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Home » The Famous Blog » How do you Publish the Right Guest Post?

How do you Publish the Right Guest Post?

June 6, 2010 - Last Modified: March 28, 2013 by Tola

bloggging confusing

Right, so we all know what Guest blogging is. The ‘art’ of publishing your work somewhere other than on your blog. I’m doing a guest post right now. Guest blogging has a number of advantages. I initally wasn’t quite sold on the idea of guest blogging for some reason. But my doubts were cleared when I read Glen from Viperchill’s post on guest blogging. Since then I’ve tried my hands out on guest posting, but I think something isn’t quite right, so I need some help here. Note, this is not a ‘how to’ post, this is an honest-to-God question!

After months of procrastination, I finally got my act together and started my SEO blog. I thought it would be pointless to write guest posts for other websites when my blog was empty. Hence, my first assignment was to fill up my blog with SEO posts and let people know what I was about. I personally see guest blogging as a form of publicity, you can’t publicize something (in this case, myself) and have no proof of it. So I didn’t make any guest post until about two months after launching my blog. By this time, I felt I had gotten enough articles on belt to count for something. When I finally made the first post,  the feedback and traffic I got from it was amazing, and pushed me into doing a couple of guest posts else where, which have been great as well. No rejections so far (fingers crossed).

However, the traffic dropped, the euphoria died,  and I started feeling funny. I felt as though I was neglecting my first love. So I went back to her and since then, it’s been hard to focus on anything else.

Any time I start writing a guest post I get a strong urge to publish it on my blog because I feel that’s where it should be. I think to myself, this would be a great place to link to that other post I did a few weeks back, here and there and before you know it, BAAM! It’s on my blog. It’s so bad that as I write this post I worry that I might publish it on my blog, again!

I’m a bit of a Perfectionist

I guess another issue of mine is I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I need to have a good great feeling about a post before I submit it as a guest post anywhere. And yes, you guessed it, most times, the post doesn’t quite cut it for outside consumption in my opinion. I feel only the best should be found outside; the ok-ish posts can be found on my own blog. Sometimes, after I’ve published it on my blog, the few people who read it love it and then I get to thinking, maybe it was actually good enough for a guest post. Well it’s too late now!

Am I the only one having this issue? Please I need help! What do I do to get more guest posts out there? I don’t blog full time, in fact, it’s really just a hobby of mine (which I’m absolutely loving but not ready to do full time either), to pour out my thoughts and experience from learning SEO. I don’t want to write a guest post on something which has been said before (I’ll rather have that on my own blog…).

How do you guys do it? Do you feel guilty about publishing posts else where? Don’t get me wrong, I always feel proud when my guest post gets positive feedback, but still… I figured the best place to ask a question like this would be somewhere famous for bloggers. So here I am, asking for advice. Would love to hear your ideas and opinions about publishing the right guest posts.

Thanks!

Image credit : confused

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Filed Under: Guest Post, How To Blog

About Tola

Follow @Tola_SEO

I'm an SEO Consultant. That's what I do for a living but at night I'm a blogger. I think it's the best of both worlds. I use my personal SEO blog to test my newly acquired SEO and blogging skills and then I officially implement it. What more could a girl ask for? When I have time for other things, I love singing, reading frictional novels and watching blockbuster Movies...

