4 Ways to Get More People to Read Your Blog: Guest Post

Posted on January 24th, 2012 by in Blog

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The most frustrating part blogging is to dedicate so much time to writing quality content on your site, only to have absolutely no one read your articles.

I’ve been hearing the same advice for the past five years on how to grow a blog.  Raise your hand if you’ve heard this before:  “Write good content, post on Facebook, post on Twitter, post on Linkedin, and watch the magic happen.”

But what happens if you don’t have Facebook fans, or many Twitter followers, or many Linkedin connections?  You can post on those sites all you want, but you will probably never get the results you want.

Here are four ways that you can grow your blog readership pretty fast, assuming you have some good content to offer your audience.

Guest Post

There are three critical reasons to guest post on other blogs:

  1. You get a link back to your blog for SEO purposes
  2. You can drive a ton of quality traffic to your blog
  3. You can begin to establish a relationship with the bloggers in your niche (which in my opinion is actually far more important than the other two reasons).

Not to completely overstate the obvious, but once you decide to guest blog, you need to find places to do so.

For me, I use Google and Twitter to do this.

Google

In the search bar, you want to first type in your niche followed by the words “write for us”.  For instance, in the picture below, I want to search for marketing blogs and that gives me a pretty good list to start with.

Google search phrase

Once you’ve exhausted all of the blogs with the search phrase “write for us”, you can then move onto other terms such as:

  • Contribute
  • “Guest Blog”
  • “Guest Bloggers Wanted”
  • “Become a Contributor”

Twitter

Another place that I frequently find guest posting opportunities is through Twitter.  In Twitter’s search feature, I will type in the phrase “Guest Bloggers Wanted”.

Twitter Guest Bloggers Wanted

I will admit, Twitter isn’t really as good an option as Google is because it’s a bit harder to target your specific niche.  If you’ve tried this tactic three or four times without much luck, I would probably focus my efforts on finding compliant blogs using Google.

Target Personal Blogs

If you get a blog post featured on something like Mashable and MarketingProfs, you have the chance to drive massive amounts of traffic to your blog – Eventually.

I say eventually because usually sites like these are booked months in advance.  And because sites like these are more like media companies than blogs, it’s hard to build a relationship.

I submitted a guest post to MarketingProfs about three months ago and it was accepted.  The post still isn’t up, and I forget what I even wrote.

Compare that with a site like http://andynathan.net/.  I got in touch with Andy less than two weeks ago.  We’ve exchanged emails, and the post is now live.

By the time my post on MarketingProfs gets published, I’ll have dozens of posts on blogs like Andy’s driving significant and qualified traffic to my site.

Guest Post Ratio

When I look at new blogs, one of the biggest mistakes that I see is that they are spending far too much time creating content for their own site.

Instead of writing four posts on your blog each week, cut that back to two, and spend the rest of your time guest posting.

Your blog will attract more readers that way.

Get Others to Talk about You

Let’s say your company creates Facebook fan pages for businesses.  One of the things that you can do is work for free for a blogger in return for an endorsement.

Here’s what you can do.

Find bloggers in your niche with large audiences who could benefit from both reading your blog and your fan page service.

I’ll assume that if the blogger has a large audience, he also has a fan page.  Chances are, even if the fan page is good, it’s probably not perfect.

Send the blogger an email pointing out a few ways that you can improve the performance on the fan page.  Share with him the results that he can anticipate with his improved fan page.  And then tell him that you will fix it for free, in return for an endorsement of some kind.

This will make your expertise incredibly obvious to a large audience and build trust for your business and your blog.

Remove the Clutter

Another mistake that I see when I visit some blogs is the overwhelming clutter.  These blogs have three or four columns and multiple distractions, including the social media buttons.

Many blogs have multiple calls to actions.  Do you want me to read your ebook, watch your webinar, or buy your product?

When someone comes to your blog, what is it that you want them to do?

Here are a few options:

  • Sign up for your news letter
  • Watch your webinar
  • Friend you on Facebook
  • Buy your product or service

Once you’ve determined what it is you want the reader to do, then build your entire blog around that one action.

