Guest Blogging is building. It builds inbound links & traffic. It builds online authority & credibility. It builds partnerships & relationships. And it builds brand awareness & exposure. Here is a list of 10 resources that will help you build and become the best guest blogger this blog, or any blog, has ever seen.
1. How to Get Your Guest Post Published
By Neil Patel on QuickSprout
If there is any post you should read out of these ten, this one is it. Which is why I am putting it first. Neil Patel hits the nail on the head (like we would expect anything else).
Popular blogs receive tons of daily messages asking to guest post (ours included). Take Neil Patel for example, he’s received 931 requests for guest post submissions on QuickSprout. And out of the 931 requests, He accepted a whopping 0. So how do you make sure you get a response? For starters, if you want to write a guest post you can’t just write some two-line email – you actually, believe it or not, need to put in some time, effort and energy. And this has to happen well before your first-touch email. Do your homework and read their blog (and not just the last 3 articles), analyze their audience and writing-style, then send a personalized email. Key word there is personalized. Make sure you follow up and when your post guests published, promote like hell. You want it to do well after all.
2. 6 Ways to Increase Conversions by Guest Blogging
By James Agate on Unbounce
Leveraging your guest posts correctly is perhaps where you can gain the most conversions. And let’s not forget that guest blogging is time consuming, complex to manage and often requires a sizeable investment. So you need to squeeze more out of every link that you acquire. This post will cover 6 ways to increase conversions from your guest blogging efforts. And Tim Tebow even makes an appearance in this post!
3. The Ultimate Guide to Advanced Guest Blogging
By Pratik Dholakiya on SEOmoz
When the title says ultimate, it better be the ultimate. And this post won’t let you down. It covers everything in the guest post process: how to find guest post opportunities, develop awesome post ideas, write killer content and promote your post. I didn’t lie when I said it covers everything. And this post isn’t an overview either. Pratik gives a ton of detailed tips and tricks and includes checklist of what to do and what not to do. This post may take you half an hour to read, but it’s well worth it.
4. The Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging
By Kristi Hines on KISSmetrics
Wait a second, didn’t we just feature a post that was titled The Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging? Well it was way too hard to choose just one Ultimate Guest Blogging Post, so we had to include them both. Besides, this post comes from, Kristi Hines, the queen of guest blogging. She answers your burning guest blogging questions like: How can you be the best guest blogger? Should you be using your best content for your own blog or for your guest post? How should you craft an amazing author bio? And more.
5. Content Marketing Strategy: 3 Steps to Avoid a Guest Blogging Fail
By Jami Oetting on Content Marketing Institute
“Brands want it. Agencies are scrambling to create it. Experts are calling it the future. Consumers crave it.” Can I just say that this woman knows how to write. This intro got me. And it dosen’t stop there. “In order to get past what this Midwest girl likes to call ‘crop dusting’ content, you need to build a plan for each phase of a guest post’s content life cycle: strategy, creation, and execution.” If those little snippets don’t entice you to read, I don’t know what will.
6. Why Blogs that Allow Guest Posts Will Be Penalized in 2013
By Jeff Foster on Problogger
I am going to disturb the natural rhythm of this roundup and throw this post at you. The title is frightening – especially since we are pro-guest blogging over here at Unbounce. But don’t be fooled by the title alone, the post doesn’t bash guest blogging, it simply gives you some tips on how you can guest post without guest posting. Wait, what? Say that again? Well, Jeff pretty much informs you how you can avoid getting dinged by the all-mighty Google. And trust me, you don’t want to piss those people off. Jeff includes tips like this: “Would you find the information credible on the front page of the New York Times if the title said: ‘Guest post: 10 Ways To Improve Your Home Value?’ Stop using the words ‘guest post,’ ‘guest blog post,’ ‘guest author,’ or whatever phrase you’re using.” Good point, right? Well, there are 9 other tips where that one came on, so read on.
7. Does Guest Blogging Really Build Traffic? The Stats Say Yes!
Post by Sharon Hurley Hall on Basic Blog Tips
We needed to include a post that showed some cold, hard stats. Does guest blogging really work? Sharon Hurley Hall investigated, the numbers are in and guest blogging came out on top. According to Sharon, the results were significant: her blog’s rank on the Invesp Writing and Freelance lists increased, her old content was stumbled and there was a large increase in traffic. Lastly, Sharon’s about page and sitemap had a 999% traffic boost (HUGE), which means more people researched and were interested in her the content.
8. 3 Quick Ways to Find Hidden Guest Blogging Opportunities
By Rae Hoffman on Copyblogger
By now you know that guest blogging is important, that guest blogging is a great way to drive traffic, and build links, yada, yada. You know. You get it. But how do you find guest blogging opportunities? Here are three tools that will help you find some niche, unique guest blogging opportunities.
9. Guest Blogging: Stop Thinking Link Building, Start Thinking Relationship Building
By Evan Prokop on TopRank
Hi Blogger,
Here is some content. Give me a link.
Sincerely yours,
Stef
This is exactly how NOT to think of a guest blog. The key, like the title of the post indicates, is to stop thinking about it as link building, and start thinking it as relationship building. This blog outlines six tips that will make your guest posting more effective.
10. The Real Reason Your Guest Post Flopped
By Tommy Walker on Duct Tape Marketing
“You did it! You got past the discomfort and pitched a popular blog – and they’ve agreed to showcase your magnificence. You poured hours forging the most epic work of writing. Gods will weep and babies will smile. You’ve read it, re-read it, and read it some more, and truly, this is the apex of your craft. Surely this will be your ascension to the pantheon of popular bloggers because YOU got a guest post on an A List Blog. But when it goes live… crickets…” – excerpt
Wonder why your guest post was an epic #fail? Well, take a step back and ask yourself these questions before you send your latest masterpiece to the editor-in-chief of that all-star blog.
Do you have any more awesome resources that will help guest bloggers and future guest bloggers become top-notch? Feel free to share them in the comments!
