Guest Blogging Survival Guide

1he Guest 8|ogg|ng
Surv|va| Gu|de
SecreLs Lo 8ecomlng a rollc CuesL 8logger Lo
lncrease AuLhorlLy, lans, and 1ramc
8y krlsu Plnes

!une 2013
!
1ab|e of Contents
AbouL Lhe AuLhor 3
Why CuesL 8logglng 4
1he SLaLe of CuesL 8logglng ln 2013 3
llndlng CuesL 8logglng CpporLunlues 6
8esearchlng 1oplc ldeas 11
Chooslng Lo osL on ?our 8log or Someone Llse's 14
lollowlng Lhe Culdellnes 16
llndlng and Connecung wlLh Lhe 8lghL eople 17
Wrlung Lhe erfecL osL 19
Cralng Lhe erfecL AuLhor 8lo 23
ConLacung Lhe 8log Cwner or LdlLor 26
romoung ?our osL 30
8espondlng Lo CommenLs 31
8ecomlng a 8egular ConLrlbuLor vs. a Cne-C CuesL osL 32
8ulldlng a oruollo 33
Analyzlng ?our 8esulLs 34
Learnlng from Lhe 8esL 33
Closlng 36
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51.(). 6./$( ! klkolanl.com ! [klkolanl
7
About the Author
My name ls krlsu Plnes, and l am a freelance wrlLer, professlonal blogger,
and ghosLwrlLer. l sLarLed my blog, klkolanl, ln 2008. 8uL lL wasn'L always
abouL blog markeung and blogglng sLraLegy. lL acLually began as a personal
blog wlLh poeLry and phoLography.
A llule over a year laLer, l changed my blog's focus Lo whaL lL ls Loday - a
source for personal, professlonal, and buslness bloggers who wanL Lo learn
more abouL onllne markeung Lo promoLe Lhemselves and Lhelr conLenL.
ln 2010, l enLered Lhe world of guesL blogglng. 8ecause l had already
esLabllshed myself as havlng greaL conLenL on my own blog, l was able Lo
secure opporLunlues wlLh blogs llke lamous 8loggers, Search Lnglne
!ournal, Search Lnglne WaLch, and Soclal Medla Lxamlner.
Cver Lhe lasL Lhree years, l have wrluen for over 30 slLes as a regular
conLrlbuLor and a freelance wrlLer. My poruollo lncludes posLs publlshed
on klSSmeLrlcs, unbounce, Search Lnglne eople, lncome ulary, SLCgadgeL,
SprouL Soclal, ro8logger, PongklaL, and many more.
ln Lhls gulde, l wanL Lo share Lhe sLraLegles l used Lo secure Lhese guesL
blogglng opporLunlues along wlLh Lhe ways l ensure every posL l submlL Lo a
slLe wlll be publlshed.
D|sc|a|mers
Some resources menuoned may be llnked Lo wlLh amllaLe llnks. 1hls means
LhaL lf you buy from Lhem, l wlll geL a commlsslon. ?ou can resL assured
LhaL l only recommend resources l have used myself and LhaL l know wlll
make a dlerence ln your quesL for guesL blogglng.
Also, whlle everyLhlng ls as accuraLe as posslble, l cannoL guaranLee LhaL
every sLraLegy wlll work for every blog, buslness, or person. Cnllne
markeung ls abouL Lrlal and error as well as keeplng up wlLh Lhe laLesL
news. WhaL works Loday may cause Coogle penalues Lomorrow. CuallLy
almosL always wlns.
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8
Why Guest 8|ogg|ng
ConLenL markeung should be an lnLegral parL of your overall onllne
markeung sLraLegy. CuesL blogglng ls [usL one of Lhe many ways you can
spread your message LhroughouL Lhe lnLerneL.
WhaL ls guesL blogglng? lf you Lhlnk lL's [usL anoLher llnk bulldlng sLraLegy,
Lhlnk agaln. 1haL's noL Lhe Lype of guesL blogglng Lhls gulde ls Lalklng abouL.
Whlle guesL blogglng can be a susLalnable llnk bulldlng sLraLegy, you need
Lo Lhlnk beyond llnks. ?ou need Lo have Lhese Lhree speclc goals ln mlnd
when lL comes Lo guesL blogglng.
CuesL blogglng can help you bulld your auLhorlLy ln a nlche or lndusLry.
LsLabllshlng yourself or your buslness as a recognlzed LhoughL leader can
lead Lo more subscrlbers, more speaklng engagemenLs, more consulung
cllenLs, more paylng cusLomers, more downloads, and more overall
converslons.
CuesL blogglng can help you grow a loyal fan base for yourself or your
buslness. ?ou can use your guesL posLs Lo lncrease your 1wluer followers,
lacebook fans, Llnkedln connecuons, and Coogle+ followers.
CuesL blogglng can help you brlng more vlslLors Lo your webslLe. ?ou wlll be
able Lo caplLallze on Lhe audlence LhaL bloggers have bullL and drlve LhaL
audlence Lo your own blog or webslLe.
As you can see, [usL abouL any onllne markeung goal can be achleved
Lhrough guesL blogglng. And Lhls gulde wlll help you Lhrough Lhe guesL
blogglng process, from ndlng opporLunlues Lo analyzlng resulLs.
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9
1he State of Guest 8|ogg|ng |n 2013
Llke mosL onllne markeung sLraLegles, guesL blogglng ls sLarung Lo suer
Lremendously Lhanks Lo abuse by unscrupulous markeLers and SLC's
looklng Lo Lake cheap conLenL and Lurn lL lnLo a llnk. When l say suer, l
mean LhaL lL ls becomlng harder and harder for even leglL bloggers Lo aualn
guesL blogglng opporLunlues.
Ma[or blogs LhaL were seen as Lhe holy grall ln Lhe onllne markeung world -
Mashable, Copyblogger, and ro8logger Lo name a few - have closed Lhelr
doors Lo unsollclLed guesL posL submlsslons. Some, llke Soclal Medla
Lxamlner, have a vemng process so sLrlngenL LhaL greaL wrlLers geL Lurned
away. CLhers are only lnLeresLed ln long-Lerm parLnershlps and Lurn away
one-hlL wonders.
1here are, of course, sull many blogs LhaL welcome conLenL from guesL
bloggers. 8uL lf you search unsollclLed guesL posLs on Coogle, you'll nd
around 2,000 search resulLs from slLes LhaL are speclcally saylng Lhey do
noL accepL Lhem.
So how do you reap Lhe beneLs of guesL blogglng? LeL's sLarL dlgglng ln.
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:
I|nd|ng Guest 8|ogg|ng Cpportun|nes
?our rsL goal ln guesL blogglng ls Lo deLermlne where you wanL Lo be
publlshed. lor example, lf you are promoung a blog abouL soclal medla or
your buslness oers a soclal medla LoolseL, you wlll llkely wanL Lo geL
publlshed on blogs whose audlences are lnLeresLed ln soclal medla. Slnce
one of Lhe maln goals for mosL guesL blogglng campalgns ls Lo dlrecL Lramc
back Lo your webslLe, you wlll wanL Lo make sure Lhe audlence of Lhe blog
you are submlmng a guesL posL for wlll acLually wanL Lo cllck Lhrough.
Lven lf you are guesL blogglng for solely for llnks, you should sull alm for
relevanL blogs. Coogle ls lmprovlng lLs algorlLhm every day, and you don'L
need a llnk Lo your lnsurance slLe from a soclal medla blog. 1hlnk relevancy
and you wlll geL far ln boLh your guesL posL accepLance and your llnk
bulldlng sLraLegy.
So once you have deLermlned whaL Lypes of blogs you would llke Lo
conLrlbuLe Lo, how do you nd Lhe besL candldaLes? Pere are some ways Lo
do lL.
kSS Subscr|pnons
l sLrongly belleve LhaL good bloggers are also good readers. lf you are sLuck
ln a ruL looklng for Loplc ldeas, Lhen you are probably noL readlng enough.
