But there’s a unique golden rule for guest bloggers: Read the guidelines. The first step – before you focus on the guest work – is to figure out which sites reach the people you want to reach and which domains offer more credibility to your content and brand. If your answers indicate the blog is a good fit for your goals, proceed to the next step. Review the guidelines If the site accepts submissions or pitches from potential guest bloggers, it likely offers submission guidelines or at least some basic details on the process. Read the guidelines. Instead, focus on how your article can help the audience. Submit original content Most blogs don’t accept content that’s been published elsewhere. Respect the process Follow the steps provided by the site to submit your content. Decide if you’re willing to make the necessary changes or if you want to withdraw the post and submit the original to another blog site. Don’t stop at publication You can celebrate when your guest blog post is accepted, but your work isn’t done.
Miss Manners hasn’t written the handbook on how to be a good guest blogger. Yet, anyone who manages an organization’s blog likely has run into guest bloggers (or wannabe guest bloggers) who focus too much on the “blog” part and not enough on the “guest” part.
If your content marketing strategy includes guest blogging, you’ll set your efforts up for success if you (or your writer) understand how to be a good guest.
Following your host’s lead is the key to being a good guest at someone’s home, and the same applies to guest blogging. But there’s a unique golden rule for guest bloggers: Read the guidelines. Reread the guidelines. And when you think you’re done, use the guidelines as a final checklist.
Now, keep reading to learn more tips, from the deceptively simple to the complex, about how to be a successful guest blogger in the eyes of your potential host.
Pick your target(s)
Guest blogging is an excellent opportunity for your content marketing strategy to extend your reach beyond the four virtual walls of your brand. It gets your content in front of fresh eyes, secures quality backlinks from authoritative domains, and increases your social-sharing opportunities.
The first step – before you focus on the guest work – is to figure out which sites reach the people you want to reach and which domains offer more credibility to your content and brand.
Do your homework
Don’t dive into picking a topic to write about without investigating the blog(s) you selected. (Well, first determine if the site has a blog. Yes, that’s a real step. I know brands that have received fully written guest posts even though they didn’t have a blog.)
Answer these questions about the blog:
- Who is the site’s target audience? Always write with the audience in mind.
- What are the identified categories and tags for posts? These topics indicate the brand’s SEO and the audience’s intent – potential subject matter for your post.
- Does the blog include bylines? If it doesn’t, decide whether the site’s value to your brand is sufficient without a byline.
- How frequently does it publish blog posts? If the blog isn’t updated regularly or frequently, there are fewer opportunities for guest blog posts.
TIP: If your strategy calls for guest blogging on multiple sites, put together a spreadsheet to record your answers to these questions for each blog.
If your answers indicate the blog is a good fit for your goals, proceed to the next step.
Review the guidelines
If the site accepts submissions or pitches from potential guest bloggers, it likely offers submission guidelines or at least some basic details on the process. If you’re having trouble finding them, search for “blogging guidelines” and the site name.
Remember the golden rule of guest blogging? Read the guidelines. Then read them again – beginning to end. If the site asks you to submit an expression of interest form, fill it out as completely as you can. If the site guidelines request a completed article, don’t submit a pitch and if it requests a pitch, don’t submit a completed article. If a bio is requested with the submission, provide one. Believe it or not, following directions really is half the battle to acceptance.
Create unique, relevant content
With your knowledge of the blog and the brand, including its categories and tags, select a relevant topic. But keep these guidelines in mind.
Give the topic a twist
Come up with an uncommon angle, which ensures that your content will provide a fresh take on the topic for the site’s submission reviewer and the audience.
TIP: An easy way to review what’s been published on a particular topic is to click on the category or other tags to see all the posts on that subject.
Don’t think too far outside the box
Avoid submitting on a radically different topic or format. While experimentation can be smart…
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