion for the bio.
Follow the Submission Guidelines
Read the submission guidelines. Then re-read them and make notes while you do. Follow them to the letter. How well you follow those guidelines will tell them a lot about whether or not you are going to be respectful of the opportunity they have provided you.
Don’t Expect Immediate Results
As nice as it would be, don’t expect immediate results. Guest blogging is a long-term strategy for gaining exposure and building credibility. This is about getting your name out there and starting to prove yourself to be an authority on the topics you know best.
Be Responsive
If someone comments on your blog post, be responsive. Thank them, communicate with them, let them know you are listening and are real. Encourage interaction by engaging with them. If they criticized you or your writing, thank them for their criticism and look for the truth in it and then reply back accordingly. Poorly handled criticism isn’t likely to get you invited back for future guest blogging opportunities and it doesn’t give people incentive to work with you directly, which is the ultimate goal of guest blogging.
Share Your Experience
Do you have experience guest blogging? Share your story and your experience below.