I Often Question my self that, I even don't have time to build my own site, then why should I want to work for "Free" sometimes I've to pay others just to show my own content in their blog? Does this really mean anything to me? Does it worth Investing hours works and money? and I'm not going to get a single dollar if the blog goes viral? Then Why should I do Guest Blogging in the first place?
First things first: why should you bother writing an article for someone else's blog?
If you are just like me and having similar questions about guest blogging, then follow my own journey into the Guest posting (AKA: Guest Blogging) world.
As always I'll start from scratch.
First of all, let's begin our journey with "What"?
What is Guest Blogging?
Definition
Writing a blog post to be published on another blog as a temporary featured author.
Guest blogging also called “guest posting” is the act of writing content for another blogger or Business’s website.
In general, any guest blogger write for similar authority blogs within their Nice to,
- Attract traffic back to their own blog/website,
- Brand Awareness,
- Building Relationship,
- Getting Backlinks to your blog,
Guest Blogging is a Two Way stream. Once you're providing valuable content to another blog/website Owners, and Helping to build "their" authority in the niche. and the other is stream is building brand awareness and increasing traffic to your own website/Blog.
By this point, I don't have to say how important the Blog is to your site. You and I Both Know Blog is the best way to reach the masses quickly, and build a brand on the internet. Rite.
Especially for new Bloggers and New Business owners, it is very difficult to reach a large number of audiences, initially. So, what would be the best option? "Advertisement?
No, you're wrong. Unless you have Deep pockets, you can not promote your blog.
So what is the best option? "Guest Blogging".
"Yes," Guest Blogging is the best option available out there.
Now we know what is Guest Blogging is, let's move on to "Why"?
Why is Guest Blogging Important?
Now you know Guest Blogging is important. But do you know how it is important? Let's find out why it is important.
Any digital Marketer, New Website Owner, and New Blogger would still focus on building a Guest Posting network within the industry and spend more time working for Other Bloggers just for Free. It is a Long term game.
Digital Marketing Gurus like Neil Patel and many others would still prefer Guest Posting as a Primary strategy when reaching out to the new Markets.
Okay, here is the list of things that signifies the importance of Guest Blogging.
1. Building Relationship in your Niche.
It may be Blogging, or any other, You know the importance of Building Relationship with others who are in the same field. Rite. What would you think the best way?
Yes. Guest Blogging is the best way to build a relationship within the niche.
This Strategy will not only help you to understand what is going on in the other blogger's mind but also helps you to identify, where you're in the actual scene. out of
If you're new to the field (New to Blogging or Building a New Service) Guest Blogging is the Proven Way to win Trust in other's minds.
Reaching out to other Potential Guest posting Bloggers, might not show positive effect all the time, but help you in building credibility to your work, and Build Your authority.
2. Building Brand Awareness and Ranking
Building a Brand from scratch is not that easy, it takes a lot of time and energy. Big Tech like Google, Apple, and Microsoft, also took years to get their first million customer subscription.
For you and Me this might take more than that. Since we're in a competitive and Social media-driven market.
In-Spite of all the hurdles, Guest Blogging for new Bloggers is truly a "Silver hand". I know, 9 out of 10 authority website owners would simply turn down your offer for guest posting. But you should do this again and again.
Building a Brand is the key to success. If you have done Marketing Related stuff, you might have heard this term again and again.
Simply by posting an article on the other authority sites, will help you in building brand authority and along with that ranking of your site.
3. Building Quality backlinks
Backlinks are the single most important factor in Google ranking. So how would you drive more Quality backlinks?
You guessed it. "Guest Blogging"
Building quality backlinks is not that easy. But if you have "HI/Best content" it is easy. That doesn't mean you can drive more traffic. You need exposure. How will you get instant exposure?
Guest Blogging. This will help you in building brand awareness and also help you in driving traffic. This way you can also build quality backlinks.
4. Instant Exposure to a Larger Audience
How could you get exposure to the audience? One is "Ads" and the other is "Organic ranking".
Both are out of reach for me. So what should I do?
"Guest Posting". Yes, It is.
Simply having a High-Quality content is not enough. You need to approach other bloggers for that. You need to guest post in their blogs.
Traffic is the life and blood for any online business or blog. Something as simple as a guest post can potentially translate into sales.
Actually, audiences from Authority sites are hunger for new information. If we as a new Blood in the market can capitalize that then there is no limit.
5. Improving Author Authority
Every Coin has two sites. Just like that, every brand has 2 Sides. One being the Brand itself, and the other is the Owner.
Any Business would Build authority in two ways. One is its Quality of Services or products that they offer and the other is "Face of the man Behind it" Ex: Softbank and Masayoshi Son, Alibaba, and Jack Ma.
