A guest post a day keeps all Google penalties away.
This is the motto that I live by and you should too. Before I get into guest posting and how to get more guest posts accepted, I think it is better to understand exactly what are guest posts.
What are guest posts?
A guest post is simply a great piece of content that is posted on another bloggers site as opposed to your own. One way to tell if a guest post is good enough for another blog is to ask yourself, “Would I place this on my blog?” If your answer is no, then that is probably what the other bloggers answer is going to be as well.
Now, I am not going to get into some of the basics of guest posts because honestly, you should know them by now. Bloggers have put enough emphasis on guest posts for quite some time and if you have not started writing them, then you are behind and have some catching up to do. For most bloggers, guest posts are the only form of ethical link building out there and that is why they participate in id.
I am writing this guest post today with one goal in mind – to teach you how to get more guest posts accepted. So, lets get started, shall we?
How To Get More Guest Posts Accepted
Network With Other Bloggers
Networking is one of the best ways to get your guest posts accepted. I know for a fact that some of my guest posts would not have been published if it wasn’t for my friendship with the blog owner. The key here is not to spam their blog and comment 5 times on each post (unless it is relevant), they key is to email the blogger with suggestions, promote their content on social media sites and even link to their blog from your site. Doing all of this can get the blog owners attention and that is the trick to building a network.
Read Other Blogs
Just because you sent a link to another blogger doesn’t mean they owe you anything. What you should consider is reading as many blog posts as you can on that particular blog until you get a good idea of who their readers are and what they have to offer. If you don’t read the blog that you want to write a guest post for, then you won’t have any idea of what kind of guest post will be best. Just do yourself and the blogger a favor and read their content before you try to submit a guest post about a topic that has already been covered or doesn’t pertain to the niche one bit.
Ms. Ileane says the biggest mistake people make when requesting guest posts here is not following the instructions which are clearly stated on the contact page.
Email Blog Owner With Ideas
Do you know that the biggest mistake a guest blogger can make is to assume that the blog owner will accept a guest post from them about any topic relating to their niche? I say this because it has happened to me many times in the past. What I would do is write a guest post and then submit it to a blog owner, hoping they would accept it. It wasn’t until Daniel Scocco over at Dailyblogtips.com told me that he already had a post similar to mine that was already scheduled to be published.
It is because of my mistakes that I want to help you avoid this same thing. Just email the blog owner with the idea you have for a guest post and see if they would be open to you writing it. What is the worst thing that could happen – they either say no or they give you a different topic to write about.
Create Killer Content
Writing a guest post is easy, however, creating a killer piece is a lot harder. When creating killer content you have to do extensive research on your topic, you must go above and beyond, it should cater to the blogs audience and most importantly, it is an article that readers want to share. Whether you are writing a guest post about blogging, business or even lung cancer (who shares articles on lung cancer?), the article must be good enough to get people to Tweet their followers and share it with their friends.
Failure to create killer content is one of the leading causes of guest post being denied. Although, every blogger has a different style, we can all agree that a well thought out and written article is never out of style. This is why creating killer content is more than enough to get your guest posts accepted no matter how good your relationship with that blog owner is.
As you can see, getting more guest posts accepted does not take a lot more than what you are doing now. If you spend the time writing a guest post, then you should make sure it is published on the best blog possible. This is why networking is so important, as well as the rest of the key points that I talked about above.
I could go on and on about guest posts, how to write one, ways to get more traffic, tricks to get your guest posts to rank higher and so on, however, it is time for you to take action. So, if you have anything to add, then please comment below but if not, then start networking with other bloggers today.
I agree that your guest post should be of high quality. If the writer fails to capture the attention of the reader with the first few sentences, then the two backlinks to the website in the writer bio won’t really matter. It’s better to spend a little bit more time on your writing than just to send in some junk. Even if they are accepted…
Thanks for your post Adam, it was really informative.
Amrik,
Yes, guest posts should all be of high quality. When I first started writing guest posts I thought that as long as they were getting published it didn’t matter, however, they would not result in any traffic. This is why I try to write ONLY quality guests posts from now on.
Adam
I am agree with Amrik, As well as this line “the biggest mistake people make when requesting guest posts is not following the instructions which are clearly stated on the writer for us page. ” That’s really bad. Even I faced such situations many times!!
Whatever, Thanks for your post! 🙂
Great and creative ways to increase the success rate! Nevertheless, speaking from my own experience, the content is the main reason that increases the chances of having a guest post accepted by other blogger. I have a few friends who reject all articles that don’t raise to their expectations, even if they have a close relationship with the author.