Slmply headllne sklmmlng wlll do.
As an avld blog reader, l subscrlbe Lo a LC1 of blogs ln leedly, Lhe 8SS
reader LhaL pulls lLs lnformauon from Lhe soon-Lo-be-reured Coogle
8eader. leedly wlll soon oer a search feaLure LhaL allows you Lo search for
speclc keywords ln Lhe blogs you are subscrlbed Lo. So sLarL searchlng Lhe
blogs you are already a regular reader of for Lhe followlng slmple phrase ln
your leedly.
guesL posL by"
1hls wlll show you all of Lhe blog posLs submlued by guesL auLhors, and
Lhus show you all of Lhe blogs you are a fan of LhaL allow guesL posung.
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;
Goog|e
nexL, you can Lry Lhe almlghLy Coogle search for Lhe followlng phrases. !usL
replace keyword wlLh your nlche or lndusLry keywords.
guesL posL by" keyword
guesL auLhor" keyword
guesL posL guldellnes" keyword
guesL blogglng guldellnes" keyword
guesL auLhor guldellnes" keyword
guesL posung guldellnes" keyword
guesL bloggers wanLed" keyword
guesL wrlLers wanLed" keyword
conLrlbuLor guldellnes" keyword
wrlLers wanLed" keyword
bloggers wanLed" keyword
?ou can also add Lhese searches Lo elLher Coogle AlerLs or 1alkwalker, a
free Coogle AlerLs alLernauve. 1hls wlll allow you Lo recelve updaLes vla
emall or 8SS abouL new pages on Coogle wlLh Lhese keyword phrases and
Lhus, new guesL blogglng opporLunlues.
1w|uer
?ou can use Lhe same keyword phrases llsLed ln Lhe Search Coogle secuon
above Lo search 1wluer. ?ou can save Lhe searches Lo 1wluer lLself or Lo
1wluer managemenL Lools such as PooLSulLe.
ro||hc Guest 8|ogger 1rack|ng
uo you nouce Lhe same people popplng up from one blog Lo Lhe nexL? ln
Lhe onllne markeung lndusLry, some of Lhose people lnclude uanny lny, Leo
Wldrlch, Cregory Clom, and oLhers. lf you do nouce Lhese Lypes of people,
do a Coogle search for Lhelr name plus some of Lhe earller menuoned
Coogle phrases - guesL posL by", guesL auLhor", and so on.
lf you happen Lo know Lhese guesL bloggers, you can use Lhese searches Lo
uncover greaL guesL blogglng opporLunlues and maybe even ask Lhem Lo
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<
lnLroduce you Lo blog owners and edlLors aL slLes you would llke Lo
conLrlbuLe Lo.
Guest 8|ogg|ng Networks
CuesL blogglng neLworks can help you connecL wlLh blogs LhaL are looklng
for guesL bloggers. 1hese neLworks lnclude My8logCuesL, 8loggerLlnkup,
8logSynergy, CuesL 8log Cenlus, and CuesLr.
lf you need an enLerprlse-level soluuon Lo nd guesL blogglng
opporLunlues, you can lnvesL ln CroupPlgh. lL ls prlmarlly geared Lowards
8 professlonals and agencles looklng Lo perform blog ouLreach for
buslnesses and brands. WhaL ls nlce ls LhaL lL allows you Lo search for blogs
by keyword and qulckly see blogs LhaL allow guesL posLs, Lhe blog's soclal
followlng across Lhe Lop soclal neLworks, moz8ank, locauon, Lhe Loplcs lL
normally covers, and Lhe lasL ve posLs. lL comes wlLh a prlce Lag rumored
Lo be $3,000 a year.
8|ogg|ng Iob 8oards
Whlle you may noL be looklng for a [ob, chances are a blog or buslness LhaL
ls looklng for pald wrlLers wlll also be happy Lo accepL conLenL from a guesL
blogger. Some good [ob boards Lo Lry lnclude Lhe ro8logger !ob 8oard,
Mashable !ob 8oard (search for blogger or wrlLer), lreelanceWrlung.com,
lreelance Wrlung Clgs, and lreelance SwlLch. lf you nd a greaL slLe LhaL ls
wllllng Lo pay you and glve you an auLhor blo, LhaL ls even beuer!
a|d Wr|nng G|gs
Some blogs are regularly seeklng conLenL and oerlng compensauon for
greaL conLenL. 1he followlng are [usL some of Lhe blogs LhaL oer $30uSu
or more for quallLy posLs.
hup://www.vecLordlary.com/LuLorlal-submlsslon/
hup://LuLs.ashmlnL.com/geL-pald-Lo-wrlLe/
hup://www.psdeluxe.com/wrlLe-for-us/
hup://www.hv-deslgns.co.uk/arucle-submlsslon/
hup://spyresLudlos.com/conLrlbuLe/
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hup://www.pxleyes.com/LuLorlals/lnfo/
hup://neL.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://vecLor.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://ae.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://psd.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://cg.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://phoLo.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://moblle.LuLsplus.com/submlL-LuLorlals-ups-arucles-or-oLher-conLenL/
hup://webdeslgn.LuLsplus.com/wrlLe-for-us/
hup://wp.LuLsplus.com/abouL/submlL-a-LuLorlal/
hup://audlo.LuLsplus.com/abouL/wrlLe-a-LuLorlal/
hup://www.LuLorlalboard.neL/geL-pald-Lo-wrlLe/
hup://www.problogdeslgn.com/wrlLe-for-us/
hup://www.LheLechlabs.com/become-an-auLhor/
hup://www.1sLwebdeslgner.com/conLrlbuLe/
hup://www.lnsLanLshl.com/conLrlbuLe/
hup://www.allsLaparL.com/conLrlbuLe/
hup://freelancefolder.com/wrlLe-for-us/
hup://www.pvmgarage.com/conLrlbuLe/
hup://www.meLroparenL.com/MeLro-arenL/WrlLe-lor-us/
hup://www.dropzone.com/cgl-bln/safeLy/deLall_page.cgl?lu=694
hup://rocksolldnance.com/ask-davld/guesL_bloggers/
hup://www.makeallvlngwrlung.com/why-l-pay-wrlLers/
hup://www.onespoonaLaume.com/guesL-posLs-wanLed-30-per-posL
hup://www.crazyleafdeslgn.com/blog/conLrlbuLors/
hup://psd.fanexLra.com/wrlLe-for-us/
hup://www.LherenegadewrlLer.com/guesL-posung/
Agaln, you'll wanL Lo Lry Lo suck wlLh Lhe opporLunlues LhaL allow for you Lo
have an auLhor blo. Some wlll leL you have lL ln lleu of Lhe compensauon
fee.
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>?
L|nk rospector
Llnk rospecLor ls a llnk bulldlng Lool by ClLauon Labs LhaL allows you Lo run
reporLs Lo nd speclc Lypes of llnk bulldlng opporLunlues. 1hls Lool
lncludes a guesL blogglng reporL LhaL wlll nd guesL blogglng opporLunlues
based on keywords. lor each domaln LhaL lL reLurns, lL wlll show you Lhe
pages on Lhe webslLe LhaL menuon guesL blogglng - usually Lhese are blog
posLs by guesL auLhors or guesL posL guldellne pages.
CuesL blogglng reporLs cosL one credlL. ?ou can Lry Lhe Lool for free uslng
one credlL Lo run a reporL. lf you need Lo run more reporLs, you can pay as
you go wlLh a package of 3 credlLs for $10 or geL a monLhly subscrlpuon fee
LhaL lowers Lhe per credlL raLe.
