How to guest blog: 6 easy tips

There are 152 million bloggers online today. And the one thing the most successful ones have in common – aside from their $100,000 to $200,000 incomes – is that they all spend a decent amount of time promoting their blog on other websites. By reaching out to other bloggers and offering to “guest post” on their site, you can increase the number of people who can find your blog and you increase your search engine ranking, too, when other websites agree to link to yours. Here are the six easy tips to doing this well: 1.  Do your own writing.  This may seem obvious, but your blog is your portfolio. If you only post links to other articles, or other photos and info-graphics you’ve found and think relate to your niche, people aren’t going to see the real you. And they aren’t going to trust you to write a good blog post for them. So write in your name, and make it accessible to the world. 2.  Stick to your niche.  Once you’ve decided on one main field to blog about, don’t stray too far from it in your posts. For example, don’t randomly post about a yoga class you went to the night before if your blog is about finance (unless of course you were doing yoga next to the chairman of the Federal Reserve, in which case – that’s pretty funny). This, along with the previous tip, will help establish you as a legitimate resource. 3.  Social media. Social media. Social media.  In this day and age, people rarely meet in person. If you’re going to do business with someone, you’re going to want to make sure they are a real, trustworthy, seemingly normal person. That’s the beauty of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, etc. And the door swings both ways. People are going to want to check you out on all of these social media sites – so you should hands-down have a strong social media presence. You will be Googled. I repeat, you will be Googled. And once you get the hang of it, social media is very simple. Just make sure you have your own picture, include some important facts about yourself, and post your content regularly. 4.  Make a list of important people and resources in your niche.  Write down the people or sites that immediately come to mind in your niche. Since this is your expertise, you probably know whose writing you like, who has a good following, etc. But, if you don’t know of anyone or anything, don’t sweat it. It just takes a little research. Google your main keywords or ideas, and do a little digging. See whose sites you like and weed out the ones that look like spam or paid advertisements. But also, don’t be picky with the blogs you write down. You want this list to be long and useful. And note: the people on the first two pages of Google will be the most influential – they already have great SEO, and would be a huge asset for you as a guest blogger. 5.  Ask for guest posting opportunities.  Unfortunately, not everyone is going to welcome you with open arms. It’s important to remember that, but don’t let it stop you. You just have to start with sites that do ask for outside content. To find those, report back to Google. Google your main keyword, and then, in quotations, include something along the lines of “guest post guidelines” or “write for us” or “submission guidelines.” And voila! You’ll get a list of sites within your niche that are looking for writers like you. IMPORTANT: Make sure you’re not blogging for a spam site. You value your writing, so don’t settle for a site that will only hurt your legitimacy. Eliminate sites that are really ad-heavy. 6.  Send your pitch/inquiry.  Put a lot of effort into your pitch or query. Adhere to their guidelines… don’t send them something outlandish that they are going to throw in the trash as soon as it comes into their inbox. You have read their site, so you know what they are looking for and what kind of content they like – stick to it. Also, write a GREAT title. Spend time on it. It should grab your reader from the get-go. Lastly, proofread. This should go without saying. But I’ll say it again: proofread. The more you guest blog, the better. Sites will begin to reach out to you for content. Soon, guest blogging will become second nature – your name will be out there. People will Google you, and they’ll be impressed with what pops up. The important thing is to stick your neck out there. Just do it. Share on Facebook [Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up today here and we’ll send you a report, Get Paid to Travel as a Travel Writer, completely FREE.]