What is guest blogging?

Guest blogging, or guest posting, is when someone outside your company is invited to publish content on your website. Typically, that blogger has subject matter expertise or is a notable figure within your industry.

Creating a steady stream of interesting, helpful content for your brand or business is a significant challenge. If you’ve been publishing content for a while, it may seem like you’ve covered every topic under the sun. But if you don’t change things up, your audience will start to notice. And no one likes reading the same points over and over again. You could lose customers if you don’t refresh your content or cover topics in new and creative ways.

That’s where guest posting comes in. Guest blogging allows your business to work with an external writer or industry expert who can bring a fresh approach to your blog. That new perspective offers a unique viewpoint your readers may not get elsewhere, which helps your content resonate with a much wider audience.

Why is guest blogging important?

Guest blogging creates a wide range of mutually beneficial opportunities for both the organization and the guest writer.

Benefits for the organization

  • Brings traffic to your blog: Hiring a guest blog writer is an excellent opportunity to increase your audience and organic traffic. Most guest bloggers are eager to promote their guest posts to show off their new content, which brings new readers to your website.
  • Takes pressure off your internal team: Having to come up with topics, write content, then edit and post it multiple times a week can be exhausting. Hosting guest bloggers periodically takes this work off your staff and gives them time to rest and refresh.
  • Boosts brand authority: Bringing in experts to write exciting and informative content increases your brand’s identity as an industry authority.
  • Builds great relationships:  Even large brands can stand to improve their relationships. Through guest blog posts, companies keep their business growing by partnering with experts, up-and-coming figures, and other influential leaders in their fields.

Benefits for guest writers

  • Increases their audience: Professional writers with industry experience are always looking for ways to increase their reach. Writing on a new website and having their byline out there is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to a much wider audience.
  • Increases connections: Besides expanding the writer’s readership, guest blogging helps writers establish relationships with a wider network of clients. That can grow their reputation and business, helping them land new gigs.
  • Improves SEO on their website: Any writer with the skills to work in guest blogging should have their own website or portfolio. By linking to your website in your guest blog posts, you signal to Google that your website is more authoritative, moving it up in SERP rankings.

How to develop an excellent guest blogging strategy

Here are some initial steps your organization can take to develop a great strategy for guest posts.

1. Determine your goals.

No business should be publishing content without a goal in mind. Some common goals for blog posts are:

The same logic applies to guest posts. Every guest post you commission should have a goal in mind that you discuss with the writer beforehand. That will help them tailor the content to ensure it resonates with your audience.

2. Focus on finding talented writers within your industry.

There are lots of excellent writers capable of writing great guest posts. However, digital marketers should strive to find writers with relevant industry experience to ensure the highest-performing content possible.

3. Make the terms clear.

When engaging a guest blogger, the hosting organization must clarify the terms. That includes everything from the details of the writer’s attribution and byline to their fee and whether the content can be reposted by them later.

Content syndication, or sharing your content on another website, is a great way to draw traffic. However, the terms of this should be clear to avoid any confusion at a later date.

4. Evaluate and review.

To ensure your strategy is working as expected, take time periodically to review how well your guest posts are performing.

Are they sparking conversations on social media? Has your blog traffic increased? Asking these questions and measuring analytics ensures your guest blogging strategy is refined and customized to your site’s needs.

5. Keep promoting.

If you’ve gone through the process of reaching out to guest bloggers and working with them to craft great content, the last thing you want is for it to go unnoticed.

To broaden your audience, promote your guest-posted content on your social media pages so more people can see it.

Unlock content growth through effective guest blogging

Finding the right guest blogger to complement your strategy is a real challenge. At ClearVoice, we have a community of thousands of expert writers ready to help you get started.

We’re happy to connect you with the perfect writer with the expertise you seek. Talk to a content specialist today to take your guest blogging strategy to the next level.