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Home » The Famous Blog » Top 3 Reasons to Guest Blog

Top 3 Reasons to Guest Blog

October 17, 2010 - Last Modified: April 1, 2014 by benin

Reasons To Guest Post

Guest blogging is what article marketing should be but isn’t.  But honestly this post isn’t about article marketing.  Instead, what I wanted to do with the post is to tell you the 3 things that guest blogging has done for me.  It has 1) helped expand my web site’s reach 2) introduced me to a very vibrant community of relevant bloggers 3) given me feedback on my posts.

Let’s take a look at each point and see if this is something that makes sense for you to pursue.

Expanding Your Web Site’s Reach

If you look at the Alexa chart below you can see the growth that my site has made in terms of reach over the last month.  Prior to my guest posts being published Build a Better Mouse Trap’s daily reach was already beginning to pick up by the fact that I was publishing more posts than I was during my studies at Full Sail.  However, the trajectory of my website’s Alexa growth went up in a dramatic fashion after my first few guest posts were published.  And by the way, if you aren’t familiar with Alexa’s daily reach metric it’s a metric that measures the percentage of a given website’s global traffic.

Alexa Daily Reach
Daily Reach | Build a Better Mouse Trap

Given the degree of global connectedness that we see in today’s economic environment this metric carries a bit of weight.  For example, if you are based in the US or Canada and you publish an affiliate product web site, then having a large percentage of your traffic come from India, the UK, or the Philippines expands your market that much more because visitors from anyone of these countries would fall within your buyer pool.

Introduce You to Relevant Blogger Community

There was a time when I would have told you that having conversations online with other bloggers is good, but not as good as having conversations with potential customers.  However, experience has taught me that each serves their unique purpose in the life of your blog, web site, or business.  Blogging actually falls within the boundaries of online pr and as such it performs in a manner that is similar to online pr in that one of the things that it does it helps to generate awareness within your target audience.  What better way to generate awareness than to actively engage other bloggers who blog about similar topics?  Just think about that one for a moment.  I can’t think of much that would trump this.  And this is exactly what you get when you guest blog on other blogs.

Blog Feedback

Feedback is one of those things that we, as bloggers, don’t always place a premium on.  But we should concern ourselves with reader feedback.  Sometimes the feedback that other bloggers give you may be just what you need to you’re your own blog to the next level.

And when you expand your reach by getting your thoughts and ideas in front of other bloggers you will inevitably reap a good bit of feedback.  Regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative all feedback is helpful.  The purpose that it should serve is to help you to determine which aspect of your blogging works and which parts don’t. And generally speaking since guest blogs put you in front of new audiences (who share the same interests) guest blogging should result in feedback that you otherwise might not have received.

Words of Advice

It is definitely worth noting that when you guest blog you should:

  • Always put your best foot forward. This means you should always present your blog hosts with only your best material.  A great barometer or measuring stick to determine whether you should post your guest piece on someone else’s blog is, “would I publish this piece on my blog?”
  • Build a relationship before you guest blog for them.  The reason for this is you have a better chance of being accepted as a guest blogger for them.  And this will also allow you to learn their preferences too.  You can meet and connect with potential blog hosts on through MyBlogGuest.com.  Another thing that you will want to do after beginning a relationship with your blog host is to familiarize yourself with their guest post guidelines and always abide by them. This should ensure that you keep the relationship on good terms.
  • Respond to comments on your guest posts as soon as possible.  After all, since you wrote the piece you’d probably be the best suited to play host to your article’s comments.
  • Guest post on site’s that share themes that are similar to yours.  And it doesn’t matter whether the blog is big or small, because again a big part of blogging is simply building relationships.

So,

If you haven’t already begun guest blogging I’d strongly encourage to get on the ball and get started.

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Filed Under: Guest Post

About benin

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Benin Brown is a recent graduate of Full Sail University's Internet Marketing Master's degree program. Benin is an emarketer for an Atlanta based ecommerce retailer and blogs at beninbrown.com.

