1. Scam

   Have you got any suggestions on how to identify which blogs or bloggers you should seek out to offer guest posts to?

   Nov 5th, 2007

2. Simonne

   I was happy to have you as a guest writer on my blog. Your post attracted readers’ interest, visible from the comments we’ve got.
   I hope you also found the experience valuable. Thank you.

   Nov 5th, 2007

3. Bente Lilja Bye

   Can you advise us how you get the host blogger interested in your thoughts? Being a total stranger and with no track record to begin with must be kind of hard, right?

   Nov 5th, 2007

4. Michael Martine

   I have found guest-posting to be invaluable as well. Kevin at Blogging Tips invited me to write for them and it’s been great. Probably the biggest benefit of all has just been making contact with such great people and forming relationships with them.

   Nov 5th, 2007

5. Steven Bradley

   I just want to know how you find the time. The last few weeks everywhere I look there you are. It works for me, since I’ve really been enjoying your posts and you’re quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers.

   But again where are you finding the time? Do you have any secrets for getting more written?

   Nov 5th, 2007

6. Caroline Middlebrook

   What if you have a personal blog? I can see guest posting working well for a blogger such as yourself who has a value blog and is looking to establish herself as an authority within the niche. But I am in a very different situation. Sure I want to get exposure for myself and my blog but my blog is really just my personal story with some insights shared along the way - I really don’t know what I could say on somebody else’s blog.

   Nov 5th, 2007

7. Tammy

   Skellie, I just want to echo your guest-post advice. I’ve guest posted here and there for the last couple of years and have a number of readers who’ve told me they originally stumbled across me via a guest post on another blog, then came searching for me when they wanted more.

   The exposure has been worth it. And getting to know the other bloggers for whom I’ve guest posted has been a bonus I wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

   Your advice is timely, too…I have a guest post I was invited to write that I keep putting off during a busy stretch. I’m gonna buckle down and get to it!

   Nov 5th, 2007

8. skellie

   @ Scam: Pick the blogs that are most similar to your own. Email them with an idea, and offer to write the article if they like the idea. Don’t lock them into using the article — simply state that you’ll send it along for them to have a look at. I’ve yet to be rejected after this stage, but it makes the blogger more likely to take a risk because they don’t feel locked in.

   @ Simonne: It was a pleasure! Thanks for having me

   @ Bente: I think you’ll find the advice I’ve given Scam above useful :).

   @ Michael: The one reservation I have about blogging tips is that they don’t allow you to have a byline. I found the click through rates from my blogging tips guest post pretty abysmal, simply because the author’s site isn’t really highlighted. Have you thought about guest posting for Daily Blog Tips?

   @ Steven: Thanks! It only takes 1 - 3 hours to put together a guest post. I do it when I have some free time. I also want to point out that the above guest posts were done over 3 months. That’s an average of 4 per month, which is manageable for any blogger. How do I make the time? I guess I don’t watch much TV ;).

   @ Caroline: Actually, I’d say that guest posting is useful for anyone. You can use your guest posts to share some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. If they’re written for blogs in your niche they’ll send targeted traffic. You’ll just need to stretch your value-blogging muscles You’ve been getting good publicity on your commenting strategy and I think there’s an opportunity there for your to write a guest post for ProBlogger on that. It’s worth pitching the idea to Darren, at least

   @ Tammy: I get told pretty often that people found me through guest posts. They really do work. Good to hear that you’re having success with them :).

   Nov 6th, 2007

9. John Wesley

   For those who write about self improvement related topics, I frequently feature guest posts at PickTheBrain.

   Nov 6th, 2007

10. Daniel Scocco

    Well done Skellie.

    You are quickly affirming yourself as an authority on the blogging niche.

    Keep it up.

    Nov 6th, 2007

11. Mohsin

    This is amazing Skellie. Just makes me respect you more.

    I’ve guest blogged on Performancing, MichaelMartine.com, Nusuni.com, and am currently writing on Blogging Tips.

    As you said, apart from bringing me temporary traffic, guest blogging has helped me in brand-building too. I hope to continue doing it fo shizzle!

    Nov 6th, 2007

12. Alex Kay

    Actually, I have the hardest time to find the right blog to post to - not to find time to post at that blog.

    But anyway congratulations again on all your success, and I must say that I continue to like every post you write, even those outside of Skelliewag. Keep it up

    Nov 6th, 2007

13. Maya Norton

    What a goldmine!

    Nov 6th, 2007

14. Joanna Young

    Skellie, this is amazing! I followed your pieces at Problogger and Copyblogger but didn’t realise you’d done so many others besides. Good on you.

