by Debbie Rodrigues | Nov 4, 2015 | Blogging
Writing a guest blogging post is something that still scares off many writers. To show you that it’s not a boogieman here is a series of posts on everything you need to know about guest blogging but never dared to ask.
How is your guest blogging journey going? How do you feel about setting up guest post goals and looking for opportunities now? Have you already sent any emails with pitches?
On this post, we are (finally) going to talk about the guest blog itself. Many times when you are a beginner, you think that it’s all that guest blogging is about: writing a post. I have been there, and I think at least the majority of us have thought so too. Only with time, and experience, we realize there is more to it.
If you are at the point of writing the blog post itself, it means that you had your pitch accepted. Or maybe, you just want to get your muscles warmed up. Either way, it’s time to get your hands dirty.
Please note I’m not going to teach you how to write a blog here.
First of all, if you want to guest post, it means you already know how to write blogs quite well. Even if you aren’t a blogger per se, you know how to write an essay or an article, and that’s why guest blogging interests you.
Also, this is not my first time writing about the subject either. You will find enough material here with general tips on how to write a blog.
For your guest post, however, let’s focus on:
- Rechecking the guidelines
- Understanding backlinks
- Linking wisely
- Writing a masterpiece
1. Rechecking the guidelines
Before you sent your pitch, you had already checked if the site had guest blogging guidelines or not.
Even if you read them almost enough to know them by heart, I’ll ask you to have a look at them once again before starting your post.
It doesn’t happen frequently, but it’s possible that the guidelines have been updated in the meantime.
Let’s say that instead of looking for “standard” blog posts (between 800 and 1,200 words), the publisher downsized it to 500 words. Or the other way around: they increased the number of words.
You just don’t want to fall off short of content because of something so simple.
Besides, you’ll be able to see if the tips described below apply for your opportunity.
I’ll follow my guest blogging guidelines as the basis for this article. The host of your guest blog may have entirely different requirements. So I’ll leave it up to you to use the information below accordingly.
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2. Understanding backlinks
Let’s start with the hottest part of guest blogging: the backlinks.
Why do I say it’s the hottest? Because people still get surprised when there are restrictions about backlinks on the post.
Not all bloggers are “sensitive” about it. As I mentioned before, it can be related to not knowing better or being nonchalant about it. Still, many sites have restrictions about it and you want to play by their rules.
One way to understand the idea is imagining you see someone wearing outfits you like. In fact, every single time you meet that friend, he or she is wearing something that would fit perfectly in your wardrobe. Now, let’s be sincere: do you want their clothes (I mean, the exact pieces they’re wearing)? Or do you wish to buy at the same shop they do?
When you come across a really awesome guest post, you want to read more of that writer. So much more you go to their website or blog for it. That should be the goal of guest bloggers. That’s the lead you want to generate. Look that I’m not even touching the SEO aspect.
You want your guest post having readers crave for more. For that, you don’t need to spam backlinks on your article. That one on your bio will be more enough.
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3. Linking wisely
Instead of backlinks to your site, you want to include:
- links to influencers in your niche
- links to other posts from the publisher
Influencers
Needless to say that you need to do some research for your guest post. Longer posts will require more preparation work than short ones. Yet, you don’t want to underestimate any opportunity.
Think of your very first job experience: did you mess up just because it was your first job? Or did you try your best? If you tried your best, that’s the spirit.
Chances are the results of your research will be full of references from influencers and bigger bloggers. You probably add links to other people’s posts already on your own content because that’s how awesome you are. But when you are guest blogging, you want to take it the next level.
Show readers you know what you’re talking about and share your resources with them. That’s an excellent way to build reputation and respect.
Besides, you never know if one of those influencers will track the mention back and give you some heads up. This can open some doors for bigger guest posts opportunities in the future.
Publisher
Your post will be in line with the publisher’s content somehow. To help their audience connect the dots, you can include links from their articles within your post. It’s a nice way to:
- thank the host for the opportunity
- strengthen your relationship
- connect your guest post with their content
You can find related content by doing a search on their blog (most sites have this feature). Or you can use Google search.
