Five Ways to Take the Guess Work out of Guest Blogging
For freelancers seeking to establish their expertise and expand their “net-worth,” guest blogging can provide great benefits.
Think of it this way: your “cameo” appearance could be the equivalent of a celebrity featured on a popular talk show! (minus the 5-star hotel and the fancy fitting room, of course). Done correctly, it can introduce your product or service to new audiences, cultivate networking opportunities, increase your bottom line, and elevate your visibility exponentially. As far as free marketing goes, there’s no greater bang for your buck!
But with so many blogs saturating the blogosphere, it can be difficult to decide how to make the most of this medium. Do a Google search on “Blogs” and you’ll undoubtedly be bombarded with options on everything from art to zoology. Where does one start for the best end results?
As a freelancer who’s had my work accepted by some of the highest ranked among award-winning Blogs, I offer the following five pointers to help you make the best decision and make the most of your efforts.
- Recognize that all Blogs are not created equally. There are Blogs, and then there are Blogs. Do your homework. Visit different sites devoted to your niche area. How do they differ? Which ones are user friendly and attractive? If you wouldn’t consider the Blog as “bookmark worthy,” chances are others are not very impressed either.
- Aim high. Choose the best of the best. When I was exploring the possibility of guest Blogging, I targeted Blogs that ranked the highest in Google searches, had a large number of subscribers, demonstrated artistic integrity, and had received recognition through various awards. You should too.
- Assess your odds for success. Remember that no matter how awesome a Blog might be, if it’s not updated and maintained regularly and infused with new content, your work won’t receive the best exposure possible.
- Work smarter, not harder. Some writers might be surprised to discover that often times Blogs will accept previously published submissions, as long as it’s not something that was heavily circulated on the Internet. Consider some of your pieces that have appeared in print publications or perhaps on your own personal Blog for guest posts. Doing so will save you time and energy. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
- Think before you ink. Know that just as you’re evaluating Blog sites to see if they cut the mustard, Blog owners are “interviewing” you and your site as well. Write tight. Write well. And make sure that your Blog boasts of good clips and clever content, so that a link exchange will be a win-win situation for all parties involved. In the business world it’s viewed as success by association.
Follow these five tips and you’ll reap the many rewards of guest blogging, and become a welcome visitor in new territories.
Jennifer Brown Banks is a popular relationship columnist, freelance writer and
pro blogger. She teaches creative writing classes online and blogs at Pen & Prosper.
Some good inspiring tips there. I need to get into guest blogging, really.
Very inspiring, Ive JUST launched a blog to start off my freelance career. These are elements that i will take seriously, and start following now. ;) Thanks :]
Thanks so much for your comments. I’m glad my article provided practical tips to help you to move forward.
“Aiming High” and “Not reinventing the wheel” are two excellent pieces of advice. I like to shoot high, because you give yourself a greater chance of success. Pardon this overused cliche, but “If you shoot for the moon and miss, at least you’ll land among the stars”
Thanks for sharing your insights on this.
Good points, Keisha. I totally agree. Thanks for your time and input.
I couldn’t agree more with this post on guest blogging – It’s a great idea to publish on a popular blog.
Now I need to start writing some in-depth articles. I’ve only started blogging recently. I need to write posts about C#, ASP.Net and Azure that are a bit more “meaty”.