Guest blogging went through a bit of a meteoric rise some years ago.
The idea for many back then was to acquire links. They would write as many guest posts as possible just to earn links.
That still seems to be effective at some level, but not as much as it used to be.
There are still benefits to guest posting from the writer’s perspective.
You increase your reach. Think of the actor that goes on late night TV to promote their new movie. They’re tapping into the tv show’s audience by being a guest.
You can earn referral traffic. Again, someone might see the actor on late night TV and learn about the movie and then go see the movie.
So guest blogging still has value, but let’s flip this on its head for a minute.
You’re a business looking for more content on your site. In general, more content leads to more eyeballs and potential customers. You’re like Netflix trying to create and buy as much content as you can to offer the most value to your target customers.
Acquiring guest articles for your site is a great strategy, but it’s not easy.
Here are the steps to take to bring repeat guest article authors to your site.
Tip #1. Pay For Writers
This would be the most straightforward way to do it. There are a number of writers at a number of different price points. You can pay for them to be authors on your site. You may be able to get a slight discount if you allow them to have an author byline that includes their personal or professional information.
This would be a quick way to get started with guest authors. The others might take more time, but if you’re tight on budget these other items may work if you’re creative.
Tip #2. Trade Services
Depending on what you do you might be able to work out a trade with an author or with authors.
In a typical situation, guesting posting works by the writer giving you great content and you giving them exposure to a new audience.
If you have an audience then you’re good on that front.
If you’re looking to build an audience there needs to be another type of trade. We just covered money.
Maybe you’re a hosting company. Free hosting for authors that agree to write a monthly post for your blog.
You’re a social media management company. Free service to authors that write 2 posts a week.
You’re a lawyer. Free retainer for a certain level for an author that writes a certain number of posts.
Tip #3. Identify Up-And-Coming Writers
Another way you might be able to entice writers is to give them a platform where they can hone their skills. They may not be the best writers right at this moment, but there is talent there. You can work with them to build their skills and help to promote their posts and establish them in the industry so they can eventually move on to bigger and better things.
The return for you is you get their content on your site.
Tip #4. Assist With Ideas
In order to attract guest writers for your site you still need to do some or most of the work. There is more to writing a post than sitting at a computer and letting the words flow.
Coming up with an idea for a post is a big item that often goes overlooked. Not overlooked in terms of need, but overlooked in terms of the time commitment.
Look to make your offer more appealing to writers by doing some of the leg work. Research and brainstorm titles and topics. Create a list and when you pitch writers include the list of ideas.
Some writers will jump when you already have the title that they’re interested in.
Take it a step further by doing some of the research. Find studies, stats and more that the writer can build on with the post.
Tip #5. Promote Posts, Boost Engagement
Finally, wherever you are with guest posts on your site always do all you can to make the writers look good. Promote their posts as much as possible.
Share multiple times on social media. The first day, week and month, but also years from now.
You may look to pay for some engagement and traffic.
Look for ways to increase comments. Have your team leave comments. Engage with those that comment.
For the writer’s byline, make sure it really stands out so readers can learn about the writer and click through to their own blogs and websites.
The more benefit a writer gets from your blog the more appealing it will be to keep or start writing for you.
Conclusion
Guest posting for your own site can be great. It’s not a new idea. But it’s more difficult than you might think. However, if you can do the things above you can build something that is really appealing to good writers and over time you can build up a strong library of content on your site that can bring you long-term traffic.
