guest posting strategy

In the last six months I have had guest posts on Copyblogger, Problogger, Smart Passive Income and much more. A few of them have gone viral. Almost all of them have caused me to get a massive influx of traffic and sometimes up to 400 new subscribers in a single day.

Magic huh?

Well, not really. It was just a little bit of strategy and a lot of long-term relationship building. So for all of you who want more information on how I did it I have created a graphical flow chart to give you a basic plan. This flow chart is an extension of what I talked about on Problogger here.

It is my guest posting strategy for 2010 and 2011.

How the strategy works

Now, the graphic is not an exhaustive list of everything that you should do. I purposely left some areas a little bit thin because I want to encourage you to share ideas in the comments section of this post. That being said, the strategy basically involves:

  • Creating an excellent free eBook and an eBook cover to represent something solid
  • Creating a lengthy guest post about a topic in that eBook
  • Mentioning A-List bloggers and contacts in that guest post
  • Emailing those bloggers to let them know about your shout out
  • Writing a follow up pillar article on your blog for your new post guest post subscribers
  • Pitching new guest posts to those you mentioned in the original guest post
  • Etc.

In the post I talk about the intervals I use and the days of the week I think work best to do all of this on.

Click here to download the graphic.

How did your guest posts perform?

Once you have had a look at the graphic I would love to hear about your guest post performances. Did you do anything in the graphic well? Did it work for you? I’d be really interested to hear whether you would add any major features to the idea. Please leave me a comment.

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  1. Moon Hussain on March 18, 2011

    Hey BT!
    This graphic looks really interesting… It’s funny because I’m amping up my efforts to write a few worthy guest posts and see if I can get one published on Problogger again (& a few other blogs).

    Your guest posts are awesome and I listened to your second podcast as well. You’re full of great content. Keep it up!

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Thanks Moon. Let us know how you go.

    2. Erica Douglass on March 18, 2011

      Hi BT,

      The problem I have with posts like this is that people are going to take one look at that chart and say “I can’t do this.”

      It reminds me of the people who say you have to have an editorial calendar to do a blog. Say what? Most people just aren’t that organized.

      Let it flow, you know? Read Copyblogger’s most popular posts and write something in that vein, at least 1000 words, that’s not just promoting your shit. And you’ll probably get it published. If not, take your article to another blog.

      It’s NOT that hard to guest post. And you certainly don’t have to make a complex map and follow it to be a successful blogger.

      -Erica

      1. I suppose Erica it comes down to how serious people are about shipping.

        How serious are you about success?

        How bad do you want it?

        My advice is to be systematic about this stuff.

        Remembering that guys like Rowse and Clark are running serious businesses (they’re not bloggers), you need to treat getting a post onto their site (and gaining leverage that that entails) as serious business too.

        1. Erica Douglass on March 18, 2011

          Assuming you really are asking me these questions, I recommend clicking on the link attached to my name to see who I am and why I say this about guest posting. 😉

          1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

            Thanks for the harsh feedback Erica. I’ll take it on board.

          2. Codrut Turcanu on March 20, 2011

            I know who is she. The quin of guest posting 🙂

            I know who’s the king though. Hint — it is not me, but a guy whom I interviewed. He’s only 17-years, from Nigeria. Yes!

      2. Lisa Chiodo @ Renovating Italy on March 19, 2011

        thanks Erica, instead of enjoying the blog we are becoming more and more stressed about doing everything right. Let it flow…I feel calmer already.

        thanks again

      3. I have not found guest posting to be hard either, in fact I was invited to guest post on one of the largest personal finance blogs in Canada as a result of my participation in a forum.

        Some of the articles I am proudest of are actually guest posts.

        I would welcome guest posts on my blog as well as long as they were of high quality.

  2. What if you are the only one in your niche? Or the biggest one?

    I have to say that this is a great strategy though…

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Hi Rachelle.

      I don’t think you are the only one in your niche; you are the only one in your target market. Remember guest posts are also good for SEO and expansion. Maybe it’s time to hire someone in the next city and grow it out?

    2. Think of guest posts as the ability to reach more people in your niche community. Even if you post to a site that’s smaller, you are still getting your name in front of new people.

    3. Rachelle:
      if you’re the biggest, guest post to smaller blogs/businesses. You look like a thought leader, and you look like you’re helping them.

      What about a local newspaper? REal estate website?

      If you’re the only one, look for cross promotion and complementary services (this is discussed in detail in I think Blue Ocean Strategy or one of the other recent books I’ve read: they all run into each other!).

      1. I was doing a Real Estate Carnival for a while and that is really good for SEO.

        It was also a lot of work….

        i should start that up again. I think

  3. Before I start, I’d just like to say I think you do a really great job of engaging your readers. Your blog is one of the few that cause me to actually click over from my RSS reader and comment. I’d love to see a post about that in the future (and how you manage to do it).

    But onto the actual comment.

    This is a timely post for me, as I just launched my blog at the start of this month and I’ve been thinking about my guest-posting strategy. I’ve got 2 blogs that I plan to target, with a few more blogs that would be nice to be picked up on as well.

    I hadn’t thought about shout-outs to other bloggers I’d like to guest post at, though. Brilliant. Thanks for the info as I’m sure it will shape the way that I approach this. I see guest posts on larger blogs as pretty much the best way to get exposure quickly.

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Thanks Jamie.

      Let us know how your guest posts go.

  4. Since I ramped up my blog content and posting frequency, I’ve been asked by three other sites if they could re-print my articles. One major player in my field now does a re-print on a weekly basis.

    I’ve had another major player ask for a guest article.

    I’m just saying that for those wondering if guest posts and the such are ever going to be possible with their site…yes, yes yes!

