Guest Blogging 101: How To Do It And Why You Should
There are two ways you can approach guest posting as part of your influencer marketing strategy. Either open your blog to submissions and guest posts or start approaching news websites and blogs that talk about your industry and submit your own guest post.
Here are some tips on how guest blogging works, and why you should start doing it:
Submissions to your onsite blog
If your business has an onsite blog, or perhaps you’re an influencer with a blog, open it up to guest submissions and give other people the opportunity to write an article for your blog. Not only is guest blogging a great way to produce high-quality, informative content for your blog, it will also increase your exposure and brand awareness as the guest blogger is likely to share the post across their network, simultaneously promoting your brand and driving traffic to the blog post.
Guest posting on other blogs
The other approach is to start guest posting on other websites and blogs that are relevant to your industry, and are read by your ideal target market. If you’re a brand, look for influencers and publishers who post about your industry and enquire about submitting a guest post. For example, if you’re an organic beauty brand, start approaching beauty influencers about guest blogging opportunities and tell them what professional advice and tips you can offer on the benefits of using organic skincare and cosmetic products. Pick a topic that you know a lot about, and offer to share that information in a guest post. Not only will it increase your authority and credibility, it will also expose your brand to potential new followers and customers.
If you’re an influencer, approach other influencers in your niche, or perhaps even brands that have a blog attached to their eCommerce store. Your best asset is that you can produce high-quality, unique content, so pitch a great idea (or 5!) and see what opportunities come about. It could be a one-off guest post contribution, or it could become a long-term collaboration that is mutually beneficial, so don't be afraid to pitch your ideas! On another note, always share your guest posts with your network of followers on social media to help spread it around and drive more traffic.
Some things to remember: when submitting a guest post, always ensure that the content is exclusive (not published elsewhere), the article is professionally written with no spelling or grammar errors and it is unique, drawing on your own industry experience and knowledge. If one of these things is missing, you're guest blogging submission is likely to be rejected.
The Instagram takeover
Guest posting is not limited to the blogosphere and you can guest post on any content platform. The most popular form of guest posting on social media is the Instagram Takeover, where an influencer “takes over” a brand's social media account for a period of time, often spanning from 24 hours to a week depending on the collaboration. Instagram takeovers are a great way for brands to work with influencers and engage with their followers in a creative way. There are no set rules for an Instagram takeover, as long as the content is creative and engaging, and the influencer you work with is relevant to your industry (e.g. travel influencer collaborating with a travel brand). Once you've got that sorted, the possibilities are endless!
And here are the benefits of guest blogging
There are so many benefits of guest blogging and we could probably write a whole blog post about it, however here is a summary of the biggest benefits that come from guest blogging:
Increase brand exposure and awareness among target market
High-quality content creation for both parties
Reach potential new followers and customers
Complement your other Influencer Marketing efforts
SEO benefits from link building
Relationship building and networking
Determining brand value
Build authority as an expert on a particular topic/industry
Discover new collaborative opportunities
Hone your writing skills
Build your portfolio
Drive traffic to your blog and website
So, stop pushing guest blogging to the bottom of your to-do list and make it your goal to submit at least one guest post in the next two months. Don't forget, take on each submission as a new opportunity to bring a range of benefits to your business and support your influencer marketing efforts, and don't underestimate the power of guest blogging. Start by making connections, writing good content and getting your name out there - the rest will follow suit.