Iorums
lf you paruclpaLe ln forums wlLhln your nlche, be on Lhe lookouL for people
who llnk Lo Lhelr blogs ln Lhelr forum slgnaLure. lf you lnLeracL wlLh Lhem
frequenLly, lL could lead Lo a good guesL blogglng opporLunlLy. Also, lf you
belong Lo pald membershlp slLes or prlvaLe groups for people wlLh a shared
goal, Lhose people would also be greaL Lo connecL wlLh abouL guesL posLs.
Conferences
?ou wouldn'L Lhlnk guesL blogglng would come up aL a conference or evenL,
buL lL does qulLe frequenLly. Meeung someone ln person helps you creaLe a
sLronger bond Lhan you can wlLh [usL emalls and LweeLs. CuesL blogglng
success can be bullL on greaL relauonshlps, and conferences are a greaL
place Lo bulld Lhem.
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>>
kesearch|ng 8|og ost 1op|cs
Pow do you know whaL Loplcs Lo submlL Lo a blog? Pere are some good
ways Lo dlscover Loplcs Lhe blog owner or edlLor wlll be lnLeresLed ln.
Guest ost Gu|de||nes
llrsL, you'll wanL Lo sLarL wlLh Lhelr guesL posL guldellnes page - mosL blogs
wlll deLall Lhe Lypes of posLs Lhey wanL by Loplc, level of dlmculLy, eLc. lf
LhaL doesn'L work, you can always browse Lhrough Lhelr caLegorles, whlch
you can (hopefully) vlew ln Lhelr sldebar or navlgauon bar.
kSS 8rows|ng
nexL, you wlll wanL Lo make sure your Loplc ls unlque. 1he easlesL way Lo
do Lhls (lf you haven'L already) ls Lo subscrlbe Lo Lhe blogs you wanL Lo
conLrlbuLe Lo vla a 8SS. ?ou can use 8SS readers Lo qulckly scan Lhrough Lhe
posL uLles a blog has publlshed.
Whlle you are looklng Lhrough posL uLles, you wlll also wanL Lo noLe Lhe
popularlLy of Lhose Loplcs. l suggesL uslng leedly because you wlll see a
score nexL Lo each posL uLle LhaL represenLs Lhe posL's lacebook llkes and
Coogle+1's.
8|og Comments
Cnce you dlscover popular posL Loplcs, anoLher Lhlng you can do ls look
Lhrough Lhe commenLs for LhaL posL. Chances are, Lhere were some
quesuons asked LhaL you could Lurn lnLo a blog posL. lL also makes a greaL
lnLro Lo Lhe blog owner as lL shows Lhem you are ln Lune wlLh Lhelr conLenL
and Lhelr audlence.
Soc|a| Med|a
AnoLher Lacuc ls Lo follow blog owners and edlLors on soclal medla. lf you
see Lhem ask a quesuon, Lhlnk abouL a way Lo Lurn Lhe answer lnLo a blog
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>!
posL. 8eply wlLh a shorL answer on 1wluer/lacebook/Coogle+, Lhen follow
lL up by conLacung Lhem and lemng Lhem know LhaL you can Lurn LhaL
answer lnLo an lnLeresung blog posL for Lhelr audlence. lL's Lhe perfecL way
Lo come up wlLh a good Loplc and connecL!
&A Networks
Cuesuon and answer neLworks are a good source of conLenL ldeas as lL leLs
you know whaL oLher people are lnLeresLed ln. lf you monlLor Loplcs wlLhln
your nlche on Cuora, you can plLch relevanL blogs wlLh a Loplc LhaL people
are asklng oen abouL. lor example, you can say LhaL you follow Lhelr blog
and have nouced LhaL a loL of people have been asklng abouL ___ laLely,
and you would love Lo share a deLalled response vla guesL posL.
Connecnng W|th our Goa|s
When you are researchlng Loplcs Lo submlL as a guesL posL, your prlmary
goal ls whaL Lo gure ouL someLhlng LhaL wlll appeal Lo Lhe blog owner,
edlLor, and Lhelr audlence. 8uL don'L forgeL abouL your goal for guesL
blogglng. ?ou wlll wanL Lo gure ouL a Loplc LhaL achleves your goals as
well.
lor example, lL could be someLhlng as slmple as plLchlng 1wluer-relaLed
Loplcs Lo blogs you wanL Lo submlL Lo because you are abouL Lo launch an
e8ook on 1wluer. 1hls prlmes Lhe vlslLors from your guesL posL Lo be
lnLeresLed ln more lnformauon you have Lo oer abouL 1wluer.
nead||nes
llnally, once you have a good Loplc ldea, you'll need a good headllne. 1ry Lo
L Lhe Lheme of Lhe blog rsL - lf Lhey seem Lo use a loL of numbered posLs,
how Lo posLs, or oLher slmllar Lrends ln Lhelr headllnes, Lhen suck wlLh
Lhose headllne formaLs - especlally lf Lhose formaLs are Lhe mosL popular.
AlLernauvely, lf Lhe blog never uses Lhose Lypes of headllnes, lL mlghL be
good Lo avold Lhem.
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?ou can also plLch Lhe same posL and oer up a few headllnes Lo choose
from so Lhe blog owner or edlLor can choose Lhe one he or she llkes Lhe
mosL.
lf you're compleLely sLuck on how Lo creaLe greaL headllnes, download Lhe
free Peadllne Packs reporL by !on Morrow of Copyblogger (opL-ln
requlred). Also, you can check ouL 102 Peadllne lormulas by Chrls Carreu
(no opL-ln) and 101 Peadllne lormulas by eLer Sandeen (opL-ln requlred).
8eLween Lhose Lhree, you should be seL on headllnes for a long ume Lo
come.
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>8
Choos|ng to ost on our 8|og or Someone L|se's
Cne of Lhe conlcLs LhaL arlse when you are launchlng a guesL blogglng
sLraLegy ls wheLher Lo posL a greaL Loplc ldea on your blog or Lo submlL lL as
a guesL posL. 1he facL of Lhe mauer ls, you need awesome conLenL Lo
submlL as a guesL posL and you need awesome conLenL for your own blog ln
order Lo keep Lhe new audlence you have galned from your guesL posL.
Instant Soc|a| Iame or Long-1erm SLC
1here are a few ways l Lackle Lhls conundrum. 1he rsL ls decldlng wheLher
Lhe posL Loplc ls golng Lo have lnsLanL soclal medla success or have long-
Lerm SLC value. Someumes posLs have boLh, buL oLher umes, Lhey have
one or Lhe oLher.
A posL wlLh Lhe poLenual for lnsLanL soclal medla success wlLhouL long-Lerm
SLC value ls someLhlng l would submlL Lo someone else's slLe. MosL blog
owners and edlLors wanL Lo see lnsLanL resulLs ln Lhe form of Lramc and
engagemenL.
A posL wlLh Lhe poLenual for long-Lerm SLC value ls someLhlng l would keep
for my own blog. Lspeclally lf lL ls evergreen conLenL - Lhe klnd of posL LhaL
wlll keep auracung vlslLors from search and sausfy Lhem every ume.
Inbound Markenng for our roducts
Cne of Lhe Lop ways for a blogger Lo markeL Lhelr producLs ls by creaung
conLenL LhaL wlll auracL poLenual buyers. Slnce l have an e8ook abouL 8log
osL romouon, l llke Lo keep Lhe ma[orlLy of my blog Loplcs abouL
promoung blog conLenL on my own blog.
Whlle lL's sull lmporLanL Lo share some posLs LhaL are relaLed Lo your
producL Lo markeL lL Lhrough guesL blogglng, you don'L wanL Lo share all of
Lhose Lypes of Loplcs and leave noLhlng for your own slLe. lf you do submlL
a guesL posL LhaL ues dlrecLly lnLo a producL you sell, make sure you submlL
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>9
lL Lo a slLe LhaL wlll allow you Lo have an auLhor blo LhaL leads sLralghL Lo
your producL sales page.