Jack,
I see what you mean, however, a lot of bloggers want to have a relationship with the guest blogger before they accept their posts. Think about it, would you even read a guest posts if all the email said was – “Hey, I like your blog, here is a guest post”?
Probably not, I know that I wouldn’t.
Adam
You are perfectly right, I wouldn’t even consider accepting their posts if that it’s the first time I meet them. It takes time an patience to build a relationship with another blogger and gain his/her trust.
Jack,
We are both right! It does take a relationship but once that relationship is built a quality guest posts must be written or else they blogger still is going to reject it.
Adam
Nice post about getting better approval.
Well, I am too on a guest posting stint to create some backlinks to my blog and to cultivate some new relationships with other bloggers.
I hope I will be successful in my stint.
Arbaz,
Thanks for the comment. Guest posts are important in building a relationship with other bloggers as well as the blogs readers, that is why I continue to do it.
Adam
Completely agree with you, Adam.
Guest posts are the best way to build strong relationship with other bloggers.
Arbaz,
I am glad that we agree. Most other people will agree as well and that is a great sign.
Adam
I am totally agree with your post.Guest post is very good way to sharing your views with other and very good to build a relation with other blogger.
Yeah i am agree with you Adam. I think interaction is the best way to get more guest post.
I am too lucky that i got an article from @Ileane only by reading her blog and by interaction. I send her an Email for a Guest Blog on my site. It is the Best post of My site.
Here is the Link : http://www.itechcode.com/2012/03/04/5-premium-wordpress-plugins-that-are-worth-every-penny/
Amit,
Interaction is great. I see your comments on a lot of blogs that I read, so that is always a great sign that you are building new relationships.
Adam
Yes Adam, a lot has been said and written about Guest Posting in recent times. It’s one of the top ways to network with other bloggers. I personally think killer content is prime. No one will be willing to accept junk on his/her blog.
Enstine,
You are right, no blogger wants junk on their blog, so prime content will be the key to getting guest posts accepted.
Adam
Networking is an important aspect of getting your blog post accepted.
Write a killer piece then submit it right away. A blogger who knows his stuff will not put that down for sure. Good article.
Samuel,
I like to build relationships with other bloggers because I feel that is just as important in the long run as a good post. Yes, a great guest posts might get a decent amount of traffic, however, a relationship can result in shares, tweets and even backlinks in the bloggers posts.
Adam
I agree that pitching ideas to bloggers helps a lot. To date, all of my submissions have been accepted, but having at least three ideas and the angles will increase the likelihood of acceptance.
Marcie,
You are right, giving another blogger 3 different guest posts ideas is a great way to get more posts accepted. By doing this they will tell you what they want posted and therefore you won’t waste your time.
Adam
Adam, it sounds like we should
1) build relationships.
2) let them know our topic before sending it to them
3. Create a really good post before we send it in
Did I miss anything?
David,
Yes, that is what I would do if you want to get the most guest posts accepted.
Adam
Great article…
One thing that I’ve found is a Great Guest Post tends to encourage additional guest posting opportunities!!
Thanks,
Ryan H.
Ryan,
That is true. I have been asked to write guest posts on other blogs because of a guest post that they read.
Adam
Hi Adam, good points but I totally agree with Ileane that the biggest mistake is that many people don’t even read the instructions of the bloggers or even worst they just sent an email template without even knowing the name of the blogger where they want to guest post. Guest blogging is actually a business partnership so without gaining the trust of the blogger it’s very difficult to let you guest post published on their blogs…
Kostas,
You are right. This is a big mistake that many people make. I get this a lot as well on my blog, that is part of the reason why I have very few guest posts.
Adam
Be easy to work with as well, I know that I’ll be more prepared to work with a guest poster again, and recommend him/her to other blogs, if they are very easy to work with.
Dean,
Great tip. Being easy to work with isn’t only a skin regular 9-5er’s have to have, it is something that all us bloggers need as well. Great point.
Adam
Great article, I’ve had a little trouble getting my articles accepted and you bring up great points. I have to do a better job at networking, that’s my weakest point.
Adrianna,
Guest posts are great, however, they must be published in order to get anything out of them. It is because of this that you should spend just as much time networking and building your blog as you spend writing content or building backlinks
Adam
Great tips on networking with other bloggers. This is something I really need to improve. I think I can easily follow the points you have mentioned!
Subodh,
Networking with other bloggers is very important. Even if you don’t plan on sending them a guest post, it is good to have other bloggers that you can talk with and help each other improve.
Adam
Great post Adam.
I will admit to you that. I am slowly starting to come around to guest posting. Because it seems to me. That it is one of the only sure fire methods of, building a reputation for yourself, getting more targeted traffic. and protecting yourself from most of the Google updates.
