Guest Posting Done Right: A Blueprint to Guest Posting
There can be a high level of value derived from guest blog posting for both the author of the content and for the blog owner alike. However, the problem is that, of late, guest blogging has become more of a new age type of spam; a type of spam that is more advanced than most.
The one thing it has in common with other types of spam, is that it is truly annoying. More specifically, in many cases, blog owners are being harassed daily for guest blog post opportunities (in bulk), while genuine high value guest authors are being rejected because they are being clumped in with the spammers.
In order for guest posting to work, and for there to be true value for all parties involved, the answer is simple. You must create true value, using a high quality approach. If you can do that, you will have no problem with guest posting successfully on some of the biggest and most well-known blogs on the web. Not only will this help you become more credible in the blogging community, it will also drastically increase your search engine rankings if done right.
Guest Posting Qualifications
If you want to post on good blogs, be prepared to prove that you are qualified to do so. Fortunately, it is not difficult to achieve that qualification. After all, some of the most famous blogs on the Internet are run by your average individual with no writing qualifications whatsoever.
The one thing you will need to be able to do is write. You do not need to be the best writer out there – as it is much more important that the information within that writing is valuable. However, if you cannot smoothly deliver that information within a piece of writing, you will not find many reputable blogs that are willing to work with you.
If you need to brush up on your writing skills, there are some goods books that you can check out. You would be surprised how much better you can get by actually studying and taking the time to learn the basics of writing for the web. You have to figure that most people do not spend any time doing this, so there is your edge.
The information that you write about is the most important aspect. In order to deliver true value, you must be credible and worth listening to. Find a way to become an expert and write about facts that are easily verifiable. The content that you put on your own website should be a good testament. Additionally, you can start posting on smaller blogs that may be less known and more likely to accept your offer.
Looking for Good Blogs On Which to Post
Posting on any blog you can easily post on is not the best approach. If you are going to spend time writing a blog post, it is ideal to make sure that you get the most for your time. Part of that lies within the blog that you are posting on.
An ideal blog for posting on is as follows:
Great content – The first thing you should do is take the time to read the content on the targeted blog and make sure that the content is good. It should be valuable and helpful to readers. There should be clear evidence that a significant amount of time and effort was put into the majority of the posts.
High reader base – It will not do you much good to post on a blog that nobody reads. Some blogs show feedburner readers, which can give you an idea of the reader base. Otherwise, you can see how many comments each post receives for an indication of the amount of readers.
Good traffic – This goes hand-in-hand with the above. Use tools like Compete and Alexa to get an idea of the traffic level of a website. While those tools are not entirely accurate, they still give some indication of whether or not a website has people coming to it or not.
Blogs that do not sell links – Or at least blogs that do not make it obvious that they are selling links. This will help protect the link that you are given in return for posting great content.
Open to guest posting – It is important that the blog is not a very personal blog where guest posting will never be an option. At the same time, you do not want to post on a blog where it is filled with nothing more than low quality guest posts.
Blogs you actually read – If you do not read them already, then start before you approach the blog owner.
Approaching the Blog Owner
Take the time to get to know the blog and the blog owner before you even think about firing off an email. Most blog owners worth working with will not easily accept guest blog posts. If you send out some dull email template, you are just wasting your time. Spend time getting involved with other blog posts and comment often. Get into the discussions and make a name for yourself. Make sure the blog owner knows who you are before you ever email them. The readers are important too. Make sure you take the time to get to know the readers, as a popular guest post will pay off.
If the blog owner has any specific guidelines or criteria that is available to the public in regards to guest blog posting, be sure to study into that and learn those guidelines inside and out. That will come in handy when it comes time to reaching out to the blog owner.
Reaching Out to the Blog Owner
Get creative. Twitter is an excellent approach for getting someone’s attention – and much less spammy then sending off an email. It is also much less likely to be overlooked. If you must send out an email, be sure to make that email extremely personal and just be real with the blog owner.
Take your time and talk to him/her as if you were talking to a friend. Be detailed with your email, but not long winded. It is very important to let them know exactly what you want to write about, with a quick summary of what will be included inside of the post.
Writing a High Quality Guest Post
It helps to properly outline your post, so that you can gather a clear and consistent direction. Write about what you know first and foremost. If you can do that and add a lot of value at the same time, it will make this whole process easier. The key is to make sure that the topic you pick can be a resource. It should be filled with information and facts. Do not just ramble off the top of your head. Decide what you are going to write about and then do it. Stick to the topic, and focus on getting to the end result.
People come on the Internet to find information. If you want your post to get read, then write about information that people want to find. Since you are writing on a reputable and high traffic blog, the information will get found. Use different tools to enhance your post, such as screen shots, images, video and anything else that could make the article more valuable.
When your post goes live, be sure to follow up with the blog owner thanking them for the opportunity. Additionally, you should make a point to go back and comment on your post and get into a discussion with the readers.
