When you start guest blogging you'll find countless benefits. Some even consider it the Holy Grail of building authority, generating backlinks, making friends, and attracting new readers. But just like anything else we do in life – timing is everything!
I receive guest blogging requests on a daily basis and at times I'm reminded of the old cast from the popular TV show “Saturday Night Live” a.k.a. (also known as) the “Not Ready For Prime Time Players“.
The very first sign that you’re not ready for guest blogging is that you just started blogging a few days ago, so in this post we’re not even going that count that one, ok?
One other thing we aren’t going to consider is people who want to begin guest blogging yet they don’t take the time to read or follow the instructions that the host blogger has provided for them. If that's you, there's a chance you might not even be ready to have your own blog – let alone be prepared to start guest blogging on other blogs. With those two out of the way, let's get started:
You're Not Ready for Guest Blogging If…
#1 You’re not going to get accepted
I remember the very first time I ever submitted a guest post. I had this awesome concept for a post and I wanted to submit it to my favorite blog at the time (this blog isn’t very popular anymore, so don’t even think I’m going to tell you the name of it).
My guest post got rejected and here’s why –
I never bothered to consider whether or not my post fit the needs or expectations of that blog’s audience.
The post was about social media and yet, the blog I submitted the post to is totally dedicated to blogging tutorials. Of course these days those two topics overlap, but back in 2009 – not so much.
The bottom line is this – always do your homework before you start guest blogging. Make sure the content matches the audience and the goals of the host blog.
I want to see you succeed in guest blogging, so start off on the right foot and research the blog you want to submit your post to. It's also a smart idea to make sure the topic hasn't been covered recently on the blog.
#2 You’re not qualified for the job
Quite frankly, your writing skills aren't up to par yet. Your grammar and your spelling are atrocious and you haven't invested any time or effort to improve them. I get offers all the time from people who want to start guest blogging on this blog because they know this is an active community and their post will get good exposure and a nice backlink for their blog.
But as someone who has hosted nearly 100 guest bloggers, I have to ask myself “what’s in it for me?” You might think that sounds selfish but actually it’s not. Basic Blog Tips provides a valuable service to thousands of bloggers and entrepreneurs who depend on this blog as a resource. People know that they will find a high quality well written blog post that offers value and gives them actionable advice. If I publish your “not ready for prime time” article I’m not only offending my readers, but in the long run your reputation is going to suffer.
If English isn't your first language or if you just haven't found your writing voice yet, keep practicing. Take a class if necessary. But if you're serious about guest blogging you need to invest your time and effort into improving your writing skills.
#3 You’re not making the best use of your time
Let’s revisit that awesome social media post I mentioned earlier that got rejected by that blog I wanted to write for so badly. I ended up publishing that post on my old WordPress.com blog Ms. Ileane Speaks and it was a HUGE hit on StumbleUpon. In fact, that was the very first time I ever had a post go viral! The traffic I got by publishing that post on my own blog versus someone else's was an epic move for me. It was a real turning point because it gave me the confidence to know that I could succeed with this blogging thing and there was no stopping me after that.
It’s critical to note that what I needed to do at the time was build! Build my own traffic, build up my content and most importantly build up my confidence! If I would have shared that post as a guest post I might have missed the boat. None of the traffic from StumbleUpon would have migrated from the other blog over to mine, and I never would have known that the post did so well. Who knows, maybe I would have got discouraged and quit blogging (just kidding).
Make sure you have some really awesome, well written posts on your own blog before you even start thinking about guest blogging elsewhere.
#4 You’re not helping your reputation
Getting your guest post rejected can damage your reputation as a blogger. First of all, check out your approach.
I mean, you just come from “no where”, you don’t even bother to introduce yourself to the host, and then you send the post as an attachment along with your email request.
Excuse you! Not on my watch buddy, get a glove and get into the game. If a blogger accepts your post after a move like that, rest assured – both of you guys have a lot to learn about the concept of guest blogging.
Second of all, it could make the host uneasy if you blindly send them a guest post. If the blogger is just getting started as a guest blogging host, they might not know exactly how to tell you that your post is rejected. I remember the first time I rejected a guest post it made me feel really bad and I thought I needed to apologize to the person as though it was my fault. As time went on and I started getting more and more guest blogging requests from out of the blue I made it a point to set up a canned response in Gmail.
If you got one of those emails from me, no hard feelings. Be sure to read this post on 5 Qualities of a Perfect Guest Blogger. Take the time to hone your guest blogging techniques, polish up your act and learn some “people skills”. If you're not sure how to do that, make sure to read this next paragraph.
#5 You’re not building relationship the right way
Try to establish some type of rapport with the host that you want to start guest blogging for. Subscribe to their newsletter, follow them on Twitter, visit their Facebook or Google+ page and interact with them by commenting on their content. Whatever you do, don't start off by talking about yourself or sharing your own content – this is a process and it takes time to nurture relationships.
Using those lame “copy and paste email templates” requesting a guest post is another huge turn off too. Most of them will end up in the trash and you'll end up getting a Canned Gmail Response like this one;
BAD MOVE for both of you.
Remember every established blogger puts his or her blood, sweat and tears into their blog. No matter how close they might be with you in the online world, don't mistake your offline friendship for your online relationship. The two might not always mix. Don’t put your friend on the spot and your friendship on the line over a blog post. Deep down inside you know you’re not ready to start guest blogging – that’s why you sent the post to your friend thinking that they would be “nice” to you and publish it.
If you have a friend who wants to submit a post to your blog and you're looking for a smart way to let them know they're not ready for guest blogging, now you can just send them a link to this post 🙂
Advice for every guest blogger
When you are ready to start guest blogging, and your post gets approved on one of the top blogs in your niche, hopefully your content is intriguing and you'll get traffic over to your blog. When this happens, make sure your blog is ready to make the most of this new found traffic.
Take a step back and do an unbiased review of your blog. Make sure it's clear to your new readers what your blog is about, the type of content they will find there and what you have to offer. It's important to have a clear call to action, and you want to make it easy for people to connect with you on social networks and sign up for your newsletter.
So if you think you're ready, don't let your guest blogging efforts go to waste! Read this post for ideas about how you can capitalize on them.
By its nature, blog posts demand a high degree of writing talent to get more people reading your stuff. I feel observing how popular bloggers do their job creatively is the best way to produce high quality content. Posts which paints a new perspective to the existing ideas and concepts are widely read. Having a unique style of writing always help to grab attention.
Those are the very right signals for a writer to take care when moving for Guest blogging. I have seen many writers friends who have a good reputation on Article directories, but their posts were failed to get accepted on big guest post blogs.
I will recommend this article to them and I am sure they can tie up their boots very well.
Hi Darshan,
Writing for article directories and blogging are much different. I think you should show more of your personality when you’re blogging and it might be hard for someone to transition from one to the other with ease.
You’re absolutely right, Ileane. I was just about to jump into guest blogging, but I believe I must take some time and concentrate more on studying blogs and blogging on my own rather than applying as a guest blogger and facing the humiliation of rejection. I think I may know about the topics enough, but the tinge of personal expression, as you pointed out, is something I’m definitely lacking.
Anyways, thanks for the enlightenment! 😉
According to the above points I think I am ready for guest posting 🙂
Hi Ma’m,
Seriously, a post with the ideas some new guest bloggers have. Just want to let them know, they must do guest blogging after getting some High Quality Content live at their own blogs, this is what I’m following, and trying to let others know this too. I know you’ve already highlight it in your blog post, and you know I love some situations you’ve written in the post, truly Funny times.
