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Trying to Breakout Into Guest Blogging - What am I Doing Wrong?

by ashloren
15 replies
Okay, so I've really been wanting to start guest blogging and I did my homework first. I approached three different blogs in one of my niches and submitted a post to each of them.

I made sure it fit within the topics covered on their blog, made sure it was fresh and hadn't been covered too much, told a personal story that would help others and did my best to make it entertaining and exciting to read.

All three of these bloggers responded to me positively, agreeing to publish the piece on their blog. One of them never did, so I emailed them and they said they had just been busy. After that I left them alone, and they never ended up putting it on their site.

The next blogger claimed to "love" my article and said they would be publishing it "in the near future," whatever the hell that means. I was told this on the 27th of November, so it's been over a month.

Last blogger said sometime in early January, so it may be too early to tell if they are blowing me off too.

I understand some blogs have editorial calendars that plan out quite some time, but is this normal? If not, what am I doing wrong? I don't understand this happening three times, seems odd to me.
#blogging #breakout #guest #wrong
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    It is a numbers game. There's an old saying: if you want to hit the sun, aim for the moon. So if you want to get a total of 10 guest posts a week or a month, do 200 contacts. Most will blow your email off. Of the ones that bother to respond, only half are truly interested. Blow them away with your topic concepts and short article abstracts. Remember, the whole guest post process is about one thing and one thing only: HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM GET AHEAD. Make that clear by producing solid content that not only fits with their blog's overall theme and editorial direction but also helps them with their main job: engaging their readers and building loyalty.

    Once they see this, many will get excited. Sadly, many won't or can't get around to publishing your stuff. So, shoot for 10 out of 200. Depending on your niche and how in demand the partner blogs are, you might need to adjust that base number up.

    Happy Hunting!
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  • Profile picture of the author denysapu
    Yep it's normal.
    And you did not wrong anyway.
    That happened to me, what I do is be patient and not pushy. They have a right.
    I tried to follow the blog owners / editor activities on the social media. Just curious how busy they are.
    In the end, we communicate there, and after that I found out what they promised.
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  • Profile picture of the author raffman999
    When you contact sites to guest blog on you need to ask the site contact/owner a lot of questions which will help prevent some of the issues you've encountered.

    1. Give me some detail on what you would like me to write about, please be really specific about the topic, tone and word count
    2. When will you approve the post?/When will the post be published?
    3. Will you give me feedback on the post and the option to revise if unsuitable?
    4. Can we make this a regular thing? (If this is what you want)

    You should contact way more than three blogs and get this information from as many different sites as you can before writing anything. When you've got 40 or so responses you can go through their answers and see which site owners are giving good signals from their answers.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Hi Ashly,

    It doesn't seem to me that you've done anything wrong at all, here.

    I think that so far you've simply been a victim of an unlucky combination of "small numbers", "unreliable people" and "the holiday season", and that you'll do better in future, with further attempts. Good luck with them.
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  • Profile picture of the author AT-Copy
    As others have said, you're definitely on the right track. It's just a question of keep doing what you're doing, don't wait for these articles to be published before you start submitting to other sites.

    Also, I wouldn't feel bad about finding another home for an article if a site has had it for months without posting - especially if they're not even responding to you. Just email and tell them you'll submit it elsewhere if they don't give you a timeframe (be polite of course).
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  • Profile picture of the author jazbo
    Sounds like you are doing the right thing. I would hassle them a it more - you took the time to write, at least ask for feedback on why they really don't look like publishing it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
    Generally, we publish guest posts within the same week they are submitted.

    If you write well and you are interested in writing for the Inspiration Blog (personal development market) contact me. I will not keep you waiting for a reply.

    Cheers,

    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Ashly, three blogs with positive feedback isn't a bad start at all. Sometimes you'll see a lag between submission and publication. It's the nature of the beast. Busy publishers, editorial calendars, even publishers that like to keep a 'slush pile' of good content handy could explain what's happened here.

    You're doing things right. Keep doing things right, and it will all balance out in your favor.

    Originally Posted by raffman999 View Post

    When you contact sites to guest blog on you need to ask the site contact/owner a lot of questions which will help prevent some of the issues you've encountered.

