Guest blogging? Bring your "A" game!
I really enjoy guest posting on other blogs. It's like being invited to come to a dinner party at a friend's house where you may know some people, but probably not everyone. The dinner party is your chance to meet new, interesting people with fresh perspectives and you might even walk away with newly formed friendships. Let me step away from the analogy now and say it in plain English. Guest blogging gives you:
exposure to a new audience
backlinks to your site
the opportunity to share your expertise
potential for increased credibility
Now, let's go back to the dinner party.
Would you show up unwashed in your Saturday schlepping clothes?
Do you come in poised to sell to every human with a pulse you interact with?
Is the bottle of wine you brought as a host gift worthless or wonderful?
Don't squander guest blogging opportunities
The guest who walks in prepared to socialize, with their most charming anecdotes and winning personality on display is a guest who will draw the interest of others and have a greater chance of creating meaningful connections.
Understand the rules of etiquette
Dinner party etiquette is fairly standard. Most people know about BMW (bread, meal water) and using the outside fork first, and waiting until everyone at the table has been served. Blogs are a tad different.
Know what is expected of you as a guest blogger - from language to content to engagement. Blogs that welcome guest bloggers regularly probably have comprehensive guidelines that will help you get to know their community and what they expect from content on the blog.
When you deliver on those expectations, you leave a good impression of your host and the community you're interacting with.
It is better to give than receive
Inviting someone to share their expertise on your blog is a risk. Granted, editorial veto power is a must - always. But you also hope you don't have to exercise that all-important veto power. As the host of this guest, you're rooting for them to give you great quality content that resonates with your community.
It's deflating and disappointing to see an email that contains a blog post-sized sales pitch that has no redemptive value. It's too much like opening a bottle of your favourite wine only to find the cork is black and the wine is undrinkable.
Re-gifting isn't a good idea
When I guest post, I will sometimes re-publish a version of the post on my own blog, but I like providing original content. I'm not going to bring an already-open bottle of wine to the dinner party that I got from someone for my birthday. No, I provide new, original, fresh content and if I want to repurpose it for myself later on, so be it (if the blog is okay with that practice).
Impressions matter
All of these things serve to give your host and their audience an impression of who you are as a person, as a business, and as an expert. If you don't bring your "A" game, chances are most blogs simply won't publish what you provide. If they have to heavily edit, they may be slightly less reluctant to invite you back. But if you bring your best work and dress to impress, you will make an impression that won't be forgotten.
Quick tips for successful guest blogging
You're there to give value, not a sales pitch. You have to earn the right to pitch and you're nowhere near that point in a guest post.
This audience is not your audience; make sure you understand who you're talking to, what will help them, and how information is usually presented to them.
Pay attention to social media and the comments on your post. Reply to comments and say thank you for shares. (Your parents will be proud.)
Brutally honest tip: If all you want to do is publish all of your blog posts on a higher authority site, you're better off syndicating. That is not guest blogging.
You can be a highly valued guest blog contributor fairly easily if you keep all these things in mind. Those are the contributors who are asked to come back over and over again. And eventually, they build relationships that cross over into their own audience, which is lead gen gold.