Foolproof Way of Earning a Guest Posting Stint

by Jan Geronimo on August 24, 2009

Boys in the Surf 1

This post is about how getting in the crosshair of a blog author can earn you a guest posting stint. Come to think of it, this is a clear case wherein familiarity with the prospect blogger earns you – not contempt – but a guest posting job.

I got myself published in Jaypee Online – a resource-rich blog on blogging news, tech reviews and tips and tricks. Do I care about Jaypee being one of the movers and shakers in Philippine blogosphere? His blog ranks in the top 50 blogs in the Philippines after all. Does that impress me? Well, just between you and me – nah.

This is my first guest post at Jaypee Online:  HowTo: 10 Ways to Bring Sexy Back to Your Blog.

Jaypee Online is one of my favorite blogs. I hang out there initially because Jaypee’s blog is my idea of what a proper blog should be: clean layout, good writing, and a good resource of blogging how-tos and tips. It helps that Jaypee is a perfect host – a gentleman blogger. This is what matters to me.

The initial attraction, however, was different. I hang out there because of a simple need: to win his Top Commentator contest because I obsessed about one of the prizes – a WordPress t-shirt. I was blogging at Blogger then and to my warped thinking what could be better than upstaging his readers who are mostly WP bloggers. When you can’t afford a self-hosted WP blog, winning a WP tshirt is the second best thing.

Long story short: I won that contest and that tshirt. Which also made me a fat blip in Jaypee’s radar. It did not take him long to ask me to write a guest post for his blog.

Guest posting  lessons learned

Here are some thoughts why blog authors are more likely to publish you if they notice you taking an active part in their blog -

  • Your comments become your mini resume. The blog author has got a first hand look at how your mind works right in his own comment section.
  • The way you interact with other readers give the author a clear idea if you can contribute meaningfully to his blog. If your forte is offending people with snarky comments – do you honestly think you’d get invited in his blog?
  • Blog authors just like other normal people give opportunities to people they think they know. That’s human nature. If I need to outsource web design for a new blog who do you think I’d give it to? Yes, I’d search first from among my blog buddies.

From guest writer to blogging buddies

We’ve become close friends – Jaypee and I – because of that collaboration. I feel I have a stake in his blog. Not a day passes without either of us checking out what’s up with each other in Google Talk, Facebook updates, and in Twitter. When his blogging mojo dipped, I harassed our common friends for news of our buddy. And sighed in relief when he posted NBA updates in Facebook or when he surpassed somebody else’s record in Texttwist.

Not every online relationship turns out good, of course. Just as in any other aspect of your life there are losses. On balance, however, it’s all for the good. Submitting your post to another blog author is sharing at its best – and one fundamental reason why the internet has become a roaring success is because of this underlying principle.

Share your best writing

And when you get in the cross hair of your prospect blogger – be it a relative newbie like me or a superstar like Darren Rowse – give it your best shot. Be ready to pull out – not a rehash content you find in Google search – but a gift from deep within your heart or your bowels.  Here’s a @ricklondon tweet which says it best for me:

ricklondon tweet

Guest posts to watch out for in WritingToExhale:

Over to now, guys.  Do you have a surefire guest posting strategy to share?  How does it work for you?

Helpful Resources:

  1. Guest Posts Are Like Dating 2.0
  2. Guest Posting Secrets – How to Get Published on an A-List Blog
  3. 7 Reasons Why Guest Posting is Integral To Any Link-building Campaign
  4. How to Guest Post to Promote Your Blog

Photo CreditState Library and Archives of Florida

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Related Posts

  • Love that quote Jan!

    * Okay, I'm digging in your posts since you have been inactive again, he he he. Just wanted to read the posts I've missed.
  • Spot on. Collaboration, building trust, building rapport among other readers on that blog, asking if you could help... these are the things that can help in a big way, I guess.
  • One great thing about this is when you become close buddies. From blog comments things spill over into emails, chats and a good portion of these aren't even blog related. So it is not all about making a buck, getting ahead of the pack via collaboration although that's a good thing, too. The takeaway is that forging a good relationship with online buddies can be an end in itself. Makes it more fulfilling.
  • TrinaMb
    Further to the idea of championing - First, rest assured, I have never felt your efforts in connecting with me were anything but honourable. I do hope our 'friendship' is recipricol, and feel it is.
    I just started using the word 'championing' as it relates to my interactions, yesterday. Interesting to me how you relate the champion aspect, though I am a positive person, hadnt quite applied champion to my personal descriptors - it has a nice ring. It takes all kinds to make a community, and am happy to share chamionships with you and all your friends. Kind regards.
  • Well said, Trina. Indeed it takes all kind to build a community. And we
    certainly can learn so much from you here. Please feel at home. :)
  • Remember that bloody battle for the top commentator at Jaypee's? Wahahaha!