Instead of just searching like you did for your preparation work, you can use the host’s domain as your start point.
It’s also an interesting way to find back an article you have seen on a particular website, but can’t locate anymore.
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4. Writing a masterpiece
For now, your guest post may be a near masterpiece. It happens because we’re all constantly evolving. We always find ways we could have done better. Still, you want to give it your best shot.
You want to write a smashing blog post with the quality you already deliver to your readers, but more. So you’ll be doing everything you already do and walk that extra mile.
Write an outline so that your content includes all necessary elements for success.
Going too fancy is rarely the best option here. You want to create scannable and readable content:
- shorter paragraphs
- include subheads
- use bullet points
- highlight words in bold
Again, your goal is to make people want to read every single word you post. But you want to make it easy for them.
We all rush against time. That’s why it has become a habit to go through an article to check if it’s worth our time before digging deeper. Endless paragraphs make our life harder, and you don’t want that for your (guest) posts.
Let your best content ever shine and reach many readers!
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Now it’s up to you
We have already reached a point in this series where even if you have never thought about guest blogging before, you have enough information to get started.
I mentioned it before, but I’d like to remind you that it won’t get easier if you start today or next year. You’ll not get all pitches approved, neither this should stop you.
Don’t include guest blogging in your new year’s resolutions. You have more than enough time to start contacting people now.
Let’s begin by stretching those fingers and getting things done.
Thanks everyone for the feedback and ideas for moving forward. Please, keep them coming! I want to be of help and knowing what your struggles are, allows me to share even more useful information with you.
I truly hope you’ll find this series helpful. Guest blogging is an amazing opportunity to get visibility and build credibility, but it has to be done right.
Remember that we are now offering guest blogging opportunities on Debbie in Shape. If you want to get started or practice your skills with us, it’ll be a pleasure to publish your post(s). Guidelines and details are available here. I cannot wait to read your pitch!
Make sure you come back next week for more guest blogging tips. Or sign up to receive an email notification whenever a new post is published.
Have you already written a guest blogging post?
Read all posts of this series:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Oct 28, 2015 | Blogging
Writing a guest blogging pitch is something that still scares off many writers. To show you that it’s not a boogieman here is a series of posts on everything you need to know about guest blogging but never dared to ask.
Another week which means another post in our series on guest blogging.
First, we went through the various goals one can choose for writing a guest post. If you want to succeed in whatever field, you need to have an objective that will help you define your path.
After setting goals, we discussed ways to find guest blogging opportunities. Because writing guest posts requires extra care attention from us, you just don’t want to waste your time and efforts. Whether you are working with a fellow blogger or an influencer, you want to get the most out of it.
For this third article, it’s time for you to take a step forward and start contacting the hosts you selected.
My five tips for you to write successful pitches are:
- Build a relationship
- Get familiar with the community
- Know the blog’s content
- Check the guidelines
- Send your email
1. Build a relationship
Unless you are working together with another blogger you know (well), it’s necessary to build a relationship with the publisher. The reason you should do it is simple.
Picture someone you have never seen before asking you a favor. It might be that you are a such a kind person that you’d do your best to help this person anyways. If that’s the case, I can only wish there were more of you in the world.
However, most of the times, we don’t feel that comfortable to walk that extra mile for total strangers. We need some kind of connection, at least, know where the person “came from,” to feel motivated to listen to their story.
Even though guest blogging is not as personal, in the middle of various pitches, those coming from “known” writers stand out.
I am not saying that you’ll be completely ignored if you aren’t a member of their tribe. It’s just that becoming a friendly face may help your chances.
Leave comments on the blog you’d like to guest post. Take part in (online) events such as Twitter chats and giveaways, for example. Instead of taking the back seat, be proactive.
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2. Get familiar with the community
Building a relationship is more about how you connect with the host of blog or website. But you also want their readers to recognize you.
