Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto/Lloret
To guest post, or not to guest post? Do you think Shakespeare would be asking himself that question if he were alive today?
I don’t know, but it seems inevitable that you will ask this question at some point in your blogging career. If you don’t ask the question yourself, there will be plenty of people who will ask it for you as your blog continues to grow.
It’s part of the maturation process of taking your blogging skills out of the familiarity of your own blog where you cut your first teeth and taking your first steps into the unfamiliar where a whole new audience awaits.
I took those first steps this week by announcing that I’m looking for 5 to 8 guest post spots a month. I already have four guest post spots lined up, and you’ll see me announcing them over the next few weeks.
You may be asking yourself why I am writing this post if I am just starting out guest posting myself. I wanted to share with you some very helpful posts by people who have done a lot of guest posting and know what they’re talking about.
Why Should I Guest Post?
If you’re on the fence about guest posting, or just started thinking about it, you might want to check out these helpful posts.
- 4 Powerful Reasons to Start Guest Posting by Nicholas Cardot
- Three Benefits of Guest Blogging You May Not Have Known by Ann Smarty
- Why Guest Blogging is a Powerful Way to Gain Exposure for Your Blog by Leo Babauta
What to Do Before You Guest Post
Once you’re convinced of the benefits of guest posting, how do you find blogs willing to accept you as a guest blogger?
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Guest Posting by Kiesha Easley
- 10 Proven Steps to Snag a Guest Post on an A-List Blog by Jordan Cooper
How to Write a Great Guest Post
After you’ve identified where you want to post, it’s time to write a post for another person’s blog. This is much different than writing one for your own blog.
- 9 Ways Become an Exceptional Guest Poster by Darren Rowse ← Must Read
- 9 Sure Ways To Get Your Guest Post Rejected by Mk Akan
What to Do After Your Guest Post is Published
You’re finished, right? Nope. Many guest bloggers think they’re finished once the post is published. Big Mistake!
- How to Guest Post to Promote Your Blog by Josh Klein/Darren Rowse
- Guest Posting: After You Get the Yes by James Chartrand
Don’t forget to take advantage of the traffic you’ll receive from your guest post. People will follow your byline links to your page looking for more of the same type of posts from you. Make sure they’re easy for them to find.
Also, don’t take a holiday after landing a guest post spot on a bigger blog. It’s a great way to lose all of that traffic you worked so hard to generate.
Need a Guest Blogger or Want to Guest Post Here?
If you have a blog about small business, blogging, social media, or especially blending Christianity with any of these I could be interested in writing a guest post for you. I’m looking for 5 to 8 guest post spots per month for the rest of the year.
If you’re interested in guest posting for The Christian Entrepreneur, or becoming a staff writer, I would love to hear from you.
Know About a Great Link I Missed?
Have you found a post about being a guest blogger that was especially helpful to you? Share it with us in the comments below.
Article by Brad Harmon
Brad's Big Feet Marketing helps people on a limited budget enlarge their online footprint using blogging & social media. His other blog, Marketplace Christianity, examines faith's role in how we earn and spend money.
Brad has written 94 awesome articles for us at Bradley A Harmon
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Brad,
This is a very helpful post for me with so many great articles about guest blogging. I haven’t yet started doing guest posts, but I am giving a serious thought to it. I just need to prepare myself so that even if i get rejected the first time, I should not lose the confidence.
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Now that I have some guest posts lined up, I’m more worried about reactions to them when they’re published. I think the best advice I’ve seen on reducing the odds of rejection is to become part of the blog community first, and then send a quick email to the blogger asking if you would be someone they’d consider having as a guest blogger. This approach will probably work well with peer blogs, but I doubt the top blogs will email you back.
These are great references for guest blogging, and it does seem to be the common wisdom for growing your blog.
I have done a bit here and there, but have gotten to a point where I don’t care that much any more about it. Maybe I’m too controlling over my own blog’s content, or maybe I don’t care so much about growing it any more. I did a guest Blog for the King himself, Michael Hyatt, and it gave me a little bump in traffic for a few days, but then fizzled out. Unless you are on a meteoric rise in the blogosphere, I just don’t see it as a focal point. To me, the community with real people who actually care about each other’s blogs and content is more important.
There are many different reasons to guest post. Most of us focus on the exposure, links back to our sites, and the traffic both of those bring.
There’s also the benefit of helping another blogger in your community. With a proper amount of promotion you can easily provide the benefits above to a blogger just starting out or having trouble building a community around their blog.
There’s the potential to develop lasting friendships through guest blogging. For example, the bond between The High Calling Blogs and Shrinking The Camel is a much stronger one due to the collaborative effort involved.
While it would be nice to experience the spotlight of a well known blog, I am looking for places to guest post where I’m already part of the community or desire to become part of it. In that way, it reinforces your point of what’s truly important.