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:
