Over the past few years, I’ve written a lot about guest posting on blogs. In 2010, I wrote about getting visitors to your blog through guest posts and later wrote a second article on how to more effectively use guest posts.
Then in 2011, I shared some guest posting guidelines, and in January I published several templates for responding to guest blogging requests.
But what I realized is that I never showed you how to be a good guest blogger yourself!
The truth is, when you write a guest post or participate in an interview on another blog, your job isn’t done. Here are 3 tips for being a good guest blogger:
1. Spread the word about your guest post
Ask your host when he or she plans to publish your guest post, and at what time. Then once it’s live, share a teaser on your own blog, announce it on Twitter, share the link on Facebook, and include a link in your next newsletter.
There are several ways you can write a teaser post for you own blog. One way is to introduce the host blogger to your readers, and end with “Now that you’ve gotten to know a little bit about ____, why don’t you head over on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 to read my guest post about _____.”
You could also give your readers a glimpse of the post by picking out your favorite part, putting it in quotations, and ending with, “to read the rest, you’ll have to visit ______, where I just so happen to be guest posting today!”
Another way to create interest is to talk about how you came up with the topic or idea, then point readers to the actual post. This is especially useful if you’ve been talking about a certain subject on your own blog for weeks and created a summary post to use on another blog.
One thing you do not want to do is publish your entire guest post on your own blog, or in your own newsletter.
The whole reason that bloggers accept guest posts in the first place is because they’re looking for something that’s new, fresh, and original to share with their readers. If you re-publish your guest post elsewhere, it’s like violating their trust in you to give them original, unique content.
2. Socialize with the blog’s readers
Once the post is live, return to the comment section every day for the next week and interact with the blog’s readers.
If someone says “good job,” be humble and say “thank you.” If someone asks a question, answer it. If someone shares a commentary, or different point of view, reply but don’t get defensive. And above all, remain respectful.
3. Create a follow-up post
If your guest posts gets a lot of comments asking for clarification about certain points, or seems to focus in on one area of your post, talk to the blog owner about submitting a follow-up post addressing those issues.
If the blog owner isn’t interested in a follow-up post, write the post on your own blog, then return to your guest post and in the comment section of your post state something like, “Because of all the comments regarding ____, I’ve put together a follow-up post on my blog. You can read my thoughts, here: _____.”
As you can see, being a good guest blogger isn’t just about writing an original, high quality post or obtaining recognition for your product, service, or blog. It’s also about giving back, and expanding your own community to include the host blogger’s community as well.