    And I got for myself a WP shirt too bro di ba, parang nakapag Las Vegas na rin!

    I still quite hesitant to give you the go signal for publishing my poem; will it scandalize your readers? Oh, hope that I will not be crucified for writing such poetic expedition. LOL!
  • Yeah, we have come a long way, Bro. Oh, I forgot to tell you - I wore my red Wordcamp shirt in Pampanga. Ahehehe. Darn, I forgot to take a picture of myself there with Roy's kids.

    Well, I'm not above stirring the pot a little more vigorously here, bro. :)
  • You should have taken yourself a pic and for sure, Jaypee must have been very happy seeing your wear that WP shirt.

    My WP shirt is still inside my closet, well-guarded by sensitive security cams, eheheh!
  • You're so hard to get hold of. Got a question about your poem, bro. It's
    about "Mine and Xoxe’s Muses" Please expain in GTalk. :)
  • Thanks for the kind words Jan! I'm not only honored to be the first blogger to have you as guest blogger but I'm also fortunate to have you as my friend. If not for your persistence and constant bugging on Facebook, Twitter and email, it would have taken longer for me to get back from my blogging hiatus. You helped me get my blogging "mojo" back. :)

    Btw, where's the guest post that you promised me? Hehe :P
  • Oh, I did not look hard enough the first time. It's here na your comment. Just to be sure I've whitelisted the email you've used so it will not be held in moderation the next time around.

    Thanks, that's me panicking. I thought you were done with blogging already. :) Awww - the guest post. Yeah, that one is long overdue already. Ahehehe
  • Haha..you better look harder next time. I'm sure my comment got through coz I was logged in thru my Disqus profile. Anyways, whitelisting my email address is one way of ensuring my future comments wont have any issues. Thanks!

    Yup, the guest post. So when can I expect it? Hehe :D
  • I got rid of moderation now. It's time-consuming to moderate comments when I
    should be reading and doing something else... Oh, that. This weekend - when
    the stars are properly in conjuction with each other. lols. We must speak
    softly about this. I'm also a fugitive from Elmot. He asked me to write
    something for his blog, too. Will seriously bang my head in the labs to
    coax something out. Finally. :)
  • TrinaMb
    Lovely JG, almost makes me wish I yearned to write as you and others do - almost. haha. I am content learning and championing. Look forward to hearing from those wishing to put themselves out there.
  • Thanks, Trina. Isn't guest writing a part of the championing process - not getting around to doing that yet? :)
  • TrinaMb
    I see what you mean, certainly guest writing could be considered part of the championing process. I hadnt included that in my definition of how I champion others causes, via RT, comments, taking my own time to personally invite my friends to join someone elses causes, introducing tweeps I have meet that may have a common interest. I am mostly happy to be gehind the scenes so to speak, help others in their success, adds to my success to. I know you understand that. But as far as me guest posting, there really is no 'gettting around to it' as I dont identify with the confessed yearning that so many writers seem to have. Hope that is all taken kindly :-) as intended.
  • Trina, that's an admirable position you have - championing worthy causes.
    Some of us willingly jump to be in the driver's seat, while others prefer to
    be behind the driver drawing up the itinerary, battle plans, networking
    strategies. Not bad at all. I'm not angling for anything from you. I'm
    just grateful we have crossed paths. It's a good thing to be in the company
    of champions. ",)
  • Wow, bagong footer gadget! Very nice. The color is very cool to the eyes and matches my browser's interface. Guest post? Pwede sumali kahit salimpusa lang? Ganda talaga ng footer. :)
  • I totally agree Bro, this footer stuff is very nice.

    I will certainly have to put one on my blog, wahhaha!
  • Ahahaha. You did not notice, Luke? You're already listed in the schedule
    of guest writers.

