As we all know guest posting is great for building backlinks, converting new visitors to your site, and creating a brand. Few people actually do this right. I know you think I am crazy but really I am sane (or somewhat). I want to give away some of my personal strategies for guest posting and what REALLY works.
Ok, so we all know how to get a guest post. Hop over to Myblogguest.com and start looking for relevant blogs you can write on. Now, here is the a key part to this. There are tons of stuff you can outsource on oDesk, but NEVER outsource your guest post there. In fact, write them yourself. Why?
Because, you can make it really personal and this helps with exposure to your blog. If I had a dollar for every strong connection I have with authority blog owners I would have 96 dollars right now. That is worth a ton in the blogging community! I have connections in Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, ect. connections.
No but seriously, I never took one business class in college, started a business, and just did a lot of reading online. When you approach bloggers online your mindset should be what do you want me to write about rather than here is a premade article I paid 99 cents for and I want a backlink to my site. Here is what they think; oh god another crappy blog post!
God! I hate that and that’s why blogs fail. They don’t think of the blog owner they are posting on. You know what they think about? Themselves and that’s it. Instead take the time to read their blog what do their visitors like? Write an article on that. It’s not about you it’s about them and providing them with content that is related to their blog.
Yeah I know it might take some research you might have to go to the library or search the internet for some great content on their content. But, I want this on my tombstone; it will be well worth it! Again, I have no business background (other than owning a business for 4 years) but understand how to guest post and establish a brand. If you want me to contact some webmasters and write some quality post for please check out my guest blog service.
Just keep the who mindset of what can I do for you, rather than here is shit I made do you want to publish it? I am so tired of getting request for guest post and of course I say yes, but 80% are just basic how to get traffic to your blog articles….AHHHHH! It will take you so much further on your blog then the take, take relationship. I would like to know where you all find places to guest post whether that be Google quarries, networks, ect. It’s alll good in the hood just leave your comments down below.
Man, I am SO naive! Of course I’m familiar with PLR but it never occured to me that people would outsource guest posts – duh! The funny thing is just yesterday I received an email from someone I don’t know offering to do just that. My immediate reaction was shock – hell, I’m an author and my name is my brand so how stupid would I be to outsource ANY of my writing. But you’ve really answered the question for me about where that came from. The interesting thing is according to Trends one of the Google 2013 trends is to lesson the value of guest posting – probably for this very reason. Thanks!
(dofollow)
marquita herald recently posted..Cultivating Greater Patience Means a Happier, Healthier You
Hey Marquita,
Yeah, I have heard various things about lessoning the value of guest posting. However, I think it might be hard to discover some guest post say if I wrote an article on your site and had a link to me. Possibly what I am thinking is devalue unrelated guest posting? I have been getting a lot of guest post request lately. It’s funny because they need to approach me with “what do you want on your site” vs here is one I have already made (probably outsourced). That is what I do I ask the blog owner what would you like me to write about. Simple things can go a long way.
Garen, it’s interesting to find differing opinions about guest posting.There’s this successful blogger who had been guest posting for high-caliber blogs for a while now. I read his blog on a regular basis, too, because he has a lot of fresh insights to share. Now, this blogger I’m talking about had been evangelizing the very opposite of your strategy (with a disclaimer, of course!). If I understood him right, he would write an article that he thought was a good fit for the blog he was targeting, and bam, he’d get the ball rolling.
I guess the key takeaway is whether you personally talk to the blogger or not, knowing what his/her blog is all about and understanding the needs of the blog’s target audience are all that matter. Whether there’s a previous conversation or not, as long as the guest poster writes articles that would address the blog readers’ expectations, as long as the guest posting rules as defined by the blog owner are clearly understood, I don’t think there should be a problem.
As for outsourcing a guest post, yes, I would have to concur that finding the right person to write for you is going to be a real challenge. I, too, would write my own guest article to promote my brand.
(dofollow)
Maricel recently posted..Holly Jahangiri – Mom, Writer and Blogger Extraordinaire: An Interview
I would be interested to see who you are following. Care to name them? Yeah, as long as you right for them and study what interest they like most, good post, ect. That is good. I have strategies of guest posting, and actually I am about to go crazy on it. Heard the buzz about Google devaluing guest posting. I stand by this, and it’s about posting on sites that have nothing to do with your site! One’s that have a huge following it is good to make the post epic even if that means spending extra time on it
I get about 5-10 guest post offers per day now, but a lot of them I just reject because it’s crap and I don’t want it on my site 
I knew you’d ask that.
I think I made a mistake in my previous comment up there. I shouldn’t have used the word “evangelizing.” Of course, he was just sharing what works for him. And I have GREAT respect and admiration for this guy. Really.
As for Google devaluing guest posts, great thing I came by because now I know. Still, knowing Google, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, or should it? With Google, you’ll never know what you’re going to get. What works now may no longer work tomorrow.