Take Apple, When it is relatively new to the market, no-one believed it. Until steve jobs became the face for all the products in Apple. Now, look at the apple. Everyone knows Apple, next what is the name that comes to your mind? "Steve Jobs" rite.
Similarly, if you're a Blogger you, I mean your Name should act like it is a Brand along with the Blog.
Guest blogging will help to build author authority. This is not a day task, it takes a lot of time and energy. But the ROI on guest posting sure pays off in the long run.
6. Others like Social Authority, Shorten the Sales Cycle, and Professional Growth
Some other perks of being a guest blogger are "Social Authority". Everyone has Social Media. and social exposure is the key while building Brand around your Blog and your Brand Rite.
By Guest posting, you can build "Free" social Authority and Followers for your work.
Guest posting also helps small businesses by simply eliminating the lengthy sales cycle. The sales funnel will be shortened, so that you can focus on the last piece of Puzzle.
If you want to excel in "Professional Life", Guest Posting is one of the important criteria that many organizations use, at the time of promotion. This will help you as a Professional showcase card that your active on different fronts.
Now we know what is Guest Blogging and why is it an important rite. let's move on to "HOW"?
How can I Become a Guest Blogger?
If you think Becoming a Guest Blogger is easy? then you have to think twice. Believe me, it is not that easy as it sounds like.
In this intensive and competitive world, nothing is easy. Especially if your New to Blogging or just starting anything from scratch then you need to put "Not 12 or 18 Hours", But "24 Hours".
You should Breath it, Dream it, Eat it
Only then there is a Little scope that your work might have a place on the first page of the google search results.
How can I Start? If it is what your question is, then "Guest Posting is the Key"
1. Define Your Goals
Anything you do, It may be a small or Big Task, You should pre-define the "Goal" (AKA: Vision). Without proper guidance, nothing will take-off of the Ground.
Even before you decide to do Guest posting, define the goal.
What is it you want from the Guest posting? is it purely Promotional Aspect? or is it something else?.
Define your goals in advance. If you cont Dream what you want to be then nothing will help you reach there.
2. Find Guest site
Not all the bloggers or website owners might not allow you to do guest posting. Finding the guest that allows you to do Guest posting on their site.
Even if they allow you to do guest posting, they might not accept all the content that you pitch them. It may be the standards that they set for themselves.
Do refer their articles and try to identify the pattern that they follow, and define that process again until you master it. Then pitch the content to them. This might takes days even weeks of work to get accepted into your work.
3. Do In-Depth Research
Any Guest Blogger does one fundamental Mistake. That is doing Preliminary research. which means, the work that you want to do on another blog, is it worth reading? or does it going to add any value to the reader?
Ask for suggestions in the niche via social media, and in forums. Then do your own analysis about the topic that you want to do.
If you do guest posting just for the sake of doing it, then there is no worth in it. It is just a waste of time and energy.
4. Write a Great Pitch
Initial Pitching is the key to get accepted by a Blog owner that you want to do the Guest posting. Request pleasingly via email and pitch in a way that you're helping them to get more traffic to the site and adding value to the readers.
If the Blog owner finds that your pitch and the topic that you have chosen are really worthy and add value to the reader then they will/should accept the Post at all cost.
5. Write an Awesome Article and respond to every comment
"Content is the King" Rite.
You should focus on writing quality content which is above the industry standards. If you deviate from the goal that you made initially, then you might not write an awesome article.
If you Do-get accepted by a top blogger in your niche, then write a Blog in such a way that the topic that you've chosen should cover "A to Z" about it. Don't look for the word count. Try to make it in-depth as possible.
On average, a good guest post contains 3000+ words.
Do respond to each and every comment in your personal tone as possible. Don't sound like a robot. If necessary ask for suggestions from the commentators. If you have their email do wire an email about the comment first and about the article and ask them to follow your blog.
6. Promote Your Work
Promote the guest post, as it is your own blog post. Don't look for ROI. If you promote the article, it will drive traffic, which the intern will create trust in the blog owner's heart. This will help you in two ways. One is Traffic back to your site and the other is a community within it.
Don't spend $100's of dollars for promoting. It is not, won't it? Promote it in a simple and freeway. AKA: Social media promotion.
Now we know what is Guest Blogging and why is it important, and How to Become a Guest Blogger, rite. let's move on to "Where"?
Where can I find topics for Guest Blogging?
There are millions of bloggers and websites on the internet. There are Trillions of topics out there on the internet. Some topics get millions even Billions of views and some don't even see the face of google ranking list.
What is the best way to find the topic for guest posing then?
Check out the ways that can help you in finding the "Perfect Topic for the Guest Posting".
1. Google
Where can be the best place to find the perfect topic? It is Google. Simply type in the topic that you want to blog about. It is there on the internet, then read the top 5 articles compare them, if you find they did cover all the topics and information then, consider ignoring the topic.
