Using Guest Blogging to Increase Blog Traffic

In last month’s Northern Colorado Writers newsletter column, I wrote about the pros and cons of joining a blog network. I concluded that unless you were hired by a quality network and were receiving a healthy monthly stipend along with the ad revenue share, you were giving away your writing for free.

However there are times when giving away your content is a good thing. One example is guest blogging.

Why should you guest blog?

Guest blogging is when you write a post to be published on someone else’s. When you guest post, your host’s readers will be exposed to your work, maybe for the first time. If they like what you wrote, they will follow the link back to your blog, like what they see, and become regular readers. This way you increase your traffic and recruit new readers.

How to get the gig

You want to get the most out of your guest blogging efforts by posting at blogs that get better traffic and have a higher Google page ranking than your blog. But if you’re a beginner – basically a nobody – how do you get asked to guest post on a popular blog? It’s all about getting their attention.

Let’s say you want to do a guest post on “Joe Cool’s” blog? (Let’s call him Joe for short.) You could contact him, of course, and beg. But he probably gets thousands of emails a day, and many guest posting requests. Instead, you need to find a way to get on Joe’s radar. Well, one way is to send him a big check. All kidding aside, you need to read Joe’s work, comment regularly on his blog, and participate in all the things he offers from free e-book downloads to signing up for his enewsletter.

Yes, it’s work, but there are shortcuts. Next time Joe posts, take the opposite view when you leave a comment. Try to get a debate going, but remain respectful. You never know, the discussion may go off line and you could get an email from Joe. Keep things professional and friendly, agree to disagree, and maybe throw in a little humor, too. Tell him that you enjoy his blog (flattery always helps) and ask if you could guest post for him sometime. You never know, he may say yes!

Besides leaving comments on Joe’s site, you could elaborate on his work on your blog by writing about it on your blog. (Make sure you link back to Joe’s original post in your blog entry.) He may find your post via a Google Alert or a referrer in his tracking software. However, there’s nothing wrong with emailing Joe to let him know that you wrote something inspired by his post. Or leave a comment on his original post that you wrote about it on your blog. That way you may get some of his readers coming to your site.

Commenting both on Joe’s site and on your own are great ways to get noticed. Once you do, your guest blogging request has a better chance of getting accepted.

Getting guest bloggers to write for you

It’s almost impossible to get A-list blogger to post on your less popular blog. Instead, find bloggers you admire with similar traffic to yours. Email them and ask if they’d be interested in doing a guest post for you. If you’re shy about contacting your favorite bloggers, post an open call for guest bloggers on your site. You’d be amazed who you get to volunteer.

Guest blogging is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Not only does it help grow traffic, but it’s a great way to get to know other bloggers and gain exposure for your blog.

Update: A new guest blogging “service” is Tom Schmitz’s Guest Blogger Finder. You can use Tom’s site to Become a Guest Blogger or to Find a Guest Blogger. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. If you have, leave a comment and let me know how it went.