Create a Compelling Online Portfolio by Guest Blogging

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Create a Compelling Online Portfolio by Guest Blogging

Posted May 27, 2010 in How-To

Many freelancers I know have been shying away from guest blogging because they are used to being paid for creating content and guest blogging is all about spreading content for free. However, money is not everything, especially “immediate” money.

Guest posting is more valuable than your current paid task. It builds your reputation and positions you as an expert. It makes it possible for you to charge more by making you an authority. It exposes your expertise and high quality work to hundreds of potential clients.

Therefore, you must create your guest posting strategy. Just start now.

Step 1: Find Relevant Blogs Accepting Guest Posts

Before starting, you need a plan. Frst create the list of the blogs you feel like starting with. Here are a few tips on how to find solid guest posting opportunities:

Look around blogs you regularly read. Chances are, many of them welcome guest posts. You are already familiar with the style and audience at those blogs, so it will be easy for you to start.

Useful tip! Look for common “footprints” (signs that the blog should/might be accepting guest posts) like a category called “Guest posts”, posts credited to random guest authors, “Write for us” page, etc.

One more useful tip! Run a quick domain-restricted search in Google to see if there have been any guest posts ever published at that site: [site:freelancefolder.com guest post]

Use Google: search Google for something like ["submit guest post" your topic here]
Use Twitter Search. The best thing about Twitter is that it has the most recent (and thus still valid) offers. So, be sure to search Twitter for something like

Useful tip! Twitter supports [?] operator to restrict your search to questions-only. So don’t forget to play with it:

Step 2: Create a Plan

The most difficult part about guest blogging is that it is optional. You don’t have to report to anyone on the status and the results. So, you keep moving the guest post to a later date after everything else is done.

Thus, you end up with too few guest posts a month and too slow results.
What you need is a plan to keep you disciplined.

Make it a rule to write and submit at least one guest post a week.
Add writing a guest post to your weekly work schedule.
Plan writing a guest post for the beginning of the week (Monday or Tuesday).

Step 3: Define the Priorities

What’s your main goal you want to achieve by guest blogging? Bear in mind that the hugest benefits of guest blogging include:

Building your brand and reputation
Building your connections with influencers

Never focus on other, more obvious, but less important benefits like link building or self-promoting.

This means, you should share your best content in a guest post. Do as well as you can. Make the real quality of your content your first priority. Be sincere in your effort to provide value.

Step 4: Create a Good By-Line

While you are not in the focus (your actual post is!), your by-line is your business card. This is what will always be attached to your post and will drive you exposure for months (maybe years) after your post goes live.
Your by-line should be:

Short and to the point (mention your area and level of expertise and years in business).
Free of self-advertising (don’t sound stupid and fake, refrain from phrases like “top expert”, “huge expertise”, etc): let your content speak for you, not your by-line.
Modest in linking (don’t try to link to all your websites, just link to your main one, your portfolio and maybe your Twitter ID).

Step 5: Never Give Up

By actively guest posting you are going to come across various people and different types of feedback. That’s when you need to remember the golden rules:

Accept the rejection. Negative feedback is what really makes us better.
Accept the silence. Most email conversations never happen: you just email the person and never hear back. Skip it and move further.

Just arrive at conclusions and move forward. Our ability to accept the failure is what keeps us going and growing.

Good luck!

Do You Guest Post?

Do you write guest posts? Do you accept guest posts on your blog?

Share your guest posting experiences and stories in the comments.

About the author: Ann Smarty is an online entrepreneur, search marketer and blogger. She is been actively guest blogging for two years and owes all her business achievements to guest blogging. Her passion for guest blogging resulted in her recent project-My Blog Guest-the community of guest bloggers. If you are planning to start guest blogging or want to find guest authors for your blog, join MyBlogGuest!

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42 Comments

George Passwater
May 27th, 2010 at 8:48 am

Great post Ann.

It’s funny seeing this post since I am currently building my strategy for guest posting right now. I am putting together the plan and targeting the right places to put out more guest posts. You are right in that it’s not money, but it’s great for getting your name out there and getting that needed reputation. For me personally, guest posting should be part of just about every freelancer’s marketing plan.

Thank you again Ann for this great post. It will help me out in my guest post strategy planning right now.
Jordan Walker
May 27th, 2010 at 8:55 am

This is an excellent idea for getting your name and face in front of many. It is interesting to me to see so many copywriters moving online, I would have thought all copywriters by default would develop content for the internet. With the weight of content there is a huge need / demand for quality content, and guest writing is a shoe in the door.
Jennifer Woodard
May 27th, 2010 at 9:05 am

I have thought about guest posting many times. The issues that I come up against are:
1. Have a hard enough time coming up with posts for my own blog on a consistent basis.
2. Afraid that I do not have any of value to add. Some blogs that I read are so popular, I am afraid of offer a post for their blog.
3. Afraid that they won’t like the post that I write.

