If you want to see your blog traffic increase, guest posting is a really great way to promote your site.  It opens up opportunities to reach readers that you otherwise might not have been able to, as well as strengthening your relationship with other bloggers in your niche.  A successful guest post will also help the site that post on, and if everything goes smoothly they’ll be more interested in working with you in the future.  Plus, more readers will see your name and know who you are.

How to Write a Guest Post

1. Find a blog in your niche

Posting on a blog in your subject area is important for two reasons: a) the blogger will be more wiling to accept your guest post offer, and b) it will help you find readers who are actually interested in your blog. Since the point of guest posting is to attract readers and promote your blog, you want to post on a blog that has readers interested in what you have to offer.  If you try to post on an unrelated site, then even if that blog’s readers do investigate and take a look at your blog, chances are they won’t stay for long and they won’t come back.

It’s also a good idea to find a blog that has a little bit of a larger following than you, but not too big of a following so that getting a guest post on the site will be more competitive.

2. Build a relationship with that blogger

Read the blog, comment on the posts there, and let the blogger get to know you a little bit.  People are more open to working with people they already know or are already acquainted with.  Show through your comments that you are familiar with the subject area and that you have something to add to the topic.

3. Check for a guest post policy

Before contacting the blogger, check their site to see if they have any policies about guest posting. Some bloggers have specific guidelines they want guest posters to follow, and if you don’t follow them you could ruin your chance to post on their site.  You want to make sure you follow all of their rules so that the process runs smoothly.

Check to make sure that the blogger is likely to want to do a guest post – see if he has done them in the past. Also check to see if he has any rules about how to submit a guest

4. Approach the blogger

Send them an email explaining who you are, what your blog is about, what your guest post would cover, why it would be beneficial for their blog, etc.  Here is a great article that explains how to approach a blogger with a guest post.  This article has a lot of great tips for contacting the blogger, but there was just one thing I wanted to mention.  They suggest to include your post in your email, but I would probably avoid doing this in the initial inquiry because it might seem too forward.  Really, it depends on the blogger (which is why you need to check their guest posting policy) and is up to your discretion.  For some it might be fine, even preferred, but for others it might not. So just be careful and make sure you know the blogger’s preferences.

5. Write the Post

If they say yes, congratulations. Now it’s time to write the post.  Remember, this post is your opportunity to get more visitors to your site, so you want to make sure it’s perfectly polished.  Copy edit and proofread, even have a friend take a look at it.  This is meant to draw traffic, so you want to present your best work.  Plus, if your post is good, then maybe the blogger would be willing to do more guest posts with you in the future.

If the blogger writes back to you with suggestions or criticisms of your post, accept them graciously.  The blogger is helping you by accepting your post; they don’t owe it to you and have the right to turn you down.  Fix whatever you can and see if it meets their expectations better.  Of course you also have the option of not making those fixes, but then you might miss out on a great opportunity.

6. Respond to comments

You’re still not done, even after that post goes live.  Once the guest post is published, be sure to respond to any comments.  This is your opportunity to interact with other readers, and is an extension of the guest post.  If you follow up with the readers’ comments, you’ll establish credibility and build online presence.  The comments are another chance to get blog traffic, so don’t let that chance go by.

And that’s it! Once your post is published and comments come in, be sure to check your stats and see how the guest post affects your blog traffic.