A Beginner's Guide To Guest Blogging
Sunday, May 09, 2021 You may have come across guest blogging opportunities on other people's blogs or social media. Guest blogging is a great way to increase your DA score and improve your writing portfolio. It's a great way of collaborating with other bloggers and sharing your work across different platforms. If you're not sure what guest posting is or how it can benefit you, here's my guide to guest blogging and how to get the most out of the opportunity!
What Is Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is simply having someone write a blog post for your blog in exchange for promotion and links back to your blog and social media. You can guest blog for other bloggers or host blogger's work on your own website. It can be a great way to meet new bloggers, increase your audience and improve your DA score.
Why You Should Guest Blog
While it can take a while to think of an idea and write a blog post, there are many benefits to guest writing. There are debates on whether guest blogging actually helps your DA score, but it is worth considering. I have managed to guest post my way to a relatively good DA score in just a year. Here are some great reasons why you should consider writing a guest post for another blogger!
- You can gain a bigger audience through promotion and links back to your blog or social media.
- You may be able to increase your DA score leading to better search engine rankings and more opportunities.
- You can expand your blogging or writing portfolio
- You can build backlinks to your blog - here are some other great ways to build backlinks!
Why You Should Host Guest Bloggers
While guest blogging is beneficial for your DA score, it may mean that you're not focusing on your own content. I love hosting guest writers on my blog, so if you'd like to write for me, please do let me know! Here are some benefits of hosting guest posts on your blog:
- It saves you time on writing content and allows you to focus on other areas of your blog.
- It gives you a wide range of knowledge, experience and expertise.
- You may get new content that you haven't/can't write about.
- You can work on other things without neglecting your job.
- You have different perspectives and tips that you may not have considered before.
- You'd be helping out the blogging community by giving others the chance to grow.
How To Find Guest Posting Opportunities
Guest blogging opportunities can be found everywhere. Most bloggers will host guest blogging slots, but it's worth checking with them first. I love guest writing, so I have written quite a few posts for a range of bloggers. First, you want to consider which niche you'll be writing about. It's easier to search for opportunities when you know what you're looking for. Once you've decided on a topic, you can start looking.
Twitter is one of the quickest places to find a guest blogging opportunity. You can look under the hashtag bloggerswanted or bloggersrequired to see if anyone is looking for guest writers. You could also put out a tweet saying you're looking for guest writing opportunities. You'll likely have a lot of messages and DMs as bloggers usually love having guest writers. While you may get many offers, make sure you choose the ones best suited for you. Decide which bloggers best fit your niche, style of writing and DA score. Just because someone offers you a spot doesn't mean you should take it.
You can also find guest writers for your blog on Twitter. In my pinned tweet, I have a guest blogging form that people can fill it. If you'd like to guest blog for me, please fill in the form here! It's worth putting out call outs for both guest bloggers and writing opportunities. You'll always find someone willing to write a post for you! Some Facebook groups for bloggers will also have threads for bloggers to find guest writers. Make sure you sign up for a range of blogging groups and opportunity boards to find the best ones!
Searching Online
If you don't get a good response from Twitter or Facebook, you can try searching online. When you're searching for a guest post, you want to be clear on what you're looking for. For example, you may time in finance guest writing opportunities. You'll want to use keywords to find opportunities online. Here are some keywords you may want to use:
- topic guest blogging opportunities
- Guest author
- Contribute writing
- topic guest writing
- guest write for us
- submit a blog post
- topic guest post opportunities
You may come up with a blogger's submission guidelines on a dedicated guest blogging page. It will give you all of the guidelines you need and how to submit a post. Some may require you to apply first. You can learn more about applications in the next section! You may also stumble across a guest post written by another blogger. If this is the case, you could always email the blog owner to see if they are still offering guest post opportunities.
Asking Your Favourite Bloggers
If you have a favourite blogger, don't be afraid to email them asking about guest blogging slots. You could send them a pitch by email or simply check if they are accepting. Some bloggers won't actively promote that they're looking for writers. If you're on a blogger's page, you may also want to look around for a guest writing tab. Mine is at the top of my blog, while other's may have it at the bottom. It's worth looking out to see if your favourite blogger is looking for writers or asking them anyway. Make sure you have studied their content well. If they ask you for a pitch, you want to be ready with the right content and be prepared for guidelines.
Related: How to build backlinks for your blog
How To Perfect Your Application
You've found the perfect guest writing opportunity, and now you need to pitch. Guest bloggers will ask for different things in an application. Some may want you to fill in a form, while others will want you to write why you're a good candidate. Before you start pitching, you need to know the blogger. By that, I mean you need to know what their content is about and the sorts of things they have already posted. There is no point pitching them ideas that they already have blog posts about. It's worth also asking about their requirements. It's worth knowing the deadline, word count and other SEO requirements before you pitch so that you know if you can meet them or not.
Once you have your ideas and deadline in mind, you can start pitching to the blogger. I’d recommend including a link to your blog, what attracted you to this blogger and why you want to write for them. Every application is different, so make sure you fill in all the boxes. If you're just pitching by email, you could explain how you found the blog and why you think this guest blogging opportunity is right for you. You should share 2-3 ideas so that the blogger can see where you’re coming from.
To make your pitch stand out, you want to make sure your ideas are original and unique. If they're common blog posts ideas, your host may not accept them. When I guest post, I like to make it some of my best work. You're writing for someone else, so your idea needs to be fresh and something that not many other bloggers have already. Your application will less likely be accepted if the posts are generic. Make sure your own blog content is looking good. I make sure I read a few posts, so I know if the writing is something I'd be happy with.
How To Come Up With A Blog Post Idea
I mentioned that it is worth coming up with a few blog post ideas to interest your blogger. Sometimes, it isn't easy to come up with unique ideas to pitch, let alone three! You will need to know the niche of your blogger and what sort of posts they want. To come up with an idea, here is the process that I take:
- Read through some of the content your blogger already has - you want to make sure you don't pitch duplicate or similar ideas!
- Write down some keywords or ideas for topics you'd like to write about. Make sure it's what the host is looking for.
- Search your host's blog with your keywords to see if they have content along those lines.
- Pitch the ideas to your blogger and mention that you're happy for them to suggest other ideas or ways to change the ones you have pitched.
200+ blog post ideas for every niche
170+ Christmas themed blog posts for every niche
170+ Fall themed blog post ideas for every niche
120+ Halloween blog post ideas for every niche
How To Host A Guest Blogger
I have spoken a lot about pitch ideas and writing your own guest post for another person. However, you can host bloggers too! To host a guest blogger, you don't need to do much. First, you need to find a guest writer. You can create a guest writers page on your blog or make a call out on social media. You may find that a few will answer your call out. It's up to you if you want to accept or decline their post.
Before you accept a guest post, you want to make sure you like how they write. I usually read 3-5 blog posts to decide if I think they are a good fit. It also lets me check if they use proper spelling and grammar rules. I don't like to edit blog posts that I receive as I think it defeats the objective of a guest post, so I want to make sure the blogger fits me perfectly.
Make sure you have a clear understanding of what guidelines you'd like to set. I recently update my content and am changing the way my blog is. That meant that I narrowed down my topics and changed how many words my blog posts need to include. You want to make it clear what you're looking for before people start to apply. If you'd like to write for my blog or see what rules I have, you can click here!
Once you have a willing writer, you need to discuss topic ideas. They can think of their own ideas, as I mentioned previously. You can also guide them to things like more on your blog. Remember, this is your website, don't change it for someone to have a guest post. You have the right to decline a blog post if you don't think it suits you and isn't what you want. You should discuss a deadline and guide them if they are late.
