Guest blogging is anything but a new concept to the digital marketing world. Bloggers love helping one another out and lending their voice to others especially in related industries or due to similar interests. A relatively new concept is approaching guest blogging with a strategic mindset. Guest blogging is more than just throwing out a few emails, hoping someone is interested in your guest blog or being your guest blogger. For your brand, it takes more than that. Here’s what you need to do.
Read Blogs.
Easy enough? It’s true you must start by reading blogs (scanning doesn’t count!) There is no shortage of blogs these days and there are definitely ALL kinds. So get your search engine ready and start finding the blogs that inspire you, motivate you and interest you. Save a few for personal reasons and save the ones that could be a potential guest blogging opportunity.
Create a database.
Now that you’ve done your blog reading and collected the ones that catch your eye, start a database of bloggers who you would like to connect with professionally. Include the blog name, URL, blogger’s name, contact information and a short description. This database will take some time and will also be something that grows gradually. It may also help to include a few guest blogging ideas for the specific blogger in the database.
Say Hello.
With your database handy, start working through the list. One by one, determine the best way to contact the blogger (email, tweet or Facebook message). Pay attention to how they communicate with their audience. If they reply to a lot of tweets, start there. If they haven’t posted to Facebook in a while, start with email and Twitter first. If they’re a serious Instagrammer, maybe leave a comment to get their attention. Show up where they are to let them know you’re interested in connecting.
In addition to your initial greeting, be sure you’ve done your homework and have a plan. Propose your guest blogging ideas as someone who knows who they are, what they write about and why you’re an excellent fit as their guest blogger or why they should be yours. Include what drew you to their blog as well as what you related to.
Share Ideas.
After you’ve made a connection, have a plan ready. Pitch the blog topics you already in mind for yourself or for them. It’s common that bloggers are swamped with new ideas or perhaps have a detailed content schedule; therefore, brainstorming with them may not result in a guest blog as quick as you’d like. Come to them with your pitch right off the bat.
Scratch Their Back
The saying rings true; especially in the blogging world: “Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” Once the guest blogging connection has been made and perhaps the guest blog(s) have been posted, be sure you promote the content effectively and give credit to your guest blogger connection. The work you put behind the post will be for nothing if the post falls on deaf ears or if you don’t harness the guest blogger’s (potentially large) audience.
Making that first guest blogging connection will result in such an accomplished feeling that guest blogger outreach will become part of your monthly, if not weekly, marketing strategy. We propose guest blogging to many of our clients and execute these strategies on their behalf. It’s an effective approach we’re consistently improving and we love to show our clients’ the results! If guest blogger outreach sounds like the perfect addition to your marketing plan, let us help. Leave us a comment or give us a call to learn more: 214.414.3035
