The Perfect Anatomy of a Guest Post

Blogging Case Study: The Anatomy of a Perfect Guest Post

28 Comments / Blogging Tutorials, Guest Posts / By /

Meet Joe Elliott.

Meet Blogging From Paradise.

Joe knows guest posting.Anatomy of a Perfect Guest Post

He submitted the perfect guest post to my blog recently. So perfect that it fit my blog like a glove. Seriously.

Here's the post:

Grow Your Blog the Fun & Smart Way (This Actually Works)

Here's why it was perfect.

The Selfie

Peep that lead in image after you click through to the post. The featured image. Joe is smart. He knows how I regularly post selfies – of me – by bodies of water in the tropics, whether lakes or oceans or seas or stream.

So he goes and posts an image of himself overlooking a beautiful body of water (I hope it was a loch; Joe lives in Scotland).

Anyway, he went above and beyond. He could have sent a selfie snapped in his living room, which would be A-OK. But he went the Blogging From Paradise route; selfie by the sea. This was a perfect match, a tight fit, indicative that the guy knows my blog and what my readers expect, inside-out.

The Writing Voice

Although I deeply appreciate any authentic, first person account of blogging, from any guest author on BFP, Joe added humor, lightness and that straight-shooting approach I intend to embody.

He told it like it was, when diving into blogger outreach, but did so with some comedic elements. Nailed it. Because this is how I write on BFP. Yet Joe wrote the post in his blogging voice, separating himself a bit, versus trying to mimic me like a parrot in some tropical paradise.

The Practical Tips

I do a ton of mindset-themed posts on BFP but also add a rich collection of practical tips to most blog posts.

Joe followed my lead. He shared concrete, easy to follow strategies for building friendships with top bloggers like John Lee Dumas and Sujan Patel.

Again, this is exactly what I do for my readers. He did the same.

New bloggers, if you clicked through to read this post and need a robust library of practical blogging tips to start a blog read this fantastic post at WHSR.com:

How to Start a Blog (Step-by-Step Newbie Guide) 

You will find at least 5 t0 1o guest post ideas to flesh out in that treasure of a post.

Added a Mental Component

One section of the blog post discussed deeply believing in yourself to make your blogger outreach campaign pop.

I am not one for only puking practical blogging tips all over my readers. Before you do anything blogging-wise you need to have the proper energy in place to add successful momentum to your actions.

JE added a tip for getting clear and believing in you so you actually approach, help and connect with these blogging big dawgs.

The Post Applied to Bloggers at all Stages of their Journey

My 126 eBooks are simple, powerful reads.

Ditto for my 4 online courses.

Ditto for my hundreds of blog posts and guest posts.

The Blogging From Paradise brand voice is simple and powerful. Simple works. Complex clutters.

Joe did a fine job writing a post that dyed in the wool blogging newbies or seasoned blogging veterans could vibe with. Which made it a match for my blog.

Checks Across the Board

Mr. E. got checks all across the board. He did his homework. He placed the perfect guest post on Blogging From Paradise.

Note; Joe and I are fast becoming good friends. But honestly, if he was a complete and total stranger to me, I would still call this the perfect guest post because it embodied the BFP brand and blog and voice perfectly.

Closing Points

If you want to place more guest posts on rocking blogs, follow these tips:

  • build friendships with top bloggers in your niche by promoting them freely (generous people make a lot of friends, and friends tend to extend guest post opportunities to friends)
  • write 1,000 words daily for practice (open Word document, write, trash after writing)
  • read 3 to 5 blog posts on the blog where you want to submit a guest post; study the writing voice, the style, types of images used, post format…..everything!
  • write and submit a post that fits like a glove; be sure to meld your writing voice with the tone of the blog to find a perfect match

Your Turn

What tips can you add to this list?

28 thoughts on “Blogging Case Study: The Anatomy of a Perfect Guest Post”

  1. Rama Krishna

    HI,

    This is nice post for perfect guest post anatomy and having better idea by you here for satisfaction of client by doing guest post.