    I also wanted to say that I valued the way you responded to comments on those high traffic sites. Not all guest bloggers do - even on low traffic sites.

    It’s paying attention to those things that adds the value - and tells me a lot about your personal brand.

    Joanna

    PS It’s also won you a new subscriber!

    Nov 6th, 2007

15. Maki

    Awesome work.

    I’m tempted to start guest-blogging myself, after seeing the success you’ve had with it so far.

    I wouldn’t really call it the best way to build a profile in your niche because it’s rather time consuming. Why not create an excellent article, network and get the other bloggers to recommend you and your content to their audience instead?

    Let me play the devils advocate. If you have time to pitch/write a guest post, you have time to write a killer post for yourself and network with the blogger you like to get what you want (traffic).

    Not everyone is a superwoman like you, Skellie… able to come up with good content on your own site while writing for other people.

    

    Nov 6th, 2007

16. skellie

    @ John Wesley: Great to see that you’re putting yourself out there, John.

    @ Daniel: Thank you, and I mean it: your support, with letting me write for Daily Blog Tips, has helped so much :).

    @ Mohsin: That’s excellent! One question, though: When am I going to see you writing over at Daily Blog Tips?

    @ Alex: I think you should target self-improvement blogs, particularly those with an emphasis on men’s issues (but all self-improvement blogs are read by men, so any one is good).

    What about Zen Habits? Your posts are absolutely good enough to make it. Tell Leo you have Skellie’s recommendation :-).

    @ Maya: I hope you enjoy them!

    @ Joanna: Thank you. It’s actually something I really enjoy doing. I think if people take the time to comment and respond to something you’ve written, you have an obligation to make them feel heard.

    Welcome to the community :-).

    @ Maki: One thing about guest posts is that they’re a bigger spectacle than links and recommendations. A link to your content takes up a sentence or two, a paragraph if you’re lucky, on another blogger’s site. A guest post can occupy the front page of that blog for a day or two. It’s impossible to miss.

    By guest-posting on ProBlogger and Copyblogger — blogs with a combined readership of 60,000 — I seem to have created the impression that I’m ‘everywhere’ in the metablogging niche — simply by writing a few guest posts. It might not generate massive traffic, but from what I’ve observed the traffic is better targeted than any other. My subscriber numbers seem to jump after a guest post in a way that corresponds roughly to the amount of click-backs to the site. As far as I’m concerned though, the visibility and profile is worth more than the traffic.

    I think your strategy is probably best for overall blog growth, but when it comes to raising your profile within a specific niche, I think it might be hampered by having that intermediary. There’s a barrier — the blogger saying “I like this, go look at it” is less of a raw connection than “Here’s the content this person is capable of — make up your own mind.”

    That being said, I’m speaking hypothetically — I haven’t tried your strategy, so I’m only speculating — and for that reason should probably be ignored ;-).

    I do think a guest post on ProBlogger would be wise for you, though. Darren links to you, but how many people click through? If they could see your content, I don’t think anyone could fail to take notice.

    Nov 6th, 2007

17. Maki

    Skellie,

    You’re right in saying that guest-posting captures mindshare because your opinions are fed in whole and directly across to multiple audiences who might be interested in what else you have to offer.

    The other real benefit to guest posting is the building of relationships, which makes it easier to obtain links and mentions in the future.

    I don’t disagree that guest posting is a fantastic way to establish yourself in a niche… I just don’t think that it’s the best method.

    I have seen many people grow just as quickly without it.

    <blockquote>
    “There’s a barrier — the blogger saying “I like this, go look at it” is less of a raw connection than “Here’s the content this person is capable of — make up your own mind.”
    </blockquote>

    Now this is something that I really disagree with. There is actually no barrier. Readers trust the blogger they have diligently read for months (perhaps even years). They have faith in his or her words. This person has built an established brand with humor, integrity and intelligence.

    And when this person you respect recommends that you check out this article, saying that it’s ‘fantastic’.. you’ve just hit the jackpot. Your first contact with your prospective audience is inevitably made favorable.

    Internet marketers make tens of thousands of dollars in a day just because a JV partner drops an email and says that they personally believe the product kicks ass. People are ever ready to pay just to demonstrate that their trust wasn’t misplaced.

    Imagine your favorite musician in the entire world, someone you really love recommending you to check out a band or artist as soon as possible. You bet cha you’ll do it.

    Compare that to a new band opening for a mega-star on a stage in front of 100K people. Some people may watch but most of them are just waiting for the big rock band to come out.

