Whether you are a beginner blogger or an advanced one, guest posting is one of the most effective strategies to increase traffic and your authority in your niche.
In this detailed guide, I have tried to cover all the aspects of guest posting.
Without any further delay, here’s everything you need to know about guest posting.
What is guest posting?
The obvious question!
Guest posting means to write a post on someone else’s blog.
You would be given the credit as the writer of the post. However, it would get published on someone else’s blog.
Who can write a guest post?
Anyone!
Whether you are a new blogger or an experienced one; you are eligible to write a guest post.
Therefore guest posting is quite popular.
What are the benefits of guest posting?
There are many benefits of guest posting:
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Traffic :
Guest posting is a great strategy to get traffic to your blog. When you write a guest post on someone else’s blog, you get an opportunity to show your knowledge and expertise in front of a new audience base.
This can prove quite helpful for your traffic.
To gain maximum benefit, make sure your guest post is excellent and up to the mark. If people would like your guest post, they would visit your blog.
The person might also end up becoming a loyal reader of your blog.
That’s why it is recommended to choose the right blog for guest posting. If your chosen blog doesn’t get good traffic, there’s probably no reason for you to write a guest post for that blog.
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Authority:
It’s essential to build authority as a blogger.
And this won’t happen overnight.
This would take time and gradually with the power of useful content; you would build authority in your niche.
However, there’s a fantastic strategy to boost this process.
And that strategy is guest posting.
When people start noticing you – On your blog, or as a guest blogger, they start seeing you as an authority in your niche.
Therefore make use of guest blogging opportunities and start building authority.
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Backlinks
One of the best methods to get quality backlinks is guest posting.
Backlinks are links that one blog/website gets from another blog or website.
Why does your blog need backlinks?
To rank in Google Search Results.
One of the parameters for ranking higher in search results is backlinks.
When you write a guest post on someone’s blog, you get a chance to drop a link back to your blog.
Either you can leave a link to your blog, or you can link to some particular blog post, landing page, service or hire me page; depending upon your goal behind guest blogging.
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Networking
It’s essential to build a network in your blogging community.
And via guest posting, you do this exact thing.
Guest posting allows you to interact with other bloggers. You never know you might end up becoming the best of friends with this other blogger.
Blogging can get lonesome and therefore, it is important to have at least a small network of blogger friends (If they belong to your niche, then it’s even better).
So, these are some of the benefits of guest posting.
Now that you know how important and beneficial guest posting is let’s see the exact process you need to follow for maximum success.
How to start guest posting?
(A Step by Step process)
Here’s the exact process you should follow to start guest posting –
How to find guest posting opportunities?
The very first step is to look for guest posting opportunities.
These are some ways in which you can find blogs that accept guest posts –
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Google
The easiest way is to use Google Search. Go to Google and type any of the following search terms –
Keyword + “Guest Post.”
Keyword + “Accept Guest Post.”
Keyword + “Write for us.”
Keyword blogs + “Guest Post Contributors.”
Replace ‘Keyword’ with your blogging niche. For example –
All the blogs listed in the search result are those that are currently accepting guest posts.
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Facebook Groups
Another method is to use Facebook Groups. Many Facebook Groups have collaboration days.
Look at the comment section of the Collaboration Post, see if any blogger (who is in the same niche) is currently accepting guest posts.
Or go ahead and post a comment that you are looking for blogs (mention your niche) that are currently accepting guest posts.
Either way, there’s a high probability that you would find 2-3 blogs for guest posting.
You can also directly post in the Group (See that the group allows this. You can find the rules in the pinned post, that is, the first post in the group) that you are looking for blogs currently accepting guest posts.
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Ask your blogger friends
If you have some blogger friends, ask them if they are interested in a guest post by you. Make sure they belong to the same niche.
My Blog Guest is a site meant for this very purpose. It allows you to find blogs for guest posting.
You can create a free account. And then list your guest post details (Title, a short description, and the number of words).
Other bloggers and website owners (members of My Blog Guest) would be able to see these details. They would then contact you regarding the guest post. If you are interested in publishing your guest post on their blog, then you would be asked to submit the entire article.
And that’s how you would easily find guest post opportunities via My Blog Guest.
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Directly contact Famous Bloggers in you your niche
If you already know some Famous bloggers in your niche, go to their blog and see if they are currently accepting guest posts.
You would usually find an option like ‘Guest Posting Guidelines’ or ‘Write for us’ somewhere on their blog (Footer or Menu).
If you are not able to find any such option but still want to try, send them an email.
Ask them if they are currently accepting guest posts. It would be great if you can send them 3-4 guest post topics too. This would save their time as they can easily decide whether they are interested or not.
How to choose the right blog for guest posting?
Once you start searching for guest posting opportunities (using any of the methods given above), you would realise it is quite easy to find guest posting opportunities.
Many bloggers would be ready to accept guest posts on their blogs.
Here comes the twist! 
Don’t go ahead and choose any blog for guest blogging.
Remember if the chosen blog is not up to the mark, you won’t be able to gain even one benefit of guest posting.
Therefore it’s essential to choose the right blog for guest blogging.
