7

Key Steps to Guest

Blogging Success

by

Peter Sandeen

7 K e y S t e p s t o G u e s t B l o g g i n g S u c c e s s

7 Key Steps to Guest

Blogging Success
Guest blogging can be the fastest, easiest way to build a big email list. But most people
who do it, dont see signi:icant results.
46% of people get less than 25 new subscribers from each post they write (based on a
survey I did on my list).
Its not worth it to spend several hours writing a post for those results; building a
signi:icant list takes far too long if you dont get better results with a smaller time
investment.
So, what are the key steps to better results? 100+ subscribers per guest post?

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1. Find a good place

You wont get any results if you write for a site that your target customers (the people
you want to attract to your list) arent reading.
So, look for sites that target the same people as youeither with similar content and
topics or with something different. For example, if you sell photography gear you can
write for sites reviewing photography gear or sites sharing photography tips.
But dont just look at the topic. Consider the readers, too. For example, if a site is
primarily attracting beginners, but only experts are interested in what you sell, theres
little reason to write for that site.
The sites audiences size is, of course, an important factor. The more people read your
post, the more subscribers you can get. But quality is more important than
quantity, so dont just blindly pick the biggest sites; consider if theyre really the
right places to write.
You probably already have some ideas of sites you could write for. And you can get
more ideas from this list.

2. Pick the right topic

No surprise: the topic makes a big difference.
But maybe you didnt expect it to make as big difference as it can make. Ive gotten 30
and 450 subscribers from different posts to the same blog.
Write about a topic that the readers are already very interested in. Help them get rid of
a pressing problem or achieve a goal theyve struggled to reach.
When you strike a nerve, you get great results. When you miss it, people wont read
your post let alone join your email list.
You only succeed when you truly help the readers with something thats
important for them.
You can get ideas from the most popular posts list many sites have in their sidebars.
But dont limit yourself to just the topics in there; often the best results come with
topics those lists dont showyet.
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3. Get accepted
People make this step way too complicated. Youll have a good chance to get through if
you get these three steps right:
1. Write a post their audience will :ind very useful.
2. Email the site owner (or whoever handles guest posts), attach the post you
wrote, offer alternative topics in case they dont like the post you already wrote,
and offer to make edits according to their wishes.
3. Make the suggested edits within a few days.
Sure, you can improve your chances in many ways, but the real key is to write a post
they cant wait to publish the very next day.

4. Write well
No, you dont have to know all the grammar rules, come up with an Oscar-worthy
story, or change the readers lives once and for all.
But you need to write a good post.
Simply put, your post has to explain something completely. It doesnt have to be long,
but it has to tell readers enough, so they wont feel that something was left out or that
they didnt understand how to use the ideas in your post.
You also have to be simple enough, so people understand you. Remember that youre
explaining something they dont already know; something thats obvious to you might
be a new concept for them. But dont spend too much time explaining things, so the
post becomes tedious to read.
In other words, actually help the readers with your post. Anything less than that
isnt going to cut it.

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5. Subtly sell your incentive

This is the missing key in many otherwise great posts that get a lot of positive
attention but dont get anyone to join your email list.
And though you might now think of obviously self-promotional guest posts, thats not
what I mean.
There are three things you need to do:
1. Have a free offer (ebook, video, email series, etc.) that people can get by joining
your email list.
2. Tie the offer in with the topic of the post within the post.
3. Sell the offer within the post and in your byline.
For example, lets say you have a website that helps people learn to draw. You have a
free ebook that helps beginners get a handle of some of the basic drawing techniques.
You write a guest post about drawing a human face, which is meant to beginners, and
you mention within the post that the readers should know the basics of drawing
techniques to use the tutorial. And then include link to the page where people can get
the ebook.
Most sites wont allow you to directly urge people to download your ebook (or
other free offer) within the post or even link to it. You still have to make it clear
that the reader should download your ebook. At the very least you need to mention the
offer in your byline. But there are more advanced techniques, for example, embedded
calls to action, that create much better results.

6. Have a good landing page

Theres really no way around this. Your landing page can wreck your chances of
getting subscribers from guest posts.
That being said, you dont need a fancy landing page to get great results. Often
the simplest pages create the best results.
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The three things you should focus on :irst are:

1. Your headline has to clearly state the most important bene:it of getting the
ebook (or other free resource) you offer.
2. Your copy (the body of the text) has to indicate whom the offer is meant for and
what are the main bene:its of the offer (you should usually repeat the bene:it
you mentioned in the headline along with a few other bene:its).
3. Your page has to clearly tell people to take the next step (e.g., download the
ebook) and tell them how to do it (even though it might seem like they will
:igure it out on their own).
Its dif:icult to create a landing page that would be too simple. As long as it takes care
of the three things in the list above, it wont wreck your chances of success.

7. Build strong relationships

This aspect of guest blogging is undervalued or exaggerated almost every time people
talk about it.
Either people dont mention the connections and relationships you can create with
guest posts, or they claim that theyd happen automatically and that theyd be the
ultimate key to success.
The reality is great, but its not magical.
Yes, you can build great work relationships with many people who run big/huge sites,
and those relationships can translate to them promoting your posts, free offers, and
products later on. But that wont happen with all of them.
Yes, you can meet a lot of interesting (and sometimes very well-known) people
through the comments. And those relationships can turn to much more than just a
brief exchange in the comments.
Yes, you can build rapport among your target audience when they read your posts on
their favorite sites, so theyre more likely to join your list or buy your products later
on.
But none of these things happen automatically. You need to keep in contact (in a
meaningful way) with the site owners, reply to the comments in a way that encourages
discussion, and write for big sites regularly.
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7 K e y S t e p s t o G u e s t B l o g g i n g S u c c e s s

Do you know someone who writes a blog?

If you think they would bene:it from guest blogging, let them know about this manual.
Sure, you can just send this PDF to them. But Id appreciate if youd rather share this
link with them: http://www.petersandeen.com/guest-blogging/
Or if youd like to send a tweet about this manual, just click here :)
Thank you.

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