Since you’ll be stopping by their site on a regular basis, you’ll see who the frequent visitors are. These people visit the blog for something more than just the content. As time passes, they become a supporting community around the hosts. Independent from the subject, they go there because they identify themselves with the brand.
Start interacting with these readers as well. Visit their blogs if they have one and leave them comments. In time, you will realize what kind of content attracts them the most and why. You will see a pattern that may help you give form to your content.
Don’t limit yourself to agreeing with what others are saying. Ask questions and build a conversation too.
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3. Know the blog’s content
Think of the reasons why you decided to guest blog for the site to begin with. I’m sure part of it has to do with their niche and content. Even though you know how it “looks” like, you’ll need to go a little deeper before writing your pitch.
You aren’t going to write your post just yet; still you want to have a broader picture of their style:
- How long are their most engaging posts? Are they longer or shorter than 800 words?
- Do they use bullet points, subheaders, and numbering?
- How important is the visual aspect?
- How do their guest posts look like? Which ones received more engagement and why do you think it happened?
- In what ways are their blog posts like or different from the content you generally publish?
I’m pretty sure that you already did it automatically when you visit the site before. The difference now is that you should be taking a “scientific” approach. It’s not just your perception of their content, but a deeper evaluation. It’ll help you write content with your unique style but with a shape that is already pleasing to their audience. Everybody wins!
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4. Check the guidelines
Most bloggers who offer guest blogging opportunities have specific guidelines available on their website. They are helpful instructions for both sides of the coin.
For hosts
In the case of Debbie in Shape, for instance. I decided to put together clear and straightforward guidelines to avoid wasting the time of writers, my readers and myself. Should someone consider them too hard it’s because they have no idea of the amount of work I put on every single blog post I publish here. Whether my articles are seen by hundreds or thousands of people, I take time to:
- come up with an idea I consider to be useful for my readers
- outline my blog
- do research
- write and edit my posts
- create images
- format the layout
- set up SEO
- plan social media share
- promote
This means hours and hours of work for my beloved small blog. If a writer won’t have the same level of commitment with my audience, I don’t mind being the sole author here.
I’m all for helping people, and that’s the main reason for starting this series. I want to host YOUR guest post. The only thing I really want is that you’re willing to show you care about my tribe as much as I do.
For guest bloggers
I said it last week: you don’t want your baby been taken care by “anybody.”
Have a look at the guidelines and examples of guest blogs from your favorite sites. How awesome are they? You’ll probably say something like “mindblowing” and I’m sure they are. That is why you want so much to have your guest post published with them in the first place!
Now imagine if they left “whoever” contribute to their website. Would you still want to be part of their contributor’s team? If they accepted content without quality, full with backlinks and no added value, would you even visit them?
Don’t be afraid or get discouraged by how strict some might be. On the other contrary: get excited to raise your bar to their level! I, personally, prefer to invest in my personal improvement before taking chances. But that’s me. Whether you start a from-couch-5k or just sign up for a race and see what happens, there’s always room for growth.
Be certain that those guidelines are made to:
- filter those who actually care (if one sends a pitch without even checking the guidelines, it’s like sending a curriculum with typos)
- maintain quality level (if one doesn’t want to make the minimum effort, maybe they’re not worth the audience)
- back-up your published article (landing the guest post of your dreams may open many doors to you and your blog)
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5. Send your email
When you started building your relationship with the publisher, you learned his or her name. So instead of sending an email addressed to “Dear Host” or “Dear Editor”, use their names.
I have never seen a blogger requesting to be treated by their titles. It’s true that I don’t read much on medicine (only medical research in my niche for certain articles, like this one on Mindfulness Meditation) or law. Most of the times, bloggers use their name or even, short name. That’s how you should address them. For your email, you want to use the same name as on the signature of their posts.
Introduce yourself briefly, eventually naming your blog or business. Please don’t include the story of your life here. Be concise. If the host is interested in your content, they might take the time to check your “about” page or profile on LinkedIn to get to know you better at an appropriate moment.