On my blog, I want people to download my ebook, which puts them on my mailing list.  In order to make that 100% obvious, I’ve removed all other distractions.  You can’t even get to my Twitter profile from my blog.

Is that a bit extreme?  Perhaps it is.  However, I find that to be the most effective way to accomplish my goal of getting readers of the blog onto my mailing list.

Start with Your Customer Base

One of the most forgotten ways to grow the readership on your blog is to start with your current and former customers, even if you have a relatively small customer base.

It’s not always the size of your audience, it’s the quality of your reader that matters.

Your current and past customers are much more likely to trust you and value what you have to say because they know first-hand that you know your stuff.

These are also people who are much more likely to share your content with their friends, like your Facebook fan page and follow you on Twitter.

Start to cultivate a little community, even if that community consists of just ten members.  If you are loyal to that community, and provide them extremely valuable content on a consistent basis, your blog will grow quickly into a valuable asset for your business.

Conclusion

Growing a readership base for your blog isn’t exactly rocket science.  However, it does take hard work, determination and an extreme amount of persistence.

None of the four tactics above will work every time.  They might not even work half of the time.  However, if you are dedicated to growing your blog, you will be surprised at how quickly your readership will grow.

Greg Digneo is the author of the new blog Sales Leads in Thirty Days which shows marketing agencies and consultants how to get more clients in 30 Days.

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31 Comments

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31 Responses to “4 Ways to Get More People to Read Your Blog: Guest Post”

  • Reply

    shelley alexander on January 25, 2012

    Hi Andy, this info by Greg on doing a guest post is so timely for me. I just recently started doing a holistic food and health blog and it has been really great doing posts for it but it would be wonderful for me to start writing guest posts on other blogs so that I can expand my audience. I will try all of these great suggestions. Thanks for sharing :)
    shelley alexander recently posted..Meyer Lemon Flax HummusMy Profile

    • Reply

      admin on February 1, 2012

      Shelley,

      Glad we have some good information for you. Let me know how the guest blogging is working.

      Andy

  • Reply

    Jack on January 25, 2012

    Before making people talk about your posts, you need to make them read your entire articles: choose carefully the title, divide the article using subtitles and promise something interesting in the introduction.
    Jack recently posted..A Quick Guide to Buying the Right Microwave OvenMy Profile

  • Reply

    Claire on January 25, 2012

    Definitely true, and guest posts can be a great source of traffic even if you do have Facebook fans, and many Twitter followers, and many Linkedin connections.
    There’s no reason i could think of to ignore such a solid traffic source. All it needs is a little preparation to make it work at full potential.
    Claire recently posted..How to Get Rid of Mold in your HouseMy Profile

    • Reply

      Greg on January 25, 2012

      Thanks Claire!

      You are 100% correct. It’s such a great way to get qualified traffic to your blog!

      Greg

  • Reply

    Janet Abercrombie on January 25, 2012

    When you email someone regarding a guest post, do you immediately offer an outline for a potential post that fits the blog’s theme?

    …or, do you write the article beforehand (unpublished, of course).
    Janet Abercrombie recently posted..STOP Teaching Tech!My Profile

    • Reply

      admin on January 26, 2012

      Janet,

      Yes! Be as respectful with people’s time. Let them know ahead of time what you want to post or have two or three ideas that you would like posted. My favorite guest bloggers have a post before they contact me. They know what they are looking for, and there is less back and forth.

      Andy

    • Reply

      Greg on January 26, 2012

      Hey Janet,

      My approach is this.

      First, I read every blog post for the past three or four weeks so that I can have an idea of what to write.

      Then, I write the post, keeping the bloggers guidelines in consideration.

      Then I email it.

      Hope this helps.
      Greg
      Greg recently posted..Drive More Qualified Traffic from Twitter in 20 Minutes a DayMy Profile

      • Reply

        Janet Abercrombie on January 28, 2012

        Thanks. I just had a guest post published, but I suspect I have brought more readers to the other site than it has brought to mine. Sigh.