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{ 50 Responses }

  1. Mani Viswanathan says:
    Guest Blogging certainly gives a lot of exposure to a blogger & his blog.
  2. Tinh says:
    Can't agree more on the points listed as we will get more relationships via guest blogging and it will then become a partnerships too :-)
    • Benin says:
      Thanks, Tinh . I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this post. You got it! It is these types of partnerships that often become platforms for profitable activities down the line. Enjoy your week!
  3. Isabel Rodrigues - Pro Blogger Journey says:
    Hi Benin, Thanks for the great tips. I have a question. Is it right to opt for guest blogging if your blog is new with not many post, design not 100% completed. Do you suggest waiting until your blog is well established with lots of posts.
    • Benin says:
      Hi Isabel, Although its really a personal preference I'd say an emphatic no. As a guest blogger what matters the most is the value that your post delivers to the host blog's community. This value exists independent of your own blog. As a matter of fact, I have seen guest bloggers who don't even have blogs do really well with their guest posts. Otherwise, thanks for the comment and I hope this helps!
  4. TJ McDowell says:
    What would you say to a small business owner (ie me) who has a blog and is working hard on putting out 1 quality post per week and is working hard on posting quality comments on other blogs, but doesn't feel like he has time to guest post? I think more people would guest post if they had time, but I think it's tough enough for some people to maintain their own blog. Any tips?
    • Benin says:
      Hi TJ, Excellent question. It would depend on where you are with your business. If you have more budget than time I might suggest outsourcing your content development and then personally reviewing it to make sure that it resonates with your goals and tenets. Hope that helps. Thanks for the comment!
  5. Michael says:
    Hello! Thanks so much for the great tips on Guest blogging. I had thought of it before, but perhaps after my blog gets its "legs", I will look into it further! All great tips!! Also, just to put the word out...........I am certainly open to those wishing to guest blog on my site. Just email me thru the site if interested in pursuing a post on LGBT issues. : ) Thanks!
    • Benin says:
      No problem, Michael. Thanks for the comment. I guess whether to wait until your blog gets mature before guest blogging is a matter of preference. My feeling though is that this young stage is precisely the time to guest blog. Take care!
      • Michael says:
        Good points Benin and definitely something that I should consider! Michael
        • Benin says:
          No problem, Michael. Anytime!
  6. Lennart Heleander says:
    Hi Bebin, Guest blogging is fantastic, it can give you; Guest blogging help you make your blog alive. Guest blogging help you build your credibility. Guest blogging help you meet new people. Guest blogging help you interact after you meet new people. Did I miss something, good post Benin.
    • Benin says:
      Hi Lennart, I think you got it. I think it is a very natural way to build a community around your blog content. Which says a lot b/c there are so many platforms out there that try to go about building communities for bloggers, the artificial way, that fall short of what guest blogging can do. Take care, Lennart. Thanks.
  7. Caleb says:
    As I wrote on a recent post, free traffic is all about getting your link on a site that is already getting traffic and the best way to do this is through guest blogging. And the image of being somewhat of an authority versus someone who merely comments to get a linkback doesn't hurt either ;)
    • benin says:
      Hi Caleb, good to see you here. Very true, Man. You're right, its one thing to get traffic but another entirely to be an authority. Thanks for the comment!
  8. Rahul says:
    my next goal is to guest blog , it is all, for me ,about sharing ,posting, writing and knowing more and more , it's promising these days !! thank You
    • benin says:
      Hi Mazakaro, That's a nice piece you wrote on making WP blogs un-hackable. And the last time I made a comment on a similarly themed post guest what happened...My blog got hacked. So I will just leave it at that-for now. But yes, I think guest posting shows amazing promise these days. You're welcome! Thank you too!
  9. Andreas says:
    Guest blogging will replace article marketing in terms of effectiveness in the future, this is why all marketers who currently engage in article marketing involving submission of articles to article directories, should try out guest blogging.
    • benin says:
      Linknami, thats a great way to put it. That's not to say that theres not a place for article marketing, however. I think though that when it comes to building authority and community guest blogging is just where its at. Article marketing is still the poor man's PPC. Which means that you're not going to make a big splash with it. But you will capture a percentage of clicks from visitors who are typing highly commercial search terms into the search box. The only problem is you've got to have a heck of a lot of original content out there to reach a critical mass. Thanks for the comment, Linknami.
  10. Mike Pedersen says:
    That is my next goal is to guest blog. I have been blogging for about 10 years, but the last few years, have taken it more seriously. It's very cool to be able to get your "voice" out there via other blogs than your own. Maybe someday I can be a guest blogger on this one ;) Regards, Mike
    • Benin says:
      Hi Mike, wow 10 yrs. Thats a long time. I thought I'd been doing it long @ 5yrs. Thats awesome, Man! I'd definitely encourage you to do just that, especially if you enjoy meeting new folks online who share the same interests. Thanks for the comment and do stay in touch!
      • Mike Pedersen says:
        Hey Benin! Time flies when you're hav'in fun! Yes...lets do stay in touch my friend. Mike
    • benin says:
      Hi Mike, wow 10 yrs. Thats a long time. I thought I'd been doing it long @5yrs. Thats awesome, Man! I'd definitely encourage you to do just that, especially if you enjoy meeting new folks online who share the same interests. Thanks for the comment and do stay in touch!
  11. Extreme John says:
    Man I am really falling behind in this Guest Blogger thing, I really wish I had more time because I would love to take advantage of some of the guest blogging benefits.
    • Benin says:
      I feel you, John. And believe me I know where you're coming from. I have two little ones at home, a 9 to 5, and I've been working on getting some consulting projects, so time has been a scarce commodity for me too. But here's how I've trained myself to look it. When it comes to web stuff, there are no short cuts. Anyone that you see on the web who has strong PR, Alexa, a strong community, and etc. got there through a tremendous amount of time and effort. And those that don't have the time will need the budget to get them where they want to go. Its unfortunately one or the other in this game, so I have just had to teach myself to do more than less. Hey, thanks again for the comment John and I certainly hope to stay in touch with you on the web. Take care!
      • Extreme John says:
        I think I my have found a perfect way to start getting some guest blog posts out there. I can't believe I used time as an excuse, that's like my number 1 pet peeve.. Sad, now Ill get it done. Thanks for the kick I needed to wake up. Heading over to your blog now, I'll catch you on Twitter as well. Thanks again for the wake-up.
        • benin says:
          Don't worry John, it happens to the best of us Man. And yes, by all means lets stay in touch. I just got a new computer so I've been slow on Twitter lately but will hop on tonight. Thanks again!
  12. Kimi says:
    This is my opinion about guest blogging. I guess guest blogging is really good for the guest blogger to socialize and promote their blogs. But i guess once your post is not in the homepage, it will be soon forgotten, unless it is really something special. To the blog owner, guest blogging is really benefit. You don't have to create posts, other people will do, regular updates to your blog, which is good to get traffics and earn money from it even. Correct me if i am wrong, that was my opinion :D
    • Benin says:
      Hi Kimi, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Great point about posts losing visibility once they fall from the homepage. The reason I'd say that being on the home page may not be as big a deal as we might think is that if a blog is well optimized for organic search, then a good number of page views will come as a result of search. Hence more people should land on internal pages versus the home page. This point to me underscores the need to consider one more thing when guest posting-organic SEO. And I guess since its one of those subconscious things that I do without thinking about it I didn't mention that what I do on my guest posts is write them in ms word, then assess my title, description, and so forth to make sure that it is an SEO friendly post before I submit it to the host blog for publishing. If you do that you should continue to get comments on the guest post long after it has left the home page. Do you follow? Thanks again, Kimi!
      • Kimi says:
        Hi Benin, That's so right, i hope every guest poster did that with their posts. So it can be a win win situation. Thanks for clearing this up Benin, Keep the good work up. Kimi.
  13. Patricia says:
    Hi benin Well written post and you bring up some salient points. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I am realtively new to blogging and have been asked to guest post on a new health blog once it is up and running. I have also been asked about guest posting on a couple of other sites but they were just writing the articles but there were no comments section to interact with the readers so I didn't bother. I enjoy meeting guest bloggers on the blogs I usually visit. As you say, it puts people across your path that you may not normally know about. I often go check out their site if I have enjoyed the article. So there are positives for us readers of guest posts too :-) Patricia Perth Australia
    • Benin says:
      Hi Patricia, No problem, sharing my thoughts with this audience is something that I enjoy doing. I definitely think you made the right choice in foregoing guest posts on sites that did not allow comments. The comments are where the real magic happens. Because this is where you make relationships and get feedback. Also, as you've said its good for us to recognize the value that readers get out of guest posting as well. Thanks for the comment!
      • Caleb says:
        I never understood blogs that do NOT allow commenting...I mean what's the point :?:
  14. Richard says:
    Hi Benin, Great article on guest posting. Guest posting really expands your audience in that you get a chance to write for a group that may not have know about your blog previously. Ideally, the quality of the content on your blog is equally as good as your guest post so they keep coming back after their first visit.
    • Benin says:
      Hi Richard, I like what you said. You're correct in pointing out that we must have compelling content on our own sites to keep them coming back. I think that another part of the equation is building familiarity with the audience. If you are guest blogging on sites that have similar content to yours, then over time you will inevitably begin to notice some of the same names popping up over and over-from blog to blog. Building relationships with this core group of people can go just as far as having great content and I'd say that the two go hand in hand. Thanks for the comment!
  15. James Martell says:
    I wholeheartedly agree. Guest blogging offers a tremendous opportunity to get in front of an entirely new audience. The spin offs of that are unlimited. Guest podcasting is also another great opportunity as well. I do host my podcasts on my own personal site, but I also host it on a number of others sites including. http://geekcast.fm/archives/category/affiliate-buzz/ http://www.webmasterradio.fm/affiliate-buzz/ And what you said here "Guest blogging is what article marketing should be but isn’t." for me is the quote of the day! Article marketing is a great idea. It's just so poorly executed that is now a real mess and something I personally have stayed away from.
    • Benin says:
      Hi James, I'm glad you liked that statement. It comes from someone who has tried both guest posts and article sites. My biggest problem with article sites is that its difficult to know when they will approve and publish your articles. Also, since my articles have been embedded deeply within the article directories there was no page rank to pass on to me. The podcasting idea sounds great. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
  16. The Bad Blogger says:
    Your points are good, but the last one which is "Guest post on site’s that share themes that are similar to yours." doesn't seem to be a point and I think this is not much of a concern after all, since nowadays people are trying to be unique about their theme although they are using the same theme package... I'm not sure about others, but I personally think, guest blogging is really a great way to get traffic to blog but here's something that almost nobody know, it can be addicted.... which means if you do not have a marketing plan ahead of you which is "selling stuff" Well... guest blogging may help you get a lot of traffic but without selling... guess what.... you can never make money... although it will be hard to accept this kind of fact... but let's face it...
    • Benin says:
      Hi BB, thanks for sharing your thoughts. My response to you would be that the currency of the web is relevance. Blogging on relevant blogs ensures that you will be seen and heard by readers who matter the most to your niche or community. Does that make sense? Let me know. Otherwise, thanks again for your input. Take care!
  17. Jarret says:
    Benin, I've been on both sides of guest blogging which helped me to learn more about proper etiquette. I especially agree with your points about submitting your best material and responding to comments. Some people find it hard to grasp the utility in posting their best content on someone else's blog. Chances are though, if you're going to go to the trouble of writing a guest blog post, in most cases, the blog that you write for probably has more traffic/readership than your own blog. I also find that it's not only common, but good guest blogging etiquette to make sure that you promote your guest posts with social media.
    • Benin says:
      Hi Jarret, thanks for the comment. You make a great point about promoting guest posts with social media. This is something that I have sort of just done without really thinking about it, assuming that everyone else does the same. Its certainly in everyone's best interest to promote guest posts through media.
  18. Hunter says:
    Guest blogging is a win, win situation for both the guest blogger and the blog. It is a good way for both to get noticed.
    • Benin says:
      Exactly! Guest blogging is surely a win win scenario if there ever was one. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to have additional platform for sharing my messages. Thanks for the comment, Hunter.
  19. Ingrid Abboud says:
    Hi Benin, I couldn't agree more with the points you make. As a new guest blogger myself (actually my 1st guest post was published here on Famous Bloggers 2 days ago) I cannot but back up your wise words of advice. For one - it's excellent exposure - sometimes mutual and sometimes more one sided - but still. As for how a couple of these (actually all) pertain to me: * Build a relationship before you guest blog for them - I had been in contact with Hesham from Famous Bloggers :) for some time through email, Twitter and comments. We both were rather familiar with each other's work and sites before he approved my article. * Respond to comments on your guest posts as soon as possible - great point. People want to know that you are reading and hearing their comments. I for one always subscribe after leaving a comment so that I'm notified when the author replies - and I look forward to a reply. I try to reply the same day to comments that I receive. In the case of my first guest post - I believe I replied to every single comment that was made - from short to long! We as writers strive for comments - it is only polite, normal, logical... to reply asap. Once again - great post. Good advice for anyone looking to guest blog or does already. Cheers
    • Benin says:
      Hi Ingrid, thanks for the kind words. Congrats on your first guest post re: Types of Tweeps not to Follow on Twitter! I think what you have said greatly reinforces the message in this post-which is that with the proper guest blogging strategy that guest blogging yields immense benefits for the guest blogger, the host blog, and the readers. Keep up the good work and I hope to continue the dialog with on on this and similar topics.

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