Finally, share why they would want to host your post. Give an introduction to the topic and explain why you think it’ll be of added value for their audience.
I simply love an example from Neil Patel from Quicksprout. There are others online that you might feel connected to.
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Now it’s up to you
We are half way with this series, and I hope you are getting more confident about guest blogging.
Save some time on a weekly basis to write an extra post. Write and rewrite as you go through the preparation steps to pitching your guest blog.
Use the experience to improve your own content as well. As you learn about what the big guys are doing, you may realize your content needs some upgrade too.
For the pitch itself, I also recommend this awesome article on CoSchedule* blog named How To Cold Pitch Your Next Guest Blogging Opportunity.
If your favorite blogger has written about guest posting, have a look at their article. It’ll give you an idea of their expectations which may not be on their guideline.
I sincerely hope you’ll find this series helpful. Guest blogging is an incredible opportunity to get visibility and build credibility, but it has to be done right.
Remember that we are now offering guest blogging opportunities on Debbie in Shape. If you want to get started or practice your skills with us, it’ll be a pleasure to publish your post(s). Guidelines and details are available here. I cannot wait to read your pitch!
Make sure you come back next week for more guest blogging tips. Or sign up to receive an email notification whenever a new post is published.
How did you write your first guest blogging pitch?
Read all posts of this series:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
*Please note that some of the links in this list are affiliate links. It doesn’t cost you any extra, but I earn a commission if you decide to purchase. Regardless of whether or not I receive a commission, I only recommend products that I personally use and sincerely recommend. Affiliate links will be noted by an asterisk.*
by Debbie Rodrigues | Oct 21, 2015 | Blogging
Finding guest blogging opportunities is something that still scares off many writers. To show you that it’s not a boogieman here is a series of posts on everything you need to know about guest blogging but never dared to ask.
Last week, I wrote about why you should be guest blogging even if you are not a blogger. If you are a blogger, it should be a no-brainer. Whatever goal you chose for yourself, the time to get started is now. There is absolutely no reason why you should be delaying it.
Maybe you have concerns such as:
- What if they don’t like my content?
- What if I’m not good enough?
- What if they say no?
- What if I write a poor piece?
- What if I mess up?
And the list goes on and on…
The problem, however, is that these questions will not go away if you wait a week, a month or a year before pitching your first guest post. That’s how it goes for everything we do in life.
Imagine if you waited until your body was stronger before trying to walk so that you can handle the falls better? Probably, most of us would still be crawling around now! So why not implementing the same determination for guest blogging?
Moving forward
By now, you should know what your main goal for guest blogging is.
If I just caught you by surprise, no sweat. Please make sure you check my post about setting guest post goals first. Don’t worry. Just go there, do the exercise and come back here. I am not going anywhere without you. 😉
…
Now that you have determined your goal, it’s time to move to the next step of guest blogging: finding opportunities. This can be a tricky one and if you aren’t careful, your efforts will be in vain.
If you do a Google search on “how to find guest blogging opportunities”, you’ll get endless suggestions. If you take the time to go through them, you will notice that some pieces of advice are controversial. Even big and respectable bloggers have diverging opinions. But why is that?
Different public, different approach
First of all, different bloggers, from different niches, have different expectations from guest posting. Some will suggest you use the good and old Google search to find opportunities. Others will recommend that you are as picky as many hosts are. Who is right? Both!
If you analyze their readers, you’ll realize their public is completely different. One knows that as their readers are just getting started, they may not hit the jackpot after their first attempt(s). Therefore, pushing them to be too selective might burn them down and demotivate them.
Tech bloggers, who write for a high-level niche, know their potential guest bloggers not only are qualified but also experienced. These writers know the drill by heart. They have reached a point in which anyone would love to host a post from them because of their reputation.
I’m not going to go in details about who suggests what. If you are curious, I’m sure you’ll figure it out in no time.
I’m here to help you by sharing what works for me, my concerns and tips. Please, get to know other methods before choosing the one that fits you best.