Is it acceptable to ask the blogger whose blog that I want to write for what topics that they would like to see covered?

Thanks,
Jennifer
Frost Mag
May 27th, 2010 at 9:30 am

We’re always looking for guest writers if anyone has something they want to write about.
Ann Smarty
May 27th, 2010 at 10:24 am

@Jennifer, I’d say these are common issues:

1. Content inspiration is the matter of experience (to my mind). After a few months of blogging I got a fresh idea even while having dinner.
2. Your perspective is ALWAYS unique, so just don’t be afraid to express your sincere opinion and your post will be both useful and interesting to read.
3. This can happen but like I said, just accept the failure and learn by it!

@Everyone, thanks for commenting! I am thrilled to share my post at Freelance Folder!
fireRoxy
May 27th, 2010 at 11:21 am

i need guest writers too:)
Resume writing
May 27th, 2010 at 11:24 am

I look on guest blogging as a form of almost free advertising. You get to put your name out there in front of a potentialy massive crowd.
I say almost free advertising because there is a time factor involved.
Laura Spencer
May 27th, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Thanks Ann for writing such an informative post! :-)

I’m sure that all of our readers have learned from your experience and suggestions.
David Silva
May 27th, 2010 at 10:27 pm

Definitely something I’m looking to start doing, but I need to write more on my own blog to get into that rhythm. Hopefully some of the guest blogging will even be here at Freelance Folder!
Impulse Magazine
May 27th, 2010 at 10:53 pm

I love doing guest posting because it gets you instant credibility and social proof
Ricardo Bueno
May 28th, 2010 at 1:19 am

This is something I’ve been meaning to do but just haven’t gotten around to doing. I’ve written a few posts. Next step is a solid schedule and sending them off to the respective sites I’m hoping to have them posted on.
Freelance FactFile
May 28th, 2010 at 7:32 am

This is a v .informative post. My questions to Ann are: How do you find enough relevant blogs in your niche that you want to be associated so that you can write a guest post every single week? Or do you write for a few on a regular basis? And do you always come up with brand new content each time?
Ann Smarty
May 28th, 2010 at 8:14 am

@Freelance FactFile, thanks for the questions :)

1. I used to have trouble finding blogs, this is why I started MyBlogGuest :) So far it is quite enough to cover my guest blogging needs.

2. As for the content “freshness”, “adapting” my expertise to the blog needs has been the way out for me. Take a look at this post for example. I have blogged on the benefits of guest posting previously but here I am stressing the benefits and strategy for freelancers (this make the post both unique and interesting to the audience).
TheAL
May 28th, 2010 at 11:39 am

I think guest blogging is an excellent way to get exposure. But I don’t think it’s a guaranteed way of positioning you as an expert. “Expert” is a very tricky word, and one should use it carefully. A lot of people I know who have been guest blogging lately, and who are considered to be very successful freelancers, really aren’t close to being experts in their fields. Some of them haven’t even been freelancers for that long. They’re intermediate at best, and the things they blog about are usually “been there, done that” -or- “well put, but that’s kind of a given.”
NYC Auto Accident
May 28th, 2010 at 2:46 pm

Thanks for the excellent post. These are very useful tips.
Fraser Revie
June 11th, 2010 at 7:33 pm

I was actually thinking about starting to guest post on other forums, thanks for this little sneak peak into what I should be doing and also what I can expect!
Daveido
March 18th, 2011 at 7:40 pm

I like that with the post also came some comments that want guest blogging! This makes the start much easier. :) I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while, but having issues like @Jennifer Woodard, so thanks for your excellent, and of course thank you Ann for the answers!
Catherine Balavage
March 19th, 2011 at 7:48 pm

My website accepts guest posts. If you’re interested go to http://www.frostmagazine.com

We get very good traffic, reach influential people and have subscribers as well.

Best

Catherine
naprawa vp29
May 5th, 2011 at 12:22 pm

Hey are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
invest liberty reserve
January 26th, 2012 at 7:18 am

Create a Compelling Online Portfolio by Guest Blogging | FreelanceFolder I was suggested this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my problem. You’re amazing! Thanks! your article about Create a Compelling Online Portfolio by Guest Blogging | FreelanceFolderBest Regards Justin
Free Online Portfolio
February 6th, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Great Post , Best For my work , thank you

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