Am||ate Markenng kevenue otenna|
lf you do a loL of amllaLe markeung, Lhen you wlll wanL Lo analyze your blog
Loplcs Lo see lf Lhey would easlly llnk lnLo an amllaLe markeung producL.
Cne of my besL posLs for amllaLe markeung revenue covered Lhe
dlerences beLween 1hesls and Cenesls frameworks. noL only dld lL have
huge amllaLe markeung revenue poLenual, buL lL also had long-Lerm SLC
value. Cver a year and a half laLer, LhaL posL sull geLs loLs of search Lramc
and converLs lnLo amllaLe lncome Lo Lhe Lune of anywhere beLween $100
Lo $300 per monLh or more when SLudloress ls havlng a sale.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
>:
Io||ow|ng the Gu|de||nes
lL seems llke a common sense polnL LhaL needs no explanauon, yeL so many
guesL bloggers are loslng ouL on opporLunlues because Lhey are noL
followlng Lhe lald ouL guldellnes.
Why are guldellnes so lmporLanL? lor Lhe blog owner or edlLor, guldellnes
are seL Lo make sure LhaL publlshlng a guesL posL Lakes as llule ume as
posslble. 1he more ume lL Lakes for someone Lo publlsh your guesL posL,
Lhe less llkely Lhey are Lo publlsh lL.
lor sLarLers, lf you are submlmng a guesL posL Lo a blog wlLh an Lngllsh
speaklng audlence, your posL should be wrluen ln good Lngllsh. lf Lngllsh ls
noL your rsL language and you are noL proclenL aL lL as your second
language, Lhen you should conslder havlng someone edlL your conLenL prlor
Lo submlmng lL Lo a blog. AlLernauvely, you can have someone ghosLwrlLe
your conLenL.
nexL, follow Lhe guesL posL submlsslon guldellnes polnL for polnL. lf Lhe
guldellnes ask you Lo plLch Loplcs lnsLead of whole posLs, do [usL LhaL. lf Lhe
guldellnes ask you Lo send samples of your work, send ones LhaL are
relevanL Lo LhaL blog and Lhe Lype of conLenL you plan Lo submlL. lf Lhey
wanL you Lo slgn up for Wordress, do lL. lf Lhey wanL you Lo submlL
lmages, do lL.
lf you follow Lhe guldellnes and submlL awesome conLenL (or awesome
conLenL ldeas), you're more Lhan llkely golng Lo geL Lhe spoL!
lor blogs wlLhouL speclc guldellnes, play follow Lhe leader. llnd posLs
wrluen by Lhe blog owners or edlLors and formaL your posL slmllarly. When
you submlL Lhe posL, send lL ln a Word documenL and also leL Lhe blog
owner or edlLor know LhaL you are happy Lo enLer lL dlrecLly lnLo Wordress
as well. Also lnclude samples of your besL, relevanL work ln your emall
along wlLh your maln soclal neLwork llnks (1wluer, lacebook, C+) so Lhe
blog owner or edlLor can geL Lo know you lf Lhey don'L already.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
>;
I|nd|ng and Connecnng w|th the k|ght eop|e
lf you wanL Lo ensure Lhe besL posslble chance for your blog posL Lo be
publlshed on any blog, from smaller blogs Lo blogs on Lhe AdAge ower
130, you need Lo make sure Lhe blog owner or edlLor ls famlllar wlLh you
rsL. 1hey are much more llkely Lo respond qulckly Lo someone Lhey know
vs. someone who ls emalllng Lhem ouL of Lhe blue.
llrsL, you need Lo ldenufy Lhe blog owner(s) and edlLor(s). lor some blogs,
you mlghL be able Lo nd LhaL lnformauon on Lhe blog's abouL page.
Mashable, for example, has a llsL of Lhelr key edlLorlal sLa on Lhelr abouL
page along wlLh llnks Lo each person's 1wluer, lacebook, and Llnkedln.
1hey unforLunaLely are one of Lhe many ma[or slLes LhaL sLopped accepung
guesL wrlLers, buL LhaL's beslde Lhe polnL.
lor oLhers blogs, you mlghL have Lo go on a research mlsslon. ?ou can sLarL
wlLh Lhe followlng querles on Coogle Lo nd menuons of key posluons on
abouL pages, auLhor blos, eLc.
slLe:domaln.com edlLor
slLe:domaln.com founder
slLe:domaln.com manager
lf Lhese people are wrlung posLs for Lhe blog, be sure Lo commenL on Lhose
posLs and share Lhem soclally. Lven lf Lhey don'L respond Lo your
commenL, Lhey can'L really mlss Lhem lf you are a repeaL vlslLor.
?ou can also use Lools llke lollowerwonk Lo search for 1wluer blos
lncludlng a blog name, keywords (edlLor, wrlLer, founder, owner, CLC,
presldenL, eLc.), and u8L's.
?our nexL mlsslon ls Lo follow Lhem and lnLeracL wlLh Lhem.
llrsL, LweeL Lhe person's posLs from Lhe blog and lnclude boLh Lhe maln
blog 1wluer handle along wlLh Lhe auLhor's 1wluer handle. 1hls shows you
are a regular reader and fan of Lhe blog. nexL, follow Lhem on a 1wluer llsL
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
><
LhaL you can monlLor perlodlcally. lf Lhey ask quesuons, be sure Lo chlme
ln!
LasL, buL noL leasL, see lf Lhey paruclpaLe ln 1wluer chaLs. eruse Lhelr
1wluer prole and see lf Lhere are several LweeLs wlLh hashLags llke
#blogchaL, #seochaL, #smchaL, and so forLh. llnd ouL when Lhe 1wluer
chaLs are scheduled (Coogle search Lhem or refer Lo Lhe 1wluer ChaL
Schedule) and be sure Lo paruclpaLe ln Lhe chaL llve. 1weeLChaL ls a free
Lool LhaL makes lL easy Lo follow Lhe dlscusslon, see your menuons, and
send updaLes wlLhouL havlng Lo manually add Lhe chaL's hashLag.
Coogle+ can also be handy for connecung wlLh people, especlally Lhose
who have huge audlences on oLher neLworks - Lhey may nouce you more ln
an envlronmenL wlLh less nolse. lacebook someumes works, assumlng Lhe
person shares publlc updaLes and allows people Lo subscrlbe Lo Lhem.
lf you're noL havlng luck wlLh Lhe blog owners or edlLors, Lhen conslder
golng Lhe referral rouLe lnsLead. See lf Lhere are any regular wrlLers (noL
one ume guesL posLers, buL frequenL conLrlbuLors) on Lhe blog LhaL you
know well enough Lo emall. LeL Lhem know you are lnLeresLed ln submlmng
a guesL posL and LhaL you love an lnLroducuon wlLh Lhe person who
manages Lhe guesL posL submlsslons / edlLorlal calendar. 1hls, ln
comblnauon wlLh maklng sure Lhe blog owners or edlLors recognlze you
from Lhelr communlLy, wlll furLher boosL your chances of gemng your guesL
posLs publlshed.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
>=
Wr|nng the erfect ost
!" $%& '(&)$ *+)$ '(,-&.,/&) "+0 1 2.+' )*&3,"4 $%1$ 4+( /&&- $+ )(25,$ $+*,3
,-&1) ,/)$&1- +" )(25,6/' 1 "(.. *+)$7 '+ 1%&1- 1/- )8,* $+ $%& /&9$ )&3:+/
1/- 3+5& 2138 $+ $%,) +/& ;%&/ 4+(<0& 0&1-4 $+ ;0,$& 4+(0 '(&)$ *+)$=
lL should go wlLhouL saylng, buL l wlll say lL anyway. uon'L submlL conLenL
you have publlshed elsewhere as a guesL posL. 1hls lncludes conLenL you've
publlshed on your own blog, as guesL posLs elsewhere, or on arucle
neLworks. And don'L expecL Lo be able Lo use Lhe conLenL you submlL as a
guesL posL on your own blog, as a guesL posL elsewhere, or on arucle
neLworks unless Lhe blog owner or edlLor says lL ls Ck.
nexL, make sure you glve your guesL posL your all. lf you have a blog, make
lL someLhlng you would wanL your regular readers Lo see - especlally slnce
you wlll wanL Lo promoLe lL Lo your audlence. lf you have a buslness, make
lL someLhlng you would wanL your cusLomers Lo see. uon'L submlL sub-par
conLenL [usL because lL's noL golng on your blog, lL's noL a popular blog, or
for any oLher reason.