Here are a few points to keep in mind before finalising any blog:
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Domain Authority
Domain Authority (DA) is a score or a number given to all blogs/websites. This number plays an important role in determining the ranking of a blog in Google Search Results.
A good criterion for guest blogging is to choose blogs that have a higher DA than yours.
If your DA is 15, go for blogs that have at least a DA of 35.
There’s no use writing a guest post for blogs that have a DA lower than yours.
How to check DA of any blog?
- Visit this link.
- Type the URL of the blog.
- Moz will give you the blog’s DA.
An even better idea is to install Moz Chrome Extension.
While searching for guest posting opportunities on Google, Moz chrome extension would show DA of all the search results. In this way, you can straight away reject those blogs who have a DA lower than yours. This would save your time and efforts.
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Social Media Following
Just like DA, it is important to choose a blog that has a decent number of social media followers.
Most blogs depend upon social media for traffic. If a particular blog has a really low social media following, then drop that blog from your list.
Check their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram accounts.
It’s okay if they don’t have a massive amount of following in all these platforms. Maybe one blogger has thousands of loyal followers on Instagram, but only 100 likes on her Facebook page.
That doesn’t mean you should reject this blog.
Just make sure the blogger has a good and loyal reader base on at least one social media account.
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Same Niche
Very important!
A mistake most beginners make is that they choose their blogger friend’s blog for guest posting or they have an exchange deal like I’ll write a guest post for you and you can do the same for my blog.
All this is good if both of your niches is the same.
But if it isn’t, then you are on the wrong path.
Please STOP!
There’s no benefit in writing a guest post for a blog that belongs to a different niche.
First of all, the audience is different. They won’t be interested in your content. Maybe some of them would visit your blog, but chances are less that they would continue to follow your blog.
Secondly, it is better to get a backlink from a blog belonging to the same niche.
Hence it is important to choose blogs in your niche.
Delete those blogs whose DA is less than you. Delete those blogs too whose DA is below 20. Yes! Even if your blog DA is 15, don’t go for blogs with DA of 20. For maximum benefit, choose those blogs that have a DA higher than 20.
How to decide the topic for a guest post?
Before you go ahead and contact the bloggers, it is important to create a list of topics for your guest posts.
You can either create a general list or a specific list of topics for a particular blog (2nd option is better).
Go through the blog (you want to write a guest post for), read a few posts and try to find the basic theme of the content –
What’s the tone of the blogger – Serious, Funny, Sarcastic, Millennial etc.
What are the central topics of the blog?
Does she include a lot of images in her content? Etc.
In most of the blogs, you would find a ‘Most Popular Posts’ or ‘Currently Trending’ section in the sidebar.
Have a look at these posts. These are the posts that her audience has loved.
Take inspiration from this and create a list of topics for your guest post pitch.
Another good idea is to include one trending topic in your guest post pitch. Look at Google trends or Pinterest for ideas. You can even have a look at the other mediums – Television, Magazines or Newspaper to get an idea of what’s currently popular in your niche.
So, in your pitch include one topic that is based on a current trend.
You never know the blogger might pick the trending topic out of the three topics.
Remember the topics selected by you play an important role. If the topics aren’t compelling, the blogger won’t give you an opportunity to guest post.
So, pay special attention to your guest post topics.
How to contact bloggers? ( Guest Post Pitch)
Now that you have a list of blogs that qualify as the ‘right’ options for guest blogging as well as a list of topics, it is time to contact the blogger concerned.
You can do this in 2 ways –
Contact Page –
Visit the blog and find a Contact Page. You would either find their email address there or a mini form that you can fill to let them know about your interested in guest posting.
Some bloggers combine their About Me page and Contact Page. Therefore if there is no Contact page, check their About Me page.
On some blogs, you would find a separate page dedicated to Guest Posts (These are mostly titled ‘Guest Post Submission Guidelines’ or ‘Write for us’. So, look for such pages too.
Direct Message –
If you are already familiar with the blogger concerned, then you can directly message them on Facebook or Instagram. Firstly ask them if they are currently accepting guest posts or not.
If they are, then send them your guest post pitch via email.
Guest Post Pitch
Guest Post Pitch is an important aspect of this whole process. Your pitch is like your resume. It should look good, clean and professional.
In the spreadsheet (created earlier), add a new column – Status. Depending upon whether your pitch got accepted, declined or that you didn’t get any reply, update this column for each blog.
This would help you in keeping track of all your guest post pitches.
Few tips for guest post pitch –
- Avoid using terms like ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’, ‘To the person concerned’, ‘Owner of so and so blog’s etc. Address the blogger using his/her name.
- Have a thorough look at the blog before contacting the blogger. In your pitch, mention a few things you like about the blog – Branding, Content, Homepage Design etc. This is an excellent way to make your pitch personal.
- Introduce yourself and your blog in 3-4 lines.
- Now mention that you are interested in writing a guest post for his/her blog. Pitch three topics (Just the headings) for the guest post. If needed, explain each topic in a line or two. But remember to keep it short.
