If you’ve been blogging for a while, then you probably remember the days of “linky parties” and blog hops. You may have also traded blog posts with another teacherpreneur or participated in other types of collaborative marketing. With a shift to social media and “fast” or viral marketing, the popularity of blogging declined. However, blogging is still relevant as the number one source of longform content and blogs are an excellent source of Google traffic. If you’re just starting out, it’s time to consider the benefits of guest blogging as a way to grow.
Guest blogging can be a great way to grow your business by connecting with new audiences. When you write blog posts for other popular blogs, you tap into new readers, build relationships, and improve your website’s search engine rankings. In this post, we’ll explore some of the key benefits of guest blogging and guest blogging tips that will help you make the most of these opportunities.
Guest Blogging Benefit 1: Reach New Audiences
Guest blogging connects you with readers who may not know about your website or brand yet. While there may be some overlap in followers, the goal is to write for a blog that has a different audience than yours. Offer useful tips, insights, or how-to advice that fits with the blog’s niche.
Readers will naturally click over to visit your website to read the related content you’ve linked and learn more about you unique offers. This drives fresh website traffic and increases your brand exposure.
After each guest post goes live, promote it heavily just as you would your own blog content. Update your social media profiles to list these guest blogging credentials. You can further demonstrate your knowledge by participating in comments on the posts. The more visibility for your brand, the better!
Guest Blogging Benefit 2: Establish Authority and Build Credibility
Guest blogging is one way to position yourself as an expert in your field. When you’re featured on popular industry blogs, it shows readers that you know your stuff. The blog owner trusts you enough to allow you to contribute, so their readers will see you as a credible source of information.
The key is securing guest posts on reputable, high-authority sites that are seen as leaders in their niche. The domain authority and reach of the blog matters when it comes to influencing perceptions. When a prominent blog publishes your content, it serves as a type of endorsement that shows you meet their standards and have insights worth sharing on their platform.
Consider adding a new “As Featured On” section to your website highlighting the publications you have contributed to as another way to boost your brand authority.
Guest Blogging Benefit 3: Build Relationships and Network
In addition to reaching new audiences and establishing credibility, guest blogging connects you with fellow bloggers and industry influencers. When you contribute posts, you build relationships with blog owners and other guest posters. These connections are valuable and provide potential collaboration opportunities on further projects.
Don’t just focus on getting the guest post published– make an effort to actively engage with the blog owner before, during, and after. Thank them for the opportunity. Share the post on social media and tag them. Comment on their other content. Offer to contribute again in the future. Building an ongoing relationship leads to more opportunities down the road. (But just in case… it has to be said… don’t be stalker. Read the room in all collaboration efforts.)
Established bloggers often have access to numerous promotional opportunities. Making authentic connections with influencers opens doors for creative partnerships, cross-promotions, and direct access to each other’s audiences. By building relationships through guest posting, you may gain access to things like exclusive Facebook groups, masterminds, email promos, collaborative bundles, hashtag sales on TPT, etc. Perhaps you’ll be featured together on a podcast episode or webinar as co-experts.
Also get to know other guest contributors on the same blogs. Connect via social media or email. Cross-promote each other’s guest posts. After you’ve established authentic relationships, you might collaborate on bundles, courses, or other projects. For example, you might team up with a few other respected guest posters to create a multi-author guide or online summit focused on your niche. Combining your audiences and content can lead to powerful opportunities for all parties.
When you seek to build lasting networks and relationships that will fuel your business growth over the long-term, your business thrives. Don’t just focus on as many single transactional guest posts that you can get.
Guest Blogging Benefit 4: SEO and Backlink Building
Finally, guest blogging is a smart SEO strategy. When you publish posts on high-authority sites, you earn backlinks to your own website. Google values these backlinks for ranking purposes. The more quality sites that link back to you, the better your search engine optimization. If you’ve read my other SEO guides, then you know your goal is to have a connected website and not an island.
Your author bio is a great place to include links back to your website, but it’s also helpful to naturally link related content through the post. Be careful not to over-optimize or force the links… they should develop organically. Web crawlers don’t like keywork stuffing and can tell when keywords and links don’t flow naturally with the rest of the copy.
Also pay attention to optimizing your guest content for search engines, just like you would on your own website.
Guest Blogging tips: How to Find Blogs for Guest Posting
It can be intimidating to reach out and ask for a guest post opportunity, but we all start somewhere! The key here is tapping into the right new audiences, so do your research first. Look for blogs that reach new users who would benefit from your products or services and aren’t a direct competitor to you.
It’s also important to assess the reach of potential blogs. Consider their overall traffic, social media followers, email list size, and engagement. The broader the blog’s audience, the more new people who can be exposed to your brand. However, also keep in mind that you need to provide value to that blog owner and readers for this to be a mutually beneficial relationship.
Your guest post can help that blogger save time by putting out fresh content they didn’t have to write in exchange for the traffic/promotion you’ll receive from them. When you’re first starting out, look for opportunities with bloggers around your same size or slightly larger. You can expand to larger audiences as you gain more experience and have more successful campaigns to show as proof.
When you’re researching potential sites to guest post on, don’t limit yourself by being too specific. Look for opportunities both within your niche and in complementary or adjacent niches where your content is still relevant.
Another thing to consider when you’re choosing which blog to guest write for is what score it receives for domain authority. Domain authority, measured on a scale from 1-100, indicates the power of a website based on its backlink profile and search engine reputation. Sites with higher domain authority tend to rank better in SERPs and have more influence.
Aim to guest blog on sites with domain authority scores of at least 30-40, and ideally higher. Guest posts on high authority sites are more likely to generate quality backlinks that boost your own domain authority. Higher authority sites also tend to have stronger reach. But again, this depends on your experience and reputation as a blogger… sometimes you have to work your way up. If you’re in a mastermind, start there! Offer to trade posts with other members to help everyone grow.
At a minimum, look for sites that meet or exceed the following standards:
- An audience of fellow teachers and educators who are interested in innovative approaches, tools, and ideas for the classroom.
- A lively community, with posts actively being shared and discussed.
- A blog owner who actively promotes all content on multiple social media platforms.
Make Your Pitch
Once you’ve found several potential sites to guest blog on, you’ll need to prepare a pitch for them. You should always cater your pitch to the specific blog and its readers. Don’t create one single pitch and then send it to all the sites you’ve researched.
A pitch needs to be prepared for each individual site explaining why you are a good fit for their brand and how your post will benefit their audience. Offer to send over a few potential headlines and short content summaries to give a sense of what you’d cover. Be sure to discuss ideas tailored specifically to their niche and audience interests. Make it easy for the blog owner to visualize the value.
You can also highlight relevant expertise that distinguishes you as a guest blogger. Let them know you’ll share the post widely to drive new visitors to their site, too. Influential blog owners work hard to maintain their authority scores and keep readers happy. Show how your post can help them continue delivering great content (with less work!).
Promote The Post
Finally, after you’ve written an awesome post and it’s gone live, promote it like there’s no tomorrow! Don’t just rely on the blog owner to do the promoting. Share the link on your own website and across all your social media channels.
You can also collaborate with the blog owner to maximize reach. Use reels, posts, and stories to actively introduce yourself to the new audience and invite them to learn more about you. With a smart guest posting strategy, you can rapidly expand your brand visibility.
Content Marketing Works
Guest blogging takes effort, but the benefits are worth it. From reaching new audiences to building authority and earning backlinks, guest blogging provides major opportunities for the content you’d likely be writing on your own site anyway. When you do your homework to find the best opportunities for your business goals and provide stellar content, your business will grow!
Looking for more marketing or content strategies? Head to the blog!