I’ve just one major goal to see, how am I doing? Is simply, I want to see featured on a any top blog (like Problogger.net, copyblogger and including yours).. That would be the great accomplishment for me, as they all blogs have countless readers.
I only can care avoiding such signs! And will do.
Seeing your post at BBT, after a long time and feeling that it’s something special.
BTW, new guest bloggers must be careful about their credibility! All this is what, one want. Capturing ideas, from your writing! haha.. It’s written with efforts.
Specially Thanking you my Teacher.
Hi Mairaj,
It’s great that you call me your teacher 🙂 I’m sure you’ll end up teaching me some blogging lessons before it’s all over.
Two cents from my side: instead of tossing the same coin again and again, try to pitch new articles (at least using unique writing style) to make your guest blogging a success.
Most of the guest bloggers these days are repeating the same content, not even changing the sub heads! Which I don’t think a smart move. When it’s done right, it can give tremendous results, and I think guest blogging is the ONLY effective way to build online presence.
Because guest blogging is more than link building! We can build healthy relationships with the blog owners which will be a lot more helpful in the long run.
Thanks for the share Ileane 🙂
Hi Rahul, that won’t happen here if I can help it. But thanks for reminding me! That’s something else I need to look out for….
I definitely agree with you Rahul on those pointers.
I have just five posts on my blog. What do you think? Am I ready to guest post on other blogs yet? I think I should write more content on my blog first.
Hello Sergio,
It’s not that your blog is not ready! Even you can do guest blogging without even having a blog. But what’s the use??
So, it’s always better to have pillar articles on your own blog first, then you can get better results when you start guest blogging for others 🙂
Dude, you are really awesome 🙂
I agree. Rahul is pretty awesome 🙂
Ileane!
You have come a long way, sister. I am honored to have passed muster on your blog and I am happy for your success in the fascinating world of curating.
On my personal blog, I have exactly two guest posts; I like to call them celebrity posts. 🙂 One was as a favor to a contestant in a blogging contest, the other was my by my buddy, Mitch Mitchell, after I asked him. I don’t actively seek guest bloggers because, frankly, we can’t really help each other. For one thing, I turned off comments. For another, my blog is not “about” anything!
In general, people with broad-spectrum blogs like mine should probably not do guest posting – it winds up looking like the bargain table at your local bookstore. Sure, there’s interesting stuff, but …
Maybe, I’m just jaded. I jumped into blogging back in 2005, expecting a certain outcome. Ha-ha, that outcome was supposed to be income! When that didn’t materialize, I just fell into the natural activity of journaling. That explains why the blog is all over the place.
I can only add one bit of advice for your readers: “Readers, I knew Ileane back when. If you’re really serious about growing your blog, do these two things. First, pay attention to everything Ileane does. She has developed over TIME. Now, she’s an overnight success. 🙂 Second, learn how to spot the difference between trends and trendy. Follow trends, ignore trendy.”
That last bit? It has another name, Shiny Object Syndrome. If you fall prey to that, you’ll spend too much time being distracted. I wish someone had told me about how quickly “new” becomes old and ineffective.
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitch!!
You are perfectly welcome to guest post here any time.
Of course this blog is focused on blogging tips and tutorials, but every now and then you just want to read something different. Something that makes you think outside the box and simulates the other side of the brain.
You turned off comments!!! Say what!! You are officially no longer a beta tester for CommentLuv. lol
Oh well, I guess a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s do…..
Great to see you hear my friend. I know it takes a lot to bring a comment out of you so I know I done good this time.
Thanks, Ileane!
Yes, the spammers won. I needed to spend more time on my software development.
See you on Twitter! LOL
Cheers,
Mitch
Very well written. I really agree with the third point. We should make most use of our time !
you are right i writed a guest post but nobody was interested in accepting it..strange…but finally my friend accepted it..
Mohit, there is nothing wrong with you taking some time to learn more about the English language and improving your writing skills. Don’t be afraid, ok?
The word “writed” is not part of the English language – unless it’s used as slang or as part of a joke or insult. Please try to avoid using it.
That is how it will happen for you – one step at a time. Keep practicing my friend.
Ms. Ileane,
Which is a better move for a fairly new blog-
Try to guest post on other blogs.
-or-
Try to get prominent bloggers to guest post on your blog.
You may have covered this subject prior to this article but being a recent follower this was the question I asked myself when reading this posting.
Thanks!
Two cents from my side Gregory..
You cant get prominent bloggers to guest post on your blog without having online reputation before, can you? It’s always a smart move to “giving something before asking”.
Same applies to guest blogging too. I hope you got the answer..
Gregory, I see nothing wrong with asking a prominent blogger to guest post on your blog, but you might be more successful if you ask them for an interview instead. Have about 10 questions (or less) ready before you send the request in case they say yes. Be sure to let them know that they can focus on any new product, service or website during the interview. But don’t send the questions until they say yes first 🙂
I do love guest blogging, and still do it to this day.
A lot of people will say that guest blogging is “dead”, and while I will admit that it has become less effective over time, you still have to start somewhere (and it still can work quite well, it’s just going to take more effort).
You have to identify what you bring to the table within your niche. Without knowing that I don’t think anyone will ever be ready to start guest posting.
Thought provoking post. Thanks
Hi Shamelle, I’m surprised to hear you say that guest posting is not as effective over time. I’d love to hear more about your experience. Have you blogged about it? Let me know.
I think the guest bloggers here at BBT are seeing just the opposite results.
Hi Ileane,
My comment was more inline with what I observed may be 3 years ago and now. Back then, guest posting was rare and the the people that guest posted were prominent. Practically every blogger now is guest posting to spread their reach.
I agree that no one would do it if there wasn’t a benefit. So yes, guest posting still has the “sizzle”. However, since there are so many guest posts on blogs not many people pay attention to who the “guest author” is.
Unless of course, you knock it out of the ball park and write a irresistible post that make others want to click through.
May be it’s time I wrote a guest post for BBT 🙂
regards
Shamelle
Another good thing to remember when guest posting is to make sure that your website is ready to receive traffic from the Guest Post…
Meaning do you have a subscription service ready?
Are you sending people to the proper landing page?
You want to make sure that your site is ready to take advantage of any traffic hit it might get from the Guest Post.
Thanks!!
Ryan H.
Ryan, having that clear call to action to so important for someone who is guest posting. You don’t want people coming to your blog just for the sake of it. You want them to DO something!
I know you get it, please keep up the good work of spreading the word 🙂
I agree with Ryan. Thant is the reason I’m not doing guest blogging as of now because I’ve not started building email list yet. When I’m 100% sure that I’ll be benefited from my guest post than I will do it.
very informative post. I like your advice that your website should be ready and must have enough content to welcome new visiters. I was planning to start guest post. But seems first i have to make my blog better
i was trying to start guest posting in my blog, but i dont know about the positive and negative points, this post is very informative for me. thank you for sharing. and one question i want to ask you Ileane ! why you closed new user registrations ? please tell me. i want to register to your site as a subcriber.
The first ever guest blog i submitted is useless as the site,though appeared to be good,disappeared all at sudden,but since the site is not indexed anymore i submitted to other blog and it got accepted.
Ileane following your points,one can easily get their guest post approved as these are the points i myself keep in mind while writing a guest post.
Carl, it’s possible that it could work in your favor if the host provides feedback on why the post got rejected. I gave some feedback recently but I think it was ignored since I didn’t get a “thank you” from the person.
