Maintaining a blog isn’t easy. You’ve got to come up with new angles and fill in gaps that nobody else has plugged before. And, you’ve got to do it while being entirely original and organic.
It’s no wonder some bloggers suffer from writer’s block! Thankfully, overcoming the demons of writer’s block, as well as many other blogging issues, is simple with the help of guest posts. Asking other writers to contribute and contributing to your peers’ blogs will eliminate a lot of your problems.
Of course, you need to develop a strategy to ensure your process is successful. Here are four for your information.
Analyse Pitches.
If your blog is popular, you’ll be inundated with pitches from prospective bloggers asking for the opportunity to post on your platform. Yes, this is a good problem, but only if you can spot the spammers from the genuine pitchers. GuestPost – a pitches expert – says a good rule of thumb is to ignore email requests. This is because it’s easy for spammers to hire a virtual assistant that can churn out emails with zero fuss. Instead, you should look out for requests that turn up in your inbox via social media or in person. The latter is the best avenue for guest pitches as you can judge body language.
Check Their References.
You only want the best guest bloggers to apply for the position, but how can you tell whether the quality is high? It’s through their track record. The blogging industry is a small world, so you probably know someone who can vouch for this person. Those who don’t can rely on the blogger’s platform and previous guest posts. Ask them for the latter during your correspondence. Once you get a feel for their ability, you can decide whether they’ll push the blog forward or add no value.
Make Integration Easy.
With different bloggers needing access to your blog, you must find a way to eliminate needless red tape without losing control. After all, you can’t give editorial permission to everybody as the security of your site will decline. Templafy – smarter document creation – is an excellent compromise. With dynamic templates and forms, you can highlight guidelines and allow guest bloggers to make changes while maintaining control. Also, there’s no need to fret about mistakes as dynamic templates automatically tweak errors. Remember that you must integrate your guests, or else you’ll lose the benefits of working remotely.
Don’t Forget To Pitch, Yourself.
Accepting guest bloggers is only one side of the coin. Applying for spots on other peoples’ platforms is a powerful way to raise awareness of your brand and build a bigger readership. You must refine your pitch so that it’s on point and stands out from the crowd. To do this, HubSpot recommends choosing the sites carefully and opting for a professional tagline in your correspondence. You need to pitch yourself, too. Tell bloggers who you are, what you do, and why you’re a perfect fit.
Follow these tips and your blog should grow into something special.