The First Step to Guest Blogging: Get Started

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

We all know how beneficial guest blogging can be. We see many other bloggers doing it, and we have all thought of doing it. But here’s the catch. It is not as easy to get started as you think.

It can be a nervous experience to get your first guest blog published. You are not on your own blog, the audience are not your regular readers. You are writing for a foreign blog, and foreigner, aliens, are going to read it.

How will they react? Will they like your article? How do they define a good article?

Often, all these doubts are the main obstacles from getting you started.

Guest blogging is no different from anything else. In order to get the hang of it, you have to get started, somewhere, no matter what.

Think cleaning your desk:

• 8:00AM: You’re looking for the check you received last Monday. You found a long lost crayon from childhood instead from your drawer. You keep it in your childhood memories box.
• 8:10AM: You’re now searching for the check among the piles of papers. You found some bank statements. You place them all in a special folder and label it “Bank Statements”.
• 8:20AM: You’re now sorting the rest of the papers to their respective folders, forgetting about your check.
• 8:40AM: You are now clearing the rest of the mess on your desk
• 9:00AM: Your desk is now cleaner and tidier than ever. Your check is right in front of you now.

Do you think you would ever have a tidy desk if not for the crayon? The crayon got you started.

So how to get started? It’s the same boring phrase you see all over the place, but I’m still gonna repeat it: GET STARTED ANYWAYS. Just do it. That is the only way you can overcome all your doubts and fears.

Your guest blog article might or might not be a success, but that doesn’t matter. What’s important is the lesson learnt.

If it’s a success, good for you! You are now more confident. Your doubts are fears are starting to fade. You know what works, and you continue your effort on another blog, trying to improve what was already good.

If it’s a failure, ask why. What went wrong? Why didn’t they like it? You have a hands-on experience on what won’t work. Fine tune you mistakes and give it another shot. Remember, everytime you fail, you are one step closer to success.

Now after you’re done reading this article, start drafting your first guest blog. Trust yourself, they really might like it. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t matter, because it’s just the “crayon”. Eventually you would have a tidy desk, remember?