Wow, for a submitter to ignore a hosts constructive feedback … well, that’s not only dumb but incredibly disrespectful.
Thank you for this post, Ileane. And thanks for the responses to comments. It’s all extremely helpful for someone who’s preparing to guest post. I’m glad you’re resilient and able to override the “silliness” of some of our rudeness.
I imagine we just let our feelings get in the way of common sense and politeness, though, huh?
Excellent post! I would agree to pretty much all of that, especially making sure you’re ready before you guest blog. Nobody likes somebody talking about a subject with mediocre knowledge. Know your stuff beforehand!
Great advice, Ileane! It makes no sense to submit a guest blog post until you have created a viable body of work on your own blog. If there’s too little on your own blog, drawing traffic to it will do nothing for you in the long run. The point is to attract visitors and then impress them with what they find, so that they are likely to return. Thanks for the tips!
Doug, I think of it in terms of looking at the BIG picture! It’s not just about getting a backlink but that’s where too many people tend to focus their attention. That’s why you hear people saying guest posting isn’t effective any more – because they were in it for all the wrong reasons to begin with.
Thanks Doug!
Hi Ileane nice list. +1 to the building relationships point. I think you need to spend a few months if not longer taking the time to get to know bloggers, commenting, engaging etc before you ask for a guest post. Unless your content is exceptional or the target blog isn’t then it’s going to be difficult to get attention.
Having a decent body of work is a precursor as well. Make sure you have a good blog, with great content, and some kind of proof that users like it (comments, social media proof etc) because the first thing a blogger is going to do is go and check out your blog.
Dan, so important to make that good first impression isn’t it? This is one of the points that inspired me to write the post. I wish you could see some of the blogs of those bloggers that are getting the “canned response” I have in Gmail. HA!
Thanks for your comment Dan.
Hi Ileane,
When you are ready you will know. Of course, even prepared bloggers might experience fear but your confidence will outweigh the low energies.
Thanks Ileane!
Ryan
Hi Ryan, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I’m still working out how best to make comments so i guess i’m not ready for guest posting yet.
Like this comment luv system! Error. Parsing JSON Request failed. error! not authorized (page cache might be out of date)
Brad! My apologies. I found out from Andy Bailey that the JSON error is caused when there is a cache plugin installed. The simple fix is a check box in the settings of CommentLuv. I took care of it. Feel free to come back and leave your CommentLuv link.
I’m sure I will get into guest posting one day!
I definitely see the value in it and I’m sure I’m ready for it, but I want to build up a larger audience first. This way I can share the approved post and everyone benefits.
My blog is still not even 2 months old so I’m not going to get into it yet.
Thanks,
-Gabe
Hi Gabe, you’re doing a great thing by building up your content on YouTube now too. You can re-purpose those videos as podcasts too. You’ll be ready for a guest post before you know it.
helpful article, I want to start guest blogging I got some good ideas. Thanx
Excellent post and certainly doing home work is really essential not only for blogging but it works in all the field in life generally. These are great action points and for me these are really basic points for start doing guest blogging as you are doing that to build your authority via posting on other’s blog.
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Ayaz! thanks for stopping by with your comment.
Hi Ileane
Thanks for some great advice on guest blogging.
I’m pretty new to blogging so #3 is definitely where I am at the moment.
Whether my writing skills are up to it or not, I don’t feel qualified for guest blogging yet in the sense that I’m the new boy. I want to establish my blog first and I feel like I’m only just starting to explore who and what I am as a blogger.
When I started out I felt quite tentative about giving my opinion on things but from reading your blog I have learnt that bringing your personality and opinions into your posts is essential.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Ileane.
Tim
Hi Tim, you totally rock with that comment my friend!!
Making comments on blogs (like this one) will go a long way in building your confidence too. You are on the right track that’s for sure.
Cheers!
Most of the time a certain level of standard is required. Unless those standards are not up to scratch, its going to be hard to get that guest post published. Many just think of guest blogging as a way to build links but its more than that. Its about building relations, making connections, building authority and brand. I say build a quality site first and then branch out into guest posting.
Hi Shalu,
I’m glad to see you understand where I’m coming from in this post. Thanks for sharing your views.
Hi Ileane,
Yes, it’s true what you shared here. I agree on this because I had this experienced also before. But, the good thing is that after all I learn. Thanks for sharing this idea, truly it is an informative topic and good reminder for the beginner bloggers.
Great word done, it would actually help me to stay away from such problems and keep head above water in such crises. thanks for sharing
Nice tips Ileane. I rarely contribute on other blogs as I don’t get time even to publish a post on my blog and the contributors help to run my blog.
Hi Naser, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Hi Ileane,
This is a good post especially for beginner bloggers, as every “guru” out there is telling the beginners to get a guest posting gig to establish themselves in their niche. I feel that if you can’t write a good comment on someone else’s blog, and you don’t get any feedback from the writer in a reply, (example: great post, just what I needed today), then you probably aren’t ready to get that guest post.
And to Brad Dalton who commented above, I am feeling for you and the misery you are dealing with to get your plug-in to work. You might visit my post, Love CommentLuv Premium Discover A Plug-in Not To Install, to find some answers to your problem.
Hi DA, fyi I changed the name on your comment.
I found out from Andy Bailey what the CommentLuv issue was and it was my bad for not posting in the forum for the answer. Fortunately for me I was talking to Andy about some other CommentLuv stuff so he had time to respond to me personally. He’s really cool that way.
I enjoyed your CommentLuv post too.
Thanks.
Hi Ileane,
That is okay with the name thing. I just choose to use my Twitter handle and have a worthy reason for it. I will send you a direct email about it or maybe Andy filled you in. I know it is a problem when trying to comment, but it is just my choice. Thank you for accepting my comment here and also for your comments on my CommentLuv post. For anyone else that might be reading this reply, I do have a good reason for using my Twitter handle, nothing shady about it at all. It is no different than Kristi Hines starting out as Kikolani, is it? I am such a safety girl, that if you check my site, I also have Sitelock on it to scan regularly for anything fishy that I might need to get off of there for the safety of my visitors. I also regularly scan my site with Norton. Moral of the story, get your site in a good neighborhood, CommentLuv Premium rocks!!
Guest blogging was never an easy option for me.
As I believe well established will never bother to publish article unless they find something better than they post.
Pradosh, I don’t expect anyone to write a post on the same level as myself, I just want to post to be coherent and follow the guidelines from SEOPressor.
I was going to start guest blogging on my blog but this post helped me a lot..Now i will wait some more time and improve my mistakes and then will think to start guest blogging..
Thanks for such a great article.. 😀
Shashank, here is something you can try to get you going.
Try leaving longer comments with more details in them. If you try doing that once or twice per week you will develop your writing skills and expand your use of vocabulary.
Give it a try and I think you will do really great.
Even though I’ve read so much about how much my blog could benefit from guest posting, I decided to hold off until I’ve been blogging for about a year because by that time, my blog will have a sufficient amount of content in it, and I would have already gotten the hang of writing some posts that people in my niche will find interesting. A lot of people have told me that I was crazy to hold off, but after reading your post, I feel so much better now and know that I made the right decision. Thanks so much, Ileane!
Adeline, you have come a long way in the last few months and I’m sure you will go far. You might be more ready to do a guest post than you think. One thing I can say is that you have your awesome networking skills backing you up girlfriend. Cheers!
Thanks so much for the awesome boost of encouragement, Ileane! Really appreciate it.
