The question we all must face is this – “Is it worth showing the article to my limited group of readers, or should I try and market it on a very popular blog where it can be seen by more eyes?” In the long run, it probably seems like it would be better guest posting it, because you’ll achieve a lot more traffic, get a link, and some publicity.

If you decide to post it on your site, there really wouldn’t be that much of a difference. Many of the bloggers reading this aren’t popular enough to get an article on the top page of Digg, or to get smashed by StumbleUpon. So the question still is, is it worth posting it on your site, when it could get your site seen by so many new readers elsewhere.

The key is balance. Split it 50/50. So send some guest posts, and the others you post on your blog. Look at it like this, if you’re not posting good content on your site, then you’ll lose your readership at your site. But if you don’t continue to market your site, then it won’t continue to grow. If you DO decide to guest post it, and then get traffic to your site, but have no great content to offer them once they get there, you’ll STILL lose readers.

Now you may disagree with me on this, being on either side. But I think you need to do at least some of your great ideas as guest posts, because the chance to write on a site like Problogger, or even a smaller one like TheNetFool, is too good to pass up. However, you have to be very careful with this, because you don’t want to deprive your readers of a quality article without good reason. So here are some tips for great guest posting.

1. Read this post.
Guidelines for Guest Posting

2. Pick the top blogs, and send the article to them.
If they reject it, you can always send it to another one, though you may want to consider rewriting the parts they didn’t like.

3. Don’t get discouraged if they reject your post.
Every blogger is different, just like every blog is different. So everybody will write differently than others. You may have written a good article, but his style may just be different.

4. Read some of the blog’s posts before you send your post.
Match the style of the writer, without destroying your identity. You want to appeal to his readers, so you want to be somewhat similar. But you also want them to like your site, and if your style is totally different, they may not like that. Make sure you are you, without being to unlike the admin. But remember, he wants guest posts because he wants a different perspective, and some freshness, so don’t change who you are, be unique but smart.

5. Try to develop a relationship first.
It doesn’t have to be big but if you can have talked or emailed before this, it helps break the ice some. It’s always nice if your first interaction is you wanting something from him. I realize this isn’t always possible, but when it is, it will certainly help your chances of being accepted.

6. Try to link to the article in a blog post from your site.
Soon! Not only is this like a little thank you to the blog owner, you can refer your readers onto the blog post, so that they don’t miss out on the article.

7. Read up on other people’s emails that got them accepted.
Here are a few examples from Carlocab, and howtomakemyblog.

8. Focus on the email as much as you do on the post.
A majority of guest posts get rejected based on the email, and the posts don’t even get read. You think Problogger or John Chow have the time to read every guest post that gets sent to them? They read the email and figure out if the guy is worth their time, and then if they like the email, they read the post. Without a good email, your post won’t even get read.

I hope these tips are helpful for you. Make sure to subscribe to my RSS feed, so that you can get updates on how successful it is.

With guest posting you can achieve large amounts of traffic, and links, without too much effort. But the question is, how can you maximize the great potential of guest posting, I’ve written up a list of guidelines, hopefully these can guide you in the process.

1. Guest post on the right Blogs
This is an essential guideline. If your blog is about hot dogs and sausages, don’t write on an animal lovers site. Find sites similar to yours, that have a similar audience. If you don’t know what sites those are, then ask your readers what other blogs they read. For me, in the SEO blog niche, there are dozens of great sites at my disposal. So I could not write a post a month that will generate a steady stream of traffic for a couple years. By guest posting on like minded blogs, and for like minded readers, your chances of having them like your site are greatly increased. I’ve found some of my favorite sites through guest posts that their owners did, so it definitely works. And keep in mind, shoot for the highest. Try and write on the most popular site you can, what’s the worst that could happen? You can always try for lower sites, but if you aim high, then maybe you’ll get a lucky break with a popular blog, and this will help the article be a lot more successful. If they reject your article, you can always send it to another blogger.