Paul,
Yes, guest posts are great when it comes to Google updates because they always seem to do better than regular article marketing, link exchanges and other link building methods. The key is to diversify your link building efforts and if you can do that with the bulk of your links coming from high quality sites related to your blog, then you will prevail.
Adam
Honestly, I don’t have time to write guest posts for others, but when accepting guest posts I usually tell my inquirers the following:
Requirements for all articles:
No less than 400 words
No fluff, must provide value to readers
Topic must be about technology, internet, social media, blogging, gadgets, or entertainment
Article must Educate, Inform or Entertain
Justin,
I am glad that you commented here because I have been reading your blog quite a bit lately. I will have to get at you sometime soon when my schedule clears and maybe we can talk about a guest post on your site.
Adam
Hey Adam,
I just posted my first guest post yesterday. I am really starting to like the idea of guest blogging and will be doing more for sure. Thanks a lot for the guest blogging tips. I think you are right about it being Google penalty proof since you are contributing to high quality content.
Take care,
~Jeremy
Jeremy,
I just checked out your guest post on BlogEngage, great job on it. I am glad that you started writing guest posts because they really are the best way to get more traffic and increase your presence online.
Adam
Great tips here. Also, reading the Guest Post policy is essential before sending a guest post for publishing.
George,
Reading the policy is very important and without doing so you will most likely miss a key part of the process. I have mistakenly submitted guest posts to the wrong blog once or twice and it would not have been a big deal except the blog didn’t accept anchor text links. I was able to fix this, however, there are times when not reading the requirements right the first time will just get the article rejected without a follow up.
Adam
Mohish,
Simply asking what the blog owner wants you to write about is sometimes all you need to do. A lot of major blog likes Copyblogger and problogger won’t give you ideas, they want guest posts from people who come up with something unique all on their own.
Adam
Blogging wouldn’t be as much fun if you don’t get to read other blogs. Learning is a fun experience, and writers and bloggers alike should know its importance to keep earning and to keep improving their passion. Guest posting pretty much does all of that. Thank you for the post!
John,
You are exactly right. Guest blogging does everything you can imagine and more. That is why more and more bloggers are turning to guest posts in order to increase their traffic and also expand their reach.
Adam
Hi Adam,
Excellent tutorial for guest posters. Like Justin, I don’t have time for write to others, even on my own blog 😉 meantime I’m accepting guest posts.
As you suggested, I’ve a guest post guidelines but even having clearly expressed, I still see people mistakes when contact me:
– “I like your blog” and you see that they have no clue about you and your blog.
– Propose themes completely out of the topic of the site.
– Guest bloggers that aren’t real bloggers and you see that are “SEO people” only for the link, with bland articles.
– Sending an email to you with BCC, to see if you accept guest posts, come on!
– Last but not least, I’m requiring that the guest poster must reply to the comments and many don’t have the least intention of doing it.
Knowing the blogger beforehand from other social sites, is a good bonus 😉
Great weekend to you and to Ileane 🙂
Gera
Gera,
Well said. There are a lot of things that you can figure out about people by simply building a relationship with them. My hope is that I can build a relationship with everybody here as well as Ms. Ileane because I find the community here very strong and I respect what Ms. Ileane has created.
Adam
I never wrote any guest post for any blog, but from now I will start doing it. It’s great article, Thanks for sharing it.
Ehsan,
Thanks for the comment. You really should guest post, it will increase your blog traffic quite a bit and help you establish yourself in your niche.
Adam
There are many tips to get your guest posts accepted, however, quality content is always a must no matter where you will be submitting the article.
Adam
I have not written guest posts neither have it on my blog. But this is on the table for the future. I will keep those important things in mind. I will keep building on the relationships which will come into handy when guest blogging.
Shalu,
Guest posts will really help your blog. You should make an effort to write a few guest posts and get them published, that is what I did and I had so much success that I kept on doing it.
Adam
Hey Adam! Amazing tips to write a great guest post! I mean..really, one has to be a professional writer when he/she is writing on someone’s blog! One question – What if the topic has been discussed before but yet I want to discuss it further with my knowledge?
Mario,
Thanks for the comment. As far as writing on a topic that has already been discusses, some bloggers don’t like that. For instance, I mention dailyblogtips.com here and that is a great blog, however, if Daniel already talked about a topic he is not going to talk about it again unless there is more to be said. So, just check with the blogger and let them know what you plan on writing before you actually go through with it.
Adam
Yes guest posting not only builds your networks but also builds a good relationship with fellow bloggers..
