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Home » The Famous Blog » When Guest Blogging is too Early

When Guest Blogging is too Early

May 14, 2012 - Last Modified: March 29, 2014 by Anne-Sophie Reinhardt

Guest Blogging Too Early

Venturing out into the universe of blogs can be a challenging task.

Creating a blog is fairly easy these days. Writing your first blog posts is fun. You have a lot to say and your own blog is a perfect playground.

After a few weeks though, you find out about Google analytics and you realize that no one but your family and friends is reading your posts. And why is nobody commenting anyway?

So, you throw yourself a pity party and then you start asking yourself questions like: How did other blogs get their immensely large following? Which steps did they take in order to get to the place they’re at now? Is there a secret to being noticed?

You start doing research and begin to grasp the dimensions of online marketing. You start to be active in other forums on your niche, you start to leave comments on other blogs in the hopes of gaining a few new readers. The results are not as promised and expected. More research.

One message, one call to action stands out to you: Guest Blogging.

Great, that’s what you’re going to do. But where and how?

Once again, there is an enormous amount of information available. You find out that you should have submitted your most brilliant work to other blogs from the beginning instead of wasting it on your own, tiny platform. You read about pitching to a blogger, hear that your guest blog must be outstanding, find out which blogs accept guest entries. You start to feel rather uneasy, overwhelmed even. But with the end goal of reaching more readers in mind, you move on.

Finally, after spending hours on the web doing even more research, you find the perfect blog for your first guest post.

You read the requirements, the tips and the range of topics you could cover. You sit down, topic in mind and start to write.

Your First Guest Blog

Or though you thought. Nothing happens. No words come to mind, no coherent message, no exceptional firework of creativity—nothing like the brilliance that is required for your first guest blog.

Your mind starts playing tricks on you. You can’t do it. This is out of your league. You can blog for yourself, but surely, no other bloggers could ever appreciate what you are doing.

Will I embarrass myself? Is my take on this story even worth bringing to a bigger audience? Maybe my style of writing is too colloquial. Which style do they want anyway?

You read guest posts others have submitted. You start to get a feel for what is being wished for. So, you sit down one more time. Again, your doubts stand in your way. You can’t make it work.

Why can others produce guest blogs and why do I fail?

Because it is too early. I strongly believe that, even though everybody is raving on about guest blogging early on in your blogging career, it is not the smartest move.

When you first start your blog, do you find your very own writing style right away? Rarely. Unless you are a journalist or writer, but most of us start blogging as a layperson.

Do you produce your best work right from the get go? I doubt it—again, journalists and writers aside. Every more experienced blogger will tell you that they can tell how much they have evolved by looking at their archives.

Will you improve over the weeks, months and years of producing blog posts? Yes, absolutely. Like many say, writing is a craft and you can learn it by practicing.

Will you refine your message and how you present it to your readers? Yes. After writing for a while, you start noticing a theme, something that weaves itself like a red cord through your posts. You will begin to find new and exciting ways of expressing the way you see the world. Everything will happen with more ease.

So, would it not be strategically counterproductive to start pursuing guest blogging from the get-go? Should we not rather focus on mastering our craft and building our confidence in what it is we can do?

Shouldn’t the more experienced bloggers tell the newer additions to the blogging world to have patience and to embrace this anonymity?

There is a huge and exciting opportunity in being a bit lonely on the web. Just think of all the things you can try without having the world peering over your shoulder reprimanding you for taking chances.

All the experimental posts you can write. All the different approaches you can take. All the times you can fail without the world watching and criticizing. Should we not try to become excellent before we put more eyes on our work?

Build up a routine

I know that it is frustrating to hardly receive any response, comments or other validations from the outside. But is blogging not more about us? Is it not a creative outlet in the first place? Should we not first try to focus on ourselves and play with the possibilities that are given to us? Should we not first test if this blogging thing is something for the long haul? Something we will enjoy doing in a year from now? Should we not first build up a routine to see how we work best?

I strongly believe that blogging is an amazing way to unleash your creativity, something very personal. Receiving rejections can crush your spirit at the beginning. As bloggers, we are often very attached to our work  because we put our heart and mind into the posts. Receiving too much negative feedback from more experienced bloggers can hurt your creative potential.

The readers will come when the blogger is ready!

Word spreads fast in the blogosphere and having an excellent reputation is key. So, think twice before you take this next big step.

Additionally, you should give yourself time to build your landing pages and work on producing great content.

When you start guest blogging too early and you receive a good amount of traffic, people won’t stick because you won’t have enough gripping posts on your site. After all, you want to give the many newcomers value when they come visit your blog, don’t you?

Have patience! The readers will come when the blogger is ready.

Image © Yahia LOUKKAL – Fotolia.com

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Filed Under: Guest Post

About Anne-Sophie Reinhardt

Follow @anneso87

Anne - Sophie Reinhardt is a world traveler, an anorexia survivor, podcaster, blogger, digital entrepreneur, speaker, wive, lover of books, aspiring yogi and social media enthusiast. Her blogs My Intercontinental Life and Fighting Anorexia are focused on everybody who wants to live a purposeful, free, healthy and passionate life.

