What is guest posting

Guest posting is when a blogger posts content on behalf of – or in support of – a brand. The content itself is often written specifically for this occasion and may not necessarily be produced by the brand. Guest posting is especially important for B2C (Business to Consumer) blogs as they tend to get more engagement.

It’s important to note that guest posting isn’t necessarily a negative concept. In fact, when done well, it can be highly beneficial to the host blog and the brand. One of the main reasons why guest posting is such a popular strategy among bloggers is because it allows them to expand their audiences. Many brands, businesses and organizations use guest posting as a means to gain exposure and attract potential customers to their brands and products.

Why should you avoid it?

While it’s a common misconception that all guest posting is bad, it’s important to understand that there are some instances where it doesn’t work. Here are a few things you need to avoid if you want to do guest posting successfully.

No free products

Give something of value for your guest to say what they love about your product or service. Sometimes, bloggers will accept free products in exchange for an honest review. If you want to do guest posting, make sure you are prepared to give something of value to the guest blogger. This will go a long way towards convincing them to do a good job.

Too much of it

If you notice, many big blogs have a lot of guest posting. This is usually a sign that they’re doing it wrong. As a brand, it’s your job to provide value and build trust with your audience through quality content. If you want to do guest posting, focus on a few key blogs that you consider to be authoritative and influential in your industry. These are the types of blogs you should approach to do a guest post for them.

Poorly managed content

If you’re looking for a way to gain credibility with your audience, focus on creating really good content. The better the content the more likely people are to trust you. When a brand or business creates good content, people are naturally going to want to support and be associated with that brand or publication. This is called native advertising and is one of the major benefits of doing guest posting. If you want to do guest posting, make sure the content you’re posting is of good quality and manages to stand out.

Irrelevant content

Avoid doing guest posting if the content you’re posting is irrelevant to your target audience. Many big blog networks, such as Blogger, Tumblr and WordPress, offer tools that can help you find the right blogs to partner with. In addition to this, many platforms, including Medium and LinkedIn, offer editorial partnerships that can be a viable alternative for brands who want to do guest posting.

Rigid editorial policies

If you want to do guest posting, make sure you’re aware of the editorial policies and guidelines of the blog you’re posting to. You should also familiarize yourself with the general ethos and style of the blog. This will help you determine whether or not you’ll fit in with the rest of the content.

No transparency

While it’s always beneficial to do your best to offer transparency in all walks of your business, make sure you don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. If you want to do guest posting, make sure you’re honest about who you are and what your motives are.

Attribution or Crediting

When you do guest posting, make sure you give proper credit to the brand or product you’re promoting. If you want to do guest posting, make sure you have the legal right to do so and that you’re attributing the content to the correct source.

Conclusion

As you can see above, there are many ways in which guest posting can be beneficial. However, you should only do it if it’s in line with your goals and objectives. If you want to do guest posting, find influential blogs in your industry and create relevant content that will help them to grow their audiences.