If you’re looking to build traffic for your blog, guest blogging is one of the best ways to do it because it gives you the opportunity to get your great content in front of someone else’s audience. It’s also a fantastic way to get more brand exposure in your industry and to meet and work with other blog owners (which could lead to other collaborations or partnerships).
I also strongly believe that guest blogging forces you to develop your blogging skills faster than just blogging for your own personal or company blog. We all know that we’re a lot easier on ourselves in terms of deadlines, topics, and review process than another blog owner would be. Do you like it cushy and comfortable, or do you want to grow, both in terms of blogging skills and your business??
So, let’s assume that you’re now anxious to look at guest blogging. There are guest blogging tutorials and classes out there, but what if you’re ready now? How do you find guest blogging opportunities? Let’s discuss, shall we?
First a little strategy…
Your strategy should be to land guest posts on blogs that are bigger than your own, but that are in a similar or adjacent industry (so their readers will also match your potential readers or customers). You may want to practice on a couple of blogs that are slightly larger in size than yours just to get comfortable with the process. Then, you can go for much bigger blogs which will usually provide much bigger benefits to you. Don’t forget that you always want to deliver a very high quality post no matter who you write for.
9 Ways To Find Guest Posting Opportunities
Do You Know Any Blog or Website Owners?
One of the easiest sells is to ask someone who you already know or are working with. For example, my first guest post was for Examiner.com where I asked a joint venture partner if I could write a post for her column. That was an easy sell and a great experience! Think about it – who do you know that has a blog or website that is read by the right kind of readers?
Blogs That You Like and Read Already (and possibly comment on)
If you already regularly read a blog and, better yet, comment on it, consider that as an option. Do you notice whether or not they have guest bloggers? Can you write blog posts that meet that blog’s quality standards? Are there gaps in their content that you could fill? This equals a possible guest blogging opportunity.
Sites Actively Seeking Guest Bloggers
Sometimes you’ll see articles shared in social media that have the words “guest post” attached to them.
Take a look at those blogs because they obviously accept guest posts. Also, for other sites that you visit or read, start to look for telltale signs of openness to guest blogging. Check the bylines – are they written by staff writers or do they have guest bloggers (see what site or company they list in their byline). Look at the top menu or the bottom of the page. Do they have any menu items like “write for us”, “contribute” or “guest posting”?
Guest Blogging Matchup Platforms
There are certain tools or groups that focus on matching those seeking guest posts with those that are interested in writing them. Here are a few:
- My Blog Guest
- Blogger LinkUp
- Triberr.com’s Guest Blogging bonfire
- Blog Zone’s Guest Blogging sub-group (search for the Blog Zone Group in LinkedIn)
Lists of Guest Blog Sites
Search in Google for “list of guest blog sites” and you’ll find web sites that have compiled lists of sites and they will also often sort them by industry or by Google Page Rank. Here are a couple of examples:
- http://blogsuccess.com/quality-guest-blogging-sites-the-pretty-big-list-for-2012/
- http://www.webuildlink.com/guest-post-sites-list.html
Use AllTop.com
AllTop.com lists blogs categorized by industry.
Find the category for your industry, click on the ones that have interesting blog posts and see if they use guest bloggers by looking at the bylines or by looking for the “guest posts” or “write for us” type of options. You can also ask someone who doesn’t seem to have any guest posts if they’re open to accepting a post (and give them some proposed topics).
Search on Google for “guest post” and your industry
Go to Google and type in (without quotes), “guest post travel” or “guest post by travel“. Use this search to find different travel blogs that have accepted guest posts.
Search on Twitter for “guest post” and industry
This search is great because it provides very recent guest posts by industry. Many people, when they share content, reference whether it’s by the blog owner or by a guest poster. Searching for “guest post industry” (no quotes) on Twitter is a great way to find active blogs in an industry that are currently accepting guest posts.
Industry associations, software providers and other non-competing organizations
Often industry associations or companies that provide supporting tools to an industry are interested in having more content for their websites and blogs. For example, the local real estate association may appreciate a good real estate marketing article. Or, in the online marketing industry, the email marketing software companies or webinar software companies often accept guest posts that teach people how to better use their tools or provide case studies.
Ready to start?
I hope you’ve found these resources helpful. One closing note. Many blog owners are actively seeking content, so realize that you’re helping them by providing valuable information in exchange for some publicity for yourself. So, don’t be afraid to approach them with your proposal and blog post ideas (you can get blog post ideas here).
But please be respectful of the blog owners, follow through with your commitments, and bring your ‘A’ game if you do land a guest post spot!
Let me know if you’ve started guest posting yet. Why or why not?
If you’re guest posting now, what are your favorite ways for finding new opportunities?
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