It’s hard to believe this month I’ve been blogging for six years. I’ve mostly written about personal leadership, HR, success, change, and personal development. Oddly enough, most of the requests I get from strangers who want to be a guest blogger on this site have no idea that’s what I cover.
Every single week multiple requests hit my inbox asking if they can guest post, or their client or their boss. Sometimes the requests start with Dear Alli and other times it’s Dear Break the Frame.
Occasionally, they’ll reference my most recent article with a link to it that proves to me that they read every word and sometimes they’ll just say they like the blog.
I love the ones that promise me free quality content, and all I have to do is include several backlinks to them, and they’ll promote it for FREE! Yay! Sign me up! (Not)
One thing that most of them have in common? I have no clue who they are, and I’m sure they don’t know a thing about me either. We’ve never connected on Social Media, and they’ve never commented on my blog.
I understand the desire to be a guest blogger. It helps you spread your expertise. You want to expand your audience. We all do. Here are five tips to help you be more successful with your guest blogger goals.
5 Success Tips for Guest Bloggers
Build a relationship
When you come in cold with an obvious form letter, do you really think that bloggers are going to get back to you? Most bloggers I know get frequent requests for guest posts. If you don’t hear back once or twice, following up with 10 more messages is not building a relationship.
How to build a relationship with bloggers?
Look at what platforms the blogger is active on and connect.
Share their work.
If you have even a loose connection, make it clear when you make contact.
Actually look at the blog’s content and seek to understand their audience
If someone writes about change or personal leadership, do you think they’ll be keen on a post from a white hat SEO company with backlink demands? Not every blog out there is a good fit for you as a guest blogger. Be selective and make sure you’re a good match for their audience. Bloggers write for their audience, not because they just like hitting publish.
How to show that you understand their audience?
Don’t ask the blogger for post ideas. Have a few.
Make a link between your content and their audience.
Share your ideal audience.
Deliver the content you promise (and do it on time)
I rarely accept unsolicited guest posts, but other bloggers do all the time. The one thing we all have in common is that we’d love to publish your high-quality content. When you tell someone you’re going to write about “How to manage stress at work,” and you deliver “Why cooking is great for stress relief” it’s not exactly on point.
How to impress with your content?
Write about what you agreed – not something related.
Make the link to their audience clear in your content. You want them to read it, right?
Agree on when it will be published and when you, the guest blogger, need to deliver
Accept feedback
There will be times that your post is too long and beyond the agreed-upon word count. Perhaps the focus is not one that will be meaningful for the audience because you and the blogger were not clear with each other. Don’t freak out if they give you some feedback and ask for an adjustment. They want people to read and appreciate your work.
Tips to accept feedback?
Don’t get defensive.
If it’s a total re-write, you can decline posting. You’re a guest blogger, not an employee.
If you still want to publish on their site, make the small adjustments necessary to have the greatest success with their audience (who’s likely your target audience too)
Chill on your demands
Nearly every request I get from a guest blogger is positioned as if they are doing me a huge favor. Free content! You can get an early look at our new technology in exchange for a review on your site! We’ll send you a copy of our book, and all we ask is that you review it on your blog, and Amazon and Goodreads by next Thursday! You can publish something from our world famous CEO. He’s incredible and he’s willing to put his name on something on your site. Lucky you!
How to be a good guest?
Promote the post on your channels.
Thank them for the opportunity.
Don’t assign more work to the blogger asking for reports from analytics for months following your guest post.
Do I accept posts from guest bloggers? Sure do. Will I happily accept one from you based on your oh-so-awesome form letter? Probably not. Let’s start with a relationship…
If you’re a blogger or a guest blogger, what would you add?
So, you want to become an editor? Just kidding. Howevcr, if I read between the lines at all correctly, it sounds like you may be getting ready to write the next book. If so, go for it. You have much to contribute!
No thanks on becoming an editor – I need an editor! I am a little tired of the stream of emails asking to guest post. Now if someone I know and trust was interested (cough, cough) it’s a different story.
As for writing, been doing a bunch of it today and it feels good.
Thanks, Gary!
Alli
Hi Alli,
Timely topic you have here! I get so many requests from guest bloggers to guest post on my blog and yet they show know awareness of my blog’s focus. They also never build a relationship first or present a win/win.
Great tips!!
Kate
Yes! Win/win. Free content may be free but if it’s off the mark, poorly written or a miss with your audience the cost is too high. Appreciated your guest post on Break the Frame in support of your book, Leading Morale!
Alli
I’ve always believed the opportunity to be a guest blogger started with the blog owner reaching out to the potential guest blogger to dialogue about possible topics the owner believed appropriate to the blog … I now know why I’ve only ever done one guest blog!!!
It does happen that way! I’ve had opportunities and have asked people to contribute based on relationships and mutual respect (not to mention an appreciation of the clarity of their writing). It’s crazy how many people ask to guest post and barely glance through the content or site.
I’m a big believer that everything happens through relationships – change, leadership, life and guest posts 🙂
Appreciate your experience!!
Alli
On second thought…… I know that I sometimes write not so much for others as for myself, a way to organize and express my thoughts from a scrambled brain, express my feelings about a particular subject. And frankly, I’m glad if someone else finds what I write interesting or stimulating or provocative. I am not selling anything nor myself. My most recent book is evidence of that. I wrote it for myself and my family. If anyone else likes it fine. If not, that’s OK too. Does that make sense? Sometimes I’m not so sure…..