Rules For Guest Blogging Success
“Mi casa es su casa.” “Mi blog es su blog.”
One trendy approach to website promotion in recent months has been guest blogging. And why not? Everyone loves guests.
But there is a distinction between those we welcome with open arms and those we hide from and pretend we are not home. A welcome guest is one who is respect our homes and our sensitivities. We don’t welcome guests who are rude and disrespectful to us.
Are you considering guest blogging as a means of promoting your blog or website? You can do it, even if you are not a blog writer. The following are the rules you’ll need to follow in order to welcomed with open arms by the host blogger.
The first step is research. Get to know the blog. What topics do they cover? What tone does the blogger use? (fun, professional, flippant, serious, sarcastic) Are all the posts long? Short? All different lengths? Are posts mostly practical or philosophical … or are they reviews or opinions? Do they use high-brow language or a more down-to-earth writing? Are posts one-sided (and is there a theme to the opinions?) or are they well-balanced? Is the writing top-quality and truly original…or are they just a new wording of well-worn ideas? How carefully are the posts worded? These are just some of the points to look for.
Second, be interesting. Even if the blog you are writing for is formal or serious in nature, you can still find colourful ways to write. Stories can brighten up any subject. Everyone loves stories, and they really work. It’s a secret that writers for hire know. Everyone from self-help gurus to politicians to religious leaders use stories to connect to their audiences.
Third, bring value to the host blog. This might take some effort determining what the blogger might want. Why you? What makes your posy of interest to the host blogger? The truth is, some bloggers just won’t be interested. Not every blogger welcomes guest bloggers. But many do.
Many bloggers want volume – more content.
Many bloggers seek credibility by inviting experts in the field. (Are you and expert?)
Do you have the gift of promotion? Many bloggers would welcome your guest post if they known it will be well-promoted.
Have you noticed if the writer handles English well? If not, you can offer well-written posts.
This might seem a bit repetitious, but study the blog. Not only will that give you clues about how to write the post, but also about what you might need to offer the host blogger to convince him your post brings value to his blog.
Here is the fourth rule: Approach only those blog owners who welcome guests. A good tool for finding guety-blogging-friendly bloggers is MyBlogGuest.com .
Let’s wrap it up with the most basic rule of all, since you are probably wondering why I did not mention it earlier. Write well. If you write trash, your post will be accepted on a trashy blog. You get what you pay for. Or what you scribble for. Not every “opportunity” is an opportunity.
Follow these rules, and you’ll probably do very well in your guest blogging promotion, whether as an approach to SEO, as a traffic builder or as a means of reaching out and building more credibility in your field. Guest blogging can be fun, and it can be rewarding when you do it right.