If you go ahead and someone writes for you, then you need to publish it. I first will check if it has been copied or plagiarised. You should never accept content that has been copied from another blogger or website. If everything is original, I put it through Grammarly. I don't like to edit the posts too much, but some posts really need to be checked. Spelling and grammar is something to easily get right with all of the tools available. If I find that a post has too many issues, hasn't been read through or doesn't make sense, I send it back. Luckily, I have never had to send a post back! Don't forget to link back to the original blogger at the end of the blog post!
Top Tips For Guest Blogging
There is a lot to take in from this post. Guest blogging isn't scary, and I do it regularly. Every month, I do about 2-3 guest posts and like to host one of my own! It's a fun way to build your blogging portfolio and gain experience working with deadlines. Here are my top tips for my time as a guest writer and host.
- Read the requirements properly - Make sure you understand what you're being asked and that you're prepared to meet the guidelines. If you don't normally write 1500 words, don't sign up for a blog post which requires that of you.
- Proofread the post before submitting - There is nothing worse than receiving a blog post that doesn't make sense. Make sure you check everything over before you send it. I've had posts where they don't make sense or meet the requirements which took a while to edit. Some bloggers may even reject the post completely.
- Communicate with your host or writer - If something goes wrong, don't leave it until the last minute. Tell me if you can't make the deadline. Tell me if you're struggling to reach 1,200 words. Don't leave your writer or host in the dark.
- Make sure it is some of your best work - You're writing for someones' blog, something that they take pride in. Make sure your work is up to standard and something they'd be happy to post.
- Don't copy content from others - Most bloggers will check the content before posting, so don't bother copying work from someone else. It also doesn't look good if you get caught copying content. It could damage your relationship with multiple people.
- Make the most of the opportunity - Get in all of your social media links and backlinks to relevant sites. If the guidelines say you can add 3 links, add them! This is your time to shine, don't waste it. Try to link tactically with relevant posts and social media you really want to share.
Guest blogging is fun and helps you to unlock new opportunities. It's good to build backlinks, even if it doesn't change your DA score. I make sure that I always have a guest post on the go. If you'd like to start your guest posting journey, I'm always happy to accept new bloggers. What are your top tips for guest posting? I'd love to hear some of the best guest blogging experiences you've had or even some that didn't go very well!
10 comments
This was a very insightful post Em, we have guest posts on our blog as we love giving everyone a platform to express themselves and maybe fit some topics we do not necessarily touch on our blog, so to give our readers a full experience too. We need to do more guest blogging ourselves though, but time is currently very tight...will need to fill in your form soon :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a really useful guide. I haven't taken the plunge into guest blogging, apart from doing a mini comment piece with other bloggers for one main post (if that makes sense?) Will be using your tips to look into this a bit more. Its great to connect with others, and what a creative way to do it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing :)
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Thanks for sharing this. I've hosted guest posts and so agree that it gives you a wide range of knowledge, experience and expertise! I've found many guest post opps from fellow bloggers :D So happy to join the community x
ReplyDeleteGreat information - I'm really interested in doing some guest blogging, both for my own blog and for others!
ReplyDeleteRosie
Hi Em.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really useful guide, thank you.
I take it from your comment "I have managed to guest post my way to a relatively good DA score in just a year." that you believe that guest posting can still increase DA. As you say in your post, the position doesn't seem clear at the moment (I'm sure that it used to help, just not sure about now).
These are some great tips. I've been thinking about branching out for a while, and either guest posting or offering some guest slots on my blog, and you've given me a lot to consider. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I have hosted a guest poster and done one myself, I do hope to get some more interest to host another one soon, great tips :)
ReplyDeleteNic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
This is a really great guide with lots of helpful tips! I love guest posting, it's always so much fun and has lots of benefits that you've mentioned x
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these great tips. I did not know about Twitter and hastags yet. I will start putting these tips into practice soon.
ReplyDeleteDee
I really enjoy guest blogging! This is a super helpful guide to it. One the reasons I like guest blogging is because it gives me a space to write outside of our specific niche. :)
ReplyDelete