Learn how you can become a guest blogger with advice from Tom Carson-Knowles

by Tom Carson-Knowles

1. Find Quality Bloggers

The easiest way to find quality bloggers is just with a simple Google
search. Type in “your niche” + “blog.” For example, if I have a product for
dogs or dog owners, I might search for “dog training + blog” and then click
on the top 50 or top 100 sites for that search.

This is a shortcut for finding quality sites because you know if you search
for a competitive term like “dog training” or “online marketing,” Google’s
going to return mostly high quality sites in that niche. I also use an Alexa
Rank Plugin for Google Chrome so that I can see the site’s Alexa Rank
and Google Pagerank (PR). I use these as indicators of whether a site is
worth my time pursuing. I generally look for sites that are PR 2 or higher
with an Alexa Rank of 900,000 or less. This is just a general rule and you
will need to be willing to lower these standards when you’re just starting
out as a new guest blogger. Once you’ve got more experience and contacts,
you can raise your standards and focus on building relationships with
bloggers who have more influence.

Now that you’ve found a quality blogger, it’s time to…

2. Research The Blogger

Most people skip this step and it shows! It’s why bloggers throw your email
in their spam folder instead of reading them.

You have to actually read some of their blog posts and especially read the
“About” section to learn more about the blogger. At a minimum, you should
know their name and what they like to write about. It’s also helpful if you
find something in common with them. For example, maybe you grew up in the
same area or have a dog just like them, whatever it is, try to find
something you both have in common to build a closer connection.

All this information will help you when you…

3. Contact Them

Now it’s time to contact the blogger and start the relationship. Most
often, bloggers will list their contact info on their “About” or “Contact”
page. If not, look for their contact info in the sidebar or a link to their
Facebook or Twitter account. Contacting them via whatever information they
have listed should be fine. If you can’t find their contact information
then I wouldn’t recommend bothering to hunt them down – if they don’t list
it they either aren’t serious about blogging or they don’t want to be
contacted.

Here’s a sample email to use:

“Hi (name),

P.S. I have a dog named Tootsy too! What a weird coincidence (only say this
if it’s true!)”

4. Build The Relationship

Now it’s time to build the relationship. If they don’t respond to you, you
can put them on a drip list and follow up once every one to three months
and see if they would like to collaborate. Many times, they may just delete
your email or it will get lost among all the spam us bloggers receive. It
doesn’t mean they’re not interested, so if you’re diligent about following
up you can still build those relationships.

An easier way, though, is just to keep contacting new bloggers and only
focus on those that respond. Then focus on building those relationships. If
they ask you to write a guest post, write a great article for them. Don’t
just copy/paste content from your blog or give them a weak article. Write
as if you’re writing for your own site – make it a great article! That’s
how you build strong relationships and get referrals.

And always, follow the integrity rule of business and life: Do what you say you’re going to
do!

5. Follow Up

After you write a guest post for them, make sure to follow up! When they
post it, it’s a good idea to share it on Twitter/Facebook and other social
media and social bookmarking sites. It helps them and it helps you at the
same time. It will also help you stand out from other guest bloggers who
only care about getting links.

Following up is more than that though – it’s also about future business.
How else can you work together? Often, guest blogging is just the
beginning. Maybe you can share guest blogging contacts, articles, do social
media cross-promotions, email blasts for each other, joint ventures, create
a new information product… the sky is the limit!

Guest blogging is an incredible way to get thousands of visitors to your
site – but it’s an even better way to build relationships with people of
influence. Maybe it’s cliche but it’s true – the size of your network will
determine your net worth!

About The Author: Tom Corson-Knowles blogs about online marketing strategies
for entrepreneurs and small business owners. He took his Tom Corson-Knowles blog from
zero to over 100,000 pageviews a month in just 9 months using guest
blogging. Tom is also the bestselling author of The
Blog Business Book where he teaches everything you need to know about
turning blogging into a lucrative business without spending more than a
hundred dollars.

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Are you ready to give guest-blogging a go? Please e-mail Dan here if you are interested in becoming a guest blogger at MarketingOnline.com .