Guest blogging is not hard. Landing on any blog with your guest post is HARD; however, it’s an art that anyone can learn!
Most guest bloggers rehash what others are saying; so it becomes easy for you when you come with a unique approach and take “links” out of the equation. Coming up with unique guest post ideas isn’t a rocket science and I’ll show you how to do it without any hassle.
Without further ado here are some few guest blogging tips to get noticed as a blogger and to stand out from the crowd with your guest posts.
Do your homework – read their blogs
To land on any blog with your guest posts, first you need a mental practice of reading their posts. Observe what type of contents they are writing on their blogs to create a network. What type of guest posts are getting published very often? If you observe their blog posts, you will notice there are 2 to 3 sections where the blog is focused more on. Take the best topic among them and try to come up with a unique point to generate great blog post ideas for the same blog.
By reading 2 to 3 articles on your targeted blog to guest post on will most likely NOT help you that much. Read and analyze at least 5 to 8 posts, spend quality time on their blogs to read the contents. This way you will be able to get good ideas about what to write for their audience. Remember, without knowing to whom you are writing for is always a waste of time and energy.
Analyze their writing style
Your writing style might not suit for your targeted blogs. They might be writing short paragraphs or long paragraphs in order to gain moment among their readers.
So it’s always a great practice if you observe their writing pattern. Also keep an eye on the guest bloggers writing styles, analyze whether they are following the blog’s writing pattern or using their own styles to get more audience attention. Observe which kind of writing style suits their audience needs.
Analyze how they are closing the blog posts or they ending up with a call to action or writing conclusion for every blog post?
Apply the same pattern in your guest posts to get the best results from your guest blogging campaign.
Get to know their audience pulse
Read their comments section and observe their social interactions. This is the BEST way to get to know their targeted audience pulse.
Most top bloggers don’t get enough time to respond to their blog commenters. And the commenters will be asking their questions, sharing their thoughts about the posts all the time. This is where you need to be proactive.
If your targeted blog is getting lots of thoughtful comments and social engagements, it’s a REALLY great platform for your business. Because there will be many readers who read and share their views about the posts in the comments.
Try to analyze what questions they are asking in the comments section. You can either respond to their comments by sharing your views or you can research more about the topic to write a guest post on the same blogs.
Everyone likes to read and share this kind of problem solving posts. It’s a great way to become the best guest blogger in your niche by writing problem solving oriented posts.
Stand out from other guest bloggers
This is the MOST important point you should remember as a guest blogger. Guest blogging has become a great weapon for many bloggers, so the ratio of guest posting has drastically increased.
To get noticed in the guest blogging world, you must stand out from the remaining guest bloggers.
- To stay be a unique guest blogger, avoid these blunders.
- Always link to other blogs (where you want to next guest post on). But stay relevant and know whether the blogs accepting to link to others or not. Most top blogs allow relevant linking.
- Try to write two to three points about the blog owner (don’t brag about him, but discuss few positive points). Everyone likes being appreciated, after all we are humans.
Bonus Tip: How to Approach the Blog Owner
Even if you follow the above tips, it would be a waste if you don’t know how to approach the blog owner properly.
First of all, you must read their guidelines for accepting a guest post. Make sure you follow all the guidelines before contacting the blog owner.
- Use your personalized email address(e.g. [email protected]) to contact the blog owner.
The subject of the email should clearly state that you are contacting him/her for a guest post. - Do not use some template email.
- Email should be short and to the point. First introduce yourself, then state the reason why you are contacting him/her, and lastly, add 3 or 4 of the best guest posts written by you.
- Use signature in your email. It must contain your name, your blog address, and some social media profiles, say Facebook, Twitter, etc.
One last thought, as you may be wondering if guest posting is still an important content marketing strategy. The short and quick answer is yes. Ana Hoffman published a post where it mentions a report from Forrester Research, detailing how consumers find websites.
Notice the third most used ways of how users find a website – “Links From Other Websites”. I’m almost sure that aside from natural links and roundups, that guest post are included in there.
