Comments on: Guest Posting: Common Questions Writers Have

By: patrick

patrick — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:12:48 +0000

Loved your series so far, but this one has definitely resonated with me the strongest.

I think we stand to learn something from the fact that A listers are great, but shouldn’t be our sole marketing strategy if we want to be successful.

A good business and blog strategy will encompass multiple ways to spread content through the Internet to get the best traffic results, and by the best results I mean gaining a following by targeting the right audience.

You’ll want to build an audience that has much to gain from your experience.

Frequent exposure to various (but related) audiences is definitely a great way to increase exposure.

By: How to Avoid Wasting Your Blog Client’s Money | Men with Pens

How to Avoid Wasting Your Blog Client’s Money | Men with Pens — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 10:07:24 +0000

[...] They can increase their exposure by having you write for OTHER people’s blogs. [...]

By: What to Do When They Hold Your Guest Post Hostage | Men With Pens

What to Do When They Hold Your Guest Post Hostage | Men With Pens — Sun, 02 May 2010 02:13:50 +0000

[...] stop to remember that whole mutual respect thing. Writing posts and creating relevant content is part of a symbiotic relationship between authors and site owners. Getting a reputation as a [...]

By: John Hoff

John Hoff — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:54:11 +0000

Excellent post, James. I have copied and pasted parts of this to a text file for reference later (in addition to the stumble!).

About the RSS numbers, I think if I had over a 1000 signed up I’d post. That truly is a lot of people listening. No, not compared to Problogger, but 1000 people is still an impressive number. 500 and I’d consider it.

By: James

James — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:31:49 +0000

@ Ravyn – There are too many factors to determine what specific amount of time before beginning to tap people up. In general, if no one knows you, it’s a bad idea to ask.

There are more factors listed in the next two posts to come. Cheers!

By: Ravyn

Ravyn — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:01:36 +0000

You said a blogger should wait a certain amount of time, building up, before putting herself forward as a guest blogger. How long is long enough, approximately? Does this change depending on the regularity of the posts? Is there a milestone that one can guide to?

Ravyn’s last blog post..Incorporating the Inhuman: The Skeleton of the Other

By: James

James — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:13:38 +0000

Heh, I’d be gauche. Then again, our numbers are posted. So I can’t be gauche just to be different. Can I be right instead?

By: Bamboo Forest

Bamboo Forest — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:28:44 +0000

@ Hunter: I really agree with Skellie on this. I prefer to leave my guests guessing, rather than me putting it right in front of their face.

Now, if I had 5,000 or more subscribers, in front of their face would be a good thing.

Did not Dosh Dosh wait till he had 10,000 before he showcased his stats?

It’s all about the Matrix…

Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..Whatâ€™s The True Value of Blog Comments?

By: Bamboo Forest

Bamboo Forest — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:18:35 +0000

Perhaps it would be best for a blogger to start on the smaller side with their guest posting and work themselves up to, oh I don't know, copyblogger? Then again, if you have something outstanding, why not try having it posted with the A-listers first. If no success, only then submit to the smaller blogs. One gust post a week?! You'd have to be a truly prolific writer to succeed at that. I'm not sure everyone is capable of it. But, as I always say, practice makes perfect. Great tips. Bamboo Forest's last blog post..Whatâ€™s The True Value of Blog Comments?

By: Graham Strong

Graham Strong — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:08:43 +0000

Re: Posting RSS Numbers

I definitely agree about not posting numbers until your numbers are up. But I think it depends on your niche as well. If your blog is directed at left-handed, colour-blind artists who live in New Mexico, perhaps 50 is a high number.

I think as most people have alluded to, the only advantage to posting numbers is to attract other subscribers by looking popular. The actual number may be highly subjective though. A good approach may be to start posting when your numbers start going up steadily. For example, if you hit 100 and your number of subscribers starts going up by 5 per week, just watching the climb can make a pretty impressive impact on your blog.

(There’s an idea — is there an RSS chart you can display? Show your readers how your blog is growing rather than just tell them the current number…)

~Graham

Graham Strong’s last blog post..One Dime Is All It Cost: How to Keep Your Content Current (And Why You Shouldâ€¦)