Understanding why you want to become a guest blogger is important. There are three main reasons why people usually want to become guest bloggers: |
· To increase traffic to their sites |
· To build backlinks to their sites |
· To turn themselves into authority figures in the industry |
If you can guest post on the right blogs, you’ll be able to achieve all three objectives at once. |
The first thing you want to do is identify targets for your guest blogging efforts. You’ll be looking for blogs that have a focus on your niche/industry, blogs whose audience are interested in your industry, blogs where readers frequently engage with each other and a blog whose owner is active on social media. The latter is important for promotional purposes. You can use a simple Google search to find out which sites are asking for guest blogs. You can also search to see the blogs where prolific guest bloggers’ works appear. You can also look at your competitors’ backlinks if possible. |
Before pitching a blog post, you have to know how to do it. The first thing is to understand the level and type of readers that the blog targets. You should also see posts by other guest bloggers to see whether they are general or in-depth guides. You also need to see if the site owner has a preference for certain types of guest bloggers e.g. consultants, bloggers, business owners etc. You also need to research the type of posts are tend to do well on the blog. After that, try to make yourself known first by commenting on recent posts and sharing the posts on social media. When a blog mentions you, your product or your business in a blog post or social media, that may be a good time to pitch your guest post. You can also pitch if the blog asks for guest posts. |
When pitching your guest post, be sure to first read the guidelines and know what is required. Personalise your email and state clearly who you are and why you should be a guest blogger. When writing your guest post, remember that it is not an advert for your business or product. The post is supposed to provide readers with information. You also need to format your content to look more like the other posts on the site. Include internal links so the site owner knows that you’ve been reading their posts. You should also have a good bio that will let people know who you are and what you’re about. |
When your post is published, respond to comments as much as possible. Promote your post to your own readers especially if you intend to become a regular guest blogger. You also need to track the results to see if your site has experienced an increase in traffic as a result of the post. You also need to consider opening up your site to guest blogging since it’s not easy to guest post and still create content for your site. |