Why and How to Guest Post

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

Who likes free money? Better yet, who doesn’t? Not to say it’s easy money, at least at first, but guest posting is a free way to make a little pocket cash. Here’s what guest posting gets you, for free:

• Traffic to your blog, which means you make money.
• Subscribers, which start out as visitors to your blog that you got through traffic.
• Links, which improve your search engine rankings.

This is all taking for granted that your guest post gets posted at all. Not that your chances are slim; bloggers like guest posts because that’s less work for them to do and it adds a nice splash of flavor that their subscribers haven’t seen (tasted?) yet. The guest blogger in turn gets all the perks bulleted above. So how do you get into some of this win-win hoopla?

Find blogs to post for

My creative writing professor always told me to write what I know. You can apply this principle in looking for blogs (either through links or Google) about things in which you’re already knowledgeable.

Follow these blogs and make note of their writing styles, their topics, their formatting and get a feel for what you need to embrace (don’t completely mimic it, or it will take the spice out of a guest post, which is meant to add flavor to a blog ordinarily written by one individual or entity). In fact, get to know your potential guest-post-posting-blogger so they remember you when you ask if they want some help.

Write the guest post

You’ve finally found your little circle of blog buddies and you’re ready to write. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing your guest post:

• Don’t repeat content. If the blogger just talked about, oh, I don’t know, poop popsicles, don’t talk about poop popsicles unless something innovative and earth-shattering has happened in the world poop popsicles.
• Use the same formatting as the blogger. Does he or she like bullets or numbered lists? Bold or italics? A little attentiveness will get you a long way.
• Don’t forget to market yourself, too. Close with a byline that will let viewers click a link to your blog.

Keep in mind that some bloggers will take days—weeks—before they let you know whether they’ve decided to reject you (sniff) or post your piece. If your guest post is accepted, remember to respond to any comments that readers have left behind. This connects you to the reader and he or she (and other viewers looking in on your conversation) is more likely to visit your blog.

Now, get writing, get connected, and enjoy.