Aditya makes a good point, bouncing off my post yesterday on guest bloggers.
The main point made is that it can be easier to find a guest blogger when you have an established or popular blog.
They write:
“Some good points – but it certainly is much easier to get a guest blogger when you have a very popular blog, right?
Now i think you’ll get the idea. Guest bloggers can be useful especially if you’re running a popular blog on the blogosphere and of course they also lining up to write on your blog even if you are not asking for it.”
Aditya does make a good point and it is something I should have included in yesterday’s post. It is easier to find people to fill in when you have an established readership.
However just because you might have a small blog doesn’t mean guest bloggers are out of the equation for you. In fact I first started finding guest bloggers for my blogs in the first few months of blogging.
Here are six ways to find guest bloggers:
1. Look in Your Comments Section – perhaps the best place to find guest bloggers is in your comments section. It is there that you’ll find readers who’ve taken a step towards active participation on your blog already (a good sign that they want to interact with you). Look for repeat comment leavers and those with something worthwhile to share. Even in the early days of a blog those who are commenting can be great contacts to deepen connections with.
2. Aim High – ‘you’ll never know unless you ask’ is a saying I utter a fair bit. While most well known bloggers are probably unlikely to say yes to blogging on a blog that they’ve not heard of – you might just be surprised. I’ve asked most ‘A-listers’ from time to time to come post something for me at ProBlogger – and some of them even took me up on the offer.
3. Aim ‘Low’ – ‘low’ is the wrong word and I don’t mean to cast any judgments – but sometimes the most willing guest bloggers are those just starting out who are attempting to make a name for themselves in your niche (or a related one).
4. Look for Networkers – look for bloggers who have a history of being networkers and who are already taking up similar opportunities on different blogs. That’s why I asked Tony Hung to guest blog for me last time I went on holidays. While Tony was already making a name for himself in our part of the blogging community he was someone was actively seeking to connect with other bloggers and offering to work with them actively.
5. Look Offline – some of the most successful guest posts that I’ve had on my photography blogs are from people who’ve never heard of blogs before – pro photographers. These experts in my niche were not active content creators – but were willing to share what they knew. You don’t have to go for Pros or Experts in your niche – family members, friends, colleagues or associates might make a great guest poster and bring a unique perspective to your blog.
6. Make it ‘easy’ – when you approach a guest blogger don’t ask for too much. A good example of this was a series of guest posts that I produced mid last year with my 1 question interviews. In the series I approached some well known bloggers with a single question which formed the basis for 14 guest posts over a two week holiday. Similarly, this week I approached a number of bloggers to help me keep ProBlogger ticking over on my upcoming trip to the US.
Read the full Guest Blogging Series at:
I have a relatively new blog and did had my first guest blogger this weekend: http://www.balancedlifecenter.com/177-a-personal-experience-with-indian-spirituality/
All I had to do was ask. I usually email my commenters a special note. The conversation continued and I asked him to do a guest post. It worked out great.
BTW Darren, you are an A-lister yourself :-)
I love doing a guest blog or two for different sites (can’t take on any permanent gigs as it interferes with my global domination plans). I think its a great way to share readership and to talk about different subjects. Surprisingly (as I’m one of those rare female bloggers), I don’t get asked as often as I’d like (just a wallflower, no one asking me to dance).
I think most bloggers would see an invitation to guest blog as a great opportunity, and I’m certainly of the ‘you’ll never know unless you ask’ school.
I might just give it a go in the near future.
So far I’ve only had one guest blogger:
http://engtech.wordpress.com/2006/10/13/life-in-the-trenches-part-1-getting-out-alive/
I was a guest blogger for Get Rich Slowly. My site isn’t about personal finance, but I could see many parallels between my site and JD’s. I think it’s helpful to build alliances with people in non-competing but related markets, especially if you like reading their blog anyway.
I have had a guest blogger to and in return i did a guest blog (which incidentally is one of the top posts on that blog and brings in lots of traffic)
So this is good networking ‘technique’
Cheers!
