You need to be able to write well. Be honest with yourself here: if you’re not very fluent in English, or if you struggle a lot with spelling and grammar, you may not yet be at the level where you’re ready to dive into guest blogging. If you do want to go ahead, then it’s worth finding a friend who can help out with a bit of editing, or you might even consider paying a professional editor to help polish your work before pitching a guest post.
You need to choose your host blog wisely. This means picking a realistic blog or publication that already takes guest posts. And I know this might sound obvious, but aiming for the very biggest blog or publication in your niche with your very first try, will only let you down and set the wrong expectations when you’re first getting into guest blogging. With this incremental approach, you can also gain valuable experience before you pitch the blog of your dreams.
I’m a living testament to the truth of this approach in steadily growing my own blog over the years—and I’ve structured my entire blog business plan around this core blog strategy.
If you’re looking for a little more guidance with growing your blog, then business mailing lists poland pick up my free blog planner bundle that’s packed with templates and resources to help along the way.
You Don’t Need a Huge Personal Brand to Succeed at Guest Blogging
When I first started guest blogging few years ago and began to have my work published on other (much higher authority) blogs, I didn’t yet have a personal brand or reputation at all.
What I did have, however, was the ability to write a blog post that could tell a compelling story, draw readers in and also serve to help my host’s blogging goals. Having the growing skill of writing that you’re constantly working to improve—and the willingness to be persistent with your outreach efforts—will go a long way in helping your guest blogging campaigns succeed.
On top of that foundational writing ability, I started with pitching startups I’d either already worked with in some capacity through my day job (as a content marketer at CreativeLive) or companies that would at least be familiar with the brand of my employer.
I leveraged the most advantageous tool at my disposal (working for a globally recognized startup) to network my way into guest blogging opportunities at other similar companies.
You may not be in the same position as I was when I started guest blogging—but challenge yourself to use the tools you’ve got, to your advantage.