5 Ways To Maximize Your Guest Posting

Our host today is Kiesha Easley. If you're interested in getting in front of the readers of Site Sketch 101, check out our guest posting invitation here.

So you just got word that your guest post has been published on that high-ranking site. Your fingers are totally crooked after keeping them crossed for so long. Finally, your hard work is going to pay off today – or at least you’re hoping.

Your post may do well and go totally viral on its own. It may get tons of comments and retweets without you ever lifting another finger. Or it could totally fizzle and produce record-breaking low views for that poor blog.

This last scenario is highly unlikely, since the blog owner wouldn’t have published an article that sucks that bad, but that still doesn’t mean you should just sit back, kick your feet up and soak up all the clicks. Remember, as a guest poster, you are there to be a help, not just bathe in the limelight for a day.

Put forth a little extra effort and treat your guest post the same way you would treat a post on your own site. You wouldn’t just publish a blog post on your own site and leave – would you? (Picture yourself dusting hands, “yep, I’m done here…”) No, you’d go the extra mile, take some time to promote it and let others know about it.

Here are some tips that will help you make the most of your guest post and get even greater results – more exposure and increased traffic, networking opportunities and possibly more Twitter followers.

These tips will help you present yourself to this new community as a caring and likable person. They will help you build more relationships that in the long run will benefit everyone involved. These tips will help you maximize the benefits of guest posting for everyone – not just you, but the blog owner and the community as a whole.

For every guest post you write:

Generate some buzz:  Tweet and and schedule some retweets to post at various times throughout the day.

Link to your post:  Remember to announce your guest post on your own blog. Post a link to let your visitors know where else they can find more of your great content.

Keep your own blog fresh: Try to post a strong fresh post on your own blog so new visitors from the guest post site will be lured in further. Make it impossible for them to resist subscribing to your blog.

Be Present and Active: Remember to remain as present and active on both your own site and the guest post site as possible. Respond to comments authentically. Greet those people who took the time to comment.

Network: Take the time to network with commentators. Follow them on Twitter. visit their blogs. Read their posts. Leave a comment. Retweet their posts. Subscribe to their blogs. Make new friends.

Be Helpful: Offer advice, make suggestions and answer questions whenever possible. So what tips do you have to offer that can help guest posters make the most of their experience?