Maybe you've heard the term "guest blogging" before; maybe you've even written a guest post. The idea is simple. If you're a start-up or a small-to-medium business with some experience behind you, you're looking to expand and get the word out about what you do and how you can help other people or companies.
Guest Blogging Is About Meeting Needs (and Not Just Yours)
It's easy to dream about gaining more followers, links, and likes. But when it comes to guest blogging, the most important thing is to know your audience.
Here's an actual email response from a site that accepts guest bloggers:
While I appreciate your efforts, it's not clear whether you are familiar with [our] community. We don't publish guest bloggers 'just' to help them gain a wider reach.
There are three things to learn from a rejection like this:
1. Start by finding like-minded blogs
Don't just run a Google search for "sites that host guest blogs." Start where you already are. Any good guest blogger is already reading the blogs and websites that match their own interests and skills. As a marketer for small and medium businesses, I enjoy reading a wide variety of experts on sites like smbceo.com. That's just one example; take the time to find the blogs in your niche.
2. It's about relationships
That rejection is really saying: you don't even know us, so why should we help you? Take the time to build a relationship first. That means reading their blog, and commenting on posts you agree and disagree with. Be known. A good introduction, after you've genuinely invested in their content, might look like this: "I've been following your website for a few months now on a colleague's recommendation, and I noticed you cover a range of small-business topics."
For example, I love customer service, and I love reading how different people approach connecting with their customers and prospects. I believe I could add value for you and your readers with a post on four things to keep in mind when dealing with customers, practical points any business leader can use. After all, we all deal with customers; without them, we'd all be out of business.
You can even point them to a few examples of your existing work on topics like customer service, inbound marketing, and social media, so they can see your style and quality. Then close by looking forward to partnering.
3. Match your expertise to people's needs
What are you good at? What are you offering, and why would someone want it on their blog? Remember: you have something valuable to share, so don't be shy about it.
Guest Blog for Value, Not Just Links
Everything above points to one principle, and it happens to be the same principle that keeps you on the right side of Google. A lot of people chase guest posts purely for backlinks, and Google's link spam policy specifically targets that. It lists "large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links" as a link scheme, along with paid articles whose links pass ranking credit. Done that way, at scale, stuffed with optimized anchor text, or paid for, guest posting can hurt your site instead of helping it.
The fix is simple, and it's exactly what good guest blogging looks like anyway: write genuinely useful posts for audiences that fit you, and don't treat them as link-delivery vehicles. If you do include links and the post is promotional, sponsored, or part of an exchange, mark those links with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" so they don't pass ranking credit. Real value, real relationships, and honest links: that's the version of guest blogging that works long-term and keeps you compliant.
Is Guest Blogging Worth It, and Does It Work?
The honest answer: you won't know for sure until you try it yourself.
Don't get me wrong. There's a real craft to it, mostly around whether your content gets accepted and how to make that happen. But the only way to learn is to put in the reps.
Guest blogging is a bit like a daredevil's jump. Sometimes you clear it and land a whole new audience (and maybe a new customer or two); sometimes you fall short. Like Evel Knievel, you might take a tumble now and then, but the important thing is to try, learn, and do your best. You won't know until you go for it.
Final Thought
Follow the host's rules so you don't get rejected right out of the gate. If they want a 400-to-600-word post, don't send in your awesome 1,200-word thesis on the future of social media. If they want your photo as a JPEG, don't send a GIF. Pay attention to the details.
Be encouraged. You have knowledge and ability worth sharing, and information and solutions people genuinely need. Believe in yourself, follow these simple steps, and you'll be on your way to becoming a respected guest blogger and an authority in your field. And if you'd like help building a content and outreach strategy that earns links the right way, see how our SEO team can help.
This is part of our guide to marketing your small business online.
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