Looking for powerful ways to grow your online visibility? If you can write, guest blogging works. Learn some guest blogging best practices here.

1. 20
Do’s & Don’ts
For Successful
Guest Blogging
Carrie Morgan
Digital PR Consultant
Rock The Status Quo
We Make Brands More Visible
& Vibrant Online

2. 1
The Do’s
Select niche or trade vertical
blogs with existing (robust!)
traffic, instead of generic blogs.
You will have a better chance
of earning click-through traffic
and/or followers.

3. 2
The Do’s
Come up with post ideas
specifically tailored to
the blog’s unique
audience.

4. 3
The Do’s
Provide an exclusive.
Re-purposed is fine,
but don’t use the
same copy from
another post.
That’s plagiarism.
It’s boring and earns unpleasant
SEO penalties.

5. 4
The Do’s
Look for writer's guidelines
before you write or pitch.
They help immensely.

6. 5
The Do’s
Verify they actually publish
guest contributions.
Otherwise, why bother?
A variety of different authors
is a good sign.

7. 6
The Do’s
Keep your post between
500 - 1,000 words, UNLESS
they specifically ask for a
longer post.

8. 7
The Do’s
Include an image, if possible.
Just make sure you have
the legal right to use it and
give credit where it’s due.

9. 8
The Do’s
Pitch a blogger just like a reporter.
SELL them on why they want a post from
you, or tantalize them with your great idea.

10. 9
The Do’s
Share the post across
ALL of your social media
assets, once it hits.
Helping them is a win-win.

11. 10
The Do’s
Don’t forget to LIKE their
Facebook page, become a
blog subscriber and comment
regularly BEFORE you
approach them.
Become part of their community.

12. 11
The Don'ts
Don't send them a post you’ve already written
unless they have a submit form right on the site.
Reach out to them first – build a relationship.
It’s common courtesy to GIVE before you ASK.

13. 12
The Don'ts
Don't forget to
make the post
(and the pitch)
about their needs,
NOT ABOUT YOU.
Never be promotional.

14. 13
The Don'ts
Never, ever, EVER write a boring generic
post that isn't customized for their
specific audience. Duh.

15. 14
The Don'ts
Don't write in a journalist style. Write in an educational,
opinion or storytelling style because blogs are more
casual than newspapers or magazines.

16. 15
The Don'ts
Don't write for SEO - write like you
are speaking to one person.
It’s great to put your keyword or phrase in the title
and first paragraph, but don’t keyword stuff!

17. 16
The Don'ts
Don't forget to provide a
simple, short author bio.
And a headshot photo. But NOT a crappy shot taken by your mother.

18. 17
The Don'ts
Don't hesitate to wrap up your post with a call-to-action.
(Consider writing the post with that CTA end goal in mind.)

19. 18
The Don'ts
Are you hoping to publish there again?
Don't forget to thank them, once it runs!
Manners matter.

20. 19
The Don'ts
Don't forget to check for comments.
It's your chance to start a conversation
with readers and gain followers. It also
boosts engagement for the blogger. HOME RUN!

21. 20
The Don'ts
Did you share a
few of their posts?
Give them a little
love and support.
They worked hard to build their audience.
Build a long-term relationship by consistently giving back.

22. Want more help? Then you might
like my blog, RockTheStatusQuo.com.
Go take a look.
~ Carrie
@morgancarrie
morgan@rockthestatusquo.com
http://rockthestatusquo.com