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The Ultimate Guide To Guest Blogging – Massive Techniques for Achieving Success

by Sam on May 20, 2010 · 27 comments

in Blogging & SEO

The Ultimate Guide To Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is one of the most powerful practices for making yourself known as a blogger or writer and will seriously push your blog promotion to a higher level. Personally, it has helped me to build some solid relationships with other bloggers, quickly grow my site’s traffic and dedicated readership and granted me the privilege of becoming a writer for one of the most popular blogs on the web, Blogging Pro.

Here is an excellent guide that will show you the great benefits achieved through dedicated guest blogging as well as how to master these golden opportunities. I will start the guide off with some Techniques & How To’s.

Guest Post on Popular High Traffic Blogs

As a new blogger one may feel intimidated by other successful bloggers in the industry and feel that they’re not good enough to even approach a star blogger with a request for guest posting. No worries, this is a natural feeling and is simply human nature. However, it is a fear that is not worth nurturing and requires bold steps to overcome. Forget your fears or doubts and go for the most popular blogs you can find and make that request. What’s the point in aiming small? You aim small, your traffic and popularity will be small as well.

Host Blog Should have an Author Profile Section & Allow Linking

Though you’re not guest posting for the sole purpose of gaining and not giving anything to the community, host bloggers really should offer some benefits to their guest bloggers. The basic benefits include, at least 2 links back to your blog, an author bio box below the post or an author bio page. Some bloggers will allow up to 4 links back to your site. Take advantage of these links with effective link text. So if I’m working on improving my search engine ranking for the keyword, “Sam’s Widgets” I would use that link text for particular relevant links to my site.

Guest Post Request Etiquette & How To Handle Rejection

Its very important to remember that the host blogger is not obligated to accept your guest post request and they can reject it for various reasons. In sending that e-mail to request the guest post:

  • Be professional – I know you’re not applying for a job but no pro blogger wants a sloppy writer with a “don’t care” attitude writing for their blog. Such attitudes can show in your writing
  • Offer a little history – Give a little background information on who you are to better connect with your potential host
  • Have a signature line – Have a signature line for your e-mails; it just looks better
  • Be polite – Ask kindly for the guest post; don’t demand it
  • Be concise and get to the point

In the unfortunate scenario where your request is denied, thank the blogger for their time and move on. Do Not take the rejection personally. Ask the blogger why you were rejected so that you can be better equipped for future requests. That is the most important part in that case.

Read & Follow Guest Post Guidelines

These guidelines are usually found on the blogger’s guest post page and provides information regarding what they are expecting from guest authors. If you know you can’t adhere to the rules after reading then don’t bother to request it. It really is a waste of time to send in a guest post while completely ignoring the guidelines. The host blogger will most likely reject it.

Targeting The Right Niches

You don’t have to guest post only on blogs within your niche since it depends on what you write about. For example, if your blog is about “Become a better blogger or writer” then you don’t need to target blogs that talk about the same thing. Such a topic is beneficial to a broad cross-section of readers and can help them to become better writers in their various fields. So decide which audience can benefit from your advice or topics and write for them. These will be particularly more rewarding.

Choose Your Best Work For Your Guest Posts

Frequently, my guest posts are 10 times better than my own posts for my blog. That’s just how I am, more effort goes into the things I offer others than for myself. Its not a bad trait to adapt. Ensure that you are offering the best quality of work for your host blog; blow some minds away! If you get an opportunity to write for a blog like Problogger.net, which has over 100,000 subscribers, your blogging name could be made just like that. Read my 10 Brilliant Tips For Creating Killer Content For Your Blog article to get yourself started here.

Now for the benefits; here are some attractive benefits for launching an effective guest posting campaign.

Set Reasonable Targets & Flourish Through Victory

It would be best that you set a goal for the number of guest posts you would like to write each month while visualizing your success through it. Make it a part of your blog building strategy by writing your targets down. This will make your goal more tangible and easier to achieve and appreciate. The more goals you achieve in your blogging journey the more fulfilling it becomes and your drive for success becomes stronger.

Quality Link Building

Guest posting on high traffic, high google pagerank blogs will give you the distinct advantage of building superior quality, spam free backlinks to your site. I can guarantee you if you publish 4 to 5 guest posts per week, all on sites with pageranks of 4 or higher, using relevant linking, you will be rewarded with a google pagerank of no less than 2 after 2 months of guest posting. That’s pretty good, especially for new blogs.

Even more important; if you’re trying to rank in search engines for a particular keyword or phrase like “Overweight Pets,” having hundreds of links to your site with that text will help you to dominate the search results for that keyword.

Gain Credibility & Influence

100,000 unique one-time visitors to a blog per month is not worth as much as 50,000 dedicated readers. Since dedicated readers offer feedback and are usually very interactive with your sites. These are the persons who trust your advice and purchase your products. Better to have even 10,000 dedicated readers spending $5.00 per month with you than 100,000 who find you, do nothing and never return. The dedicated reader is what we should cherish and we keep them by consistently producing excellent content. Become a star on popular, credible blogs through guest posting and you will quickly build a following for yourself and exercise massive influence. Then there is reputation gained through association, so write for blogs with superb reputations.