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{ 54 Responses }

  1. Chadrack says:
    Hi Tola, It's just seems you were writing about me! Being a perfectionist, not being given to many guest blogging, wanting to add that post to your own blog and all that. That's just me. I truly believe the best should go out. That's why I've only written 2 guest posts so far! And guess what? They are all here in famousbloggers.net. I'm really struggling to grow out of this and I believe reading your story will give me the impectus to do so. Thanks for this post.
  2. Hesham says:
    This post is one of the best posts ever on our blog, simply because it has an important question! Thank you a lot Tola, you have done a great Post and got a lot of guest blogging advices, ideas and thoughts in comments, this is what I call is generating contest from comments ;)
  3. Nasrul Hanis says:
    I guess the first experience of doing anything somehow could make us shivering and believe it or not it is the feeling of writing guest posts. Afraid of being rejected, negative feedback and etc - it could make us stop thinking about guest posting. But I do believe (as for myself) guest posting is a way to create relationship between guest authors and webmasters plus enhancing your blog performance. And believe it or not, writing at Famous Bloggers is a good kickstart for you in writing guest posts. Sharing and exploring knowledge is a nice thing :)
  4. Seun Kilanko says:
    Tola, I feel your plight! Before I go on with my comment, I must say I'm surprised to see a fellow Nigerian do this awesome work you do. Weldone! To my comment, let me ask you this question? Would you light a candle and keep it under your bossom? If you're an expert at what you do, even if you don't get out to guest post, you will definitely be invited by someone for a seminar or a consulting business. Then would you be considering giving your best? I see guest posting as a medium for you to reach the larger world with your knowlegde and build your brand. Ore mi, don't keep the best and give people what is "OK" You could try this: whenever you want to write a guest post, have it in mind that if the temptation of dropping it in your blog comes, you'll simply write a new one for your blog. Do keep up the good work!
    • Tola says:
      Hi Seun, Thanks for that! Trust me, there are quite a number of us all over the place :) I definitely understand where you're coming from in regards to giving it your best, and I need to remind myself of that all the time! Especially the part on writing a new post for my blog, lol!
  5. Jason Jumat says:
    How to publish the right gust post? Well, one thing I have noticed from myself is that I tend to like reading "posts" from "blog" rather than posts that read like something as if it comes out of a newspaper or something like an article on cnn.com. It's important to put a personal flair to make it sound more interesting. One reason why people like reading blog is because they share personal ideas.
    • Tola says:
      Thanks for that Jason. I never thought about it that way, but I instinctively do the same as well. You sort of feel a connection with the writer. I'll bear that in mind.
  6. Andrew Peel says:
    Great article I have converted to the DoFollow community on my Blog. Yes I get the usual spammers however they never get through and I benefit from the good comments. I have been toying with setting up a Forum however I think I will go for Guest Blogging first and see how that goes. Thanks for giving me the impetus to start. Andrew
    • Tola says:
      I honestly think writing guest posts would be easier than maintaining a forum. Plus I got the impression fora was a dying trend these days. Good luck with your guest blogging and I'm sure you'll enjoy it Andrew.
  7. Dennis Edell says:
    You're in good company, and a LOT of it! This has got to be the #1 reason (at least in the top 2) for bloggers not to guest blog.....they feel as if they're "giving up" good stuff that should be published on their own blog. This fear is only strengthened when they are told you should publish your BEST stuff as guest posts. It's really good to see yoiu stasrting out in it, it should only get easir. Once my current blog network project is complete, feel free to guest for me anytime! I too held this fear for years, through quite a few blogs of my own. I plan to be a guest blogging maniac once this network project is complete. :)
    • Tola says:
      Lol, thanks Dennis! Yeah, the feeling is wearing off now, so that's a good thing! But no one wants to get rejected! So you want to put your 'best' foot forward!! At least that was the way I looked at it... Now I'm beginning to see it in a different light :) I'll hold you up to that guest post offer one of these days too!;)
      • Dennis Edell says:
        It's not even the rejection, although I'm sure that's a concern for some as well. What I'm referring to is the inner fear of "giving up" their best articles, which is the totally wrong mindset. :)
  8. Simon says:
    I'm terrified of doing guest posts for other blogs. I feel the same as you, when I write a good post, I want to put it on my own blog instead of someone else's. As well as this I want to make sure that I have a large amount of articles on my website, so that there is plenty for people to read and hopefully that will encourage them to stay around and bookmark the site to read again. I've got about 43 articles now, so I should really guest post somewhere, but I don't know where, that's one of my main problems.
    • Tola says:
