Being a guest blogger can be a huge asset for your business. There are numerous benefits to guest blogging, which include:
- A boost in exposure for your business. When you are highlighted as a guest blogger, you’re also tapping in to the following of that particular blog. And this exposure isn’t just limited to the number of people on their list or who are subscribed to their feed — since blog posts are usually broadcast to their various social media channels as well. The reach can be immense.
- Being recognized as the “expert” in your industry. When you’re highlighted as a guest blogger, you’re immediately seen as the expert in your industry. It’s an instant credibility booster, since the blog owner is essentially giving you their endorsement by allowing you to post on their blog.
- Getting a link to your site. The hands down, number one way — without question or argument — to getting better rankings in Google and other search engines is by having more links to your site from other sites (aka “backlinks”). It doesn’t matter how good you’ve optimized your pages, if you have no backlinks, you’re not going to be found by people looking for the solutions you provide. When you do a guest blog, it is customary for the site owner to allow you some sort of bio box section where you can provide a brief bio and link back to your site.
Now time to get to the real reason you’re reading… How do you find guest blogging opportunities for your business? The answer is surprisingly simple 
Ask.
Yup, that’s it. Just ask. You’re doing a favor for the blog owner, too, by providing them with additional content that they didn’t have to write themselves. The hard part to all of this is determining who to ask. Generally, your competitors aren’t going to be the people to ask 
So start by writing down a list of vertical industries, and/or those industries that share your same target markets. For example, a lot of coaches (business and personal) use virtual assistants. I’ve worked with numerous coaching professionals. So this would be a good start for me. After you know who you want to target, you develop a list of those businesses that also have blogs… it doesn’t work out so well if you reach out for guest blogging opportunities to places that don’t have a blog. And from there it’s pretty simple — keep your email brief and to the point, include a brief introduction of yourself, inquire on guest blogging opportunities, include some sample topics you could blog about (and of course, make this relevant to their audience), and if you have guest blogged before, include a couple of links as samples. And that’s it.
Now, not everyone is going to be banging down your door to accept your guest blog request. But to improve your chances, don’t send a generic form email when inquiring. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with their blog, the things they write about, and keep their target audience in mind and what benefit you will provide to them.
We’ve done guest blogging campaigns for a number of our clients with great results. It does take some time and research, but the rewards are worth it!
Have you done any guest blogging? What do you find works for you, and what doesn’t? I would love to hear your feedback!