Great minds, Ileane. My post today is on guest blogging (as you can see in CommentLuv). 🙂
Mine is more on the angle of what is spam-like in its approach. It hasn’t been that long since I was a new blogger so I hate that I am now so suspicious of the unsolicited requests I receive. For many of us, it really does come down to your #5-build a relationship before you come knocking on my door.
Great post, Ileane!
Hi Cathy, yes popularity is a gift and a curse in some ways isn’t it. LOL
Thanks for stopping by Cathy, you made me smile 🙂
Let me guess, If I am ready or not.. Ok I have completed think and the answer is yes.
I think guest posting is the my second method for building natural links.
Vivek,
Pardon me, but I did mention the importance of following instructions did I?
And if you “completed think” did you also notice that you were supposed to leave a Twitter handle not a URL in the Twitter box.
Lucky for you I’m not logged in right now, oh but I will be very shortly.
Sorry, it was just a mistake..You may delete it.
Thanks Ileane.
Guest blogging is still very new to me and am learning greatly every time I get rejected.
Not a problem with that. I am getting better and better at it.
Hi Sam, keep working at it! You’ll get there one day soon!!
Great post Ileane, and one of the best tips you gave in this post is “capitalize on them”.
It doesn’t matter if you guest blogging and get traffic if you don’t know how to use that traffic. Convert it, let them subscribe to you, create partnership, build a list, and most of all, capitalize on them.
thanks for sharing this great post
Hi James, I’m glad to see that my point is crystal clear for you. Thanks! At least I know someone is really listening….
Good post. My company is thinking about guest blogging as one of our future ventures, and this post helped me realize a few things; most of them can be found on #5. Anyway, good read! Thanks!
Earl I hate to say it but this is part of the problem too. Your “company” shouldn’t do a guest post. If you don’t have someone who works for the company and knows how to blog – then hire a professional writing (by that I do NOT mean someone who writes for pennies). Let me know if you need a reference.
You got me going on this one, as you hit everything on the head of the nail. The only one I’d expand on would be #4, because I have a specific guest posting policy on the one blog I do accept many guest posts on that the majority of people don’t follow when they’re contacting me and its irksome. Come on, all it says is you have to address me by name, which is right there prominently written, so if you’re calling me Webmaster or just saying “hi” or whatever, and then lying and saying you’ve been following my blog for a long time, I’m deleting the email and moving on. Good one Ileane!
LMAO!!!!! I Love this Mitch!
Thanks Sonia. Gotta tell it like it is sometimes, and if someone can’t fulfill a simple request to call me by my name then what makes me think they’ll come back to respond to comments right? I even included a video and they miss it. lol
Oh yeah! I know just what you mean. Tonight I got two requests that started off “Dear sir/madam”
WTF!!
This has got to be some kind of automated software because if you’re on my blog and can’t tell that I’m a woman you have to be visually impaired. Seriously.
Thanks Mitch!
LMAO! I get that too…even Mr. I was like ..”Really?”. Delete.
LMAO!
Great post Ileane.
I don’t think i’m ready for guest posting at the moment but more than happy to accept them!
Hi Brad, thanks for coming back. You sound like me at Christmas time.
I don’t give Christmas gifts, but I’m more than happy to accept them 🙂
That is what I’m following right now. I’m just waiting for a right time to start guest blogging, trying to build some quality content on my own blog first (I think I have enough) and trying to complete some pending works before sending some guest posts to top blogs.
I’ve shared why I’m not doing guest blogging as of now as a comment on Rahul’s latest post. Soon I’ll be mentioned in ProBlogger or Daily Blog Tips 😛
BTW, one of my friend sent me a guest post, but at this time I don’t want to accept it. I might him a link to this post 😛
Ehsan,
Good for you! And yes you can send your friend over here to read this post and let him know that you handle your blog with care.
Hi Ileane,
Great tips here. Sometimes I get requests from guest posts and although the content and writing is great I just don’t want to put it up because the guest blogger’s blog is badly designed.
Hosting a guest post means you give that writer and their blog your seal of approval. By extension I’m recommending that blog to my readers and I only want to recommend things I really love.
Furthermore if the blog looks bad that guest blogger might get a few new readers popping by but none will stick around.
Annabel, I often take the design of the blog into consideration. I’m finding that most of the requests that I’m turning down are from writers who don’t have their own blogs anyway. In a few cases the writers have sent samples from other guest posts they did and even those blogs were pretty sad looking.
Thanks for stopping by Annabel!
Hahahaha….
I knew I wasn’t ready before I even read this post. #1 fits me to a Tee. When I first started Bloggin back in the day, two whole months ago. I though everyone in the world wanted to here about all of my exciting Auto Detailing info. Boy was I wrong. I feel as if I am a pretty good writer, but I was barking up the wrong trees. I was turned down at least 5 times because my content didn’t fit the stage I was on. Actually most blogs don’t, and the automotive ones don’t seem to last that long. But, my time will come.
As always, thanks for the great post.
Joe, I have a suggestion for you. You might want to try some local venues – all the tv stations and news papers have websites now and they might have feature articles in the auto sector. On the other hand you can go super technical and check out some of the websites of the products you’re using to see if they have blogs. I got all kinds of ideas so I hope you’re getting ready for when the time comes!!
A lot of people is missing this, all they think that guest blogging is an easy task. Thanks Ileane
Hi Herbert, I know that you understand just where I’m coming from.
I would give preference to the point where you talk about qualification. If I possess a wrong knowledge of english and incorrect gramar with spelling mistakes, guest blogging is not my cup of tea. Blogging stands on the basic foundation of good usage of language and vocablury where we need to play with words in a way that makes sense.
Jack, you have the right idea, just keep working on your spelling and you’ll get there eventually.
Hi Ileane,
It’s been a while since I’ve come read a post here on Basic Blog Tips as I have been kept very busy. Guess what took up all my time? 😉 Yep, you guessed it…guest blogging…
When I started reading this post I couldn’t naturally get rid of the huge smile on my face, especially when I got to the part of submitting a guest post before having a sound relationship with the proposed host of your guest post.
I did the same thing, had HUGE confidence and beyond normal expectations with unbelievable potential that only I seem to have seen in the proposed guest post’s concept. The result? I got rejected…and I couldn’t understand why at the time.
Then as time went by I started creating better quality relationships with people I envied and wanted to guest post for in future, and suddenly my submissions began being approved. Then I clicked: They knew and trusted me, wanted me to succeed as much as I wanted to myself, so they saw potential in my writing and gave me the chance I needed.
After just over 6 months blogging I wrote several posts on WeBlogBetter, then recently got my first post accepted on Firepole Marketing and then one which I am really proud about, kikolani.com has just published my second post with the third scheduled for early November.
Yes I am not seeing tons of newly found traffic as a direct results of these guest posts yet, but over time I am sure once I have established myself as a trusted and respected authority, the results I am after will follow…
Then of course I have my upcoming eBook the gets released early Sept which of course you yourself has had a valuable contribution to, so I’m excited to get it released and I trust that much needed authority will be established with the valuable content it contains.
Thanks for this valuable article and until you hear from me again (watch your inbox for your complimentary copy of my eBook as you are a valued contributor) all the best of success to you and Basic Blog Tips!
Ruan, that’s just awesome! Even I haven’t had a post published on Kristi’s blog yet. 🙂 I’m really excited to learn that the ebook will be arriving soon. Cheers!!
Ouch. Now I wonder why some of my guest posts aren’t approved. lol. But thanks for the tips!