    Regards
    Rama Krishna

  2. Drewry

    Ryan knows blogging for sure. He stopped by DNN recently to comment on a post with a Martha Stewart video in it. If the web had more Ryans, it would be better for blogging and business!

  3. Lisa P. Sicard

    Hi Ryan, why am I not surprised to see you here too? LOL. I loved the title and didn’t realize it was you but wasn’t surprised as you are everywhere these days.
    I love your example of how Joe did his picture. I always like to have contributor posts at my place by folks who read my stuff and know a little about my blog and myself. It really does help bring the posts together!
    I will start to save some of my funny emails from folks who want to contribute that I’ve never heard of, never dropped a comment or shared anything.
    I believe you are right about writing daily, it’s like running, you get a high from it
    Thanks for the tips here Ryan!

    1. Ryan Biddulph

      We definitely get that writing high Lisa like running 🙂 Joe did such a smash up job I had to mention him. Anatomy of a perfect guestie. Thanks much!

      Ryan

  4. Susan Velez

    Hi Ryan,

    Wow, everywhere I look, there you are. You definitely practice what you preach, which is guest posting.

    Great job and I did read that blog post that Joe wrote on your blog. He definitely did a great job on it and I loved the pic he added.

    I have been practicing writing 1,000 words daily for a while. This has definitely helped me get faster in writing my own blog posts. I haven’t done nearly as many guest posts as you have, but I am starting to reach out and do some.

    Thanks for sharing these tips on how to write the perfect guest post. I am sure that I’ll see you again soon on another blog.

    Have a great one 🙂

    Susan

  5. Katia

    Great guide! I’m still trying to build relationships with other bloggers in my niche, but these are some great tips.

  6. Moe Benatar

    Great article. These days I’m trying to make relationships with other bloggers and seeing some great success. Guest posting is an excellent way to earn more popularity within our niche.

  7. Emmerey Rose

    Hey Ryan. What a great guide! Very helpful tips. Definitely making good relationship with bloggers help a lot. It opens new network, opportunities and most importantly, it starts a good lasting friendship. By the way, I was wondering, how often do you guest post on other blogs?

  8. Shantanu Sinha

    Hello Ryan,
    Hope you are doing great 🙂

    Now this is something really cool to have, “Anatomy of a Perfect Guest Post”. It’s always something great
    great to acquire from your blogs. Newbies like me would get going by getting these types of articles
    from a veteran blogger.

    Exactly we should keep practicing, writing everyday at least 1000 words just for
    get going the better modifications in our writings.
    Thank you for sharing this among us.
    Have a great weekend ahead.
    Thank you.
    Shantanu Sinha

  9. Adrienne

    I love his selfie by the sea! How adorable (and smart). This is an excellent and most helpful list about guest posting – which is not always the easiest thing to master. I’ve done quite a bit of it myself, and I have to say that it’s one of the more difficult aspects of my job, for sure.

  10. Ambrosia

    This is great. I have thought to mimic the vibe of blogs that I am submitting guest posts to, but it never occurred to me that formatting, voice, tone, images, etc could play a big part as well. It makes sense that the guest post needs to fit into the blog in all aspects. Thanks for the insight!

  11. William jacken

    Very nice article about guest blogging. Love to visit your blog again…

  12. Samandar Nichari

    Before we really go for a guest post on any blog we must read and get the mechanism of writing and also the other factors.

    Research is also a key point along with other understandings.

    Lastly, This post also contains some good ideas regarding the guest posting.

  13. Ron Pickle

    Hi Ryan!

    Great post! I wish I could add more to it, if I was experienced. I am a roofer by profession, always wanted to share my experiences, ideas with home owners, other roofers but could not find time. Now I have added a blog section in my website, where I write small blogs, conveying basic and practical tips for the home owners to keep their roofs safe. I liked your idea of connecting with like minded and top rated roofers of my niche, this will definitely enhance my knowledge and help me get better ideas to do my job and even write better. Thanks!

  14. Lucas Smith

    These are some great tips for newbies. Not only is this great for sharing ideas, it is also a good way to get in touch with top bloggers in the same field. Just sharing ideas and learning, your writing capabilities can extend to a whole new level.
    Thanks for sharing this!

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