As you know, your blog is a fabulous platform for you to share your expertise in your field while keeping your creative juices flowing. But this doesn’t mean that you have to do all of the talking! Sharing the floor with a guest author can diversify your work and give your readers the benefit of a different perspective. For many reasons, some bloggers are intimidated at the concept of seeking and finding guest authors to contribute to their blog.
This may be because they worry about a potential cost for guest bloggers, or perhaps there is even a worry about being rejected. The truth is, there are many bloggers willing to write guest posts at little to no cost to you. I am speaking from experience, as I receive regular messages from bloggers wishing to write articles for my blog.
Generally, the exchange is for a link or infographic they wish to share, or simply to get their bio out there and further their reach. Whatever the reason, I find it nice to have other voices on my blog. If this interests you, here are some tips for finding guest bloggers:
Utilize Your Social Media Networks
I’m sure it goes without saying that one of the best ways to make connections these days is through social media networks. Why not utilize yours to spread the word that you are seeking guest authors for your blog? One of your followers might be keen, or perhaps your followers will share your post and help you find people that way. LinkedIn is also a great source for potential guest authors since it is streamlined for business networking.
Send Out a Call Through Email
Do you have a particular blogger or author in mind? You should go ahead and reach out to them via email. In particular, writers with whom you’ve worked previously are often happy to join forces again. And even if it’s a writer with whom you’ve never been in touch, there’s really no harm in trying. Simply introduce yourself, explain why you feel they’d be a great fit for your blog, and ask if they would be interested. You might be surprised!
Ask Your Readers for Their Help & Input
Reach out to your readers to ask who they would like to see as a guest author for your blog, or even if they might be interested in doing it themselves. Tell them precisely what you are seeking and what kind of expertise is required, and you are more than likely to receive some helpful responses. For ideas on how to connect with your readers, I have a post here with some tips for you.
Offer Your Guest Authors Something in Return
Although many writers are willing to write for you in exchange for added exposure, it’s always a nice idea to offer something as a token of your appreciation. If they have a blog, perhaps you could offer to write a post for them as well. Just the other day, I had a blogger ask to write a post for my blog. She asked for nothing in return, so after reading and editing her post, I asked her to write me up a bio for herself and her social media. This way, readers can find more of her work.
Once you really get going with some guest authors on your blog, you may wish to keep track of how the stats are on their posts. The reason for this is that you will want to see which authors are performing well, in order to create more from that momentum – and perhaps find more writers with a similar style to their work.
Remember, a great guest author for your blog could be simply an email or a social media post away. Don’t be afraid to put the word out, make your requests and see what happens!
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