A lot of successful bloggers have built their entire business just from guest blogging. Guest posting is nothing but writing an article on other people’s blogs. The advantage with guest posting is that you are exposed to a whole new audience, and it is an excellent opportunity to improve your reputation.

A prospective client Google searched me and found several pages of information about me. I was everywhere. It enhanced my reputation, and I got the gig. So, even if you don’t get traffic to your blog, the worst case scenario of guest posting is that it will improve your reputation.

Another advantage with guest blogging is that it builds your SEO. When you guest post, blog owners let you leave a link at the end of your article. Backlinks help build the SEO ranking of your blog.

Consequently, get other experts to guest post on your blog as well. Once your blog develops good domain authority and has a good readership base, it will become attractive for other bloggers.

How NOT to make a guest post offer?

Several people send me guest posts requests. Majority of them get rejected because they don’t present themselves well.

Some of the most common mistakes include:

Not introducing themselves – Lot of people just send me a blog post without telling me who they are or what Topic they plan on presenting. I like people who send me a list of topics with a brief description of each topic. It gives me an option to choose a topic most suitable for me.

Sending frivolous emails like “do you accept guest posts” or “I can guest blog for you” – Remember, A-list bloggers usually get so many emails that you don’t want to waste their time Sending Frivolous Emails. I had someone send me a blog post offer that read “I will blog for you. Just say the word. Etc etc..” This is just not the way to approach someone.

Following up too soon – Sometimes people send an email and follow-up within 6 to 8 hours with another email – did you get my message? misleading a break. If you don’t get a reply, just let it go and offer your blog post to another blog. If you want to follow-up, do it after two weeks, never before that.

Writing extraordinarily formal and stiff emails – Business has changed over the years, formal and rigid emails don’t work. Be professional but don’t write emails that are a template from the 1970s book of business letters.

Getting too personal and emotional – Just don’t rant and throw tantrums if you don’t get a reply. You need to remember that the blog owner has no obligation to publish your post. So just because you’ve put in the effort to write the guest post does not mean it gives you a right to be published. There are several reasons blog owners don’t reply – like – not enough time to review guest posts, more emails than they can handle, sometimes the guest post is not a fit with their blog, etc.

Deceptive subject lines – They are another big turn-off.  Your subject line should never be deceptive. If you are writing to a blog owner about a blog post offer, make sure you mention it in the subject line.

Being Arrogant and selling a grandiose plan – Sometimes blog owners get an email that says, “I am offering the following articles on a first come first serve basis. You are the lucky one who is receiving this email. Reply soon, or this offer will not exist.” Unless you are Richard Branson or Bill Gates, this is a very naïve way to pitch.

How to make a Guest Post Offer?

Now, coming to doing it right.

When you are writing an email to make a guest post offer, it is essential to present yourself professionally.

Step 1: Introduce yourself

Your introduction should be brief and don’t make it more than 2 or 3 lines at the most. It could be something like “I am John Smith – the founder of highergrowthacademy.com, a blog about simplicity.”

Step 2: Mention the reason for the email

Your reason could go like, “I am writing to see if I could submit a guest post on your website – websitename.com.”

Please mention the name of the website as bloggers manage multiple blogs.

Step 3: Write a list of topics you would like to blog about

Your blog topics should include a headline and a brief description of the article you propose to write.

For example: “I plan to write a guest post on the following topics:

10 places to meet your soul mate

This topic introduces people to unique and little-known places where girls and guys can hang out to meet their soul mate. My sources for this article include various people who have found their soul mates in unconventional places.”

Step 4: Have an appropriate subject line

As mentioned in the previous pages, do not write a deceptive subject line. I like to have a subject line like “Guest Post for XYZ blog.” It ensures the blog owner that you are sending an email specifically to him and not sending a bulk email. You may also want to include one of your article headlines in the subject line to catch the blog owner’s attention.

Step 5: Send a Thank You note

Many guest posters forget or don’t bother sending a thank you note, which takes just a few seconds.

Guest posting is an opportunity to build a relationship with other bloggers.

Although this does not seem very important, it is a crucial part of the guest blogging experience. Once your guest post is published, don’t forget to send a thank you email, it’s just courteous.

How I choose which blogs to guest post on?

Obviously, you may not want to guest post on every blog that gives you an opportunity. You may want to be selective because every time you guest post on someone else’s blog, you are giving up time that could be used to build your own blog.

Here’s how I choose.

#1 I like to guest post on blogs where I frequently read articles, or at least like their content.

#2 The blog should be professional looking. If the blog owner has not taken the time to build a professional looking blog, then that’s not a blog I want to consider guest blogging on.

#3 The blog should frequently be updated. If the last post on that blog was three months ago, that to me is lack of commitment.

#4 The blog should have a clean layout. If there are more Google ads than there are articles, then that’s not a blog I would consider.

#5 Finally, if I have a great feeling about the blog. And the blog owner has interacted with me honestly with humility, passion, enthusiasm, and is willing to go to great lengths to have me guest post on his blog; I might just oversee all the above factors.

Conclusion

When I first started blogging, one of my mentors said, “Make it easy for people to find you.” Guest blogging does that for you. It’s an excellent opportunity to expose your content, thoughts, and ideas to a new audience.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments below.

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