8eyond creaung unlque, awesome conLenL, Lhere are some speclc
elemenLs of a posL LhaL can ensure lL's success - or fallure. Always go wlLh
whaLever Lhe guesL posL guldellnes say. lor Lhe blogs LhaL do noL have
guldellnes or Lhe Lhlngs LhaL Lhe guldellnes do noL speclfy, here are some
general rules Lo follow.
Length
lf posL lengLh ls noL specled, Lhen you'll wanL Lo go wlLh a lengLh slmllar Lo
posLs LhaL are popular on Lhe blog. lf you're uslng leedly, you can nd Lhe
mosL popular posLs on a blog based on Coogle +1's and lacebook Llkes.
uslng Lhe Word CounL Chrome exLenslon, you can hlghllghL Lhe posL LexL
and cllck Lhe buuon on your browser Lo nd ouL how many words ls ln LhaL
posL. ?ou mlghL wanL Lo look aL Lhe laLesL ve popular posLs and check Lhe
word counL, Lhen make your posL an average of LhaL lengLh.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!?
Iormamng
lormamng elemenLs you should almosL always use ln a posL lnclude good
headlngs Lo break up Lhe LexL, bo|d|ng to emphas|ze |mportant messages,
bulleLed llsLs (some, buL noL Loo many), and ,$1.,3) "+0 >(+$&). lf Lhe blog
doesn'L speclfy speclc formamng elemenLs, look agaln aL Lhelr popular
posLs Lo see how Lhey are formaued and make sure your posL looks slmllar.
Images
lmages are a Louchy sub[ecL. ?ou absoluLely never wanL Lo use lmages you
nd on Coogle search as Lhey more Lhan llkely are copyrlghLed. lf you do
wanL Lo use an lmage you nd on anoLher webslLe, you MuS1 geL
permlsslon rsL.
1here are only Lhree Lypes of lmages you can use safely 90 of Lhe ume.
1he rsL ls lmages wlLh a Creauve Commons llcense. 1hese lmages can be
used as long as you glve credlL Lo Lhe lmage owner, Lyplcally by lncludlng
Lhelr name and a llnk Lo Lhelr webslLe. Cne place you can nd Creauve
Commons lmages ls lllckr vla Lhelr advanced search. !usL check Lhe box Lo
search wlLhln Creauve Commons.
1he second ls screenshoL lmages you creaLe yourself. Cne free Lool LhaL
makes lL easy ls !lng. ?ou can use !lng Lo capLure screenshoLs and annoLaLe
Lhem, draw arrows, draw boxes, and hlghllghL.
1he Lhlrd ls sLock lmages. ?ou slmply buy credlLs Lo purchase Lhe lmage for
use ln a blog posL. Some popular sLock phoLography slLes lnclude 8lg SLock
hoLo, lSLockhoLo, and loLolla. My suggesuon would be Lo peruse Lhe
lmages Lhey have rsL before buylng a blg bulk of credlLs.
AnoLher handy free Lool Lo have for mlnor edlung of lmages ls Clmp. ?ou
can use lL Lo crop lmages and make edlLs llke blurrlng personal lnformauon,
clearlng unnecessary elemenLs LhaL dlsLracL from Lhe maln focus of Lhe
lmage, and cropplng.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!>
L|nks
Llnks are anoLher Louchy sub[ecL ln guesL posLs. As a general rule of Lhumb,
you shouldn'L promoLe your own webslLe, blog, buslness, producLs, eLc.
wlLhln Lhe body of Lhe posL unless Lhe guesL posL guldellnes say you can
have a cerLaln number of self-promouonal llnks. 1yplcally self-promouonal
llnks are reserved for your auLhor blo. ?ou should also noL use amllaLe llnks
wlLhln a guesL posL unless Lhe guldellnes, blog owner, or blog edlLor say lL's
Ck.
So whaL llnks should you lnclude ln a posL? Pere are some LhaL Lyplcally
meeL approval.
L|nks to spec|hc th|ngs you ta|k about. lor example, lf you are
wrlung a llsL of 20 1wluer Lools, llnk Lo each of Lhem. uon'L make Lhe
person edlung your posL or Lhe readers have Lo Lrack Lhem down.
L|nks to sources. lf you're golng Lo Lhrow ouL a facL llke Lhere are
more Lhan one bllllon acuve lacebook users, 82 of whlch ouLslde
Lhe unlLed SLaLes and Canada, be sure Lo llnk Lo Lhe source.
L|nk to good resources. lf you run lnLo someLhlng LhaL you don'L
wanL / need Lo fully explaln ln your guesL posL, buL you wanL Lhe
reader Lo have Lhe opuon of gemng more lnformauon, llnk Lo a good
resource for lL. 1yplcally you wlll wanL Lo Lry Lo llnk Lo omclal
resources rsL, Lhen 3(00&/$ arucles. uon'L llnk Lo an arucle from
2008 unless lL ls sull 100 accuraLe and Lhere lsn'L a more recenL
arucle on Lhe Loplc ouL Lhere.
L|nk to other posts on the b|og. noLhlng says l know your blog llke
Lhe back of my hand" Lhan llnklng Lo oLher posLs from Lhe blog you
are conLrlbuung Lo ln your guesL posL. 1he easlesL way Lo Lrack down
arucles relevanL Lo yours ls Lo do a Coogle search for
),$&?-+51,/=3+5 ,/:$.&?8&4;+0-. 1hls wlll help you nd all of Lhe
oLher arucles a domaln has wrluen abouL a speclc Loplc LhaL you
can mlx lnLo your conLenL. Agaln, alm for Lhe mosL currenL arucles.
1he only way Lo someumes geL self-promouonal llnks ln your guesL posL ls
Lo make Lhem conLexLually relevanL. 1he easlesL ones Lo geL away wlLh are
llnks Lo blog conLenL LhaL happens Lo make a rellable resource llnk. ?ou
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!!
mlghL also be able Lo geL away wlLh llnks Lo Lhlngs llke your klndle book on
Amazon lf you are wrlung a guesL posL abouL how Lo publlsh a book on
klndle.
Also, be sure Lo LesL your llnks and Lhe resources you menuon. 1here's
noLhlng more embarrasslng LhaL publlshlng a blog posL abouL Lools you can
use for someLhlng [usL Lo nd ouL LhaL one of Lhose Lools no longer exlsL.
?ou can'L help lL lf someLhlng shuLs down aer you submlued your guesL
posL, buL you can prevenL yourself from looklng clueless by maklng sure lL
sull exlsLs before you submlL lL.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!7
Crah|ng the erfect Author 8|o
?our auLhor blo ls Lhe Lhlng LhaL wlll help you bulld auLhorlLy, drlve Lramc Lo
your webslLe/blog/landlng page, and grow your soclal medla audlence.
Pence, lL needs Lo be [usL abouL as perfecL as you can make lL.
