This is day 4 of the “Building A More Successful Blog In 30 Days” series.  So far we’ve discussed: setting goals for your blog, a simple & effective method to help create those blog goals, and why creating an “about me” page is so important.

Next in our little journey is a topic that has the potential to literally skyrocket your blog into success very quickly.  I’m talking about Guest Blogging.

What Is Guest Blogging?

Guest blogging is almost the same as blogging on your own blog.  The difference?  You’re doing it on someone else’s blog.  Preferably someone who is a major player in your niche, or at least closer to the top than you.

When you write a guest post, you can’t just choose anything you feel like writing.  You are at the mercy of the owner of the blog, but it is well worth the constraints to get the much needed traffic.

The Benefits of Guest Blogging

With guest blogging comes many benefits.  Most bloggers don’t write a guest post just because it makes them feel good inside.  If you do, please let me know.  I want to meet you!

Increase in Brand Recognition

When you write a guest post, you benefit by an increase in brand recognition.

As a blogger, brand recognition should be one of your big goals.  It’s what helps set you apart from the millions of other bloggers trying to be just as successful as you.

An increase in brand recognition can open up opportunities that were only ever in your dreams before.  Things like job offers, paid speaking engagements, free things… you get the picture.

Increase In Blog Traffic

Another benefit to guest blogging is an increase in traffic to your blog.  Depending on where you submit your guest post, you may seen an increase of anywhere between 4-5 visitors to hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Post something that people want to read and make it interesting enough, and others will want to find out more about you.

Free Blog Marketing

This is often an overlooked, or at least unmentioned benefit of guest blogging.

Think of how hard you work to promote your blog.  You post your latest article on Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, MySpace, and so many others, to only see a small return on your efforts.

Now imagine what it would be like to still work your butt off at marketing the post, but to also have someone else… someone with a much larger network, do the same thing.  You start to see twice the results for half the work.

Guest blogging is your free ticket to advertising.  Instead of paying for a spot on someone’s blog, you simply write a guest post and you save that big wad of cash you have piling up for another day.

Opportunities To Guest Blog

Opportunities to guest blog are everywhere, you just have to look for them.  When you’re wasting away half of the day on Twitter talking about what you had for lunch or how many people were trying to grope you on your plane ride, try to pay attention to others.  Here are some things to look for that have the potential to lead to a guest blog opportunity:

Sickness

If a blogger is complaining about being sick, instead of celebrating the fact that they really don’t have super human powers, take that as an opportunity to ask them if you can write a guest post.

If they’re really feeling bad, the chances they’ll say yes are really good.  In fact, they’ll probably be thanking you more than you will them.

Vacation

If a blogger is telling everyone about the great vacation they’re taking with the big pile of money they have sitting in the corner of their office, take that as an opportunity to ask if they’d like you to take over with guest posts in their absence.

Warning: This could also lead to more than one guest post, or maybe even guest posting the whole time.  But who’s complaining… right?!?

Change in Post Frequency

If you start to notice a blogger’s post frequency start to dwindle down towards oblivion, then jump in and offer a guest post.  They’re probably experiencing some kind of writer’s block and having some time to de-stress themselves could be just what they need.

Researching Your Topic

When you’ve finally taken the opportunity to write a guest post and the blog owner has sent you into a panic by actually agreeing, you need to take a deep breath, relax, and do some research.

When I say research, I don’t mean to make a decision to write something you know nothing about.  That’s what school term papers were for.  I mean you need to:

Write Relevant Content

If you’ve been tasked to write a guest post on a blog about ponies and fairy dust, then don’t write about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Please.

The topic you choose should be relevant to the niche of the blog in which you’re submitting it.  The people reading your blog post aren’t interested in something irrelevant to what they’re accustomed.  Give them what they want and everyone will be happy.  If you should ever forget that piece of advice, then imagine yourself as a bank teller at gunpoint.  Same concept.

Find Gaps In Content

Some of the best articles to write are those the blog doesn’t cover well.  If you’re guest posting on a blog that could cover personal branding, but hasn’t yet, then write a topic about personal branding.

Chances are, the blogger may be unaware of the demand for the topic, or they simply don’t know much about it.  No one blogger knows everything.

If you’re willing to cover a relevant topic that they are having a hard time with, you’ll relieve major pressure from that blogger, and you’ll benefit from it down the road.

Ensure You Get Credit

Before you ever decide to write a guest post for a specific blog, you should do your research on how much credit they give the author.

Will the owner of the blog let you include a byline, or will they simply say this was a guest post, pay it no mind?  Will the owner spend his/her time marketing it to his/her network?  If not, it might not be very beneficial for you as the guest blogger to even waste your time with that particular blog.

Optimizing Your Guest Post

You’ve taken the opportunity, done your research, and are now almost finished writing the guest post.

How do you optimize your benefits for that particular post?

Include Links

If possible, include a relevant reference to another post of yours with a link back.  Also try to include a link to your blog as well as your favorite social media platform in your byline.

When the post is finished and is now online for all the world to see, you need to make sure the world sees it.

Market It Yourself

If the owner of the blog is any count, they’ll promote your blog amongst their particular network, but you shouldn’t stop there.

Promote it yourself.  Just as if it were your blog.  After all, it is your post, which links back to your blog.

Particpate In The Comments

When you’ve got it promoted to as many of your friends as possible, don’t shut your computer and finish off a half case of beer.  In fact, the day you guest post should be the day you work the hardest and the longest.

Stalk the comments of the post.  Whever someone has something to say other than, “Great Post!”  Reply to their comment.  You don’t have to write a single reply for every comment, especially if you get hundreds of them.  You can always write one or two replies, but include multiple commentators in each.

A Small Challenge

I challenge each and every person reading this post to write at least one guest post during our 30 day journey.

It has to be posted between day 1 and day 30 of this series to count.  No old guest posts.

Let me know in the comments when you do, and include the benefits you exprience in return.