Finding opportunities
To land guest posts that will help you achieve your goals you need to:
- Focus on your niche
- Allow yourself to grow
- Be aware of “traps”
1. Focus on your niche
This one is easier for bloggers to understand since we constantly talk about and interact within our niche. If you are a professional who wants to use guest posting to reinforce your position as an expert, it may be a new concept for you.
What is a niche? According to Merriam-Webster, a niche is “a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted”.
Let’s say you are a teacher who wants to write about the benefits and concerns of using the Internet in class. Examples of niches that may be interested in what you have to say are teachers, educators, and parents. A fashion blogger may not be that interested in your content even if you follow their advice and are an active member of their tribe.
It’s a little bit of a stretch, but I hope you got the picture.
There’s no blogger who writes about only one single subject:
- Fitness bloggers also share recipes
- Food bloggers write about lifestyle
- Lifestyle bloggers give tips on saving money
Even though they are flexible, there is still that topic that connects them to their readers in a way nobody else does. That is their niche.
Can you image yours truly writing about parenting, for instance? I know nothing about the subject. I’d bring little value with my contribution if I managed to go as far as getting a pitch accepted.
Readers would read my guest post, come on over to my blog and think: “What?!? She doesn’t even have children. What does she know about parenting???”
However, I could write about how teaching small children a foreign language can help them in their personal development from an early age. This is so because:
- I have the experience: I was an English teacher for many years
- My niche: my blog is about personal improvement
Yet, I should never dare to teach people something I have no experience or knowledge of. And preferably, that isn’t in my niche either.
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2. Allow yourself to grow
Before running, one has to learn how to walk. Yeah, I know, it’s frustrating, boring and not sexy, but it’s for your best.
In my broadcasts, I remind people that matching their physical activity to their fit level is crucial for developing a healthy lifestyle.
Men tend to go too heavy too early. They frequently perform exercises with incorrect form. This leads to (serious) injuries sooner or later. Women with the fixation of losing weight at any cost burn down their metabolism. They do excessive cardio and their intake is insufficient.
Instead, they should start by developing their proprioception first. This way, they’d get their body ready for action and they’d experience long-lasting and safe results.
Needless to say that the same goes for guest blogging. We all hear those fabulous stories of people landing guest posts on sites such The Huffington Post, Quicksprout and others of influence within their niche. What we rarely know is the journey that led them there.
One thing I can guarantee you: it was not with their very first guest blog ever. In many cases, it was not even with their first pitch to those sites either. It takes time to grow your brand, develop your writing skills and understand the needs and requirements of influencers. Give yourself this time.
Practice makes perfect, remember? Work in collaboration with other bloggers. Find someone who would like to work with you as much as you would like to work with them. Exchange ideas, work on a series, cooperate with each other. As a starter, you will realize that “smaller” bloggers are much more interested in supporting guest bloggers than bigger ones. Your success is theirs too.
When dealing with the well-known influencers, their success will not necessarily be yours if your content isn’t strong enough.
For non-bloggers, you can either work with a blogger in your niche or you can cooperate with a colleague or partner to have your article(s) published and promoted.
Think outside of the box and find the ideal rhythm for you.
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3. Be aware of “traps”
While I’m all for not discriminating opportunities, you still want to protect yourself and your brand no matter what. Your guest post is your “baby”. You don’t want to give it away just like that.
You want to have your blog published on a site in which your efforts will be taken into consideration. You put hours into it and if someone is just going to copy and paste it to their site and wash their hands afterward, that may not be the right place for you.
That’s one of the main reasons I’m not so comfortable with simply using Google search to discover opportunities. I prefer to write for sites I:
- know well
- have a relationship with the host
- have seen how they treat guest bloggers before
- know and respect their brand/product/service
You don’t want to be associated with any schemes or superficial blogs if you want to establish yourself in your industry. Everything you post on the Internet stays forever. You don’t want to have your reputation stained because of a slip-up.