You can find topics in many ways. One being noting down all the topics that they covered in their Blog. Note down all the topics that they covered, then find out what is new and trending topic that will help you.
The second one is "Searching..." on the web
If those articles don't cover all the topics, that you feel worthy enough, then go for it.
Guest post + <your nice>
You will find the information regarding the topics and the sites that do accept the guest to blog on their Blog.
Google Keyword Planner AKA Google ads
2. Answer the Public
Best and Free place for anyone to find the topics for anything. Some for the major bloggers and the organizations do use this tool often find the topics to build authority for their site.
3. Quora
This is another important place to find inspiration as well as a topic for Guest blogging. you get to know what the readers are actually looking for and on what scale.
Quora is the best way to find trends in the market. this might not look worthwhile initially. But you will believe me when you try this.
All the tools that we discussed until now are Free. You no need to pay a single Dollar.
Now you know where you can find the perfect topics that will help your guest posting dream. Rite. Let's move on to "C". "Checklist".
Checklist before becoming a Guest Blogger
For any New Blogger, the Go-to place to submit a guest post will be on a blog/website, which has some authority and which is relevant to the Niche that they are working on.
You need to know some basic rules, like the authority of that site and the traffic that the blog is generating. Your targeted blog/website should have a good readership and an active social media presence.
If you find all these qualities then you should consider working for that. Remember "ROI".
Here is the Checklist for Guest Posting On Other Blogs that every new blogger should know
1. What is Your Worth? Why should anyone accept you?
Just like that, no one will accept your work. Even for Free. You need to prove to them that your worth in all means possible. It may be a simple "requesting email", or "simple Comment". Everything counts.
Do you have any background knowledge/Experience in that field/Niche? How many articles do you have at your disposal? AKA your own website/blog?
2. Get to know the target audience.
Who are you Targeting? Is it the existing Audience or the New Blood? Doing target reader research is also important.
The simple reason is being, Does the readers time. Is he/she going to get anything from it?
You must know who you’re talking to. Additionally, choose blogs that are relevant to your own Niche.
3. Build a relationship
Building a community around your blog and your brand is very important. It may be the reader or other bloggers/Competitors.
It is suggestible when you have some common bond with the other blogger. This means, you need to have some sort of relationship, otherwise you can not survive in the short-run(1 to 2 years). But in the long run, you eventually will gain some grip.
4. Just start writing.
Procrastinating!!!. you might have often heard this word, on youtube. Yes, I'm a Procrastinator. It is true. Which means Postponing. We as a Human Being always tend to Procrastinate.
Which is very Bad. Especially if you're a New Blogger.
Simply Just start writing. There are platforms like Medium and Quora, where there is no limit to your thoughts. Simply signup to those accounts and start pouring your knowledge into it. Then convert that enthusiasm into your own blog.
5. Be the Best and Give the Best
Trying to Get Perfect is Impossible. However, you can achieve this in the long run. If your blogging, then you can achieve this slowly and steadily.
If you got accepted by Forbs or Inc, then what would be your reaction? Awesome rite.
This doesn't end there. You need to give your best. Otherwise, you'll lose that valuable chance.
So be the best in that one thing that your good at. and also give your best.
6. Include your bio.
Tell me one thing. What is the single most important thing that you want from guest blogging?
Traffic to your original site rite?
Then you should make sure to include the "BIO", in the post where ever it is possible.
A simple and short introduction and your blog's link should be there as well. try to include your social media profiles as well.
Attach a link that will take the reader who clicks on that to your site.
7. Send it in an easily digestible format.
Blog Owner, might not have all the time in the world. So what should you do?
Try to make his/her life as easy as possible.
When you're sending your completed post, make sure you send it in 2 formats. One being the "Compose view" and the other is the "HTML" view.
This way the Blog owner knows what to do. Like where to edit, if required, where to add his own stuff, like links.
8. Interact with Commenters.
Do you have access to respond to the comments? Then make sure you have one.
Do respond to each and every comment. If required email the reader if you have their email in a personal way possible.
9. What are you're ROI Expectation?
Anyone, including you and I, would see "ROI". Right. Yes, we sure do.
Moreover this not charity, or any trust to work for free. We're here to do get something in return out of it.
Especially, in this case, we might look for, Traffic, Backlinks, Author profile/ authority.
10. What about New Blood?
Till now you're trying to promote your work via other bloggers, rite. Now tell me are you willing to accept the new Blood/ New Bloggers into yours?
If yes? then what are you're guidelines, Rules, and Regulations.
Inviting others to blog might looks easy but. You shouldn't accept anyone just like that. You need to create certain rules and follow industry standards. Only then it's worth it.
Now it's your turn. What are you planning to Do? Does this article help you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
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