Increase Traffic

In addition to link building you are sure to get new and a long-term flow of traffic from the host blog if your posts are interesting. So use those linking opportunities and ensure these new visitors are greeted with quality content and/or services on your site.

Collaborate & Learn From The Experts

If you develop a very unique talent within your niche, it will be easily identified by the professionals when you guest post. People will seek you for advice and also request for you to write for them. Oftentimes with attractive compensation. Never be afraid or doubtful about your abilities. There are pros in your niche who are more than willing to help you take your blogging career to heights of victory. Collaboration with a master in your field will ensure your success.

Discussion

Following this guide will secure your success through link building, improving your blog’s popularity, brand and influence; ultimately to highest levels possible.

Please share with us your experiences with guest blogging, both good and bad, and let us know how beneficial it has been for you. Feel free to also offer advice from your experiences by leaving a comment below.

Related posts:

  1. The 3 Essential “Don’ts” of Guest Blogging – Make it Work for You
  2. 17 Killer Techniques For Driving Massive Search Engine Traffic To Your Blog
  3. Guest Post
  4. 10 Powerful Techniques For Saving A Failing Blog
  5. Awesome Changes & Improvements In Store For Sam’s Web Guide

{ 2 trackbacks }

The 3 Essential “Don’ts” of Guest Blogging – Make it Work for You | Sam's Web Guide - Tutorials & Technology
May 28, 2010 at 12:19 PM
15 Easy Techniques For Generating Massive Traffic To Your Blog | BloggingPro
May 31, 2010 at 6:24 PM

{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

1 franky
Twitter:
May 20, 2010 at 3:59 PM

Another great entry, Robyn. Yes it is true, without your guest entries posted on other sites I would not have noticed you and when someone said you had applied for another gig, I knew there was still a spot available on BloggingPro and my decision for both sites was made.
I do hope that BloggingPro will bring your blog even more exposure as you deserve it and certainly are one of the bigger talents and possibly future influential bloggers in the ‘how to blogging’ niche, especially if you can keep up this pace and continue producing the awesome content you’ve brought here already in less than half a year now.

For a ‘newcomer you the scene’ you’ve shown a remarkable grasp of the topic, maturity and have the right mentality: the mentality of a winner.

Reply

2 Sam
Twitter:
May 21, 2010 at 9:53 AM

Thanks a lot for your inspiring comment Franky. Its greatly appreciated.

BloggingPro has definitely helped me to gain more exposure and also to improve on the quality of my writing in general. Considering the popularity of BloggingPro, I felt challenged to write with maximum quality at all times, even when I doubted my abilities, and that is truly a blessing.

Thanks again Franky

Reply

3 Edwin May 20, 2010 at 5:50 PM

Great article. I am meaning to guest post more lately but every time I want to write something i start thinking that I should publish it on my site instead. It is a cycle that I am trying to overcome
Edwin´s last blog ..Any Traffic Tips? My ComLuv Profile

Reply

4 Sam
Twitter:
May 21, 2010 at 9:57 AM

Hey Edwin,

Thanks for commenting.

I know exactly what you mean since the same thing usually happened to me. Think about guest posting as a high yielding investment that is required to make your site and business grow. Reserve some awesome posts for guest posting and it will work wonders for you, especially if you do it consistently.

Reply

5 Kimi
Twitter:
May 21, 2010 at 10:15 AM

Awesome tip Robyn, as usual :D
But to me personally i am not keen to guest blogging, i somehow don’t have confidence LOL. I feel i still need to learn alot and alot first before doing this guest blogging stuff.
Kimi´s last blog ..Secure WordPress Part 1 My ComLuv Profile

Reply

6 Sam
Twitter:
May 22, 2010 at 6:41 PM

Hey Kimi, thanks for commenting :D

Never doubt your abilities. You have been creating great content for your blog at web6.org so certainly you can do it on other blogs as well. Think about your strongest topics and use your knowledge there. If you like, you can get started with your guest posting here on my blog and I will help you with the process. Sounds good? :)

Reply

7 Kimi
Twitter:
May 23, 2010 at 9:27 AM

Thank you so much for your encouragement Robyn :D That sounds brilliant!! I sure will go back to you if once i feel i am ready :D Thanks!!
Kimi´s last blog ..WordPress security Part 2 My ComLuv Profile

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8 Jamaipanese May 21, 2010 at 2:59 PM

another well written post Robyn, learned a couple new things. Looking to start guest blogging again soon, I just need to stop being so lazy.
Jamaipanese´s last blog ..JR East Introducing Railway of Love My ComLuv Profile

Reply

9 Sam
Twitter:
May 22, 2010 at 6:46 PM

Hey Kirk,

Its good to see you here :)

Jamaipanese.com is an extremely unique blog and I think guest blogging will definitely help push it to the next level.