Nice article. I was thinking to start a blog. This post helped me a lot
Many people keeps their best articles for their own blog. They thought its a kind of waste to post good quality content on other blogs.
I think its better to use them as a guest posting to show your knowledges and experiences in your domain.
What do you think about that Ileane ?
It’s a toss up Tom. I’m a very controlling person and I hate it when I do a guest post and the blog ends up dying. Just the other day I found out that one of my guest posts was removed by the owner because he changed his niche!! Good thing I have a copy of that one. I can always publish it here one day.
But sour grapes aside. My real advice is that “every” post you write should be your best work. If you write like that each time, you’ll just keep getting better and better every day.
I started guest blogging after a long research on guest blogging. I read posts about it from lot of blog including yours. Now I am writing good posts and getting good result and response. I think everyone should make a research on this to be a Guest blogger.
I don’t know why I never did Guest Posting, might be to save my good articles for my own site. After Penguine update I am planning to start guest posting and this article will help me to increase the rate of acceptance of my article by guest bloggers.
Making place for ourselves in the world of blogging is necessary before we choose to begin with guest poting. The traffic and other bloggers should be familiar with us that would help us get our articles approved and posted in their blogs easily and a little of convincing.
This is really helpful for beginners, if they read this entire article before making guest post, their chances of approval will definitely increase.
At start it really takes some time before you get skilled in writing a posts which leads to approval.
Hi Ayan, thanks for your input. I appreciate your comment.
Guest posting is most important for building up our online business. And its not so easy to get accepted. This post is really nice.
Hi Ileane,
I think the worst thing that a guest blogger can get is a stack of emails from SEO companies that are just hungry for quality back links. They are usually cold emails and have no personality in them.
I completely agree that some people are just not ready for guest blogging, and there is no way that an established blogger can accept everything and publish anything.
I was able to get a YES from you the first time of asking, but I knew damn well that I was ready to get started as I have been blogging for about 3 years. For people just getting started they are better off starting with the smaller blogs before even thinking of asking the well known bloggers.
Hi Scott, I didn’t even need to spend a ton of time “vetting” you as a guest blogger because you followed my number one rule! You sent samples of your writing and when I checked the links you were engaging and responding to comments. The fact that you are a fantastic writer was just the icing on the cake.
Guest posting a is a great concept.
Nice genuine way to produce natural back links – providing they are genuine posts mind. I’ve lost count of how many posts i have commented on and the comment has not been accepted but hey ho, I guess that’s one of the downfalls of blog commenting.
Nice post thanks Ileane
Paul, I have some advice for you. Take a nice snapshot of yourself – I mean a head shot – with a big toothy smile and get a gravatar. I bet if you do that you will get at least a 50% increase in the amount of comments that get approved. Maybe even more.
Hi Ileane,
Getting your first ever guest post rejected is a huge setback. But it luckily went viral for you. It always feel good to get your guest posts published on top blogs of your niche. But it depends on the quality of content you write. Once you get guest posting going the easy way, you can always generate a lot of backlinks and more importantly readers for your own blog or website. Thanks for this awesome article.
Hey Vineet! It’s funny in the post I called it going viral – meaning it got over 300 hits in one day. That has HUGE for me back then. But if I only get 300 visits to a post nowadays I will be so so sad and thinking that something must be wrong with my blog 🙂
Hi Illean,
Guest blogging has so many advantages. After rejecting for first time, it’s hard for bloggers to get up for second one. But posts like this one from bloggers like you, help bloggers like me to keep trying and get success.
Great post.
Hi Veer, I really want to encourage you and other bloggers to hang in there. Even I got turned down once but I didn’t quit. It’s what you call turning lemons into lemonade. Thank you.
I have “stories” of the types of requests I get. Don’t get me wrong, I am honored that anyone wants to post on my site, but make sure you COME CORRECT. What I mean by that is to read my blog. I have submission requests for topics that don’t even belong on my blog or they don’t even bother to send me sample posts they have already done. I don’t have time to go back and forth via email to prove your worth if you didn’t come prepared in the first place. Then I get stuff that don’t belong to the person submitting a request and I sit there scratching my head thinking, “really?” I check everything and I mean everything so anything submitted to me that I like will be dealt with it if belongs to someone else. Delete.
Honestly, if you want to guest post on other blogs, have your own house in order and have your own blog. I like being able to go back to their blog to see the engagement on their blog, do they have comments on their blog and the length of time they have had their blog. There are more factors I weigh in, but those are the ones that annoy me the most. I don’t discourage guest posting…(Danny Iny..uh hello!), but make sure you have your sh– together before submitting anything. Get to know me first instead of looking to build your resume.
Hi Sonia, you are too funny. I hear you calling Danny Iny 🙂
I always check on the engagement levels of the guest too. This is one reason people get rejected for not following instructions. Anyone who has done “successful” guest posts would be proud to send them along as samples in the email requests, so when I don’t get the samples I know right away there’s a problem.
Once I had a guy send samples and there were over a dozen comments that he never responded to. When I asked him why – he said it’s because he doesn’t respond to people who don’t have Gravatars.
I was LMBO when I heard that one. Can you imagine if we deleted all comments from people without gravatars. That’s just taking things too far don’t you think?
(I wonder what ever happened to that guy….)
LMAO! Wow now that is one I have never heard of, but that is just plain stupid and stuck up. Seriously?? He was asking to post on your blog so obviously he wasn’t all that. Some people are a trip and take blogging way to seriously.
Hey Miss Ileane,
What a great post and I’m glad you put this one out there myself. I get so many requests from people who are just trying to make a name for themselves. As you probably know, guest blogging at my place is by invitation only. That means you have to be a regular visitor of my blog and commenter as well.
I remember a few top bloggers posting that you’ll never get anywhere unless you write guest posts. Well, I beg to differ with them because I certainly don’t write a bunch nor do I accept a bunch and I’m not doing to terribly bad myself. To me it’s more about the relationships you built that will get you noticed and help with those invitations to write.
This definitely is a topic most people love so thanks for sharing it.
Enjoy your week.
~Adrienne
Adrienne, I don’t know why people try to say that guest posting is mandatory. You know as well as I that’s just not true. 🙂 I bet they are the same people that say you need to publish a blog post every single day. I think they call them “gurus”. I’m glad we’re not part of that crowd.
Thanks for stopping by girlfriend and enjoy the rest of your weekend. We need to do another Hangout again real soon!
I’m sure it also depends on the experience you have as a writer despite your experience as a blogger or the age of your blog. Yes, blogging is a different style of writing and yes, you must have content and a call to action to benefit from the guest posting opportunity but is there really an actual time factor involved?
But, then again, I’m new at this! So, I’m here to see what others are saying and learning as much as I can as quickly as I can.
Logic tells me that great writing, knowing what the host blog is all about, speaking to their audience, and providing value all go a long way toward getting accepted. I really don’t think Ileane is saying 7 months, 18 months, or anything specific like that.
Right now I’m analyzing blogs and studying their most popular posts to determine what their audiences are resonating with most.
Great blog Ileane.
Carmelo
Hi Carmelo, nice to meet you! What took you so long to get here? (just kidding)
You’re right Carmelo, I’m not suggesting a specific time frame because if you really plan things ahead of time before starting a blog (btw no one ever does this but we should teach our kids this in elementary school) you will have at least 10 – 15 solid blog posts written before you even launch your blog.
I mean you can’t even begin to have a call to action if you don’t have any content right?