      Ahhhh...Simon, a kindred spirit :) It's definitely about time you start guest posting! I've learnt the hard way that people like to keep up to date with blog post. A third of the new readers you will get won't go through your 43 posts, trust me! They'll only look at the top 2-4 if you're lucky, unless you're THAT good... One of the easiest ways of finding where to guest post are the blogs you frequent the most! My first guest post was on the first SEO blog I started reading. If you don't have an favourites then look at the people reading your blog, that sometimes help. Heck, your website is a MMO website if I'm not mistaken, you don't even need to look any further, Famous Blogger is right here for you!! ;)
      • Simon says:
        Hey thanks for the reply, I'll look around this week and submit some guest posts hopefully. The site has elements of MMO, but its mostly about making money on your own through business, so not just online. Obviously I would like to come across as something different than a MMO site, as there are thousands now, so what would you suggest I should change to make people aware of what I'm trying to bring to them?
        • Tola says:
          I don't know much about making money business so can't give you an exact answer to that. But what I would suggest is any guest post you write should highlight the fact that you're generalizing on the make money topic and not just MMO. I would suggest you actually avoid MMO guest post, initially at least. That way people know you not just about MMO, if that makes sense. Good luck with your guest posts :)
  9. Jamian says:
    I absolutely encourage guest blogging, sharing your thoughts with fellow bloggers far more powerful than just keeping it to yourself.
    • Tola says:
      Yeah, its always a good idea to share your thoughts, be it on your blog or a guest blog. Thanks.
  10. Kiesha says:
    Hi Tola! Glad to see you guest post here! I totally understand how you feel and it was a very wise decision of you to wait until you had a substantial amount of posts before venturing into guest posting elsewhere. I have issues with submitting guest posts sometimes - not because I feel like the post isn't good enough - the exact opposite actually - I want my best content to be found on my own site. However, if I don't get out and do enough networking and getting my work exposed on other sites, I won't have any readers to read that awesome content to begin with. So, I try to do as much guest posting as I have time for - if I don't have time, then I don't do it. However, since I've experienced the greatest results from guest posts, I strongly recommend it. (I feel bad that I keep repeating this everywhere I go, but if it wasn't for guest posting, I wouldn't own WeBlogBetter at all) The greatest opportunities have opened up for me as the result of guest posting - so I encourage you to swallow your pride a little, get out there and just do it (again).
    • Tola says:
      Hi Kiesha! Thanks a lot for sharing and the encouragement... I will definitely try to get in more guest posts, like you've said, when I have the time! But really I can only agree with you, guest posting definitely helps to get you out there more...
  11. Ms. Freeman says:
    I don't feel guilty about publishing GPs I just don't know where everyone finds the extra time to do GPs. LOL ;)
    • Tola says:
      Lol, I know what you mean Ms Freeman!! The time is just never enough to get a decent post on your own blog, then you have to think about guest posting as well!! Oh well, we try...
    • Hesham says:
      Hey Ms. Freeman, it makes me feel great when I see you around ;) I think you should free a few hours for our blogging contest, it's so special and chances of winning are BIG!
  12. Kharim says:
    Really great post... Picking the right post to publish can be tricky. You don't want to put post live that has already been published, etc.
    • Tola says:
      Yeah, that's true Kharim. That would be like ripping off someone else's work and calling it your own!! :)
  13. Asad says:
    Guest posting should always be done in your niche.If you are running a tech blog then there is no sense in guest posting on design blog.Guest post not only give you backlinks and subscribers but also loyal readership.Blogging is not only about traffic it is also about readership.
    • Tola says:
      I definitely agree with you about what guest blogging is not, Asad. But in regards to blogging in only your niche, I'm not so sure about that. Personally, I sometimes get tired of writing about SEO only, so I move on to something else, e.g what I've done with this post (although it can be said that SEO and Blogging are related). Like someone said in the comments, guest blogging is also about broadening your horizon and that includes going outside your comfort zones sometimes. But that's just my take on guest blogging... :D
  14. Tushar says:
    actually i do not like much of guest posting because it takes one of my best posts and benefit other blog....and my experience with guest posting has not been too great...i never got tonnes and tonnes of traffic....it was something that even if i would have devoted this much time to commenting, i might have got more traffic
    • Tola says:
      That's interesting and a bit surprising, Tushar. Most people I know are always quite happy with their guest posting results, myself inclusive... I think when it comes to guest posting, its not just about getting more traffic or building links but also about brand awareness, you can't get that with comments, cos there's only so many comments other readers can read. I know I'm quite guilty of reading only the first few comments before moving on to drop mine!