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Good to see you Chris.

      How’s your product going?

      1. Great initial sales but has since slumped off big time. A bit of background for readers (and you if you don’t remember) is that my first product isn’t necessarily for my target market. It is and it isn’t. It’s a video series they can use to train others (or that those in the secondary market can use). Just click my name and look for the only advert on the right side of my page.

        I’ve done some split testing but am now moving on to my next project which will be a membership area for my immediate target audience. Very early in the development on this one but it’s looking good so far.

  5. I second Jaime’s comment about your ability to engage readers and I thank you for that. 🙂 This strategy is comprehensive and I really like the synergy between the guest posts and how they tie back to pillar and shorter posts.

    I’ve been looking for a comprehensive strategy to use and your post arrived at just the right time. Again, thanks BT!

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Thanks for the kind words Barry.

      Let us know how you go.

  6. Ricardo Bueno on March 18, 2011

    Hey Tyrant,

    That’s a well thought out strategy… I dig it! And I can definitely see how it’s been paying off.

    Personally, I haven’t really done this. But I have gotten behind a few conferences, managed content or posted on their sites. So I suppose, that’s been my promotion method as of late 🙂 I do need to work on my guest post strategy in the coming month tho so thanks for the push!

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Thanks Ricardo.

      It has worked really well, that’s why I thought I’d share it. I can understand (above) that some people might think its too complex.

      1. Lisa Chiodo on March 19, 2011

        Hi BT,

        I don’t think it’s too complex, and you certainly made it much clearer. I just over analyze the process with blogging which is so unlike me). If I can find the balance between having this blog be my profession and also my passion I will be happy.

        how about you? how do you balance this?
        ciao for now

        lisa

  7. FamilyLifeBoat on March 18, 2011

    And you don’t have to stay in your niche. I just got asked to guest post for a womens blog, Not someplace I was targetting but it does make a certain amount of sense. So think outside the box.

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 18, 2011

      Perfect.

  8. Just some feedback on the graphic: absolutely love it!

    Such a powerful tool to teach any mechanistic concept. In my experience with post-graduate group meetings, those who can summarise their ideas in a flow chart really understand what they are talking about, and can powerfully portray their message to the group. Not only does it benefit the students, but it also benefits the teacher – who can summarise and compose their own thoughts. And, simply a great way to break up the monotony of text heavy blogs.

    Keep up the great work!

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 20, 2011

      Whoa! Flow charts bring out the Med students!

      Thanks Ash!

      🙂

  9. 400 subscribers in a single day?

    Ok man. I just got one question. What blog did you appear on??

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 20, 2011

      That was from a Problogger guest post.

      1. I hate that. Totally envious.

        Say. After listening to your latest podcast, I gotta ask. Are you planning on eventually selling Blog Tyrant?

        1. the Blog Tyrant on March 20, 2011

          Nope.

          1. Good.

  10. Hi there, I just found your blog and I am completely hooked! Such interesting and fresh ideas that I haven’t read about before! One of my biggest issues is getting email subscribers, so any tips I can learn here will be very helpful. Thank you!

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 20, 2011

      Thanks Dawn.

  11. Lisa Chiodo on March 20, 2011

    Hi BT, just looking at your last post and now realise I need some info about podcasts. I would love to listen just not sure how to go about it? Yes another thing to learn…you are keeping me very busy!

    ciao for now
    Lisa

    ps our blog is starting to come together thanks for all the input from everyone.

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 20, 2011

      What problem are you having? You should just be able to click play.

  12. Codrut Turcanu on March 20, 2011

    Why infrequent follow-ups?

    I personally prefer frequent follow-ups to accustom readers with my publishing frequency. Sometimes I do infrequent too, but I think you should train readers to open your emails on specific days & hours.

    Also, why promote affiliate programs/links after 2 months? I do it upfront, in all the posts and emails I send. I don’t want to let a goodie pass by my readers, wait 2 months. What a joke… 🙂

    1. the Blog Tyrant on March 20, 2011

      In the period before the two months you should be developing useful content that helps people. If you promote affiliates straight away, without a relationship, you run the risk of losing people’s trust.

  13. Chris | The Study Gurus on March 20, 2011

    Hey BT!

    I totally agree with @Ashton – there’s nothing like a good graphic for visual learners. (Plus it looks awesome!)

    The ‘flow’ that you put in to get a guest post to snowball is something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately – as I’ve heard from many sources (yourself being one of the most influential) that guest posting is the way to get traffic.

    My question is, how do you go about approaching another blogger for a guest post? I’ve heard various ideas – get chatting via twitter first, or make sure you comment on their blogs, or do you just email them straight out?

    I’d love to hear your thoughts!

    Chris

  14. Danny Cooper on March 25, 2011

    400 subs in one day from guest posting, nice! How big is your list in total?

    1. He’ll tell us his real name before he gives away such confidential information.

      Cough.

      *Yeah, Tyrant, I’ve been wondering that myself?*

      1. It’s not how big the pencil is it’s how big you write your name 🙂

        1. He writes his name pretty big.

          1. the Blog Tyrant on March 25, 2011

            You guys are hilarious.

  15. Jellyfish on April 1, 2011

    I’ve never done any guest posting stuff yet. I fail when it comes to sealing the deal. People are interested to contribute on several of my blogs and I’ve been invited to do the vice versa thing.

    But: I get lazy and forget about it, a few days later I realize it and then I’m too ashamed to reply on my inbox 🙁

    Thanks for the post though!

  16. Regret I Didn’t Come Up with These Myself… March 2011 on April 6, 2011

    […] Flow Chart: My Guest Posting Strategy for Mass Subscribers by the Blog Tyrant […]

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