Iormamng and L|nks
llrsL, you wlll need Lo puL yourself ln Lhe blog audlence's shoes. WhaL wlll
Lhey mosL llkely wanL Lo cllck aer readlng your posL? lf you wroLe abouL
1wluer ups, for example, Lhen Lhey'll probably wanL Lo read more arucles
you have wrluen abouL 1wluer on your blog, Lry a demo of your new
1wluer Lool, and/or follow you on 1wluer.
nexL, you wlll need Lo look aL oLher guesL auLhor blos on Lhe blog. Pow long
are Lhey on average? Pow many LoLal llnks do Lhey lnclude? uo Lhey have
llnks Lo your soclal proles LhaL are separaLe from your maln blo and, lf so,
Lo whaL neLworks. ?ou wlll wanL Lo Lake advanLage of Lhe ablllLy Lo
promoLe yourself buL noL go overboard.
?ou don'L wanL Lo be Lhe freelance wrlLer who blogs abouL blog markeung
LhaL also llkes phoLography and lnfographlcs. ?ou also may noL wanL people
Lo follow you on 1wluer, lacebook, Llnkedln, Coogle+, ?ou1ube, lnLeresL,
and SLumbleupon.
?ou see whaL happens here. 8eaders won'L know whaL Lo cllck. lnsLead, you
wlll wanL Lo Lhlnk focus on Lhe Lhlngs LhaL are mosL lmporLanL.
8e Lhe freelance wrlLer who blogs abouL blog markeung. CeL people Lo llke
your page on lacebook and follow you on Coogle+.
Agaln, dependlng on Lhe audlence, you may need Lo declde wheLher Lhey
are more llkely Lo cllck on a llnk Lo your buslness vs. a llnk on your blog LhaL
can lead Lhem lnLo learnlng more abouL your buslness.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!8
Anchor 1ext
lor Lhose concerned abouL anchor LexL ln your auLhor blos, here are some
Lhlngs Lo conslder. llrsL of all, Coogle doesn'L llke for you Lo have Lons of
llnks wlLh Lhe same anchor LexL, so be sure Lo swlLch lL up. l llke Lo use
freelance wrlLer, blog conLenL wrlLer, freelance blogger, and a few oLher
varlauons for my buslness.
Second, you wlll wanL Lo declde wheLher your goal ls SLC or Lo geL Lramc.
Someumes Lhey can be achleved wlLh Lhe same anchor LexL. CLher umes,
you mlghL wanL Lo sacrlce keyword anchor LexL Lo geL cllcks.
Goog|e Authorsh|p & Author kank
1he Coogle+ llnk, by Lhe way, ls lmperauve lf you wanL Lo bulld up your
Coogle AuLhor 8ank. 1he easlesL way Lo do lL ls Lo llnk your conLenL Lo your
Coogle+ prole wlLh a @0&.A1($%+0 aL Lhe end of your prole llnk and Lhen
llnk your Coogle+ prole conLrlbuLor llnk back Lo your auLhor page on Lhe
blog.
1o nd your auLhor page on a blog, Lry cllcklng on your name lf lL's llnked ln
Lhe meLa daLa of your posL. ?ou can also Lry ndlng lL wlLh Lhe followlng
u8Ls. 8eplace lnsLances of username lf you logged ln Lo Wordress Lo enLer
your posL wlLh your own accounL.
domaln.com/auLhor/username
domaln.com/auLhor/rsLname
domaln.com/auLhor/rsLnamelasLname
domaln.com/auLhor/rsunluallasLname
domaln.com/blog/auLhor/username
domaln.com/blog/auLhor/rsLname
domaln.com/blog/auLhor/rsLnamelasLname
domaln.com/blog/auLhor/rsunluallasLname
blog.domaln.com/auLhor/username
blog.domaln.com/auLhor/rsLname
blog.domaln.com/auLhor/rsLnamelasLname
blog.domaln.com/auLhor/rsunluallasLname
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!9
unforLunaLely, noL all blog owners and edlLors creaLe separaLe accounLs for
guesL bloggers. Some may even have Lhem all lumped lnLo one accounL. ln
Lhls case, you mlghL wanL Lo llnk dlrecLly Lo your blog posL under Lhe
conLrlbuLor llnks on your Coogle+ prole. CLherwlse, people looklng aL your
conLrlbuLor llnks wlll [usL end up on Lhe blog's homepage lnsLead of seelng
your conLenL.
?ou can learn more abouL how Lo seL up Coogle AuLhorshlp on Coogle+ and
why lL's lmporLanL ln Lhls posL on Copyblogger. ?ou can also see whaL posLs
have been llnked Lo you vla Coogle+ by searchlng for your name on Coogle,
and when you see your phoLo nexL Lo an arucle, cllck on Lhe More by you
llnk.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!:
Contacnng the 8|og Cwner or Ld|tor
Cnce you have your Loplc ldeas or your guesL posL seL, you wlll be ready Lo
conLacL Lhe blog owner or edlLor, unless Lhey specled LhaL you creaLe an
accounL on Lhelr blog and submlL Lhe conLenL LhaL way.
1here are a few exLremely cruclal Lhlngs you need Lo do ln Lhls emall LhaL
wlll make Lhe dlerence beLween gemng your posL publlshed, gemng
re[ecLed, or slmply never recelvlng a response.
Address the kec|p|ent by Name
noLhlng says spam llke emalls LhaL sLarL ouL wlLh [usL hl, dear admln/
webmasLer/blogger/slr/madam, or no lnLro aL all. uon'L assume LhaL Lhe
lasL person who wroLe a blog posL ls Lhe person you wanL Lo conLacL elLher.
8efer Lo Lhe ups menuoned ln Lhe llndlng and Connecung wlLh Lhe 8lghL
eople secuon earller. Cr look on Lhe guesL posL guldellnes or conLacL page
Lo see lf Lhere ls a speclc person LhaL your guesL posL submlsslon should
be submlued Lo.
lf you absoluLely can'L nd a name for Lhe blog owner anywhere on Lhe
blog, on Lhelr soclal neLworks, or Lhe lnLerneL aL large, Lhen sLarL your emall
wlLh an apology. LeL Lhem know you would have prefer Lo address Lhem by
name, buL you couldn'L nd lL. uon'L sLarL Lemplaung LhaL apology Lo every
blog you conLacL, however, as you'll probably emall someone whose name
was easy Lo nd, and Lhey wlll Lherefore regard your message as spam.
Stop Us|ng 8ad 1emp|ates
Speaklng of LemplaLes, don'L send Lhe same emall Lo every blog you come
across wlLhouL readlng Lhelr guesL posL guldellnes. As a blog owner, Lhere ls
noLhlng llke Laklng Lhe ume Lo creaLe guldellnes LhaL speclfy a mlnlmum
word counL of 730 and recelvlng dozens of emalls from varlous people
Lelllng me Lhey wlll submlL 100 Copyscape proLecLed conLenL beLween
300 - 600 words.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!;
1e|| the kec|p|ent now Much ou Love 1he|r 8|og
uon'L [usL say how much you love Lhelr blog. rove lL. 1ell Lhem you're a
regular reader who loves Lo share Lhelr conLenL wlLh your audlence.
Assumlng LhaL's Lrue, do a 1wluer search for [yourusername blog.com and
send Lhem a llnk Lo Lhelr conLenL LhaL you've shared wlLh your followers.
Popefully, Lhey wlll recognlze you.
lf you do regularly read Lhelr posLs, buL don'L share Lhem on 1wluer, swlLch
lL up and say you especlally loved a parucular posL on Lhelr blog and why
you loved lL. Maybe say you learned a speclc lesson and Lhen say LhaL you
wanL Lo be able Lo help Lhelr readers learn someLhlng valuable ln reLurn.
