This is a guest post by Michael Chi from Blast4TrafficNow.net.
Do you want to get your guest post published on A-list blogs?
A single guest post on a popular blog can cause and influx of targeted traffic, relevant and unique backlink and increase your Google pagerank. I’ve seen the great potentials in these authority blogs and my major goal is to get at least 2 articles featured on their homepage monthly.
The strategies I highlight below can get you started on your quest for successful guest blogging.
You’ve 3 things to do right away; Read. Understand. Implement.
1. Research Your Topic Properly
You can’t win on these blogs with a generic idea. You need to deliver top-notch articles to be considered. The guest post guidelines are usually strict for these blogs, so you need to know the topic you intend writing on.
By researching thoroughly, several aspects of that topic or niche could be unveiled to you. From this angle, you can pitch the blogger and expect a “YES” every time. Proper research has a lot to do with reading other blogs. It’s not just the keywords that matter, but the motives behind those key terms.
Keywords are critical for SEO, but to land a great article on A-list blog, you need to write quality content, that’s what count and the “available” traffic could be yours.
2. Craft Your Headline
You may call it title or headline, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how catchy and unique it is. I discovered a long time ago that successful guest posters have mastered the art of crafting powerful headlines.
Even before you write the complete article, the headline has to interest and piqué the blog owner. If you fail in this respect, every other effort would be in vain. I know you’re a great writer and your contents are always superb, but does your headline attract readers?
Include numbers on your headline. Don’t exceed 75 characters or else you lose your chances of getting approved.
3. Show Proofs Always
For your guest post to make it successfully on these A-list blogs, you need to present proofs that you’re a skilled writer. This is where writing portfolio comes in – and I admonish you to start compiling all your published guest articles on a separate blog page.
This is going to soften the heart of a blogger when your title idea arrives. Have you published any guest article on similar blogs before?
Even if this is your first time, tell the blogger the truth but have samples to back up your claims as a great writer. When contacting a blogger for guest posting, include published links to some of your works online – this strategy is going to add a feather to your writing cap.
4. Write With A Unique Voice
The most important criteria for getting a “YES” from any popular blog, is the uniqueness of your voice. Truth is: every article has already been written. No matter the topic or niches you’re into, other experts who are more brilliant than you have already done excellent works.
So what’s left for you?
Have a unique voice. Approach a common topic from a creative point of view. Instead of writing 5 ways to make money online, you should select on method and dissect it for easy assimilation. Add a lot of personal anecdote and citation where necessary.
Add humor to lighten up your piece. Everyone loves a cool laugh and would appreciate it. When you write, don’t be pretentious. Instead, say it the way it is – remember, you can’t pretend with your articles. Readers would always know an honest work from a fake one. Make it easier from the scratch. Be yourself!
5. Have Something To Say
Writing with your unique voice is cool, but you must have a message to pass across. No one wants to read generic articles anymore, at least not professional bloggers and internet entrepreneurs who visit these top blogs every time.
Ideally, case studies, interviews and practical articles are the best that always get a positive applause when submitted.
Whatever niche you’re into, you can contact ‘icons’ and extract intelligent information from them. Even in the ever crowded internet marketing niche, you can still do a case study that wins the race.
Solve a problem with your guest article. We’re in the world to impact lives while earning a living. If this becomes the pivot that directs your life, you’ll definitely success online.
When I discovered the problem online shoppers were facing, I built a coupon blog and started reviewing daily consumer products like web hosting voucher, 6pm.com shoe discounts, sitter-city coupon codes etc, the results where overwhelming.
Locate an immediate problem that needs solution, and write an article around it. Follow the above strategies coupled with perseverance and positive thoughts, you’ll make it online as a blogger and that’s a guarantee.
Interesting post! I have never considered doing guest posting before but for sure when i will ever consider and try i will keep your to do list in mind!:)
Hi Michael.
Nice post. i agree on the point that choosing a generic topic for discussion is better suited for the guests who want to try this. A unique and catchy title definitely attracts the reader. One can share his/her personal experiences.its always good to read people’s experience of life and moreover it can create a unique bond among the writer of the post and the reader.
Thanks for commenting on my post. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Good luck in your blogging business.
I love your tips on guest blogging. In fact, I have just submitted a guest post on this blog, really hope it will get approved and published soon. I have been guest blogging on a number of popular blogs too, but this is my first time trying on this popular blog.
Cheers, let’s write more good posts!
You’re welcome Jasmine. Yes, I’ve read a couple of your quality guest posts. You’ve some cute writing voice. Keep up the good work.
Totally love this post! It touches upon so many of the key things that bloggers/writers need to do when approaching other blogs for guest posts. I recently landed a great feature on a website (that I have adored for ages) because I did the above. Another thing is the confidence to approach target blogs because often we lack the self-belief in our writing, voice and ideas.
You are correct about voice being very important. I write children’s picture books and most every picture book, like blog articles, have already been written. It’s the voice that makes one picture book stand out over another. The better voice always wins.
I’d like to add one more tip: Make sure your post doesn’t include avoidable misspells and grammar errors. I am by no means expert on this matter (my mother tongue is Finnish), but it seems like too many posts include errors, that could’ve been easily avoided (such as using singular form when plural is expected etc.). I totally make these same mistakes myself too from time to time, and I know is not that easy as a non-native English speaker to write a post without making a couple of errors. They always tend to slip here and there.
My point is that in guest posts you want to give the best possible image of your expertise, and if your post includes a lot of spelling mistakes and stuff like that (i.e. easily avoided ones) it will for sure decrease the authority of your post in the eyes of many people out there.
Great post Michael….Guest blogging is really good in generating Backlinks and ya The Headline must be really catchy ..because the readers choose to read an article only by selecting a topic which attracts or just grab them in their first sight itself..so Choosing the TOPIC is really an important step in blogging
Michael, your old-fashioned typewriter illustration was catchy.
I read with interest your points on getting your blog published. Your instructions for creating a quality article with a killer headline are my current focus, as guest blogging is my next step.
One question; If you haven’t done any outside blogging, except in a forum, what would you recommend I say about my blog to promote myself as one who writes quality articles?
Bookmarked this post ! I have been seriously considering guest blogging, but wasn’t sure where to begin. I run into the same subject matter and writing style- over and over again – within my niche, I would really like to give a fresh spin on the subject.