Let’s face it, most people who start a blog have no idea what they are in for. That’s why it’s super important to do just what you are doing now. Poke around a bit and get to know the lay of the land. Then maybe you can venture off down guest blogging road.
Thanks for contributing to the conversation Carmelo and I’d love to hear more from you in the future.
Hi Ileane, very nice to meet you too! I know, where have I been hiding, huh? Thanks for the reply and thoughts. Yes, preparation, planning, and having a specific mission … that’s what it takes. And of course you have to have some oomph behind your wish!
I’m so impressed with your community. You’ve really done a terrific job gathering a “family” here. I’ve watched some of your videos and they really demonstrate patience and clarity. Good stuff.
Oh, and I do have those 15 solid blog posts, now I just have to identify and refine my “call to action” as you suggested. Good point. I’ll be back soon.
Carmelo, I hope you get a chance to subscribe to my YouTube channel or at least give some of those videos a +1. Thanks for checking them out. 🙂
done and done, Ileane. Watched your great Youtube videos too.
Interesting read. I have been thinking about guest bloggers and guest blogging lately, but I don’t see the right fit with anyone yet. So, it’s good to read up. Might be interesting to consider the question; at what point does failure to guest blog mean you are clearly under-utilizing your existing resources?
Blogging is so much more intricate than I had ever imagined. I had a blogger blog for 5 years and posted regularly with limited success. Now I have a wordpress blog hosted on my domain and have seen much better results in a limited time. I am looking into what it takes to be a great guest blogger and I now feel much better educated after reading this. Thank you! Suzanne
Hi Suzanne,
Congrats or migrating over to self-hosted WordPress! Welcome to the big time 🙂
Using self hosted WordPress and Blogger are almost like night and day and even when it comes to traffic, you can see a difference right from the start.
Best wishes with your blog Suzanne.
Excellent post, Ileane.
I remember that the first few times I received requests for guest posts on my blog from people who had never tried as far as posting a comment on my blog I thought it was strange, and at first I didn’t really know how to refuse. But that was then. Now I am very direct with those types of people and in the process I try to teach them a few things 🙂
I totally understand you when you’re saying that if you had posted your popular post on someone else’s blog you migh have “missed the boat”. I learned from experience that the amount of traffic that you get from a guest post, even one that is rather popular “there” might be a hit or miss when it comes to generate traffic to your own blog. So much so that when I do guest post now, I don’t so much do it for the traffic but more for the extra exposure and guest post proof.
Thanks for this great post 🙂
Hi Sylvaine, great to see that you and I are on the same page about this. I start to wonder some days. lol!
I really need to get back into the guest posting game myself and I’m thinking about taking a completely different approach. I have a lot to say and I want to expose myself to an entirely different audience.
(wait….that didn’t sound right, well you know what I mean right?)
Just horsing around there a little bit Sylvanie – I hope you don’t mind my corny jokes.
Hello Ileane,
Guest blogging needs some experience and presence of mind. If one is not good at writing skills, subject knowledge and spontaneity, guest blogging will be a failure. And if your post is rejected you will feel demotivated and may not want to try it again. You can start doing it only after you feel that you are well equipped with all the basics as mentioned.
Regards,
Amit
Hi Amit, it just so happens that the last time I did a guest post was on your blog. Good thing you didn’t turn me down – I don’t know if I could take the rejection 🙂
I really got connected with a whole new group of blogging friends when you published that post. I truly appreciate you for that. Thanks for your support Amit.
I can relate to pretty much all of this from the perspective of a person who gets a lot of requests from people asking to guest post on my blog. The most annoying thing is requests from people I’ve never heard of, who tell me they’ve been reading my blog (really??) and love it (not enough to leave a single comment) and they want to submit a post.
The other annoying thing is when I agree to let people submit and they send me crap. Boy have I gotten a lot of crap. One person I even gave them the benefit of the doubt and gave them a ton of pointers and ideas, and they revised their post and submitted it again… still crap!
I’m going to send this post to every single one of them from now on and tell them to read it before asking me, lol. Thanks!
Hang in there Carol Lynn!
I’v been blessed to come in contact a handful of bright young bloggers who actually listened to my advice and they took the time to hone their skills. Now they are writing killer content that I am more than happy to publish here on the blog. They might have started out weak but now they are a force to be reckoned with!
It’s a great feeling to know that I played some role in their transformation.
I hope I am ready for commenting in this blog 😉
Hi Ileane
First of all sorry I have not been here on your great blog for a very long time..! Guest posting can be difficult when you are all new at blogging and maybe that is not the best time to start guest blogging. Get some experience on your own blog first and visit other blogs to check out how people are doing guest blogs. I have only written 2 guest post so far and they both took me a long time to write because I wanted them to be perfect or close to perfect, from my point of view. I also tried to do my homework to figure out the rules for guest posting at the blogs where I was going to do the guest post. I guess that both my posts were successive from my point at view and I think I should do more in the future. I also think that I have improved my writing skills a lot since my latest guest post. I guess that guest posting is just as good as the effort you put into it.
Hi Thomas, we missed you around here, glad to have you back! I’m pleased to know that you’ve made good use of your time and didn’t waste all that effort you put into your guest post. Thanks for sharing your story.
#1 is very true and is the main reason why guest blogging didn’t work for me. I understand this very well because I have also been bombarded with tons of requests. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks Ilene for the 5 precious tips to ‘ Prepare yourself as a Guest Blogger.’
Guest blogging is important for bloggers to build an authority, to show the World your level of expertise in the subject matter or niche.
Traffic and links etc. are secondary. And, one more thing, bloggers who are guest posting on BBT are really lucky.
Hi Nandita, thanks for reading the post, your kind words and for sharing your views on the topic.:)
Hi Ileane,
This topic is right on time for me Ileane. I am now thinking guest blogging so this article and the ‘5 Qualities for a Perfect Guest Blogger’ was what I needed to get started.
Thanks,
Electra
Hi Electra, thanks for leaving a comment. btw – do you have a gravatar? I know you have a great pic that you use for your Google+ profile. Let me know if you need help with setting up the gravatar so that beautiful smile will show up when you leave comments on WordPress blogs too.
Chat soon!
Thanks Ileane,
Set up my Gravatar account today.
There’s that gorgeous smile!! I knew you had the image because I remember seeing it on YouTube and on your Google+ profile. I’m so glad you got the Gravatar all hooked up correctly.
Hi Ileane,
Yes , When it comes to reputation and managing yours – you need to be sure that the gust post website and your will be able to benefit – if not, it obviously is not worth the effort and backlinks. Great job on highlighting the importance on the value of the right Guest blog options and opportunities.
Hi Anton. I’m sure you’ve had your share of requests from the Not Ready for Prime Time Players” over the last few years.
Thanks for stopping by with a comment.
I really feel there is a need to write exceptionally well content and also have that great convincing and communication skills to make a blogger post our articles on their sites because that does pose a problem for some of the guest bloggers.
I need to rethink about the guest blogging again just after i finish reading this article. Although guest blogging helps to bring traffic and backlink. Blogging needs experience and skill. I really enjoyed the post.
Guest post is a surefire to huge traffic. what makes guest post unique and get accepted is the value you add in the content, how quality your content is really count for your guest post to be accepted and read by many people. the more time you put together to write a guest post, the better chance you will get and the more traffic you will be directing back to your site. thanks for sharing
i like the Advice part very much, you have said it right we need to make our blog ready to make most of the new traffic which will be coming from the guest post form other popular blogs.