1e|| the kec|p|ent Why our ost |s Awesome
?our goal ls Lo sell your guesL posL Lo Lhe blog owner or edlLor you are
conLacung. 1ell Lhem why Lhe Loplc you are submlmng ls Lhe perfecL L for
Lhelr audlence. 1ell Lhem LhaL your guesL posLs usually recelve a loL of soclal
shares and engagemenL. 1ell Lhem LhaL you wlll be promoung your posL Lo
everyone on soclal medla. Make Lhem wanL Lo publlsh your posL.
Inc|ude ke|evant Wr|nng Cred|ts
lL never hurLs Lo brag ln Lhls klnd of emall. lf you have publlshed slmllar
posLs, send a few llnks Lo Lhe mosL popular ones - preferably Lhe ones wlLh
Lhe mosL soclal shares and commenLs. 8uL don'L send a posL you wroLe
abouL car lnsurance when submlmng a guesL posL abouL gardenlng. Make
Lhe credlLs relevanL.
lf you don'L have relevanL guesL posung credlLs, Lhen share Lhe mosL
relevanL, popular llnks from your own blog. ?ou really [usL need Lhree Lops.
1e|| 1hem ou W||| arnc|pate and romote
1he Lwo Lhlngs LhaL are lmporLanL Lo bloggers when lL comes Lo guesL
auLhors besldes Lhe quallLy of Lhelr conLenL ls Lhelr wllllngness Lo
paruclpaLe ln communlLy dlscusslons for Lhelr posLs (Lhe commenLs) and
Lhelr wllllngness Lo promoLe Lhe conLenL wlLh Lhelr audlence. lf you have a
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
!<
slgnlcanL followlng on soclal medla, Lhe promouon alone may geL you Lhe
opporLunlLy.
Let 1hem know ou Are Cpen to More
noL all blogs wanL regular conLrlbuLors, buL some blogs do. LeL Lhe blog
owner or edlLor know LhaL you would be happy Lo submlL more Lhan one
guesL posL. We'll dlscuss Lhe beneLs of becomlng a regular conLrlbuLor
shorLly.
Go|den Cpportun|nes
Looklng for Lhe perfecL ume Lo sLrlke, so Lo speak? lf you are feaLured ln a
posL on Lhe blog, Lhen you mlghL wanL Lo conLacL Lhe blog owner or edlLor
shorLly aer - regardless of wheLher lL was Lhem or anoLher wrlLer who
feaLured you.
1hls ls how l galned my spoL on Soclal Medla Lxamlner. Aer l was voLed as
one of Lhe 1op 10 Soclal Medla 8logs of 2010, l reached ouL Lo Lhem Lo
Lhank Lhem for Lhe recognluon and see lf l could conLrlbuLe Lo Lhelr slLe as
well.
Lven lf anoLher wrlLer on Lhe blog menuons a posL or guesL posL you've
wrluen, you can use lL Lo your advanLage Lo conLacL Lhe wrlLer, Lhank Lhem
for Lhe menuon, lnLroduce yourself, and see lf you can geL Lhem Lo provlde
an lnLroducuon wlLh Lhe blog owner or edlLor.
1h|ngs to Avo|d
LasL, buL noL leasL, Lhere are a few Lhlngs you should avold. lor sLarLers,
don'L Lalk abouL SLC. lf you've done your research, you know wheLher Lhey
allow auLhors Lo have llnks ln Lhelr blo, Lherefore Lhere ls no need Lo
menuon LhaL all you requlre ls a dofollow backllnk wlLh your anchor LexL.
Also, don'L be pushy. MosL blogs have an edlLorlal schedule Lhey follow
wheLher lL ls formal or lnformal. ?ou can casually menuon LhaL you would
love lL lf your guesL posL goes llve around a speclc ume for a speclc
reason, buL don'L sound demandlng. lf you're promoung a producL launch,
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!=
be LransparenL abouL lL - [usL don'L expecL anyLhlng. lL's beuer Lo geL
publlshed a few weeks laLe vs. noL aL all.
lollowlng up abouL a guesL posL lf you haven'L heard back ls noL a bad
Lhlng, buL agaln, be nlce abouL lL. Maybe ask lf Lhere ls anyLhlng else Lhey
need Lo go along wlLh your guesL posL, or lf Lhey need any edlLs.
lf you need some examples of whaL noL Lo do when submlmng a guesL posL
requesL, check ouL my presenLauon on Slldeshare - 1he SLaLe of CuesL
8logglng ln 2013.
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7?
romonng our Guest ost
Cnce your guesL posL goes llve, your nexL Lask ls Lo make sure your posL
geLs loLs of Lramc and engagemenL. ?ou wanL Lo show Lhe blog owner or
edlLor LhaL Lhey made a good declslon Lo publlsh your posL. lf you wanL a
recurrlng glg on LhaL slLe, you'll wanL Lo make a good lmpresslon wlLh your
rsL submlsslon. lf Lhey see a loL of Lramc and engagemenL, Lhey wlll
denlLely be open Lo you submlmng more conLenL.
1he besL way Lo promoLe your guesL posL ls Lhrough soclal medla. 1he Lop
neLworks LhaL drlve Lramc Lo blog conLenL are 1wluer, lacebook,
SLumbleupon, Coogle+, lnLeresL, and Llnkedln. So sLarL by sharlng your
guesL posL wlLh your connecuons on Lhose neLworks Lhrough sLaLus
updaLes.
Cn neLworks llke lacebook, Coogle+, and Llnkedln where you have groups
and communlues, you can do a llule exLra promouon by sharlng your guesL
posL wlLh relevanL groups and communlues.
lf you have some budgeL Lo spare, you may also wanL Lo conslder lnvesung
ln some adveruslng. ?ou can use Lhe omclal channels and Lry romoLed
1weeLs Lhrough 1wluer Ads or romoLed osLs Lhrough lacebook Ads on
boLh your personal prole and page. ?ou can also SLumbleupon ald
ulscovery Lo boosL sLumble vlews (Lramc) Lo your guesL posL.
1here are also unomclal channels LhaL allow you Lo lncrease soclal shares
Lhrough purchaslng credlLs or promoung posLs by oLhers. 1hese neLworks
lnclude !usL8eLweeL, Lasy 8eLweeL, vlral ConLenL 8uzz, and 1rlberr. MosL of
Lhese wlll allow you Lo lncrease Lhe reLweeLs, llkes, and +1's for your guesL
posL.
WanL more ups on how Lo promoLe your guesL posL? 8e sure Lo plck up a
copy of my ebook, 8log osL romouon: 1he ulumaLe Culde.
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7>
kespond|ng to Comments
CommenLs are Lhe llfeblood of engagemenL on a blog. noLhlng shows a
blog owner or edlLor your commlLmenL Lo your guesL posL llke sLaylng on
Lop of commenLs.
?ou'll llkely be noued vla emall when new commenLs are publlshed on
your guesL posL lf Lhe blog ls uslng Lhe sLandard Wordress commenL
sysLem. lf Lhey use ulsqus, you can slgn ln Lo your ulsqus accounL (or creaLe
an accounL lf you don'L have one) and, above Lhe commenL form, cllck on
Lhe sLar lcon Lo subscrlbe Lo Lhe commenLs. lf Lhey use Llvefyre, you can
slgn ln Lo your Llvefyre accounL (or creaLe an accounL lf you don'L have one)
and, below Lhe commenL form, cllck on Lhe lollow buuon Lo subscrlbe Lo
commenLs.
As an added bonus, Lhe people you lnLeracL wlLh ln Lhe commenLs wlll
probably be more llkely Lo wanL Lo check ouL your webslLe and connecL
wlLh you once you sLarL engaglng wlLh Lhem. lL's a wln-wln slLuauon - you'll
make Lhe blog owner or edlLor happy, you'll furLher bulld your auLhorlLy,
and you'll probably geL some reLurn Lramc Lo your webslLe.
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7!
