Be Our Guest: Tips on Guest Blogging by Annmarie Miles

Welcome back monthly columnist, Irish writer, Annmarie Miles, and enjoy her tips on guest blogging.

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I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of writing guest blogposts on a number of websites and I’ve really enjoyed getting feedback and interacting with different people. I have recently had a couple of invitations to do more and I’m looking forward to working on them.

If you are new to blogging, guest blogging might feel a bit daunting, especially if you are still finding your voice on your own blog. But if it is something that you are interested in doing then here’s a few tips I’ve picked up. They’re a mix of thoughts on an online blogchat* I was in on, a great article** I read recently and generally from my experience.

Remember it’s a privilege – Would you hand over the password to your blog and say… “here you go, write what you like?” I doubt it. I bet your blog is way too precious for that. The chance to express yourself in someone else’s space and to their audience is a great opportunity and we shouldn’t forget that.

Take your time and find the right place for you – There are millions of blogs out there, so take some time to look around and find the one that suits you best. I don’t necessarily mean the one that you feel YOU will benefit most from. More the one that you feel you can really bring something to. Read plenty of posts, including guest posts and get a good feel for what makes readers engage with and respond to that blog.

Provide a bio – it doesn’t have to be lengthy; just a few honest lines about yourself with info about how folk can contact you. And don’t be shy, make sure to add a photo 🙂

Make your guest post a the best piece of quality work you can – work as hard, in fact work harder on a guest blogpost than a post for your own blog. Do your research, make sure you know your subject well. Be sure to credit sources and photos. Proofread it, proofread it again, then give it to someone else to proofread. Read it out loud to yourself and don’t press that ‘send’ button until it’s the best bit of writing it can be.

Spread the word, pop back & interact – If you’re on social media (and if you’re a blogger you should be!) make sure to share a link to the post. Don’t flood the web, but you can do it a few times for a week or so to maximise exposure for you and your host blogger.

Always go back to check in on the posts and make sure to read and respond to any comments. If your post has sparked a reaction or discussion you’re very lucky – so get right in there and be part of it.

A word to those who would like to host a guest blogger – you need to have a realistic understanding of the popularity of your own blog. There is no harm in asking anyone, but if it is a high profile blogger with thousands of followers and you’re blog views average a small number a day it might be best to start with someone who is A. less well known and B. doesn’t mind whether it gets 1 view or 100 views – as long as they have the chance to write something somewhere…

Yeah you “guest” it… I was talking about me 🙂

* #blogchatie is a bi-weekly blog chat hosted by the www.writeontrack.ie team

** http://writetodone.com/2013/03/18/3-critical-things-that-make-your-guest-posts-rock/

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Annmarie Miles is 40 yrs old, Irish, Christian, married, and proud to be all of those things. She loves words, music & chocolate! She mostly writes about the things that life has thrown at her and how she has tried to learn, love and laugh at it all along the way!

Where to find Annmarie: Email: auntyamo@gmail.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/amowriting
Google+ auntyamo
Twitter: @auntyamo
Personal Blog: www.auntyamo.com
Fiction Blog: www.ficticiousamo.wordpress.com