More guest blogging resources:
- How to Get Your Guest Post Published
- Guest Blogging vs. Guest Posting – Imagine A World Without Links
- How to “Level-Up” Your Guest Posting Efforts
In a nutshell: Try to land on the blogs that has loyal readership. Don’t guest post for the sake of getting links, it won’t work for you to build a readership for your blog. Always come up with problem solving posts and put your best foot forward to become the best guest blogger.
Becoming familiar with a blogger’s style – and their audience’s likes – is the easy way to land guest posts, Ian. Power tips here!
Read a few posts, gauge what topics are covered and how the blogger covers the topics….and if you 2 seem to be a match, submit with a personalized email.
I trash any template emails. If the poster cannot personalize they have lost out on an opportunity. Get to know ME before you ask for the keys to my blog lol….
Thanks Ian!
Ian Mason
Hello Ryan,
It is a fact that template emails do not work now a days, atleast not for authority blogs.
Thanks.
Mike
Thanks for great and very useful tips. I think it’s much easier to leave comments on articles that already have some comments. I wanted to ask you for advice how to leave the first comment. Are there any other things I have to focus on, or just to use your guidelines from this article?
Thanx
Benji Frank
I think its better to start with the blogs which are lower down in the traffic and rankings with PR 2 to 4 for the Guest Blog posting. For starters, its a better approach considering that high level blogs will rarely publish your content as most of these ask for 2 sample posts. Even if you provide better content, the chances of getting the content displayed is very very low which may lower down the self esteem of the writer.
Once you’re good with the blogs which are in development phase, and your conversion rate is more than 60%, then you can try hitting higher level blogs occasionally.
Ian Mason
Hello Benji,
You are right, its better to start with the blogs which are lower down in traffic and rankings, and then approach the authority blogs.
Thanks a lot for your valuable advice.
Debopam Banerjee
Guest blogging is an important part of blogging and recently I came through few posts on this topic…… This post add to the list but standout with some valuable tips and powerful writing…… Thanks for the share…..
Ian Mason
Hello Debopam,
I am glad that you liked my article.
Thanks bro.
Hasan
Sharing this nice article on all my social media. Very nice post I must say. I am also searching for guest posts opportunities. But it’s hard to find one without any guidance like you provided in your article. I am looking forward to use your tips in order to get most out of my efforts for guest blogging.
Ian Mason
Hello Hasan,
If you follow the above tips, you will surely get good results. All the best for your Guest Posting campaign.
Thanks.
Martin
This is definitely a must read for all bloggers wanting
to try guest blogging. This is really a great opportunity not only to showcase once expertise but also a way to network with others as well. Wonderful tips!
Ian Mason
Hello Martin,
I agree with you that Guest Posting is not only a way to showcase your expertise, but also a way to network with others.
Thanks.
Hi,
Brilliant post.
Understanding the audience and then writing for their audience is the most difficult part. Once you hit the nail on the head then the show is on the air.
Ian Mason
Hello Mia,
I am glad that you liked the article.
Thanks.
harshit rastogi
Thanks for the info… i just want to know if guest blogging can actually increase the traffic on our website.. but i guess guest posting does a whole lot of things.. thanks!!
Ian Mason
Hello Harshit,
Guest Posting may increase the traffic of your website. I used the word “may” because it depends on your article. If your article is a great one and helping people in some way or the other, they will surely visit your website to learn more from you.
Thanks.
Ana Hoffman
Good points on guest posting, Ian – a little bit of homework goes a long way.
One more piece of advice I’d add: don’t write a guest post about guest posting. lol
It seems like every other submission I get is about guest posting; go figure…
That’s a very sound advice Ana, lol. I get quite a bit of those too.. Good point, maybe I’ll ask Ian to include that on a side note 🙂
Nicholas
Hi Ian, the approach to a blog owner for guest posting needs to be very sincere. If the approach is not proper or if it leaves a negative impression on the blogger, your guest post will not be considered irrespective of its quality. Thanks for the post.
Lavindra
This is positively a requirement scan for all bloggers desirous to strive guest blogging