Want to write for someone else’s blog? Being a guest blogger is a novel way to expand your reach and stretch your talent. When Liz Strauss asked me to write a guest post for her I said, “I’m astounded.” Liz is a magnetic writer whose words seem to surround you on and off screen, moving you to think, marvel and act.

Until I started blogging, most of my writing was for clients to their markets/media contacts/communities in a voice that reflected their sound, not mine.  If you’re a professional writer, you know that writing under your own byline in an incentive to do your best. And, writing for a popular blogger with a fanatic following online is even tougher. It’s not just their space, it’s their readers’ communal gathering zone where they can and do talk back.

Right now, Problogger Darren Rowse is running a series about how to find new readers for your blog. The first of five topics covers guest blogging. Darren’s excellent post talks about strategy. Here, we’ll cover specific tactics. And, as always, your ideas on how to be a great guest blogger need to be added to this list.

How to Be a Great Guest Blogger

- read the blog and know the blogger [the same advice you hear about contacting any journalist or publisher]

- search the archives to see how and if your topic’s been covered

- send a short email asking about the possibility of guest blogging and include a brief summary of the proposed post

- interview the blogger about what they think their audience wants to know about and why

- ask about word count and preferred format

- read other guest’s posts to get a sense of how they fit in

- write something fresh and challenge yourself to be your best

- set a tight deadline so you finish the piece while you’re still inspired

- suggest an image that tells your story

- include a bio that links to your blog/site

- offer a call to action that benefits the reader, in my case, a free Q&A call open to anyone

- send a final draft and be open to comments

- comment on the post with a note of thanks

- link to the post from your own blog

One of the benefits of guest posting is, of course, to reach a new audience on another blog. Being noticed by other blogs or sites also happens. My post, De-mystifying PR, got picked up by Writing Job Roll as a link for the day, along with a few others:

• De-mystifying PR: 7 Secrets to Becoming an Expert News Source
• Why Content is Still King
• The Top 100 Freelancer Blogs
• How To Improve Your Freelance (Proofreading) Career
• The best thing about being a self-employed writer

Fill in the blanks in your comment below

If I could write a guest post for another blogger, it would be for ________ about ___________.

People I would most like to see in my blog’s guest post book: _____________________________________________________________________.

Technorati Tags: guest post,guest blogger,blog publicity,blog expert,PR,writing,Liz Strauss,Successful Blog,Barbara Rozgonyi,Wired PR Works