2. Make it an Original Post
If you are going to write a guest post, make it a new post. This is a huge chance for your site, especially if you’re doing it on a popular site. Not only are you advertising your site to all of that site’s readers, you are also advertising to that blog’s author. If they like it, then they will probably add links to your posts in the future. I’ve seen a lot of guest posts, that people already wrote on their blogs, and then reposted on another persons site. That is a very bad thing to do for a few reasons, mainly because you are cheating that blog owner, and also you are hurting both of your blogs. This is considered duplicate content, and so both of your sites will be penalized. That’s not really fair to hurt the nice guy who gave you the opportunity of writing on his site, is it? No, so be fair to him and to his readers, write a new post. *For most bloggers this is a requirement anyway.*

3. Make it a Quality Post
Take the time to make it a good article. Don’t write about the first thing that pops in your head, but take a couple days formulating your ideas and putting it together. Remember, this is a big signpost pointing back to your site, so make it as big, and cool, informational, and enticing as you can. The goal is to get people to click through to your site, so make them want to click through. It only helps them. Write a good semi-long post. Two to three paragraphs are not long enough for a guest post.

4. Make it Enticing
There are several tricks that will help your post be noticed. First, use pictures. Everybody loves when they can see what you’re talking about. Second, use bold and italicized for the important points, because these really help them stand out. Third, use lists and numbers. Make a title like, Top Three ways to… or 25 tips on… Everybody likes these types of articles (mostly because they are lazy). And finally, be as bulleted as you can. Nobody wants to read a five page blog post that should have really been a one page article. But if you can write a five page article that is to the point, and that tells people what they need to hear, then you have a winner article.

5. Guest post a lot!
Whether you are starting a new blog, or have been running one for a while, set up guest posts opportunities. Start emailing the bloggers you read, ask them if they are open to it. Most likely they will be willing, but only if you give them a really good article. Set it up so that you can do one guest post a week. Commenting is considered one of the top ways to grow a site organically. I believe that Guest posting can be just as good, if not better. It’s faster, and more people will see it and it will be on there forever – all bonuses that comments don’t give. Now don’t get me wrong, they are both great strategies, so hopefully you will be able to implement both of them.

6. Give them a reason to come back to your site
I would not recommend putting a link back to your site if you don’t already have great content on your site for those who click through to read once they get there. If I read a pretty awesome guest post, I would assume that the author was a pretty decent writer, and probably has articles that are just as good on his own site. If I get there and find our differently, I will be very disappointed. And so will your readers if you don’t have anything to give them.

7. Link to the Guest Post from Your Blog
If a blogger is going to be nice enough to let you write on his blog, then at least give the guy a link. Write a short post about how you just wrote a guest post on some site, and tell your readers to check it out. This helps both you and the other blogger our, because the blogger gets some visits on his site, and you get more publicity for your article. Also, if it was a good, successful article that helps the blogger out, then most likely he’ll be open to letting you guest post again.

8. Put Keywords in the Post
Find out what the keywords are for the blog your writing on, and add them subtly in your post. However, don’t keyword spam! This is just another way to make you more valued as a guest poster. You help everybody out, and everybody likes that. Don’t just rave about how good your site is, nobody likes that. If you help everybody out, then everybody will like you better.

9. Add a Paragraph at the end Thanking the Blog Owner
Swallow your pride, and write a few sentences thanking the owner for letting you post. Don’t over do it, but thank him in a few words. If you don’t want do this in the actual post, maybe you can do it on your blog. In that post I told you about earlier. The one that you were supposed to write to link to your guest post. C’mon, you didn’t forget already, did you?

10. Set up your Site in Preparation
Most likely, you will receive a sudden flood of traffic. So make sure you have two things in place. First, set up a big RSS subscribe button, so that you’ll get more readers from this increased traffic. Second, make sure you have one of your top posts as the one they read. The best strategy, is probably to write a brand new post the day your guest post gets put up. That way you have fresh content for everybody. Make sure you have a very informational post, because that is going to be your way to make the new readers stay. You have one chance to get them to come back, don’t blow it!

Bonus! Consider setting up WP Super Cache if you guest blogged on a very popular site, because you will see a spike in traffic. The last thing you want just when you are seeing a rapid influx of traffic is for your server to go down due to bandwidth limitations or anything like that.

So there you have it.

Community Discussion

Did we miss anything? What are your guidelines for guest posting? Have you ever guest posted? Sound off in the comments with any and all experience. (or lack thereof )