Reply

10 Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing
Twitter:
May 21, 2010 at 6:52 PM

Definitely the best of the bunch so far, and it’s a big bunch. I haven’t done it yet myself, but it is on the top of my list.
Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Aweber Affiliate Link Contest! – This Is It!! My ComLuv Profile

Reply

11 Sam
Twitter:
May 22, 2010 at 6:47 PM

Hey Dennis,

You’re welcome to start guest posting here whenever you’re ready :D

Thanks for reading

Reply

12 Real Blogging Advice
Twitter:
May 21, 2010 at 10:16 PM

This is really the ultimate guide to guest blogging. Thanks for sharing it Robyn-Dale.

You really hit bull’s eye. I would definitely follow your tips and advice.

- Felix Albutra
Real Blogging Advice´s last blog ..How to Locate Your Email Subscribers in Your Feedburner Account? My ComLuv Profile

Reply

13 Sam
Twitter:
May 22, 2010 at 6:49 PM

Thanks for your kind words Felix and its good to see you here again :D

All the best with your guest blogging.

Reply

14 Ann Smarty May 22, 2010 at 12:19 PM

Very well-put, Robyn. Guest blogging really has plenty of benefits and it is also a win-win for both the author and the blog owner – and in this way the tactic is somewhat unique.

I’d love you to take a look at MyBlogGuest which is the community of guest bloggers. BloggingPro’s Franky is the valued member by the way, so you can meet him there as well ;)

Reply

15 Sam
Twitter:
May 22, 2010 at 6:53 PM

Hello Ann,

Thanks for taking the time to comment :)

Guest blogging definitely has its benefits which I’m currently enjoying. I will definitely join the community at MBlogGuest.com. Its very interesting so far and it seems to provide an experience I have never seen elsewhere.

BTW when you’re thinking of guest posting, I would love to have you here :D

Reply

16 Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius
Twitter:
May 25, 2010 at 1:49 AM

I’ve submitted a guest post to a star blog but nothing has been published yet. I’m waiting to see how this turns out before going further. I’ll keep you posted.
Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius´s last blog ..Custom Search: make the most out of Google Maps with optimized geolocation results My ComLuv Profile

Reply

17 Sam
Twitter:
May 28, 2010 at 7:52 AM

Hey Sachin,

Its good to know that you’ve started guest blogging. Some popular blogs do take forever to publish guest articles. Understandably, some of them have lots of post scheduled. However, they need to give you a specific date for when it will be published and not have you hanging.

Please let me know how it goes :)

Reply

18 Murlu May 25, 2010 at 12:33 PM

Great job with this post, covered all the major subjects.

I think niche relevancy is very important. I’m sure you’ve seen the same that I have, you land on a blog and there’s a guest post completely opposite of what the blog is about. This makes you wonder why the blog owner let it on there and why the guest is posting there.

If at all possible, I believe building a relationship before submitting a guest post will help your chances of it being published. You can accomplish this by giving helpful comments, having a casual chat on Twitter or with email and any other networking opportunities.
Murlu´s last blog ..A Crash Course On Holding Your First Blog Contest My ComLuv Profile

Reply

19 Sam
Twitter:
May 28, 2010 at 7:59 AM

Hey Murlu,

Thanks for sharing that :)

Guest posts should always apply in some way to the niche where its been published. This will provide greater benefits for readers of that blog.

You’re right about building relationships first. Its less likely that a blogger would reject a post without giving it a second thought if the author is more than just a complete stranger. If the guest post if really lacking, the host will also be more willing to offer advice for improvement. Great point Murlu :)

Reply

20 Natalia
Twitter:
May 26, 2010 at 6:51 AM

This is such great advice! I think guest blogging is one of the best (if not THE best) ways to get your blog recognized. It takes some strategy though as you suggested… you need to pick your host blogs wisely and then really work on putting your best post forward.
Cheers to another great post!
Natalia´s last blog ..Captain, Cook and Bottle Washer… Entrepreneurs Must Be Able to Do it All My ComLuv Profile

Reply

21 Sam
Twitter:
May 28, 2010 at 8:01 AM

Thanks for reading Natalia :)

Please let me know when you have started guest blogging.

Reply

22 Biodun @ Web directory submission
Twitter:
May 27, 2010 at 2:30 AM

Another great way to make your guest post to be effective is by promoting the guest post. You can promote your guest post with the same care you would your own blog such promoting it in networking site.
Thanks for the post.

Reply

23 Biodun @ Web directory submission
Twitter:
May 27, 2010 at 1:56 PM

It is important to have something important, quality, useful, valuable, or original to say in your guest post. No one will accept an article if it doesn’t creates value to their blog and their blog visitors.
Thanks for the post.

Reply

24 Sam
Twitter:
May 28, 2010 at 8:02 AM

Great points!

Thanks for commenting.

Reply

25 Kathleen Coronado May 31, 2010 at 6:54 PM

You have done it again. Superb article!

Reply

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