Aditya,
That is true. Every blogger needs to build relationships with one another if they want to survive online.
Adam
Hey Adam,
You’ve mentioned some great points here. I really appreciate your point to “ask yourself first” whether you like to publish your post on your own blog, if answer is no then don’t send it as there good chances that it get declined there too.
Aasma,
Thanks, I always do that for my guest posts and thought that would be something that others might want to do as well.
Adam
I have written only 1 guest post that too on this blog,so I can say that write high quality stuff and share your experience and it will be accepted.
Thanks for the tips, Adam, I especially appreciated the one about emailing blog owners with ideas instead of whole posts. I had wondered the best way to approach this for myself. The debate raged in my head… send the ideas and sound lame, or send the whole post and sound over eager? I was glad to read your take on it, and it does make more sense. Plus, coming from the other side of the coin, when people submit full posts to me it is sometimes awkward, especially since sometimes it doesn’t feel like the right topic or the right angle for my blog, and I hate telling people “no”.
And of course it goes without saying (though some people need it said a lot!!) that great content is so important. If you wouldn’t publish it proudly on your own blog, don’t hand it off to someone else!
Carol,
I was in the same boat you were in a while ago and I believe it was John Chow over at Johnchow.com that told me to send him a few ideas and he will see which one would be best for his blog. This is where I started doing it almost every time and it really works out well.
Adam
I don’t write guest posts enough Adam. I know they can benefit us but I actually wait until people invite me to write for them before I’ll consider it. I don’t actually seek blogs out. I know I should dive more into getting my content on other sites but I guess I find it just way too time consuming for me.
These are great tips though and hopefully one day I’ll actually start applying these and moving more in that direction.
~Adrienne
Adrienne,
I know what you mean, I used to wait for people to ask me to guest post on their blogs but I didn’t think that was enough. On the same note, if you would like to write on my site, dormroomcash.com, then I would be more than happy to publish your post.
By the way, great article on why your blog may be losing rank. I truly enjoyed it.
Adam
I heard about the new guest posting option that Ms.Ileane will be implementing for this blog. Guest [post automation. This makes guest posting a lot easier and this post will surely be if help to our guest posters.
John,
Well, hopefully this will help a lot of people, that was my goal when I wrote it.
Adam
Guest blog post are very important because it helps the blogger with some areas or topics that are non related to his expertise. I believe that if bloggers help each other by providing QUALITY content then most likely they will suceed. QUALITY is the key of the guest bloggers to get their blog posts accepted.
Kristine,
You are right, quality content is the key to getting your guest posts accepted.
Adam
Well actually the main problem is getting a genuine and quality guest bloggers for your blog. Its really a difficult job .
Gaurang,
You are right, however, if you publish on a blog then you should ask that blogger to do the same when they have time. Just keep in mind that this doesn’t work all the time but you don’t lose anything by simply asking.
Adam
Jack,
I see what you mean, however, a lot of bloggers want to have a relationship with the guest blogger before they accept their posts. Think about it, would you even read a guest posts if all the email said was – “Hey, I like your blog, here is a guest post”?
Probably not, I know that I wouldn’t.
I always like to create a PDF consisting of my own writing guidelines that I can then email to guest writers (or allow them to download it from the contact page)
I truly love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you develop this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my own site and want to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Many thanks!
Well explained. I’m facing this problem for many days but now i think i learn many new things. Hope from now i face success
Amar,
I hope you are successful as well. Just keep working at it and I am sure you will get there.
Adam
I definitely want to connect with more blogs and do more guest posting. I guess it has become more common than I realized. You helped me realize I need to get moving. Thanks.
Amy,
I am glad that I helped you realize this. My advice is to check out myblogguest.com because there you can find lots of places to get your posts published.
Adam
It was nice to read your post How To Get More Guest Posts Accepted. I gathered some good points here. I would like to thank you with the efforts you have made in crafting this great article. Hope from now i will do better.
“Content is the king” surely applies all over the internet. And yeah, interacting with the blog owner is a must. Even though I never had any intention of writing a guest post for one of my blogger friends in the beginning, I then wrote one!
So make friends with no intention but just being friends! And you’ll be good to go! Cheers
Getting your guest post posted is really not that easy. Continuous socializing to other bloggers would really be a big help and an advantage for you. Just like in business, having partners would really make it easy for you to gain more.
This is really good information. I have yet to be approved on any site that I have tried to be a guest poster on. Frustrating but I know my work needs improvement.
Thanks for the post.
Before sending a guest post, I usually read other posts to estimate the blog. That gives me a fair idea about what I have to writing and the quality. There are some great blogs out there and if you are published there you get more traffic back to your blog.