    Luke, you need to go to the Wibiya site and ask for an invitation code via
    email. It took me two days before they sent me my invitation code. Pssst.
    I installed it by my lonesome. I nearly panicked because something went
    wrong when they asked me to install the plugin via WP dashboard. The
    alternative is to go to the footer php file and copy paste the code. Good
    thing, I used GPS - I did not lose my way into the darn thing. lols. Go
    apply for your code na. :)
  • Ayos, flirting with the Dark Side. :) Ah, Wibiya. So that's how it works. Buti't updated ang map ng GPS mo. :D Really looks good with my blue-interfaced browser.
  • Yeah, pop up the hood sometimes. Nothing's gonna bite in there. Just save or backup your template first and everything will be fine.
  • Yeah, there's no getting around those things. It pays to know even the most
    basic things. Goes with the territory, right? :)
  • I don't want to give away too much info. lols. Ah, I'm learning to be more
    adventurous - going under the hood every now and then. I've learned not to
    fear my blog would vanish into thin air if I tinker with it too much.
    Imagine that. :) So much to do still around here.
  • Roy
    interesting post!

    and quite a list of line up you got there ;)

    looks like all systems go...

    way to go Jan!
  • There were minor hiccups along the way. You know, distractions. But blogging goes on... I remember how devious I felt cornering you into writing your guest post here. That's a little funny and surprising - because I totally forgot I had asked for it. So when the email came with your post in it? It came as a wonderful gift.

    And remember how I dug up the comment section to feature longish and great comments and refurbish them as guest posts? Ah, first there was Adrian. And then there was Jena's tips in beating writer's block.

    What can I say, Roy. I feel influential enough to declare I want guest posts for my blog. No more trawling the comment section to badger hesitant commenters. Ahehehe.

    Doc Z: JS Kit brings up bad memory of comments lost? That's great for extending the conversation between you and readers. Same with Disqus. You can reply right in the follow up email from Disqus.
  • zorlone
    Wait a minute! Was that list you placed at the bottom of the post an order of appearance of would be guest post? Hold on man, I am not ready yet. LOL

    I better read my work and see if I have the umph and the ahh to guest here.

    BTW, I do hope that all relationships in the blogosphere end up like yours and Jaypee's. Wow, I just can't imagine how far your commenting got you. First winning a prize, then a guest post, and of course, an online friend! What more can someone ask for?

    Now I have to keep commenting on the blogs that I follow. They might not recognize me the next time I drop by their doorsteps with my paragraph of a message. Whew!

    Z
  • Nope, Doc Z. If you need more time, I'd feature Elmot first. No pressure. :)

    It's an online friendship nurtured outside of the blog, too, Doc Z. He's in California while I'm in the boondocks. But we keep in touch via emails and Google Talk and the social media.

    We are lucky we had an occasion to meet each other during that meet up. I'm glad I overcame my shyness and braved through city pollution to meet you. :)
  • I am quite excited that my poem is to be featured here bro, eheheheh!

    Bring it on! hahahha!

    Jaypee indeed is a true gentleman, great host. I am just so damn thankful I met him and become my blogging buddy.

  • zorlone
    Ahhh! So, it was the pollution that you were afraid of and not the bad
    elements? Pick pockets, kidnappers, and swindlers? LOL

    At least you can protect yourself from the pollution by wearing a mask, he
    he he.

    Yey, will have a look at what I wrote and see if I can fulfill those terms
    we talked about from our email.

    Z
  • The bad elements ignored me - inglourious basterds. lol.
  • Roy
    Oh, commenting can do a lot Z, I've seen it myself.

    the first comment is like an 'ice breaker' and it's up to the two buddies how they'll take it from there.

  • zorlone
    @Roy, while Jan isn't here yet, I actually agree with that. There are a lot
    of people who never come back to reply the follow up comments. he he he. I
    am actually guilty of this too. I sometimes forget to come back but I read
    the comments on the feeds I get from my emails.

    Z
  • Roy
    We know you're quite busy ;)

    on the note about coming back, it's up to the host, really. if you know that the blog host, like Jan replies or at least acknowledges your comments, you know you have something to come back to.

    that's why he has developed a relationship with his readers.

    for those that don't come back, they're not really in it for the long haul ;)


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