Hi K Bharath,
I’m glad you agree because this is a very important concept. Bloggers who take the time to built up their content and write a few pillar articles will have something to offer all of this new traffic that will be coming their way after the guest post goes live.
Thanks!
Hi Ileane….
Thanks for your post……
I am agree with some of your point but not all.
1- Number of posts on a writer blog should not be a criteria to accept his/her Guest Post. Most of freelancer don’t have blog but their articles are on top blogs.
2- If someone is send a Guest Post with e-mail id directly then again we should not reject his/her Article because he/she is not following the right way to share the Guest Post; instead of rejecting we should tell them (through reply) that he/she have to follow a documented approach to send Guest Post. He/she may be a newbie and as a experienced blogger its are responsibility to educate them.
3- I am not agree with your last point at all. It is not necessary that one must subscribe the feed of host blogger, comment, Re-tweet or G+ in order to make rappo….Its a kind of buttering. If you have a great content then it is enough to submit your article and if a blogger is not accepting your Guest Post because you are not Liking his/her post on FB and not re-tweeting their tweet etc then its better to not to follow that blogger.
Everybody have their own view and its my view.
I respect your view but I am not agree with all of your points.
Sandeep, I need to clarify something for you. In this post, and in general when I write on this blog I am speaking to bloggers. I’m not including freelancers specifically because that is not my audience. Don’t get me wrong, I know that some of my readers are also freelancer writers but they have blogs too.
That is one reason why I stopped accepting posts by email. You need to be a blogger who knows how to use WordPress in order to be a guest here.
In terms of following a documented approach, I do just the opposite. If you notice (you probably didn’t) on this blog I don’t have a link to “guest post guidelines” or anything like that. Because link builders like to search for those terms. BUT what I do have is full audio podcast with detailed guidelines that must be followed. If people can’t listen because they don’t have speakers, or something like that, I also have the guidelines in a blog post that I “INTENTIONALLY” left out the word “submit your guest post” or related verbiage. I even kicked things up a notch by writing this post, just to make sure that my expectations are crystal clear.
I can understand that you disagree with me on the last point and I value your opinion. But we must agree to disagree because I stand by what I said. And just for the record the word is spelled “rapport” there is no such thing in the English language as “rappo”.
Yes I most certainly like to be “buttered” and I’m good at “buttering” too. And despite what you said, I think you and I will continue to follow and butter each other on Facebook – won’t you agree?
I agree with your explanation Ileane about the ‘Freelancing Writers’.
Regarding type mistake, i am really sorry for that…
and the last point….I respect you with the bottom of my heart no matter whether i am agree with your article or not.
I respect you as a reader and blogger both.
I am happy that you noticed my activity on FB (Its a kind of honour for me) as you have lots of things to do.
I am eagerly waiting for your next article.
Thanks for replying my comment.
Takecare and best of Luck for your upcoming ventures/Articles.
Great tips here, Ileane! I was just looking into guest posting and the best way to go about it today when I came across your post – perfect timing 🙂
For many of us, it really does come down to your #5-build a relationship before you come knocking on my door.
Great post, Ileane!
Brankica, I think your approach of being a regular contributor is an excellent concept. It’s like guest posting without being a guest. I always knew you were brilliant. 🙂
Hi Ileane ,
Thank you for such an awesome post. You have clearly explained quality points about guest posting. After reading this, I can surely say that I am ready for guest posting. 🙂
Thank you
Aex
Blogengage is great! Does anyone have any experience finding guest blogging opportunities with blogsynergy.com
Hi Ileane, The guest post requests have become such a hassle that I’m seriously thinking about removing our guest post page. A guest post can often take up as much time as writing it yourself. The editing, checking for duplicate content, finding or creating the right image, making sure the author has an avatar and Google account (for authorship), making sure they agree to reply to comments, etc.. Sorry, I got carried away. lol I even search my blog comments to see if they’ve ever bothered leaving a comment before.
The funniest ones are when they send a pasted letter stating they love my blog and they wonder if I accept guest posts. It’s funny because it states we do in bold font right on the contact page they are submitting the request through, along with a link to the terms they have completely ignored. Requests like those don’t even get a reply, I simply label it ‘rejected’ and archive it.
I have had some excellent guest posts but we have to wade through a lot of very bad content and waste a lot of time to get them.
One last thing while I’m on a roll. 😉 I will never accept a guest post that I have to rewrite due to poor English again. I’ve tried to help young bloggers by ‘fixing’ awful content and that helps no one in the long run.
Hi Brian, our blogs are so similar that the same folks who are approaching you are approaching me. What about the time we had a very popular and highly regarded blogger post almost the same exact post on our blogs. I mean it wouldn’t have been so bad if they weren’t using the same image too.
But that was my mistake because I should have asked for writing samples that time too. 🙂
Doing a guest post or a blogger getting a guest to post on his/her blog are two separate things.
I know many bloggers that do not do guest blog posting on their website because:
1 They are unfamiliar how to set it up
2 They are afraid that people will like the guest blogger post more than their own
3 They are to proud to ask anyone (Asked to do a blog post is an honor…)
Hi JanB, that’s interesting. That sounds like a self-esteem issue and someone who still has a lot to learn about blogging. I have a post that explains how to assign roles to your guests authors, please feel free to share it with your friends. The post is titled The Basics of Guest Blogging
This is why I don’t recommend guest posting. You really don’t need to do it and you definitely don’t need to be made fun of for trying.
Hi Freedom, if someone is ready for guest blogging they don’t need to fear that anyone will “make fun” of them. All of my guest authors are taken very seriously and treated with respect. My friend Hesham of Famousbloggers.net has over 500 – that’s right I said 500 guests and trust me that is no joke.
Oh yes. I am 100% ready for guest posting. Because my posts are almost always accepted on many blogs.
Congrats Anurag! Good for you and best wishes with your blogging.
Hi Ileane
Fab post, as always!
I’ve just opened my blog up for guest posts, I hope one day soon it will be at the level to tempt you over 🙂
My theory is that once someone has published a guest (i love the celebrity author idea more!) post, not only have they provided me with some quality, free content, they will naturally want to share it for maximum exposure for themselves – so bonus extras are stumbles, tweets, pins and diggs! It also frees up a little time for me to work on my site design (well over due!) and of course they will want to come back and check on their post (more traffic!).
It’s also a great platform for networking and expanding your network of contacts in your niche – exciting stuff all round.
I’m currently working on developing some celebrity posts of my own – I think I may be ready to take on the blogoshpere very soon!
Ileane, your advice on guest posting obviously comes from experience and I can tell it comes from the heart, too. Your sincerity just comes through so strongly in your writing!
Hi Astro! That’s so nice of you to say. Thanks for stopping by.
looks like this is going to give us a whole lot of advice, we plan to integrate guest blogging in one of our blogs. thanks for the advice!!
Hi Ileane,
You know as I read this, it reminded me of the movie they have been showing a good amount on TV lately called “Ground Hog Day”. The part where the woman was listing attributes of her dream husband. They guy (Bill Murray) said perodically as she told her list, “Yup, yup, ahuh, yes, that’s me, yup, etc.”
Reminded me of me ticking off the reasons why I am not ready for prime time with guest blogging.
Guest blogging on someone else’s site takes a lot of skill, especially if the site that you submit to has a lot of visitors. These people are going to hold you to a certain standard of post when you submit.
I hate it when someone submits a guest post to my site and it’s full of errors or doesn’t even relate to the topic that I write about!
