Guest Posting for A-List Bloggers

A while back I started a thread about guest posting over at the problogger forum. The questions kind of inspired me to write a post about it.

Why is this important? Well, in case you are new to blogging, guest posting is one of the most important (not to mention free) blog promotion strategies I know of. Writing a guest post for an “a-list” blogger can do wonders for both your traffic and your page rank.

I see this issue from both sides: I have had the privilege of writing a guest post for some a-list bloggers. I also receive requests for guest posts on my blogs (though I’m not anywhere near the “a-list” level).

Here are some tips I think you’ll find particularly helpful for landing a guest post on a highly ranked, high traffic blog.

Believe in Yourself:

Here’s the wonderful think about the blog world: you have the same access to the a-list bloggers as everyone else. Don’t underestimate your God-given talents. The successful bloggers, after all, had humble beginnings just like you. The worst thing that can happen is your post doesn’t get accepted—you’ll never know until you try.

Do Research:

Most a-list bloggers will have a post explaining whether or not they accept guest posts and what their requirements are. Read it carefully and follow the guidelines when making your post.

But your research shouldn’t stop there. Hopefully you’ve been reading your “target blog” for a while and know what kind of articles the blogger prefers.

Here’s another important tip: search the blog and see how your post idea compares to what is already there. This is especially important with the high-ranking blogs—you’ll want to be sure you are sending something unique. Bonus points if you can find a topic that hasn’t been mentioned on the blog in a while.

Bring Your A-Game:

“Give your best content away” –I’ve seen this advice several times from blogging gurus. This is especially true when trying to guest post for an a-list blogger. Most of these guys have several posts to choose from every week (if not daily). Make sure you have chosen your most helpful, informative, entertaining, unique, and ingenious content for your a-list guest post.

Note: I prefer to go ahead and write/send a whole post (instead of asking permission first). I think this is much more efficient, but there are different schools of thought here.

Be Patient

This one is a must for dealing with a-list bloggers. A successful blogger manages a flood of email daily and it may take a while for you to get an answer. Be prepared to wait at least a week (probably longer).

Here’s an example: I recently submitted a guest post (re: fitness) to a self-help blog. I waited about a week before contacting them to make sure they had received my submission. The editor responded, saying he receives about 50 posts a week and it usually takes him two weeks to respond to a guest post proposal.

IF YOUR POST IS NOT ACCEPTED:

There’s always a chance you post will be rejected. As I’ve already said, successful bloggers have plenty content to choose from. Here are two tips for responding to a rejected guest post:
Humbly Accept Feedback

Most bloggers will try to help, even if they reject your guest post. The blogger may ask you to expand on a few points and re-send it. He/she may explain that you’ve missed the mark completely. Just be thankful that a really busy person took time to respond to you.

Try Again

Don’t give up just because your first guest post was not accepted. Take what you’ve learned from the process and try again.

Here’s another hint: you may want to submit the same article to a different blog (I’ve had success in doing this). After all—there’s more than one a-list blogger out there. Just be sure you’ve heard a definite answer from one before submitting it to the next—you don’t want to destroy your reputation by withdrawing the guest post or creating duplicate content.