  15. ashok says:
    I guess I could share a story about my own guest posting experience. One time a friend had a blog with a devoted community, and had opened up that blog to several guest posters for a week. So I wrote a good number of entries for him, each one being a positive review of blogposts other bloggers who visited his site wrote, and finally one that introduced his readers to some incredible photography and art I had found around the web. I can safely say that was some of my best blogging - the writing was very solid, and I was speaking about topics to which people had a very personal interest. Would I do that again? I don't know - it was a lot of work for not a lot of gain. None of his community are readers of mine now. They could have cared less about the free publicity and compliments I gave. More importantly, while I don't look at guest posting as outright advertising, I do think one needs something very representative online - the strongest blog/site/facebook profile/whatever possible - so as to reap any potential gains from guest posting. I do think this. If you're going to guest post, don't do it because of "link-building" and traffic and all that. That stuff's important, but there's no guarantees of anything, and the relationships you make are moreso. Do it because you like the site and you want to contribute something positive to it.
    • Tola says:
      Wow! loved your insight and story. Yes, I think that's sad that you didn't get any of the readers to become your reader. Like you said, it's a 50/50 thing. Sometimes you get lucky and you acquire many followers from a guest post and sometimes it just the links you get. At the end of the day, you will get something out of guest blogging but the most important is that you enjoyed writing the post and did something positive with it... Thanks a lot for sharing this Ashok.
  16. Murlu says:
    I'm quite comfortable with publishing guest posts but I always want to make sure my own blog has content for people to find if they click through. One really good tactic is to write a guest post and blog post that are complimentary with another. If your guest post was something like '5 tips for on-page seo' you could create a blog post about 'how to create seo friendly titles for on-page seo' - this would then tie in perfectly for people to find.
    • Tola says:
      Yeah, I tried that once, but the guest post took too long in getting publish (long list of other articles) so I ended up publishing the complimentary post on my blog cos I was too busy to write something else so soon. But thanks Murlu, I see your point, and it would work on a good day, all things being equal...
  17. Kathy says:
    Good content is good content regardless of where it is published. I know what you mean when you talk about wanting to publish a guest post on your own blog. I got over this urge though. You have to realize that sometimes it is far more beneficial to publish on other sites than on your own. When you find someone who has a really nice blog and they will let you guest post there, you are better off just producing the best possible post that you can. It reflects well on you as a bloggger and as a person. It is a win/win for both parties. Besides that, being an SEO person, you certainly understand the benefits of those links back from a 100% unique high quality post on a high quality website.
    • Tola says:
      Yeah Kathy, I do. And I understand that guest blogging is also about brand awareness which goes a long way! And there's nothing like a good product (or in this case, post) to sell yourself outside your normal 'market'. I like to think I'm overcoming the urge these days, it's definitely getting better. Thanks for the insight Kathy :)
  18. Karan Singhal says:
    I have a different way of thinking about my writing than you Tola. I feel that the best posts should be on my blog and the ok-ish posts on others, although I usually end up reversing it for some reason. It took me about 3 months to start guest posting, so my story is pretty similar to yours. Great post!
    • Tola says:
      Lol, that's interesting Karen! Like I mentioned somewhere in the comments, which I also forgot to mention in the post, one of the reason why I would want to publish the best post outside is so I won't get a rejection! I absolutely hate them!! I guess we'll continue to take it one step at a time and learn from our guest posts then! Thanks for the comment!
  19. The Bad Blogger says:
    There is a few tricks to guest blogging. Everyone knows guest blogging will get more traffic from other blogs to your site, but most people do it the wrong way, so what's the right way? Okay, here's a small version of one of the tricks like: If you are going to write a guest post, do not write everything of that topic or subject you are going to write, for example if you have 10 tips and tricks for building up traffic to your blog, well only reveal 3 on guest post and invite those who read the guest post to your blog for the other 7 . You see, like this you won't be wasting your time to write two post but after all it's just one post and you separate them into two with the smaller version as the guest post. I hope you do understand what I mean. Now for the kicker... there are a few more tricks which I will be writing on my blog soon... as for now... I hope the above can give you an ideal of how guest posting should be like.
    • Tola says:
      Lol, nice try!! You've now got me curious to see the rest of the tricks!! Do let me know when its out, will ya!!:p Yeah I get your point and it makes sense, a tad bit naughty but hey, a blogger's gotta do what a blogger's gotta do, right! Might actually try this out pretty soon! Thanks bad blogger (hmmmm, now I see where you got you're naughtiness from, your name!!)
      • The Bad Blogger says:
        Well, I just wrote it... on my blog, anyway is not much of a trick but something ought to know as to something that need to change before getting it right.
  20. Ryan says:
    Hi Tola, I didn't have the confidence to begin guest posting until writing a number of solid posts on my blog which drew a number of comments. The best way to gain this confidence is to write on a daily basis, even if you aren't a full time blogger. With practice your writing skills will improve and you won't hesitate to publish posts on your blog as well as guest post on other blogs. On the perfectionist mindset it's a good thing to have if you are publishing posts consistently. If you aren't, considering leaving it behind because it's stopping preventing you from becoming a better blogger. The reason I say this is that while others are posting consistently, getting their work out there and receiving tons of real world practice you are probably holding back for fear of wanting your posts to be perfect. I know, I've been there ;) Write a post from your heart. Do 1 or maybe 2 edits, then hit the publish button. Forget about trying to get it perfect because you never will. Believe in yourself, put your stuff out there for the public to consume, network with fellow bloggers by commenting on their posts and your confidence along with interest in others will result in guest post offerings. Jump at every one, don't hesitate for a second, and practice writing for your audience as well as other blogger's audiences. All the best! Ryan
    • Tola says:
      Thanks for that Ryan! At first when I read your comment, I initally wanted to say confidence wasn't my problem. But then I had a re-think and realised no matter how I look at it, it does have something to do with confidence! So duly noted! You gave it to me straight so much appreciated! :) I will honestly try my best to amend my ways... lol!
  21. DiTesco says:
    Well, I could not agree more with your initial approach on first writing some blog posts on your blog before guest posting. If one of the advantages of Guest Posting is to promote your work, then you should have something to show users first. Now for the fact that you are guest posting and that killer article you are writing for "somebody" else. One of the best ways of doing this is to write a posts that is related to your topic and not specifically of your topic. Also bear in mind that a guest posts will have more impact if you are able to do it on a website that has authority (like FamousBloggers:) and is related to your niche.
    • Tola says:
      Thanks DiTesco! Guess one of the reasons I haven't done it that way in the past is fear of rejection, (something I also forgot to mention in the post!) I want to be sure I'm writing on something I know so in the end it tends to be specific to my topic, but I know what you mean. I need to learn to diversify my writing and areas I write on, so duly noted! And I'm try working that angle now... :)
      • DiTesco says:
        Now you're talking. that's the spirit. Keep it up as I am sure you are going long ways. Good luck and if you do want to guest for me, I will be honored. Think about it :)
  22. Colleen says:
    In our industry we do very little guest posting, however, if I were to guest post I would only guest post on blogs I read. By guest posting on blogs you read then you would know what content needs to be highlighted. Just a thought.
    • Tola says:
      Thanks for the idea, Colleen. Yeah I know what you mean. But after a time I guess it would be good to broaden your guest blogging horizon. For instance, a blog I had never heard of (but apparently are quite good) asked me to write a guest post for them. Frankly, I was quite honoured and flattered to be ask! In a situation like that I can't say no. So in the end, I've learnt about a new blog, and when I publish that post I'm gonna get a fresh POV and possbile new readers on my blog...
      • Colleen says:
        I see your point Tola. Didn't think about it that way. Guest posting on a blog by invitation would certainly create a tough blog topic decision. Perhaps looking at the content that's been written, then adding content that has not been written about. For instance (since you are an SEO gal), I'm surprised at the number of making money blogs that do not post blog entries on the usefulness of video for traffic and SEO. Especially since screencasts are so quick and easy to do nowadays.
  23. Dev says:
    I don't think anyone will feel guilty for doing guest Post on other blogs. I think guest Posting is one of the awesome and easiest way to get targeted traffic, backlinks, brand awareness etc !! I have 3 Guest Posts so far and i'm really happy with results. Thanks for sharing this great Post. ~Dev
    • Tola says:
      I know guest blogging is awesome! trust me, I do, but it's a feeling I've been having problems shaking off! But with the feedback I'm getting already I think it just might be working!! Thanks for sharing your thoughs Dev! And well done on your guest posts too...
      • Hesham says:
        You will see it work better when you participate on our coming contest.. and you will see by yourself how guest blogging pay off if we give it some attention ;)

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