Guest blogging is a great tool to get more links and exposure for your business, but you can’t simply throw a blog together and send it to every blog you want. There’s a certain etiquette that comes along with being a guest blogger and it’s not always a simple process. We’ve put together some practices you should keep in mind when guest blogging, as well as some of our best tips.
- Remember you’re not writing to promote your business. Usually, guest blogs are allowed to have a backlink to their website in their byline, which is great. But, oftentimes, bloggers will try to link to their business or product in the main text, which isn’t what guest blogs are for. Make sure you’re blogging about information relative to your line of work, but not directly pitching your services.
- Before you pitch, make sure your topic is relevant. Research websites that regularly post about the kind of blogs you want to write. Pitching a blog about skincare on a site that regularly blogs about SEO isn’t going to make sense. Do your research and tailor your blogs to fit many different types of sites.
- Be polite, you’re asking for exposure. Don’t throw your ideas and blogs at websites assuming they’re going to pick up your content. Let them know you’ve read through their sites, politely suggest blog ideas and explain your background and experience and let them decide. If you’re too showy or pushy, you probably won’t get a response.
- Make sure you know the rules. Some sites will be more strict with tone of voice than others, and word counts may be different. There is also some variety on links and other blogging credits. Be sure to read their guidelines or ask questions when coming up with blog posts.
- Don’t rip off images. If they want an image with the blog, use Shutterstock or something similar to find non-copyrighted images to use with your post.
- Promote your blog post! When you do get a blog posted as a guest on a website, blast it out on your social media and let people know its there. Getting engagement from readers and a large amount of page clicks will shows websites that you’re a useful guest blogger and you’re more likely to be invited back to blog again.
Do you have any other tips for guest bloggers? Let us know in the comments below.
At Fahrenheit Marketing, we offer content development to integrate into your marketing plan for your business, including guest blogging. Contact us today for a free consultation.