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{ 34 Responses }

  1. Adeline says:
    Great post Anne! There are so many blogs out there talking about similar topics within any given niche. Developing your own writing style when it comes to your blog posts and being able to find a new angle or approach to an otherwise common topic are what I believe can set one blogger apart from another, and can increase the chances of a guest post you've submitted be approved. That is something that requires a great deal of time and practice, and for me, the best way to do that is by focusing on your own blog first.
  2. Clara says:
    Agreed! After 6 years of blogging, I've just gotten truly comfortable in my own area of expertise, this past year. June has been my best guest blogging experience to date & I'm blogging like a Rockstar because I took time to learn the ropes.
  3. Deborah Anderson says:
    Excellent advice. I especially like your reference to "unleashing your creativity." That is somewhat of a common phrase, but that "creativity" word has come to mean more to me, in the past few months. I have been writing for decades, but recently realized that the carving out of an article is almost like the feeling of sculpting something. It is a similar part of our brains that is used in the expression of music (I'm also a musician). It is a very fulfilling experience. It is also possible to write from the brain and enjoy the logical aspect and I do that as well. So, the unleashing continues... Thanks for the post! -Deborah
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      I love your comparison of writing with sculpting. It really is true. You're creating something unique and artistic if you really put your heart in it.
  4. Sara says:
    I definitely agree! If you're still new, don't venture out on guest blogging yet. Not only does it increase the chance that you're going to have a writer's block, there's also a chance that you'll have a hard time focusing on your own blog.
  5. Dav says:
    Hi Annie-Sophe Great post on guest blogging. I suspect that I am not quite ready yet. but I also suspect that I should not wait too terribly long to start. I like commenting and learning from other bloggers for now. It is fun to read the different opinions. Since I've been online for about 10 years now, there are things that people say that I know are not true. And it is just as fun to see that as it is to read new and interesting information or perspectives. I think we never outgrow the excitement of reading really cool blogs. I have enjoyed the education I am getting and you have also added to that experience. Thank you for that.
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      I am glad to hear that, Dav. Yes, there is a fine line between doing it too soon and waiting too long. But I am sure you'll find the moment when you're ready.
  6. Karan Labra says:
    I started guest blogging for the purpose of building links but soon I realized that it is much more than just links. I was able to drive in a whole new set of readers which inturn resulted in increased sales. Guest blogging a super powerful tool, just need to leverage it the right way and to the right audience.
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Oh, I agree with you that guest blogging is extremely powerful. I just think that people shouldn't rush into it since that might actually do more harm than good.
  7. Iain says:
    I think it is important to know the area you are blogging in as well as possible. Knowing where to present your blog to gain attention is a big benefit. I work in SEO and am responsible for the company blog. As a result, our SEO and Social blogs have been generally well-received and our other posts see much less traffic. I know to submit my SEO blogs to inbound.org, but I have no idea what to do with, for example, a post by our design team about drawing inspiration for web design.
  8. James says:
    I saw a movie a few years ago with Kevin Costner in which he built a baseball field - everybody said "you're crazy" but a ghost in his dreams (or an old player?!) told him: "if you build it, they will come." So he built the baseball field and lots of tourists came to see it. Bottom of line: if you "build" a blog with good content, you make online friends and you have good marketing strategies, you will succeed.
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Great analogy and it's true. Your content has to rock and you have to start connecting with others online and offline in order to spread the word.
  9. Mitz Pantic says:
    I kind of agree with this post when I thought I might not.. Yes you will get your own voice and settle into blogging with a bit more experience... But for me...an impatient spare of the moment person, I am not sure you could have held me back.. :)
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Mitz, I hear you. I am a very impatient blogger too and wish I would have given myself more time at the beginning. But there's always room to grow, right? :)
  10. Anton Koekemoer says:
    Oh Yes - The days when one just started Blogging and thought that there is so many people reading your blog... Oh how naive one was when just starting off with having a blog. Luckily things do change as time goes by , and the trend has also changed quite a lot. I think starting a blog in today's world is totally different to have started one 5 or even 8 years ago, In my opinion things got easier to maintain but harder to achieve the desired visibility.
  11. Jack Sander says:
    As in any other activity making the first move is the most difficult aspect. Afterwards, guest posting will be much easier than we would imagine. Nevertheless, In order to post on popular blogs, we have to build a first a proper image in the online environment.
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Jack, thanks for commenting. It really does get easier once you've been able to get over the first fears of writing for a different audience. However, you have to be ready and really have to know who you are or would like to be as a blogger.
  12. Ehsan says:
    Hi Anne, Writing first guest post is little difficult, It has been 7 days now I'm trying to write my first guest post for any blog, but still not found a topic to write about and blog to write for.
  13. Marnie Byod says:
    Great tips and advices I found here when it comes in guest blogging. I think you need to know more about blogging before having a guest blogging.
  14. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Anne-Sophie, As you develop confidence in your abilities and the quality of your work improves the offers flow in. Awesome points here. Be ready. Practice. In time, the offers come to you. But this moment is preceded by a period of persistent work, a period of mastering your craft. Thanks for sharing! Ryan
