There has been a lot of talking about guest blogging and how it may become a bad thing… and we want to share our stance right now: Guest blogging is only bad if you don’t get it. If you take it seriously, it will sky-rocket your blog and help you grow!
If you have contributors writing for you it means you are no more alone in trying to take your blog off the ground.
@myblogguest It's so important that bloggers support eachother and build trusted relationships http://t.co/kyTeLbQAJQ #myblogguest
— Harry Gardiner (@Koozai_Harry) August 1, 2013
Just a couple of case studies we mentioned previously:
- MyBlogGuest Publisher Review! How one guest post from our gallery became the hugest traffic source for our publisher.
- Why Accepting Guest Posts is a Win: Success Story from Our Publisher: How a guest post from our Articles Gallery scored the publisher a reference from New York Times! That’s exactly what happened to me when I published a guest post on my blog too. Talk about different perspectives!
What to Look for in a Guest Post
If you want guest posting to work for your site, you should start taking it seriously. We’ve talked a lot about guest blogging being more than just link building. Similarly accepting guest contributions is much more than just taking free content.
#myblogguest The incentives and rewards should be two-sided in guestblogging. Both parties should benefit equally!
— Cat Fyson (Koozai) (@Koozai_Cat) August 1, 2013
- Love each guest post that goes live: Whether you have editorial requirements or not, you should be absolutely in love with each guest post that goes live. Did I learn something new? Did I enjoy it? Does it look like a good fit for my blog? – these are just a few questions that require a “Yes” before you hit “Publish”. Guest posts should increase the value of your blog, add something fresh and new; NOT just be a free filler content.
Remember, too, publishers can always ask for changes to an article. #myblogguest
— Don Sturgill (@Don_Sturgill) August 1, 2013
- #myblogguest tip: Keep an eye on pinned articles, MyBlogGuest mods’ suggestions, and Elite gallery – these are all reviewed articles that our team really liked!
- Again, guest posts are refresher, rather than your main source of content. I confess, #MyBlogGuest made it so easy to publish guest articles that some bloggers just don’t feel like creating their own content any more. Beware! Your blog may lose the voice and permanent readers if there’s no distinctive personality and style. We shared some ideas for your own content for each day of the week earlier.
- #myblogguest tip: *In addition to* other content types you can publish on your blog, use our Infographic Gallery to add some varied and Pinterest-friendly media content to your editorial calendar
- Think “micro-celebrities” and “authorship”, rather than free content. With so many people being so much willing to give you content for free, being happy with “free” is getting old. We need to think into the future, and the future (as well as past and present) is in people. Having an established author contribute to your (business) blog means giving Google positive signals and driving the author’s community to your brand.
@dfaltz @myblogguest I won't publish even a well-written post if byline is unverified…my most common reason for rejection. #myblogguest
— Helen Hoefele (@figmentations) August 1, 2013
- #myblogguest tip: Use “verified” authors to get real content from real people.
- Promote your guest posts *and* the guest author. I often hear this complaint from guest post publishers: “My guest authors don’t reply to comments and don’t share their guest posts on social media”. You know what? I have an answer (actually two): (1) You either pick bad authors (It’s always easy to blame someone else) or (2) You should be a good host, go ahead and do your best first:
- Share the guest post everywhere,
- @ tag your author in tweets for him/her to know how he/she is appreciated.
- Make a public comment thanking the author
- Treat others the way you want to be treated yourself!
- #myblogguest tip: Use ViralContentBuzz to get more shares and exposure to your best guest articles.
- Think recurring / returning contributors… And that will be the topic of our next week!So far if you have any publishing success stories to share, please tweet or email seosmarty AT gmail.com
Joseph
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