I’m a true believer that guest posting can be very effective in generating traffic and fresh new ideas for your blog. When I first started my blog, I remember everyone telling me to search for guest blogging opportunities because they can increase brand awareness and traffic growth. Now that I’ve been blogging for several years, I’ve started to accept guest posts for my blog, hoping to give people a chance to promote their brands. However, you should be very selective when accepting guest posts because NOT everyone can offer you the quality content you’re looking to publish. If you’re a blog owner or a blogger, it important you know what is required when submitting your content. Here are a few things to keep in mind that blog owners are looking for in content submitted. Personally, I would suggest any blog looking to accept guest posts to follow these simple, but effective rules.
Altogether, there are “10†solid tips and I’ve created a series so I can go in-depth on each point. Let’s get started…
Rule #1- Credibility
As your blog popularity grows, you’re going to receive several guest post submission inquiries per day. Even though all this fresh, new content from newbies can be valuable to your blog, it’s important to NOT simply accept every guest post submission. Some bloggers don’t have the right intentions in mind and will use this opportunity to post non-credible content on your blog. This will hurt your reputation, but will be an advantage for the guest poster. Here’s what I do when I’m approached with such a situation.
First, I sit back and analyze the purpose of my blog. For example, I started my blog with a specific objective in mind. If I want to build my own personal brand, then it’s NOT a good idea I accept all of the guest posts and start publishing them. My readers will see a shift in authors and not see my name on content published on my blog as often. I’ll lose loyalty this way because many people have stuck around because they have faith in what I produce. However, this is only “1†part of the equation. The other part is very simple…
The second reason is many of the people submitting guest posts don’t have expertise in the niche. They don’t meet the credibility threshold and won’t be able to provide the same value I provide my readers. When you are going through guest posts, you have to do your own research on the author, making sure they are someone who knows the niche well. Only experts can produce the best content suitable for my blog. It doesn’t make sense to accept guest posts from someone who don’t know how to write posts…simple!
When I have a handful of posts submitted, I start doing my own research looking for the following…
Google Search –
Performing a quick search in Google with their name in quotation marks will bring up other content they’ve published online. I’ll first check what other blogs have published their content. If JohnChow.com has published their content, then they must be producing value because JohnChow.com is a credible name in the online money making niche. Next, I’ll read through their content on these other blogs, making sure they offer substance and know what they are talking about in relevance to my niche. I’ve been in the niche a long time so know when someone knows their stuff or are trying to bluff readers.
Social Profiles –
Looking over an author’s social profile is a great way to determine their value. It’s a trend that authority bloggers have a huge social following. When visiting their profiles, if I notice a huge social following, then this is a clear sign that others agree they provide value.
Author Bio Links –
This is a simple strategy to check how credible the author is within your niche. Guest post authors will often add 1-2 links within their biography toward the bottom. I’ll click them and start skimming through the site they are linking to. I’ll be looking for the following…
- The actual design and feel of the website. You can tell a spam site from a legit site just by the way it looks when you first arrive on the page.
- Skim through the content, looking to see what type of content they write (length, topics, and depth)
- Social shares on content because valuable content usually has higher than normal engagement.
- Comments, because they are a clear indication of what people felt about the content and if they have any further questions. Questions being asked means they have written content that makes people think and engage further.
Wrapping It Up…
If you’re a credible blogger, you’re going to have people asking you for guest blogging opportunities. I highly recommend accepting guest posts because it offers a twist to your content. You’ll have a fresh point of view from people who are just starting out in your niche. Newbies have a completely different way of viewing strategies so definitely provide engaging content. However, you need to narrow down your choices, accepting only the content that will be an asset to your blog. Once you have a handful of solid bloggers, you can keep them in rotation, asking them for more guest content going forward.