There is a reason why (big) sites have guidelines for guest blogging opportunities. They respect your efforts as much as they respect their audience. They want you to shine in the eyes of their tribe and they want their readers to know you are worth their time and engagement.
From the moment publishers allow backlink spams and other bad practices, it might be tempting for you to get your article out there the easy way. But unless you are 100% sure they do so because of their lack of experience and knowledge in hosting guest posts, you should think twice before sending them your pitch.
Non-bloggers should be careful for not having your ideas stolen. Since you don’t own a site you can use as a reference, you may see your “baby” be taken away from you forever. And nobody will get to know its “biological” parents if you know what I mean.
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Now it’s up to you
Did I get you thinking? I hope I did. That’s the idea!
I want to show you different aspects of finding guest blogging opportunities. At the end of the day, you and only you can decide what fits your needs and what not. You know what risks you are willing to take and the path you feel more comfortable with.
Your homework for this week is to try different ways to find guest blogging opportunities online through:
- Google search
- friendly blogs with guidelines
- friendly blogs without guidelines but where you have already seen guest posts
- influencers
Ask yourself why you would like to write for them and why they’d publish your post. What are the assets you bring to their table? How can you make a difference to their audience and bring added value to their content?
Make a list of blogs you think would be a good fit for you now and later with your goals in mind. From your list, select one you would like to send a pitch to first and start thinking about why it’s a perfect fit for both of you.
I truly hope you’ll find this series helpful. Guest blogging is an amazing opportunity to get visibility and build credibility, but it has to be done right.
Remember that we are now offering guest blogging opportunities on Debbie in Shape. If you want to get started or practice your skills with us, it’ll be a pleasure to publish your post(s). Guidelines and details are available here. I cannot wait to read your pitch!
Make sure you come back next week for more guest blogging tips. Or sign up to receive an email notification whenever a new post is published.
Where do you look for guest blogging opportunities?
Read all posts of this series:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
by Debbie Rodrigues | Oct 14, 2015 | Blogging
Setting guest blogging goals is something that still scares off many writers. To show you that it’s not a boogieman here is a series of posts on everything you need to know about guest blogging but never dared to ask.
If you ask me who should write guest posts, my answer is, everyone. And I don’t mean every blogger. It’s really for everyone. But why is that?
I have already told you how guest blogging is great for bloggers, but the truth is that everyone can benefit for having one of their articles being published.
Let’s think LinkedIn… It’s without a doubt the most popular social media platform for professionals:
- You can search and apply for jobs through it
- Companies and headhunters also use it to learn more about potential candidates
- Ideal for business contacts.
In the past few years, LinkedIn has grown a lot and acquired SlideShare and Lynda. In other words, LinkedIn is establishing itself as the world’s largest professional network. According to their site, their mission is: “to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
What does LinkedIn have to do with guest blogging?
Have you already noticed on LinkedIn that you can add “Publications” to your profile? Besides, thanks to Pulse, you can also “write a post to increase your visibility and improve your professional brand.” (extracted from LinkedIn)
When you write about a certain topic, you have the chance to share your expertise. If you know something well enough you can share it with others, you are an expert. Whether it’s about your field of work or product you are promoting, a guest post can help you get exposure and generate leads, even if you aren’t a blogger.
Getting started
I hope I got you excited about writing your first guest blogging, whether you are a blogger or not. But how do you get started?
One friendly advice I’m going to give you is that before starting to shoot for the stars that you first work your guest-blogging muscle out.
Practice makes perfect and guest blogging is no exception. It’s always possible that you get lucky and land a big opportunity on your first try, but that’s rare. Besides, luck doesn’t depend on you or on your content. Something as important as guest blogging is better to be under control not left to chance.
On this first post on the series Everything You Need to Know About Guest Blogging, we will be focusing on the preparation work. What do you have to do before sending out pitches?
Setting guest blogging goals
We come to the main topic of this issue: guest blogging goals.
Believe it or not, you also need goals when planning to write guest posts. It has already happened to me that opportunities just showed up, but as I wrote before, it’s better when you are in control.