    1. Give me some detail on what you would like me to write about, please be really specific about the topic, tone and word count
    2. When will you approve the post?/When will the post be published?
    3. Will you give me feedback on the post and the option to revise if unsuitable?
    4. Can we make this a regular thing? (If this is what you want)
    As a publisher myself, I can tell you that this is a fantastic way to make sure you get ignored, unless you happen to be one of the real heavy hitters in my site's niche. You want space on my site, and right out of the gate you want me to jump through a bunch of hoops. Unless you happen to be one of the above-mentioned big fish, you're labelling yourself 'more trouble than it's worth.'

    Originally Posted by raffman999 View Post

    You should contact way more than three blogs and get this information from as many different sites as you can before writing anything. When you've got 40 or so responses you can go through their answers and see which site owners are giving good signals from their answers.

    Hope this helps.
    The only sensible thing in this recommendation is the advice to contact way more than three blogs.

    Originally Posted by jazbo View Post

    Sounds like you are doing the right thing. I would hassle them a it more - you took the time to write, at least ask for feedback on why they really don't look like publishing it.
    Like the above, "hassling them a bit more" is a great way to get on the "more trouble than it's worth" list. One follow-up is enough.
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  • Profile picture of the author goalswithinreach
    I agree with the advice already given in this thread, but would also add that I've personally had some great successes when I tossed in some other key benefits. Namely, offering to do an interview with them, edit, and provide the audio file, as well as post the interview on my own site.

    This gives them 2 things:

    1. It provides a nice change from the usual text driven content - They have something new and exciting to post on their blog

    2. It gives the perception they are important, as they are the subject of an interview

    3. (This one's for you) It gives you extra opportunity for exposure, as some of the listeners will look you up and visit your site if they like your content/style

    It's important to understand how many requests these publishers get if they are well known in the niche. Offer a few extra's and you just may be surprised at the lift it gives to your efforts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Coby
    While I've never actively pursued "guest blogging"...

    I can speak from the side of the blog owner...

    I have a PR 2 blog in the IM niche (using my name) and have had requests for guest posts - these days I just politely decline all offers...

    But in the past I had received posts and told the author I liked it and would publish it...

    And I never did - was nothing against the person - just got really busy and it slipped my mind... That's the main reason I don't accept them anymore these days simply because I'm too busy to go through them and make sure they are "up to snuff".

    I wouldn't take it to heart - just part of the game. Keep at it and you'll break through in no time at all

    Good luck.

    Cheers,
    Coby
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    Ashly,

    Are you saying that you went to these people's own blog and commented there? That is what I understand from your post.

    If this is the case then here is what I think.

    There are plenty of blogs out there that get a ton of traffic and allow people like yourself to comment on each "blog post" that they make. I would just post and move on. You can not rely on these guys and ladies to approve your comments and to be frank, I would not even bother to do this.

    I used to do blog commenting all the time and found out that it is a waste of time to even visit their website let alone leave a comment.

    There are other ways to get traffic for free.
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    • Profile picture of the author seohallmark
      When we send E mails to 100 people for guest posts submission, most of them never bothered about replying E mail or posting the articles even if we send high quality guest posts.

      I've been doing by adding me in guest blogging groups and approach everyone, thus get good conversion rate for my guest blogging efforts than sending E mails.
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  • Profile picture of the author katec
    Just create a great content (something current) and send it to related blogs. If they are interested in your piece they will publish it. That's what I do and very happy with the success rate. I never send content to blogs that have no followers and less than PR4.
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  • Profile picture of the author minimalseo
    In order to get them to publish your content and give you the exposure that you may derive from they doing so, you have to offer them something in return that benefits them.

    This is what I do for my clients and it has always, I repeat, always worked: I offer to run a paid PR release of their publishing, so they get exposure, and by virtue of it my client too - a win-win situation adding to everybody's reputation, traffic.

    I know this isn't necessarily the way to get your guest blogs published, and its not for everyone, there must be simpler ways like writing undeniably great content and such - but this works for me to achieve what you need here and thought I will share anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author aizaku
    Don't break in, just open the door and walk in.

    Here You Go Little Sister:

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