8ecom|ng a kegu|ar Contr|butor vs. a Cne-1|me Guest
oster
ln Lhe SLC world, Lhe goal of guesL posung ls Lo bulld as many llnks as
posslble. Pence, Lhe goal ls Lo geL guesL posLs on as many slLes as posslble.
8uL lf your goal ls bulldlng auLhorlLy, gemng more Lramc back Lo your
webslLe, and bulldlng relauonshlps, Lhen you mlghL wanL Lo conslder
regular conLrlbuuon Lo Lop blogs lnsLead.
Why ls becomlng a regular conLrlbuLor more valuable? eople Lend Lo
forgeL a one-ume auLhor, no mauer how greaL Lhelr guesL posL ls. 8uL lf you
become a regular face on a blog LhaL has a loyal audlence, more and more
of Lhelr subscrlbers wlll begln Lo nouce you as you conunue Lo produce
greaL conLenL for Lhem. lL's as slmple as LhaL.
1he alLernauve approach LhaL has been used by loLs of successful guesL
bloggers - Leo Wldrlch, uanny lny, uerek Palpern, Cregory Clom, and
oLhers - ls Lo geL your conLenL on as many blogs as posslble wlLhln a close
umeframe. eople who are lnLo a parucular nlche Lend Lo subscrlbe Lo a loL
of Lhe Lop blogs wlLhln LhaL nlche. lf someone runs lnLo 3 of your posLs ln
Lhe same week across Lhelr favorlLe blogs, Lhey wlll denlLely nouce you.
WhaL's Lhe besL frequency for a regular conLrlbuuon on Lop blogs ln your
lndusLry? MonLhly ls usually Lhe besL ln Lerms of your ablllLy Lo keep up
wlLh produclng conLenL for your own slLe as well as Lhe oLhers. lf you Lhlnk
abouL lL, lf you were a monLhly conLrlbuLor Lo four Lop blogs, LhaL's golng Lo
be Lwo posLs a week, assumlng you only do one posL per week for your own
blog. uependlng on whaL you do and how much conLenL you llke Lo wrlLe,
LhaL could be good enough.
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77
8u||d|ng a oruo||o
As you begln Lo do more and more guesL posLs, you should conslder
creaung a poruollo of your besL work. 1hls ls for Lwo reasons. lor sLarLers,
as you reach ouL Lo even blgger blogs ln your lndusLry, you can use your
prevlous guesL posLs as samples. lf you are lnLeresLed ln earnlng money
Lhrough blogglng, lL could make Lhe greaL sLarL for a freelance wrlung
poruollo as well.
?our poruollo doesn'L have Lo be compllcaLed. lL could be as slmple as one
page on your blog LhaL hlghllghLs your laLesL guesL posLs. Slnce l'm a regular
conLrlbuLor Lo muluple slLes, l use a plugln called W 8SS AggregaLor. lL
allows you Lo lmporL muluple feeds and dlsplay Lhem on a page ln
Wordress. 1hls auLomaLes Lhe process of keeplng my poruollo page up Lo
daLe.
AnoLher way Lo do lL ls Lhrough an ouLslde servlce. Cllpplngs.me allows you
Lo creaLe a free poruollo page where you add your laLesL posLs from oLher
slLes as wrlung samples. lf you'd llke Lo keep Lrack of Lhe soclal sharlng and
engagemenL on your guesL posLs, you can upgrade Lo a 8C accounL for
only $8 a monLh Lo see a breakdown of how many LweeLs, lacebook llkes,
Llnkedln shares, commenLs, and llnks your guesL posLs are gemng.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
78
Ana|yz|ng our kesu|ts
1here are a few dlerenL ways Lo Lrack Lhe beneLs of your guesL posung
sLraLegy. Slnce Lramc back Lo your own webslLe wlll be parucularly
lmporLanL, look lnLo your Coogle Analyucs Lramc sources. ?ou should be
able Lo spoL ouL your besL guesL posung Lramc referrers under Sources >
8eferrers. lf you conLrlbuLe regularly Lo a parucular blog, cllck on lL ln Lhe
llsL Lo see whlch posLs are speclcally sendlng vlslLors back Lo your webslLe.
lf you are conLrlbuung Lo a parucular seL of blogs ln your lndusLry, you may
wanL Lo creaLe an Advanced SegmenL / CusLom SegmenL so you can see [usL
Lhe Lramc comlng Lo your webslLe from Lhose blogs. 1o do Lhls, cllck on Lhe
Advanced SegmenL Lab ln your Coogle Analyucs dashboard, and Lhen cllck
on Lhe +new CusLom SegmenL buuon. ?ou can Lhen add up Lo 20 domalns -
seL each one up as lnclude > Source > ConLalnlng > domaln.com, replaclng
domaln.com wlLh Lhe blog's domaln. 8y creaung a CusLom SegmenL, you
can vlew all of your analyucs daLa speclcally from vlslLors who came Lo
you Lhrough your guesL posLs.
1o monlLor soclal sharlng of your guesL posLs, denlLely Lry Lhe
Cllpplngs.me 8C servlce menuoned earller. lf you have an enLerprlse-slzed
budgeL, you can also Lry Crouphlgh.
lf you have been clalmlng Coogle+ auLhorshlp for your posLs, you can use
Coogle WebmasLer 1ools Lo see some lnformauon abouL Lhelr lmpresslons
ln search, cllcks, and ranklngs. !usL slgn up for an accounL uslng Lhe same
Coogle accounL as you use for your Coogle+ prole. 1hen look under Labs
for AuLhor SLaLs. 1haL wlll glve you an ldea of whlch posLs do Lhe besL ln
search and how much Lramc Lhose blogs are gemng Lhanks Lo your conLenL.
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$
79
Learn|ng from the 8est
WanL Lo learn more abouL guesL blogglng? 1here are Lwo courses LhaL l
have Laken, am an amllaLe for, and would hlghly recommend.
1he rsL ls CuesL 8logglng by !on Morrow of Copyblogger. 1hls course
conslsLs of 18 vldeos LhaL Lake you Lhrough Lhe guesL blogglng lncludlng
maklng connecuons, neLworklng wlLh A-llsLers, plLchlng blog owners and
edlLors, and wrlung posLs LhaL wlll geL you resulLs. 1here ls also a prlvaLe
communlLy, bonuses, regular C&A calls, and more LhaL you wlll geL wlLh
Lhls program.
1he second ls WrlLe Llke lreddy by uanny lny of llrepole Markeung. uanny
ls one of Lhose guesL bloggers LhaL seemed Lo come ouL of nowhere and
Lhen Look over blogs ln Lhe onllne markeung lndusLry wlLh over 80 guesLs
posLs. Pe made lL Lo all of Lhe slLes onllne markeLers dream of:
Copyblogger, ro8logger, klSSmeLrlcs, ually8log1lps, 1hlnk 1ramc,
Smashlng Magazlne, and more. Pls course covers everyLhlng from ndlng
Lhe besL places Lo geL publlshed Lo bulldlng relauonshlps LhroughouL Lhe
blogosphere.
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7:
C|os|ng
l hope you have en[oyed Lhls gulde on guesL blogglng! lf you have any
quesuons, feel free Lo emall me aL krlsu[klkolanl.com or reply Lo any of
Lhe emalls you recelve from my malllng llsL.
8e sure Lo keep an eye ouL ln your lnbox for upcomlng free guldes l wlll be
oerlng ln Lhe fuLure - lf you're noL subscrlbed, be sure Lo subscrlbe now!
Also, connecL wlLh me on 1wluer and lacebook Lo keep up wlLh Lhe laLesL
onllne markeung news!
Ch, and lf you need a ghosLwrlLer Lo creaLe awesome conLenL for you Lo
submlL Lo blogs ln Lhe onllne markeung lndusLry, be sure Lo conLacL me! "
"#$ &'$() *+,--./- 0'12.23+ &'.4$

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