(dofollow)
Maricel recently posted..Holly Jahangiri – Mom, Writer and Blogger Extraordinaire: An Interview
hehe it’s only natural that I ask. I am pure SEO a hybrid blogger that focuses on building relationships. I know things work from time to time, but just treating internet marketing like a real business is going to work
Who knows what Google will do with guest posting. They say one thing and do another and sometimes they make zero sense to me. I made the mistake of relying on Google so much and then they slapped a 100% whitehat site for no reason? I guess I learned not to put all my eggs in one basket. Being a hybrid SEO and blogger is a killer combo though
I learned from my mistakes and know it’s important to be social, as they have been hinting at for years.
I would have to agree about SEO and social being a killer combo. I think you’ve already mastered both. As for putting all of one’s eggs in one basket, that’s risky business. Google saying one thing and doing another, that’s, I think, a fair statement given your previous experience.
(dofollow)
Maricel recently posted..Holly Jahangiri – Mom, Writer and Blogger Extraordinaire: An Interview
I’ve written a few guest posts, Garen, but the bloggers asked me if I would. I’ve never sought to write them, but you’ve given me a good idea, here.
Maybe I should seek more actively to do some guest posting.
And I’d certainly look to offer quality, not a re-hash mish-mash.
(dofollow)
David Merrill 101 recently posted..Find Affiliate Products on ClickBank
Yeah, I am building my brand and will be guest posting a lot
This might work for me. I have pitched the idea of writing a few articles for a few newspapers, and I haven’t had much success. I believe that I will try another attempt with how you suggest doing things. I do have a question. how do you first get in contact with the blog owners. Is it as simple as sending them a message?
(dofollow)
Justin Mott recently posted..Catfish Fishing in the Cold Winter Morning
Yeah you could send them a message through their content form. OR look for people on Myblogguest.com that are looking for guest post
I’ve been getting more requests lately from folks to do guest posts. You would think they would at least comment on my blog first, no? If I don’t know who they are or what they write it makes it hard to say yes. I’ve done several and let others do some too. I think it’s a 2 way street and works nicely to gain new readers to your blog.
(dofollow)
Lisa recently posted..What Can Pez Collections Teach Us About Social Media?
Yeah, I know how it is. Some people just want to feed off others success. It’s just the way some people are
.
Hey Garen,
I’ve never guest blogged before, but have heard many great things about it. When I do start to venture around that path, I will definitely keep in mind what you have said here. It will definitely make my guest post more successful from the get-go!
Thanks,
(dofollow)
Jason
Jason Yeh recently posted..[Short Thoughts] Why You Should Never Give Up
Hey Jason,
Just remember write for what they want not for what you want
Let me know if you need any help 
Great post, Garen. I’m happy I came across your post. I like what you mentioned about never outsourcing your guest posts. I really don’t understand why anyone would want to outsource their blog content period. Your content is what makes you unique and standout. No one could ever duplicate your own unique voice and personality, so to even consider outsourcing content creation is kind of self sabotaging in my book.
I’ve done one guest post so far and the response and results were awesome. I plan on doing a lot more guest posting this month and in the first quarter of next year. Like you mentioned, this will be a great way to grow my traffic and brand in the blogosphere.
Thanks for sharing this post with our BizSugar community. I appreciate your insights.
Ti
…
(dofollow)
Ti Roberts recently posted..[SEO Rebel Roundup!] Lady Gaga, Traffic Tidal Waves and more… Cowabunga dude
Yeah I think it all goes to being lazy. People think that getting a massive number of low value guest post is better than getting a good one in your niche. What is worse is when they don’t follow up on comments. I have had people on my blog that I allowed to guest post and they don’t follow up. If they don’t follow up I will either make their link nofollow or just give them no credit at all.
Yeah, I am liking Bizsugar I wish it would let me add more post though. Limits me to three every 24 hours
Garen,
You made some good points about offering a guest blog that is valuable.
I have had numerous requests from bloggers to post their blogs on my http://www.HealthyBabyBoomersNetwork.com web site. Seems good, right. Wrong! They are offering topics that have absolutely nothing to do with the focus and content of my blog. I am writing about health and wellness for babyboomers , not for senior citizens who are in nursing homes, incontinent. And those are the blog posts that may be somewhat closely related to my topic. There are others that offer to write about taxes or social media or something else that is totally inappropriate for my purposes.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
(dofollow)
Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted..Melatonin and your Health: 11 Factors You Ought to Know. Guest Post by Clare Kelway
Erica,
Oh come on you know taxes and social media go hand and hand with baby boomers. Just kidding
. Yeah, I get a fair share of guest post request, but they are either poor quality content that I really just don’t want on my site. What I started doing is making a list of content I want, and when I get request I ask them to write about that. It helps me and if well written them too 
Hi Garen,
I’m planning to have a guest post in a few weeks and your article taught me what I should expect from a guest blogger. I am fortunate because my first guest blogger has already asked me what type of article topic I want her to write about. I also learned what to expect when I get requests from other people who want to be a guest blogger on my site.
You saved a lot of people some heartache and possibly making the mistake of being excited about having a guest blogger and not realizing they could end up with low quality content if they don’t handle these issues that may come up. I love your candor! Thanks!
Raena Lynn
(dofollow)
Raena Lynn recently posted..Vote For Raena Lynn For Top 50 MLM Blogs 2012
Hey Raena,
Good news! Make sure you run it through Copyscape too. If it’s something you really don’t want ask them to modify it, or if’s it’s horrible just say your not interested.