Do you enjoy writing about a variety of topics or do you have a couple of favorites? If you’re a blogger or blogger wannabe, you might consider writing for other blogs and get paid to write guest posts.
Why? Simple mathematics. So, let’s say you have your own blog and you just can’t figure out how to expand your readership without it costing it you big bucks. Guest posting is one of your answers. Even if you don’t have a blog or don’t intend to have one, if you want to boost your freelance writing career, guest posting is one way to do it.
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What exactly are guest posts?
If you’re a freelance writer, you’re probably already familiar with blogging. Chances are you’ve probably had a few gigs where you’ve written an article for someone’s blog, but the catch was that you were a ghostwriter, that is, your name did not get credited. That’s because you were writing an assignment for a client and they’ll get the credit for your writing.
Guest posting is different. In this case, you find bloggers or websites that will allow you to write and publish for their blog, but you’ll get the credit. It’s the way to get your name out there and build your own blog readership.
The great thing about guest blogging is other bloggers rarely want guest posts over 500 to 600 words. That’s probably because they don’t want you to completely steal their thunder, but it also means you don’t have to write as much or work as hard for a few bucks for more exposure for yourself as a writer.
These days, everyone wants to be a blogger and many of us are. But, only those who are industrious enough to consider all the angles are the ones who will make to success beyond the realm of those who know us in our social media and such.
Guest posting is about the best strategy you can employ to grow your own blog readership and platform. The great thing is that if you can find a blog that actually pays its guest bloggers, you’ll be earning money while getting your name out there. Some blogs, however, don’t pay their guest bloggers in money but allow them to link back to their own blog. And, that’s how you grow your own blog.
You could potentially grow your readership this way and pick up hundreds or thousands of new fans for your own website. Here’s how guest posting will help you:
1. You’ll connect with others and grow your popularity and readership
Every blogger needs quality content. That goes for you and where you decide to guest post. So, by being a guest blogger and posting on someone else’s blog, you’ll form a relationship with them. And, who knows, in time, they may post on your website if you allow them to. This would be good for you to because it would help to grow your own blog.
Think about how powerful blogging has become. A huge percentage of our social media is crawling with bloggers. All of those external links we click on in Facebook usually lead to bloggers.
So, if you post on other bloggers sites and vice versa and this is shared with both your contacts, and so on, and so on, well you get the picture. So form those relationships with other bloggers. They just might end up being your new best friends.
2. Your guest posts will help the search engines find you better.
Guest posting usually involves the host blogger linking your blog or website with a backlink. Backlinks are known to create more traffic on your website and raise the value of your blog to search engines. Your content will be easier to find in Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others.
Isn’t that the hope and the dream? That our blog is the next huge thing to make it in the virtual world?
3. You get to share your message and meet others doing so.
Ultimately, isn’t that why most of us blog? To talk about something important to us or that we are passionate about and reach others.
The great thing about blogging is you’ll find others who are interested in the same thing and you’ll find your way into a great community of people to share your ideas with. And those people will lead other like-minded people to you. If you do it all right, this could be a great thing.
So, you see? Guest posting your articles on other sites and blogs is a win-win.
But, do I really want others guest-posting on my own blog?
You should definitely encourage it. Especially in the beginning. It’s hard to grow your blog, otherwise. And remember, you form a circle of bloggers who link back to each other.
It’s just like your favorite store. You may shop at your favorite store because you love their fresh bakery bagels. But, would that store make it if they just sold bagels? Chances are they wouldn’t have the level of success if they just offered that one item. But, while you’re in there, you’re picking up other items besides your favorite bagel.
It’s all about offering more and everyone these days wants more. So, when you guest post on other blogger’s sites, they’re offering more and when you allow others to do so in kind, you’re offering more.
So, how does it work?
Let’s say you’ve written the article and submitted it and it’s been accepted by your host blogger. You’ll want to link to the post from your own blog. Then, you’ll want to get the word out on your social networking sites, be it Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Link your guest post more than once because you know how it is – Some people are only on at certain times, so you’ll have a different audience at varying times of the day.
Also, think of it as going to a dinner party. You thank your dinner host for a great evening and a great meal, so don’t forget to thank your guest host for printing your blog.
Don’t forget to answer any questions or comments that people have. They are looking for community too, so don’t just write your article and forget about it. It’s a little more work than that. You have to be responsive to others and what they have to say about what you’ve written.
Ok, I’m all in. Do you know which blogs or website accept submissions for guest posts?
There are really a lot of them out there. Some will pay very little, some pay fairly good, and some don’t pay at all, but don’t forget the importance of having your own name assigned to your articles and having your own byline.
If one site doesn’t accept your submission, move on and submit to another. In the world of writing, often especially in the beginning, you have to work harder to get your rep established, but once you do, it’s not so hard finding ways to publish.
Inkwell Editorial is a well-known blog that targets freelance writers and offers tips on how to start, grown, or brand a successful freelance writing career. They’ll link back to your site, but prefer articles that are targeted to freelancing.
They don’t specify a pay rate.
Listverse will pay $100 for just about any kind of list. If your interests are wide and varied, this may be a good place to start. Read their page to learn more.
Cracked wants creative and passionate writers who can write just about anything. They really seem to favor current events, tv, movies, video games, and other. See their page to learn more. Pay isn’t listed, but I’ve heard it’s decent.
BlogPaws will pay $75 for accepted posts that are 350 to 550 words long. They suggest you read their guidelines carefully before pitching them, but they do seem quite enthusiastic about guest posts.
Writers Weekly will pay $60 for a 600-word feature length article or $40 for a 400-word article in which you share your success story as a writer. They’re a freelance writing magazine and like to publish about all things writing. See their page for guidelines. They want queries, not full manuscripts.
Make A Living Writing will pay $75 to $150 for your guest posts. This is another blog geared towards writing which talks about blogging, time management, and where you can find jobs. Carol Tice started Writers Weekly and at first, paid $50 for guest bloggers. The proof of her success is obviously in the pay increase for guests posts. Be sure to read her guidelines.
Dollar Stretcher wants in-depth articles on ways that people can save money and time. Offer them a query with practical ideas that show people how to stretch their money. Be specific and if accepted, they pay 10cents for each word published. They want articles that are 500 to 700 words long.
That’s about it. There are many more sites out there that accept submissions for guest posts. Just do your homework and a little bit of research and you’re sure to find blogs that will pay you to write guest posts.
As a writer, you have an in-demand talent that can be used to earn you TONS of money online. You can earn money freelance writing, for sure, but it's still just trading dollars for hours. Personally, I recommend starting your own website! Information is the currency of the internet, so why not leverage your talents to build yourself a serious online income! Learn how to create your own blog-style website and make money through advertising.
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
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