Having guest bloggers post content for your blog can be a great tool to get more readers to visit your site. Typically, guest blogging involves a good deal of cross-promotion, which can be beneficial for all parties involved. Guest blogging has recently become much more common, likely because bloggers are seeing the good things that can come to their blog when they invite others to share.
A guest blogging relationship can be as basic or as involved as you and your guest blogger would prefer. You may just want to invite one or two writers to write posts that are their take on content that you typically share. You may want to consider a long term relationship with one or more guest bloggers, trading posts with them on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. Many bloggers who are willing to contribute to your blog are likely to want you to reciprocate. Again, this can be beneficial for everyone, because interlinking between the two blogs/sites can help your search engine and page ranking.
So how do you find guest bloggers? You can start out simply. Think about some of your favorite blogs to read. Do any of them publish content that is directly related to your business, or that could fit in with your posts? Chances are you can probably think of at least a few blogs like this immediately. Consider emailing the blog’s author and inquire about a guest post or blog swap. However, when you write the email, you need to make sure you write a compelling email offer, one that is personal. You will receive a better response if you do so.
Another way to find blogs to guest post to is you could also use Google or another search engine to find blogs that are related to your industry. From there, you can see which ones interest you the most, and propose guest posting or blog swapping as well. Or use AllTop.com, an easy way to look up blogs in any field.
One of the great benefits of guest blogging is that it can breathe new life into your blog. Even if your guest poster is writing about similar topics to what you usually post, they will be written in a different “voice.” Every writer has their own unique style when it comes to blogging. Your readers may enjoy a fresh perspective. You may find that you enjoy reading a different take on your business or industry also. Even someone who has perhaps a conflicting opinion to yours would make a good guest blogger; it’s always great to show the other side of the story.
When guest blogging, there are some etiquette rules that should be followed. First, if you invite someone to guest blog for you, it’s a good idea to offer a post swap. This way, the other blogger gets something positive out of the relationship as well. If you are the one doing the guest posting, it’s also wise to read some of the content on the other person’s blog, in order to get a feel for their writing style. This allows you to be able to write the perfect post for your blog swap, and avoid faux paus such as using profanity on a blog that doesn’t have readers who appreciate it, or touching on a sensitive subject.
About our Guest Blogger: Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.
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