Hallo Ilean,
Thank you so much for the article you have shared very important information which i will definitely put into practice
thank you
Steve
Hmm, I want to get in to guest blogging which I have recently started to think about. This has been an interesting read and ill be sure to come back and check it out again. My site is about tips for optimizing sites in terms of speed and some editing aspects ect. So perhaps this could be the first place I start.
Thanks for this info
Regards
Matthew
Hi Ileane,
Thank you for this great article. Found your site today through Blokube.com, and when I was reading this article, I noted down a lot of tips. Not only because I am planning on writing guest posts for other sites, but also because I have a few sites that are growing into a real community where I want to accept guest posts. I just didn’t want to get started without having at least some idea of what to expect and what to look out for. This article has definitely given me some insight.
I signed up for your newsletter and I’m adding you to my RSS reader, I want to come back here and read more 🙂
Thank you so much,
Leslie
Having just had a guest post turned down at ProBlogger I found this post extremely useful. Look to see what your target blog posts at the moment. Don’t send what you think they should like – send what you know they’re going to like!
Hi Ileane,
I made one mistake while contacting you for Guest Post that I didn’t introduce myself properly to you. I should have firstly introduce myself before asking to write for your blog 🙁
I will not repeat it again while sending guest blogging requests to other fellow bloggers.
Thank you so much for sharing these things.
Thank for your post Ileane !
I am also interested to have guest post in your blog. But, right now I am in improvement phase of blogging. Just started my own blog and its almost 2 weeks. So hope to catch you later soon.
Regards
Kushal
Like many of your other articles that you written this one is great. I am really new to blogging and I was wondering about guest blogging, but after reading this article I realize that I should probably wait till I have been in the game a little longer.
You also make good points about being able to accommodate the new traffic that guest blogging might bring you. It doesn’t make all that much sense to try to get all of this attention and bring a bunch of new readers to your blog if you have nothing to offer them. Great work, Ms. ILEANE
Thanks for the great post Ileane. Gust blogging is not as simple as article marketing. But submitting 5 guest posts on high profile blogs is better than submitting 50 articles to article directories. We need to do some research before creating a post for other blogs .For getting the full outcome from the guest blogging – know their audience , create unique post and include personalized screenshots.
Hi Salini,
I think a lot of people are starting to realize that some article directories are better than others. It’s pretty easy to pick out the ones that don’t hold much weight anymore by checking the quality of the content you find there.
Hello,
I suppose I won’t be original saying this, but what a great post! I have just reached this site. Even though I have been participating in this niche for some time, I haven’t stumbled upon this blog until today. I can say something from my own experience as a guest blogger. In the very beginnings (when I actually didn’t have a clue about how it really works) I would simply look for a blog with comments and add a random comment (one sentence usually). This practice didn’t provide great results. I kept thinking why. I asked myself “why isn’t it working if I secure myself these valuable links?” It took me a few weeks to figure that out: I wasn’t providing any value. That’s why I want to tell every new guest blogger this: remember to add value to people who will be reading this and, most of all, to the host blogger, so he or she can also benefit from this.
Best regards,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Great comment! This is something that a lot of bloggers should read. I’ll be sure to share it.
Thanks!
I may be a little late to the party here, but I really enjoyed the post. I’m just getting pumped about the concept of guest posting. I’m still in the “homework” phase, but I’m getting there. Thanks!
Great insight Ileane. It’s true that most bloggers just because they heard that guest blogging is beneficial for their blog and all the good stuff that comes with it, they immediately do some guest blogging without thinking how good their article is.
I’m haven’t gone guest blogging mode lately since I prefer to keep the good articles for my sites first.
You know recently i stumbled on a lot of blogs that have a guest posting section.
I started to think about writing some guest posts but the fact is that I don’t have enough time to write on my own blog. Do you think I should try some guest posting or primarily keep posting content on my own blog…?
#1 tip is so right on! I write a blog for a very specific Travel niche in Turkey, but I get weekly requests from guest bloggers offering to write articles on topics that aren’t remotely relevant, and it’s obvious they have no idea what my blog is about. Usually their pitch emails start with “I have been reading your site……” …… um.. no you haven’t!
Hi Jay. You know from the get go that these requests are sent automatically with some type of software or from someone working for pennies who has no idea what they are saying. 🙂
Great tips. I just wonder how can I write a killer guest post? Could you teach me how?
Nos N,
I sure can! That is the whole point of this blog in the first place.
Where do you want to start? Have you researched your topic yet? Make sure that the blog you plan to submit the post to doesn’t have any other posts like your’s.
That’s a good place to start.
Awesome tips. I am new to blogging so will first try to post some articles on my blog and then I will go for guest post 😀
Thanks for the great guidelines and tips on guest blogging. Even i fill i am not ready :-). But i really want to be good blogger. Please suggest few more thing on the same.
Ms. Ileane,
Thank you for your honest and open approach to explaining guest blogging. I appreciate your candidness which gives me a clear picture of what to do and what not to do with guest blogging. Your extensive experience certainly shows in the quality of your articles. Have a great day!
Stacey
Hi! Thank you for a great article. It is all so true. I especially agree with specifically blocking out time to work on your blog as well as communicating with your family about the importance of having this time blocked out and free of disturbances (except in an emergency.) I also try to get up a bit earlier on certain mornings to get some uninterrupted time to work on my blog. Have a great day!
Stacey
Thanks for that! I’m looking right now at either guest blogging or writing for a printed magazine but I keep wanting to save the articles for my site. Oh well.
Hi Graywolf, that might not be the best strategy. You should always try to share “epic” posts on blogs that are more popular than your own. That’s how you build your audience and gain authority. Don’t wait for Google to notice you – make it happen!
You might land a spot over on LifeHacker, you should research their content and see if they have anything similar to your area of expertise. If they don’t – that’s even more reason to go for it!
Keep me posted….
Wow what a wonderful writing it was, I liked it very much. Now I got all the points to keep in mind while writing a guest post. All credits goes to you. Now I come to know why your blog is so popular and have an alexa rank of 10380
Thanks for saying and and for noticing that Alexa Rank. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself!
You can build an awesome blog too. Hang in there and keep improving your content and making connections.
i thinks making relationahip with other bloggers is a good thing and Can Help Our site…Btw all points are good Thnkss….
After Reading This I Think I am Ready For Guest Blogging and COming Shortly with an Article for Your Site….
Hi Ileane,
I’m just working up to thinking about guest posting, I guess it’s a confidence thing. Thanks for this article, it’s a really useful introduction and self-check list.
Lisa
All the above points indicate me that i should try my first guest post very soon.
Thnx ileane
Hey Iliane, I am just living all of your posts and this one I feel is stand out. I have never approached any one for a guest for. I’ll work on your tactics and one day come back to you with a request (You’ll be compelled to approve for it will clear all the requisite requirements. BookMarked it.
Regards!
Hi Iliane, I just fund your blog this week and I’m so glad I did. So much great advice and this post was especially timely for me. I keep stumbling upon the suggestion to guest post on other blogs in order to build up authority.
Now, based upon your post I’ll need to hold off from that for a while. I just began writing for my own blog less than 3 weeks ago, so I have a great deal of work ahead of me!
Thanks for this great article!
Thanks for all that you do, Ms. Ileane! I recently found your blog and subscribed to your newsletter and YouTube channel! I’m new to blogging and have been doing it for a little over 3 months, yet still don’t feel prepared to guest blog. When should you force yourself to offer up a guest post? I’m the type to wait and wait and wait for the perfect moment only for time to pass by and nothing come to fruition. Thanks again!