Why You Should Consider Guest Posting On Other Blogs

The thought of guest posting was an alien one in my mind for the longest time. In fact, it didn’t even occur to me. I didn’t know such a thing was happening for a while. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do, or I wasn’t sure I could do, I don’t know why! But, I’d like to think I have grown since then. So, here’s some food for thought, if you are new to the idea of guest posting.

You should guest post.

Before I submitted my guest posts to a few blogs, I wondered the following:

Will the bloggers be interested?

Will it be worth reading?

Will the readers be interested at all?

This stuff has already been said, will it make a difference coming from me?

Maybe the answers to all of the above are no. But then I thought to myself, what if the answers to all of the above are yes? What if I have a fresh take on a subject and guest posting might reach out to more people? There’s only one way to find out.

Personal Image

Whip up a guest post and pick the right blog and shoot the perfect pitch to the blogger. They’ll either say yes or no. Sometimes, you may not hear from them. Sometimes, they’ll leave you in a limbo saying they liked it but its not meaty enough or other reasons leaving you wondering what it is they really want.

If the answer is no or you don’t get an answer, move on. If you can make changes and make it meaty enough, then do so and get the job done. If you can’t meet their requirements for some reason, then thank them and move on. It’s alright. It’s not the end of the world.

Do you have valuable content to offer?

Now, as for whether your post is worth reading or if you have anything new to offer is something you should really think about.

Your post concept may already have been done. But your thoughts, your experiences, your ups-downs, ideas, perceptions are all your own. So make the guest post your own.

Write down your take on the subject or question norms if you don’t believe in them. Its okay not to have the same idea as others. Offer your advice and your recommendations and YOUR experiences.

Why should you guest post?

- By sharing your story via a guest post , you reach out to a lot more people , different people. You connect with the blogger and their readers . That kind of connection is priceless. You probably would not have reached these readers through your blog. But by guest posting, you gain their respect and trust because THEY trust the blogger. They know that their favourite blogger will deliver genuine content and will offer something that the readers can lap up.

- When you guest post, it’ll challenge you to do your best. Even better than what you normally do on your own blog ! You’ll learn the art of collaboration. You’ll work to make your post your own but it’ll have to blend in with the other blog.

- Busy bloggers will love to get a juicy pitch. It saves them a trouble for working on a post for that one day! It gives them the opportunity to scout you and your services. If the relationship works well, they might even recommend you and your services to their readers in the future. I see it happening all the time.

- As a reader, I love reading guest posts on my favorite blogs . To me, it is a refreshing change to read a new perspective and ideas. I get interested in what the guest blogger does. That’s how I discovered Isa when she guest posted on Oh My! Handmade Goodness. I followed her on twitter and we have been chatting ever since . It has developed into a lot more than just a reader and blogger.

I am a huge believer in making connections . I am a people’s person. I like getting to know the person whose blog I read. I am sure there are many of you out there , like me.

Pick an idea and see what comes out of it. The seed of doubt in my mind gave me an idea for this post. So, I went ahead and developed it further and decided to guest post it! I mean – why not, its only fitting:)

Now that I’ve given you reasons as to WHY you should guest post , here’s how you can do it by Meagan Visser.

So, what are the reasons you have been holding back from guest posting ? Go on and spread your wings ..you might just enjoy the flight :)

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Lakshmi is an architect by profession , an artist by nature and has a slight obsession with colour. She is a mother to 2 kids and married to her college sweetheart. Their current nest is in sunny Sydney, Australia. You can find her work on her Etsy shop.

Lakshmi shares her experiences on her blog and loves to chat with friends on twitter and facebook.