When To Start Guest Blogging?
If you decide to do guest blogging, you must also know when you should start it. One of my friends did a big mistake. His blog was relatively new with 4 posts, and he guest blogged on a high traffic blog. Instead of gaining something, he earned bad reputation and probably lost hundreds of potential subscribers. So the rule of thumb is to first have enough quality content on your blog before you decide to guest blog on high traffic blogs. When your post will appear on a popular blog, readers will come to your blog with high expectations. If they will not get the meaty content as per their expectations, you are going to damage your reputation as a blogger.
How To Start?
Once you fulfill the aforesaid criteria, its time to pull up the socks and get prepared for guest blogging.
1. First Prepare Your Own Blog
Before approaching other blogs, you must tweak and polish your own blog for the readers. Check your Contact,About Me and Archives pages, and make sure they are up-to-date. Check out the navigation links and make sure your best content is displayed in the sidebar. No link on your home page should be a dead link. Tweak the RSS subscription links and place them at targeted places. Keep 2-3 pillar articles at your disposal, to post them during traffic rush from the guest post.
2. Finding Right Blogs For Guest Blogging
Once you have prepared your blog, its time to research and find the appropriate blogs for guest posting. You can start with the bloggers who already know you. Browse your network and filter out those bloggers, with whom you are more conversant in past few months. Chances of getting your posts being published is high on those blogs whose owners are already familiar with you. Alternatively, you can scan your RSS subscriptions to filter out the blogs on which you'd like to guest blog. Needless to say, you must choose those blogs, which are related to your blog's niche. You can also search for blogs who accept guest posts via major search engines.
Thou Shall Research
So, till now you have prepared your own blog and have also created a list of blogs on which you want to guest blog. What next? Wait; do not contact the owner right away. There is something more important to do first, which may reduce the number of blogs in your list. Pick the best ones from the list and read some of the best content of these blogs. Try to understand the persona of the blogger and the treatment he gives to the blog posts. Every blogger has it's own style of writing. Make note of all important points, which will be helpful while creating the guest post. Try to figure out what kind of content is getting the maximum comments on their blogs. The purpose of all this exercise is to make sure that your blog post gels well with the regular content of the blog, and readers don't feel alienated while reading your post.
How To Approach For Guest Blogging?
Now is the time to approach the bloggers from your revised list of selective blogs. If the blog owner knows you very well, and you talk with him every now and then, you can directly ask him during conversation. For others, you must write a mail giving your full introduction, which includes your blog URL, your portfolio site URL (if any). Offer to guest post on their blog unconditionally. Yes, I said right UNCONDITIONALLY. How many of you will not give proper attribution to original author while accepting a guest post? I think nobody will do that. By giving your post unconditionally, you will increase the chances of getting your post published on their blog. You must also list the topics on which you are interested in posting. Do not forget to ask their suggestions as well. Once you get the nod, send an acknowledgment mail thanking them for accepting your offer. In this mail, give the topic on which you will be writing, the post length in words, number of illustrations (if any), their size and the deadline on which you will submit your post.
Writing The Guest Post
While writing the guest post, you must take care of few important things.
1. Write your best content.
2. Try to write a problem-solver article.
3. Try to emulate the writing style of blog on which your post will appear.
4. Talk directly with readers.
5. Do not indulge in self promotion.
6. Take permission from the blog owner before embedding any link back to your blog post.
Follow Up and Promote
Once your guest post is live, send a follow up thanking mail to the blog owner. Now is the time to promote and reap the benefits of all the exercise. Subscribe to post comments and religiously follow them, and answer all the commentators. At the same time, do not forget to post those pillar articles on your blog at regular intervals. Use your social media profiles to promote the content.
Over To You
Do you guest blog, if yes, what other techniques you use? Does it give some benefits to you?
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