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Ryan, as always, you nail it. You have to put it hours upon hours of perfecting your craft before you can provide the best work for bigger blogs with high standards. Being turned down too often can crush your self-confidence and even hurt your writing standards. I agree that once the quality of your writing improves, it's so much easier to be accepted or even asked to guest blog.
  15. Roberta Budvietas, says:
    I thought I saw something the other day that said just the opposite. What you are saying makes more sense though and ICCIEV's comment about having a wealth of info on your blog looks impressive when they visit. My challenge with guest blogging is that while I write articles, to write another blog seems too daunting a task. Will add your info to my thought process about guest blogging
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Roberta, it sounds to me that you just need a bit more time before you start guest blogging. Don't rush it. Build your self-confidence and only once you are ready should you start pursuing guest posting. You want to bring your A game to it and not deliver mediocre work because you still feel a bit insecure.
  16. Joe Boyle says:
    I think the problem with newer bloggers writing large numbers of guest posts is simple - they don't have enough content on their own websites to keep people around. If you've penned over 500 articles that are of intense quality and then try to pull people in through guest posts, they'll literally drool in aw. It really does go against everything you've ever been told - not to guest blog in the beginning. With more and more blogs being added constantly, it's nearly impossible to create original content on your own blog, let alone others - people most likely have already taken your idea. Once you get your blog up and running smoothly, you can then worry about trying to populate yourself around the internet.
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Joe, I love your point. There's no value in guest blogging if you have nothing for people to see once they visit your own blog. You need to have great articles up for them to stick around and not instantly forget about you again.
  17. ICCIEV says:
    Thanks for sharing this great article about guest blogging, When the is still new to the blogging word and he can't find enough posts to write therefore have less traffic to his blog, then the solution for both problems is not guest posting on other blogs, rather its by receiving or posting guest posts written by others on your own blog, this way you will overcome the shortage of the traffic and the guest author will help you promoting his article. This will help the person to learn from him self and from other bloggers whom write for him. Only when you have the time to write at your own blog and other blogs at the same time with confident, then only you can think of guest posting at other's blogs.
  18. Micah says:
    Just like anything else, blogging take practice. Writers aren't born, they are built. I know it took me a while to find my "voice", and every blog post up until that point was a struggle. There's no reason to be guest posting when you haven't even got your own crap sorted out yet. If you make a point to blog at least a few times per week, you will have the experience and confidence in no time!
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      So true, Micah. Practice, practice, practice. And the best place to do that is your own blog. I agree that if you keep at it, it won't take too long until you're really good at your craft and can guest blog more confidently.
  19. Nicole says:
    I couldn't agree with you or Sonia's comment more. As a newborn experiencing new blogger phobia, I can totally relate and have thought the same thing. Where is everyone? And I didn't have my family and friends commenting! HA! It was crickets and I was playing myself my pity fiddle trying not to flip crap. The truth is that patience is a virtue and it takes time for readers to know who you are, what to expect from you, and the quality in which you present material. But I've really concentrated primarily on building up my following as a blogger first, bringing value to both myself and my readers. You have to give props to the people who are there reading your every word, they are you diehard. As far as guest posting on other's sites, to be honest, I just spent time focusing on one part. The guest post features found me. Now that I am getting into my element blogging, I feel comfortable to ask. I love your post. I could honestly relate to everything, take something away form each point, and would love to share this with my bloggers group! I will link it back today!
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Nicole, you absolutely got it right. The readers who are there from the beginning should be treated just like they are: important and worthy of being concentrated on. It's up to us to bring our A game to our own blog and not just to guest blogging. I am so glad you have found a place of confidence now and are venturing out a bit more!
  20. Sonia says:
    I think building your own audience should be your first priority before you venture out some where else. If you have no credibility with your own blog, why would a post on another blog make it better? I wouldn't even accept a post from someone I didn't know, let alone from someone who didn't take the time to cultivate his own audience. Nothing happens over night and it takes hard work and effort to build your own community. Thinking that you can just show up and become popular on another blog because of your post is unrealistic. That's when people get butt-hurt and even more frustrated. Not only that, I wouldn't want a post from someone that is doing it for the sole purpose of getting traffic back to their site. I get that its helps, but it shouldn't be their main goal either. Great post!
    • Shari Lynne says:
      This is a GREAT article! I am fairly new to the blogging world...about 8 1/2 months. I have been building my readership..and I keep reading all about guest posting..of which I have done a couple of times. But really I enjoy doing my own thing..like you said..kind of trying out new things..what I like, what I don't like. I am building community definately, but I found your article to be freeing! Thanks Anne Blessings to you!
      • Anne-Sophie says:
        Hi again Sari, great to see you commenting here. I think it is all an act of balance. I love guest blogging, but I think you should really also focus on doing your own thing and building your community. After all, that's really why we all start blogging in the first place, isn't it? Keep doing what you're doing and I am sure you'll be very successful.
    • Anne-Sophie says:
      Thanks for commenting Sonia. I agree with you, you have to build credibility on your own platform as well. Oh yes, patience here is extremely important and there is no way around it.

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