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:
Guest posts to watch out for in WritingToExhale:
- Doc Z of Zorlone – a poem about an inspiring group of young bloggers.
- Gerson of Pinoy Soundingboard – a poem on bells and women.
- Luke of Darkest Shade – a poem on flirting with the dark side.
- George of Tumblemoose Writing Services – a surprise gift of a post.
Over to now, guys. Do you have a surefire guest posting strategy to share? How does it work for you?
Helpful Resources:
- Guest Posts Are Like Dating 2.0
- Guest Posting Secrets – How to Get Published on an A-List Blog
- 7 Reasons Why Guest Posting is Integral To Any Link-building Campaign
- How to Guest Post to Promote Your Blog
Photo Credit: State Library and Archives of Florida
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