In general terms, there are 3 basic guest blogging goals you can set for yourself:
Reinforce expertise
Whatever topic you choose for your guest post, you’ll get better results when it’s something you know well.
First of all, if you just pick a subject you consider cool and think that it’s what the host wants to have, but it’s a topic you have little to no knowledge of, it’ll show on your pitch.
When you aim for bigger sites who are accustomed to receiving hundreds of pitches every day, they smell something fishy by far. In such cases, consider yourself lucky if you get a candid response from them. Besides, hope they’ll not remember you by the time you use a qualitative approach.
There’s no right or wrong topic. It’s all a matter of niche. Few sites offer a broad range of subjects like Debbie in Shape. With Personal Improvement, you cannot go wrong (unless you write about life Mars, for example). But when aiming for a specific niche, be sure it’ll give you the chance to show all your knowledge and experience in that field.
This is the goal that attracts most non-bloggers, (small) business owners and service providers in general.
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Get exposure
Comparing the two goals, one can say that “reinforce expertise” is qualitative while “get exposure” focus more on quantity. Needless to say that you can get both whichever you choose, but the approach will be slightly different.
Think of two clothing shops. Aiming for internationally known brands, let’s pick C&A and Tiffany’s.(I can almost see your eyes opening wide and your mind spinning around about me comparing oranges with apples)
My point is: both sell clothes, but because their ideal customer is different each one has a totally different approach to how they market their brand.
Things that help you get exposure, mainly when you are beginning with guest blogging, is having in mind the engagement of a website and of the host.
If a site receives thousands of visitors every day, but no one leaves a comment how can you interact and build a relationship with them? While smaller sites with a loyal tribe have readers who will be willing to stop by and get to know you better.
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Build backlinks
This is probably the most popular reason why many bloggers decide to guest post. However, it has also become the biggest no-no when done in extreme.
The rules of guest blogging used to be as weird as the ones of SEO until some years ago. It was not unusual to find an “article” composed of tons and tons of backlinks back to the author’s page. Some tried to do with class, but mostly it was just madness.
If you want to hit a guest post on a site that values you and your content, limit backlinks to your bio. There, you can redirect readers to a landing page (excellent to generate leads) or your blog. A second link to your favorite social media platform is also welcome, but that should be it.
So even if you define that your goal for guest blogging is building backlinks, be aware of best practices. It’s going to be the quality of your content (and other aspects we will discuss later in this series) that will drive new public to your website, product or service.
When done the right way and with the correct expectations, guest blogging for backlinks is a goal as valuable as any other.
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Now it’s up to you
For this week, I’ll leave with you the homework of deciding your guest blogging goals. If you don’t know where you are going, it’ll be impossible to set up an action plan.
What fits your needs better right now?
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Would you like to become known as an expert in a certain field?
Let’s say you just acquired a certification or opened a startup and you want people to discover how knowledgeable you are about the subject. Or you want to promote yourself as a go-to person and reference in your niche.
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Would you like to drive visitors to your website to help you establish your stats?
Whether because of rebranding or because you want to increase your chances to land marketing campaigns, you want to increase your number of visitors. How great would it be if a guest post of yours was published together with the launch of your new product or service?
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Would you like to strengthen your domain authority?
If you haven’t checked the domain authority of your website yet, install Moz’s Chrome add-in MozBar. It predicts how well a website will rank on search engines. If you want to read more about it visit Moz.
I truly hope you’ll find this series helpful. Guest blogging is an amazing opportunity to get visibility and build credibility, but it has to be done right.
Remember that we are now offering guest blogging opportunities on Debbie in Shape. If you want to get started or practice your skills with us, it’ll be a pleasure to host your post here. Guidelines and details are available here. I cannot wait to read your pitch!
Make sure you come back next week for more guest blogging tips. Or sign up to receive an email notification whenever a new post is published.
What are your main guest blogging goals?
Read all posts of this series:
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Be Healthy and Live Fully!