Alpesh
http://alpesh.nakars.com/blog
Use MySpace. People blog on it daily, go through your friends list and see who writes well, who you talk with on a regular basis and who would be interested.
Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of people getting into more assertive blogging ask you to reply now at the link they include in the email. I saw the feedback on a webinar the other day and it was fascinating to see someone with a glossy image have a myriad of genuine reactions to respond to transparently.
OK Darren,
I’m “aiming it high” here…
“Would you be my guest blogger for tomorrow?” :-)
I’m a close (and silent) follower of your blog for a long time and I must tell you I’ve learnt a lot from you. I would have given up my AdSense hopes, (When I saw I only earn 0.08 dollars per day :-( )unless I read your posts on adsense optimizing. I’m happy to say, that I’m doing “well” now with AdSense, thanks to your tips & hints.
Voice in Colombo – thanks for the offer but unfortunately I’m pretty much under the pump at the moment with my own projects. Maybe one day if I can clear a little more time :-)
Thanks for the link Darren .. i never thought that you’d see my post from a small blog :)
Look Offline – some of the most successful guest posts that I’ve had on my photography blogs are from people who’ve never heard of blogs before – pro photographers
I’ve tried this one many times without success (because i dont have friends in online world), they say that they want to write something but i’ve never seen the actual post until now .. but im going to try it again :)
Thanks darren for the response :-) I’ll continue to be a regular reader. Keep up the good work.
what if our blog doesn’t have any popularity?
[…] Darren has written from the perspective of the blogger hosting the visitor, let’s consider the other side, the guest blogger. […]
Darren, like to read your posting from yesterday.
https://problogger.com/why-guest-bloggers-are-great-for-a-blog/
I get a blank page. :))
Same here. I can’t seem to find the post. Was it so good, that it’s now under lock and key?
For a too new a blogger like me, I still would not feel comfortable with guest bloggers. But when (if) the time comes, I would go for the ways 2 and 3.
[…] Leia mais: John is Busy Slaying Pandas, I’m Filling In, via John Chow dot Com How to Find a Guest Blogger for your Blog, via Problogger.net […]
[…] Leia mais: John is Busy Slaying Pandas, I�m Filling In, via John Chow dot Com How to Find a Guest Blogger for your Blog, via Problogger.net […]
[…] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptLook in Your Comments Section – perhaps the best place to find guest bloggers is in your comments section. It is there that you’ll find readers who’ve taken a step towards active participation on your blog already (a good sign that they … […]
I am in this same situation. I am wondering how i should go about finding a guest blogger for my parenting/familyresource blog. At the moment it is sadly languishing although it has over 500 blog posts archieved.
Its at http://www.familyresource.com/blog
Thank you for this article. As an guest blogging experiment I just launched http://fishtrain.com/2007/10/01/the-great-guest-blogging-experiment/
great tips, its a good way for guest bloggers to expose themselves to a different audience.
here’s a great guest blogging opoportunity:
http://nyherald.com/welcome
That’s right – you never know unless you ask. I think most people are just too afraid of rejection to ever ask.
I’ve just created a new blog so I’m definitely going to try these awesome tips out.
Superb set of tips. You cannot discount any form of income. Nice to see Darren has contributed.
Cheers
Andy
I am a newbie to blogging and looking for the way to advertise my blog. Until now, only my circle of friends were use to check out but that doesn’t bring much flow inspite of its good content. Now I came to know how to make it from this piece of posting
Thanks
kp
Anyone interested in guest blogging for my site?
http://www.refrigeratorartonline.com
I run a travel and tourism blog http://www.travelwires.com focused on the industry in South Africa. Am searching for a guest blogger interested in doing reviews of industry focused websites in South Africa.
Can suggest possible sites to review if needed.
Hi,
I was wondering if you could make any suggestions on where to get a standard form that will allow big companies to be guest bloggers on one’s blog.
I can’t seem to find any online.
Thanks!
As traffic grows, I find myself needing guest bloggers. I just made an announcement on my site http://mrdefinite.com/guest-blogger/ to look for gurst bloggers. Anyone interested please drop me a line — I’m more than happy to publish your masterpiece. :)