Effective Guest Blogging

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Guest blogging is really hot for businesses nowadays. It is really beneficial for all parties. It helps the business owner to introduce a greater volume of fresh content and it helps the guest blogger to gain valuable and widespread exposure.

Guest blogging rules

As a guest blogger, it is difficult at times to understand how to behave, what is expected of you, etc. When it comes to guest blogging, one of the most important things to remember is that the final word belongs to the person who owns to blog. More and more people are starting to realize how valuable it is to be a guest blogger because of the amount of exposure that they get from it. With the wealth of blogs on the Internet, it is very possible to be a guest blogger for several different blogs and businesses and it is an excellent way to increase your exposure and boost your professional reputation. Potentially, you can reap even more benefits if you guest blog. Many companies will be willing to pay you if you write them blogs. The reason that many business owners are willing to pay is that they feel an obligation to constantly and frequently provide fresh content online and guest bloggers help them to do that. Of course, the guest blogging market will become more and more competitive among blog writers, especially if there is money involved. There are other reasons as well for companies wanting to use guest bloggers:

  • A link back to the business owner’s website: Guest blogs generally have a call-to-action with a link back to the blog owner’s website. That is an excellent way to generate new website traffic. The traffic, of course, will eventually turn into people who want to buy what is being offered.
  • High-quality links: When a blog has high-quality links, the blog will be regarded positively by the search engines. The higher the business’s rankings, the more people will pay attention to that business and will want to interact with people working there.
  • Great exposure to a large audience: When a guest blogger has an article that is posted on another blog, they will have the benefit of their audience reading the article as well as the audience of the blog owner. That blog has a great chance of also being shared on a much broader level and the greater the reach of the article, the better the brand awareness will be for the business that owns the blog as well as the blog writer’s business.
  •  Establishing a reputation as subject matter expert: If you are posting blog articles on specific topics (whether you wrote them or someone else wrote them), you are establishing yourself as a subject matter expert. The reason that this is so important is that you want people to think of you first the next time they have a professional need that you are able to fulfill. You want to be top of mind.

Getting your blog articles accepted

There are several different ways in which you can ensure that your blog article is accepted on someone else’s blog and if you use the tips that will be discussed, you should be able to achieve that quite easily.

  • Always make sure that your links lead back to a good-quality website: This is critical to your success as a blogger. The chances are very high that your readers will click on the link that you provide in your blog article. The last thing that you want or need is to have the reader end up at a website that is not reputable or seems unprofessional. Basically, it is important that both ends be of the highest quality. In other words, the quality of your blog writing must be excellent and the website that is linked to your blog content must also be excellent. It is important to remember that there are two reputations on the line at all times: yours as the writer and the blog owner’s reputation as well.
  • Be careful where you post: It is very important that you get involved with the blog for a while in some capacity before you actually become a guest blogger. You should develop a relationship with the business owner before you approach him or her about becoming a guest blogger. Your connection to that business should be solid and genuine.
  • Get to know what the business and the business owner represents before you guest blog: The term “guilt by association” really applies in this situation. If you have gotten to know a particular business well, you will be able to determine whether you are a good fit for that business. It makes no sense to blindly submit blogs that you are hoping will be posted. There has to be a relevant connection between what you are writing and what they are selling.
  • Sell your blog idea to the best of your ability: When you are discussing your idea for a blog article to a particular business, it is very important for you to give the blog owner an opportunity to get to know you to a point, whether that is through Email, on the phone or in person. There are some questions that the blog owner may ask you and you should be prepared with the answers. They are: 

     

     

    • Why do you want to guest blog for that specific blog?
    • What is the subject of the blog article and why would it benefit that particular blog?
    • Are you flexible about revising your blog article to suit the blog owner?

On the part of the blog owner, it is perfectly appropriate to request that he or she respond to you and let you know whether he or she has decided to publish  your blog article. There is no reason why the blog owner shouldn’t at least read your article, even if it never gets published.

  • Promote your blog article through social media channels: Once your article is posted on the other person’s blog, you should share it with all of your online connections, including social media groups and business directories, if appropriate.

Conclusion

You should consider guest blogging. It is a wonderful way to gain additional exposure and boost your professional reputation to great heights. Of course, you should also have your own blog and it is a great idea to encourage other people to contribute to your blog as well. One hand really does wash the other when it comes to online content. So, go out and find guest blogging opportunities, of which there are many. Your content should be focused on your niche and your target audience will reach out and interact with you. You need to have a different mentality when you are pursuing guest blogging opportunities. There is no reason why can’t open your mind to doing all sorts of exciting things with your expertise.

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Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

9 Responses

  1. Caryn Starr-Gates says:

    Well said, Carolyn. I will share this post on my social networks, there is great value here!

  2. Cathy Miller says:

    Major point of yours, Carolyn – develop a relationship with the blog owner. Participate in discussions, share posts. Blog owners are getting buried by requests from people we never met – online or in person – who <i>say</i> they follow your blog, but never comment and never share your posts. I wrote a post on both sides of the guest post story and likened guest blogging to a guest coming to your home. Would you open your door to a complete stranger? Great tips here, Carolyn. It's a good example of the professional side of guest posts.

  3. BANU KILINC says:

    I am a blog owner and pharmacist  in Turkey but I've launched this activity since August 2012 and not earned someting yet. My aim is that to serve my knowdlege and experience to the public and my colleagues.Great ideas here! Thank you. 🙂

  4. Karen Parziale says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Bergen County Business Professionals

    Discussion: Effective Guest Blogging

    I agree with you Carolyn…blogging is great to position oneself as a thought leader.
    Posted by Karen Parziale

     

  5. Stephen Brown says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing

    Discussion: Effective Guest Blogging

    I agree and for now it is one of the most effective ways to get backlinks to your website as well as brand yourself and drive traffic… The problem is that Google is already seeing a trend as people who were badly hurt by the Panda and Penguin updates look for new ways to obtain backlinks and they are targeting Guest Blogging sites which may eventually force Google to treat these sites in the same manner they now treat article sites and devalue them … the blog owner needs to be aware of this and keep their quality high.
    Posted by Stephen Brown

     

  6. Susan Brooks says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing

    Discussion: Effective Guest Blogging

    Do you have an idea as to what might be appropriate remuneration for a guest blog?
    Posted by Susan Brooks

     

    • Michael Cohn says:

      Susan, 


      Our guest bloggers do not expect to get paid. What we offer our guest bloggers is:

      * Your Author bio and credentials will be included in your articles.

      * Your Author bio with a link to your website and social media profiles will be listed on our Meet Our Bloggers page.

      * Guest Authors’ articles get high priority on our publishing schedule and they are properly acknowledged.

      * Our guest authors receive huge online exposure as our articles get syndicated to hundreds of social media and business network channels.

      For more details on our guest blogging program see: https://www.compukol.com/join-us/


  7. Stephen Brown says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing

    Discussion: Effective Guest Blogging

    Interesting question Susan as I would not expect to be paid or charge for an article. If you are the guest blogger you are adding valuable content to the owners blog so you shouldn't have to pay and the benefit to you is branding, backlinks, getting your name out there; and if you are the owner of the blog you are receiving valuable content free of charge that will pull in even more traffic that you can monetize by whatever means you are using. I've always seen it as a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties.
    Posted by Stephen Brown

     

  8. Karine says:

    I always like reading articles about guest posting. Actually on of the most liked "articles" on my blog is a list of high PR blogs accepting guest posts which became a huge hit. Thanks for your article Carolyn