        I guess I have to go for bigger fish :) .
        Janet | expateducator.com

        • Reply

          admin on January 28, 2012

          Janet,

          Even if you brought some traffic to the site that you guest published for, then remember that they will be indebted to your efforts, plus guest blogging is a great way to connect with other iternet marketers. Plus, you are getting some backlinks for Google traffic.

          Andy

  • Reply

    Cindy B. Roberts on January 25, 2012

    Google+ is also a good way of promoting your post and drive a good traffic. As google himself made some guarantee about this. Great tips! I learned new things here!
    Cindy B. Roberts recently posted..Find A LawyerMy Profile

  • Reply

    Perry Davis on January 25, 2012

    Hello Andy

    Your guest post by Greg Digneo is filled with information that is very useful for me. Discovering the three critical reasons to guest post on other blogs opened my eyes to the possibilities of using guest post. Along with his explanation of how to find places to submit guest post has given me a way to start expanding my blogging using guest post. As always your blog is filled with information that help people to grow.

    Thanks

    Perry A Davis Jr
    Music City
    Perry Davis recently posted..Network marketers what is your most valuable ammunition for improving your relationships?My Profile

  • Reply

    Lenia on January 25, 2012

    Hi,
    That is really interesting point of view concerning guest post.
    I have a question, if you don’t mind: do you believe that a relatively new blogger with not a lot of traffic can convince a a blogger in the same niche to write a post for him?
    I ask the question because I always have this fear and that is the main reason why I don’t ask for guest posts.
    Thank you for the information provided in this article!
    Lenia recently posted..Top 10 Συμβουλές για αρχάριους μπλόγκερMy Profile

    • Reply

      Greg on January 25, 2012

      Hi Lenia,

      To answer your question, absolutely. My blog is three weeks old and will have about 600 visitors to it this month.

      I’ve been able to secure guest posts on quite a few blogs, including Andy’s.

      While successful bloggers look for traffic when they can get it, they are also looking for a unique voice and opinion.

      Also, many successful blogs relish the opportunity to help new bloggers.

      *Andy can probably answer this much better than me, but this has been my experience*

      I hope this helps.

      Greg

      • Reply

        Lenia on January 26, 2012

        Wow that is really amazing. Congratulations to you.
        I am a new blogger and unfortunately I don’t have the same results as you! I guess I really have to try with the guest posting. My only fear is that I am not a native english speaker …but it is definitely worth to try :)
        Thank you for answering my question. I appreciate it.

        Have a good day!
        Lenia recently posted..Γιατί το Blogging συμφέρει ;My Profile

        • Reply

          admin on January 28, 2012

          Lenia,

          Are you targeting English speaking markets? if not, then find blogs in your native tongue.

          Andy

  • Reply

    BuySellWordpress on January 26, 2012

    Today guest posting has already become the most effective way for any blog promotion. It can be also very useful to have interviews with other bloggers and place this information on each other’s blogs
    BuySellWordpress recently posted..Fashion WordPress ThemesMy Profile

    • Reply

      admin on February 1, 2012

      Interviews are just as useful in my opinion as guest blogs, because they show a closesr collaboration.

  • Reply

    marquita herald on January 26, 2012

    Really enjoyed your article. I’ve been “intending” to become active in guest posting for the last 6 months and other things keep pushing it to the bottom of the list – maybe it’s me being insecure about just getting out there and DOING it! Thanks for the great tips.
    marquita herald recently posted..Who Do You Trust?My Profile

  • Reply

    Nicolas Cailot on January 27, 2012

    Yes, it requires a great deal of patience to set the blog on fire. The tricks given here are really effective but there is one important element that must be there is every blogger and that is patience. Applying all the techniques a blogger must have some patience to see himself successful.
    Nicolas Cailot recently posted..Pourquoi nous sommes le plus gras des singes.My Profile

    • Reply

      admin on January 28, 2012

      Nicolas,

      Patience is definitely a big requisite for any traffic generating methods.

      Andy

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