    Guest posting is exactly the same. It can never compare to a personal recommendation from someone what has a real brand and following.

    Nov 6th, 2007

18. skellie

    Maki,

    I absolutely agree that recommendations are key. We’re seeing things differently, though, as I also see a guest post as a similar recommendation of the author and their blog, albeit in a different form.

    If anything it’s a stronger recommendation. Say, for example, you go to your friend’s house and, while you’re there, they tell you to go and see a particular artist’s exhibition at a local gallery. That might well work, as you respect your friend’s point of view.

    What if that friend had a piece of artwork from the artist in their house, however? You could see it, and you saw that it was exactly the kind of art you’re interested in. Your friend tells you that the artist has an exhibition on at the local gallery, too.

    I think you’re more likely to go in the second case. The reason I talk of the link recommendation having a barrier is because it says: “I like this blogger enough to tell you to go elsewhere to read what they have to say.” A guest post, however, says “I like this blogger enough to bring their work to you.

    Bloggers send out links and make link-recommendations all the time. When it’s included with other recommendations, the reader’s attention is split and they may miss you.

    Ideally you want the blogger to create a post dedicated to something you’ve written. You need to either rely on luck or network in order for this to happen. Networking takes time which may mean that the overall effort is not so much different to guest posting after all.

    I think that both methods have the potential to be equally effective, but each blogger needs to play to their strengths. For a blogger who finds networking difficult, the guest posting strategy would probably work well for them (I’m included in that group). If you’re someone who finds networking easy, though, the second method could work wonders.

    I think there’s a fundamental problem with our debate, though: I haven’t really tried your method and you haven’t really tried mine ;-). If anything, I hope I’ve piqued your interest in giving guest-posting a try. You’ve definitely got me interested in exploring your method.

    Nov 6th, 2007

19. Maki

    What if that friend had a piece of artwork from the artist in their house, however? You could see it, and you saw that it was exactly the kind of art you’re interested in.

    Or you could see it and think that’s just awful and never give the artist a chance. Recommendations from a friend can come alongside explanations on why its worth seeing. In blogging terms, why its a great post, why its worth going over to read, why it is important to you. Sometimes people need to be persauded.

    The reason I talk of the link recommendation having a barrier is because it says: “I like this blogger enough to tell you to go elsewhere to read what they have to say.” A guest post, however, says “I like this blogger enough to bring their work to you.

    Or it could be that taken to mean that “I am too lazy to blog and I don’t mind putting up other people’s work as a substitute for mine”. Not everyone enjoys reading guest posts. But everyone won’t mind a link recommendation.

    If you want to talk about barriers, how about the more tangible barrier of not being to guest blog on certain sites which don’t allow guest blogging?

    Putting your editorial on another person’s site is not a viable strategy for certain niches as well. You don’t often (if ever) see this in the entertainment niche, I can tell you that.

    I don’t really think we need to try each method out to see the benefits.. I know guest posting rocks, ain’t trying to deny that.

    Just offering another POV to it. I guess I’m a little tired of the whole meta-blogging vibe attached to it. I like to prob a little deeper on the strategic reasons why they work but everyone just likes to beat the drum on the same benefits again and again and again and again.

    The only real value that guest blogging has for me is that it is a powerful method to build relationships for future benefits. Other than that, the other commonly stated reasons (traffic/branding) don’t appeal to me much.

    BTW could you change ‘brain’ to ‘brand’ in my previous comment … I put down the wrong word and it sounds odd

    Nov 6th, 2007

20. skellie

    Changed it ;). I didn’t notice that the first time through.

    I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one, but I’ve enjoyed it. I’m pretty fascinated by your thought-processes, Maki. I like that you really focus on building relationships, co-operating, and utilizing people rather than mechanical strategies. It’s pretty cool.

    Nov 6th, 2007

21. Mohsin

    Skellie, I don’t know. To be honest, I am not as prolific as you are, especially amid all the real life problems I am going through right now. I might quit posting on Blogging Tips if I can’t deliver quality.

    For now, I’ll stick to posting on my own blog, making only an occasional guest post here and there.

    Nov 6th, 2007

22. Mike Pedersen Golf

    Very impressive! I try to set up arrangements for guest posts on niche-related blogs (golf), but find that many don’t get that much traffic. Have considered trying to go broader into health or fitness to try to grab golfers out of that bigger niche. Any thoughts or ideas?

    Nov 8th, 2007

23. skellie

    @ Mike: The question you need to ask is: who plays golf? The second question is: what popular blogs are they reading? One you can identify your target audience it will be much easier to work out how to reach them.

    Nov 8th, 2007

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