You want to post regularly to your blog. You have done everything right: you’ve planned and strategised, but somehow you are still struggling to come up with yet another post. One way around this is to bring in a guest blogger. But there are more benefits to having a guest post on your blog. Here are some tips to get you moving in the right direction.

What is guest blogging?

The process is fairly explanatory: that of bringing in somebody else to write an article for your blog. Many online marketing experts recommend guest blogging as a way of broadening your audience, of increasing your network, because it’s like grassroots marketing. If your guests offer you a guest blog spot in return, then it is also great for being seen as an authority in your field.

Why are guest bloggers a good idea?

Apart from the fact that a guest blogger saves you the angst of constantly thinking up new material, bringing in another guest blogger has other benefits.

Some of these benefits include:

  • a fresh voice. Everybody writes in a different way, with a different voice and a different style. But bringing in a guest also brings in a fresh perspective to your overall topic. It can be like bringing in a breath of fresh air, reinvigorating your audience and sparking off new ideas.
  • a day off! Having someone else post on your blog, especially if you are able to host a guest fairly regularly, gives you a break from the pressure of churning out articles. You might occasionally need to collaborate on ideas, but it still leaves the angst of writing to someone else. 
  • new ideas. Your guests’ blogs, in approaching a topic slightly differently, are likely to help spark off new ideas. This can be great for your own creativity.
  • a new audience, and new networking opportunities. If you draw a guest who hosts another blog, and if your guests promote their guest blogging spots (which is great for them too!), it’s likely that their audience will come to your blog to read their work. And, if they’re interested, chances are they’ll read through your blog as well. Needless to say, this is great for expanding your network, because guest bloggers will often offer you a spot as a guest on their blogs.
  • the opportunity for your writers to get involved. If you choose to put out a call for guest bloggers, then some of your readers may well get excited about the possibility of participating. This alone is great for reinforcing your relationship with your readers.

How do you find guests for your blog?

The best guest bloggers are those who can bring in something new or fresh for your audience. They can be colleagues in your industry, people who write similar blogs, or even those who most frequently leave comments on your blog.

If your business is like ours, and has various contractors who provide particular skills for your clients, then you have yet another source of guest bloggers. By sitting down and brainstorming potential guests for your blog, you will likely be astounded by just how many people you could potentially draw on.

But you can also turn your guest blog spot into an opportunity to connect with your readers. Here are some suggestions for finding guest bloggers:

  • put out a call to your readers, and ask them to participate
  • ask people in your network: from organisations of which you are a member, from your social networks, from colleagues and contractors
  • ask those who comment most often on your posts whether they would be interested in writing a full article
  • make it an event! Create a new category for guest bloggers, offer promotion opportunities, ‘link juice’, and promote the hell out of it. Everybody likes their time in the spotlight.