- If you have earlier written guest posts for any other blogs/websites, mention them here. Leave a link to the posts. This would show the blogger that you have already written guest posts for some other blogs. This might increase your chances of your pitch getting accepted.
- End your pitch with a positive statement like ‘Have a nice day’.
Wait for at least a week after sending your guest post pitch. If you don’t receive any reply even after a week, then send a follow-up email. Keep it as simple as possible.
Again wait for a week or so. If you still don’t receive any reply, then it’s probably time to cut that blog from your list (at least for now). Go back to your spreadsheet and type ‘No reply’ under the Status column.
Repeat the exact process for all your guest post pitches.
Guest post submission guidelines
Most of the times, you will find guest post submission guidelines on the concerned blog itself. Most bloggers have a separate page that lists all the guidelines for guest posting on their blog.
In case, there’s no such page on their blog; they would share the guidelines with you via email.
How to write the guest post?
If you receive a positive reply from the blogger concerned, then it’s time to start writing your guest post.
Important tips :
- Do thorough research on the topic. Even if you are well versed with the topic, do a little research. This would help you in writing the best version of the topic available.
- Keep in mind the guidelines provided to you by the blogger – Word Count, Tone, Images or No Images, External Links and Internal Links etc. Always frame your post according to the guidelines. For example, if the blogger has asked you to write a 1000 word post, then do so. Don’t disappoint her by giving a 500-word post.
- If possible, include at least one internal link (Link to any of her post) in your guest post.
- If you can find a good image for the post, send one along with your post.
- Write your post and edit it.
- Read it before sending the final version.
- You can send the post in a word document or Google Sheet.
Author Bio
Till now, all the points discussed above were regarding the blogger for whom you are writing a guest post.
Author Bio is one such section which deals entirely with you.
In short, an author bio is a small introduction of the blogger who has written this post. This includes-
- A photo of the blogger
- A small introduction – Who is she? What does she do – Graphic Designer, Content Writer, Blogger etc.
- A link to her blog or any other important page – Landing page for email subscription, Sales Page for an eBook or eCourse, Start Here page etc.
Spend some time writing a good Author bio for yourself. Remember to write it in third person. (Looks professional).
What to do after your guest post has been published?
The blogger would ideally tell you when she is going to publish your post.
Once your guest post is published, do the following:
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Send a Thank You Email
Send a short email to thank the blogger.
Firstly this is a good professional practice to follow.
Secondly, this helps you with networking.
See, your contact with the concerned blogger doesn’t end here.
As both of you are in the same niche and profession, you might want to collaborate again – For Roundup posts, interview posts, or just for some blogging advice.
So, keep in touch with the blogger.
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Reply to the comments.
Wait for a day or two after your post has been published. Then go and reply to all the comments.
Recheck the comment section after a few days. And leave a reply to all the new comments.
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Promote, promote and promote:
Start promoting this post. Pin it, share it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share it in various Facebook Group Sharing Threads.
Send it to your email list.
The more eyes your post gets, the better it is for you.
Tips for successful guest posting
Here are a few tips to help you in gaining maximum benefit out of guest posting-
- Choose blogs that have a DA higher than 20.
- Always keep the guidelines in mind while writing the guest post.
- Be professional and send the guest post within the decided number of days.
- Don’t try to include a lot of links (to your blog) in the guest post. This would be frowned upon by the blogger.
- Pay special attention to your author bio – It’s your small introduction to a new audience base.
- Keep in touch with the blogger even after your post has been published.
FAQs Related To Guest Posting
Q – Is guest blogging good for SEO?
A – Yes! Definitely.
Guest posting is one of the best legal strategies to improve your Google Ranking.
From beginners to experts, everyone uses guest posting to get backlinks, increase their DA and thereby to improve their blog’s ranking in Google Search Results.
Q – What is a paid guest post?
A – Most of the times, guest posts are free,
However, some sites pay content writers and bloggers for guest posting.
If you want to make some extra money alongside growing your blog, paid guest posts are perfect for you.
You get an opportunity to show your knowledge and promote your blog in front of new readers as well as you get paid.
I came across this article that lists blogs that pay for guest posts. You can check out this article once you finish reading this guide.
Q – Is guest posting worth it?
A – Definitely! I guess by now you know that guest posting could bring your blog so many benefits. 
Q – How many guest posts should I write?
A – It depends upon you. There’s no magic number.
If you are just starting with guest posting, then you can aim for at least one guest post per month.
However, I repeat, this is a very subjective question. Therefore it totally depends upon you. There’s no right or wrong number.
Q – Can I write a guest post for the same blog more than once?
A – Yes. You can. If it’s a popular blog and you got a really good response the first time you wrote a guest post for it, go ahead and write another one.
However, in general, it is recommended not to write guest posts for one blog again and again. You have already received one backlink from that blog. So, there’s no use getting another backlink from the same blog. Instead, find a new blog and send a pitch to the blogger for guest posting.
Conclusion
Guest posting is one of the best strategies to increase your blog traffic and to improve your authority.
The best thing is that it’s free to use.
Whether you are new to the game Or an expert, make use of this free strategy to take your blog to the next level.
Good luck!
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