I've been reading a lot about guest blogging lately.
And for every article I read saying it's awesome, I read another saying it's a waste of time.
What's up with that?!
Guest posting is ABSOLUTELY worth your time!
As QuickSprout pointed out:
... while Google has publicly warned against mass, low-quality guest posting, there's no doubt that it'll remain a link building bedrock for years to come.
Guest blogging has enhanced my life tremendously, but not for reasons that have anything to do with link building.
5 Lovely Reasons You Should ALREADY Be Guest Blogging
Before I go into why I'm a strong believer in guest blogging, let me point out one caveat:
What you're about to read applies only to bloggers who looooove to write like I do. If you struggle to update your own blog frequently or if you have a hard time finding the inspiration to write often, I don't recommend guest blogging.
As the flight attendant says: put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others!
Ie. if you struggle at blogging, you should focus on your own blog before helping other people with their content.
Now.... assuming you live to write & write to live, here are 5 reasons why you should already be guest blogging on other sites!
1. To Give Back!
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I get so many benefits from the social media community. It's truly my pleasure to give back (or pay it forward) through guest blogging.
I don't expect pay or any other type of compensation for my blogging. I do it to give back.
I do it because I love it.
I do it to contribute to the community that has given so much to me.
There's an indescribably rewarding feeling that comes when you guest blog for the right reasons. It's hard to describe how special it is. I hope you'll try it & experience what I'm talking about.
2. To Widen Your Net & Gain More Followers
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During the 4 to 5 years I was a partner at Bit Rebels, I wrote 4,020 posts. I didn't start guest blogging until after that.
And I didn't realize until I'd written an additional 80 guest posts that there was an entire audience out there that I would've never tapped into had I not started writing on other blogs.
Now that I've written on TechAcute, PodJam, SheOwnsIt, PostPlanner, etc... I've made tons of new online friends & contacts. These are people I would've never had the opportunity to cyber-meet if I hadn't started guest blogging on other sites.
3. To Learn WordPress & SEO
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Every blog has its own rules about guest blogging. Each website uses WordPress in a unique way & does SEO slightly differently.
Erin Ryan guest blogs a lot, and she told me about this a few years ago. Now I see what she means.
By guest blogging on different blogs & seeing the inner workings of different WordPress accounts, you get to see how each blog does these things. I've learned a lot from that experience, and the only way to understand this is to guest blog.
4. To Produce Ripple Effects
I wrote a whole article about this on Jason Eng's blog:
The article explains why I love guest blogging so much!
Yes, the backlinks are nice. Yes, the attention is nice. But when you look at it from a different perspective -- something magical happens.
Your creativity goes into overdrive, you become a master of time management & you become more relevant & trusted in your niche -- which brings me to my final point:
5. To Stay Up-to-Date on Topics in Your Niche
I can't stress to you how important this is!
When I'm not guest blogging, FOMO (the fear of missing out) sets in. When you guest write for blogs in your niche, it forces you to keep up with the fast pace of current events.
Sure, writing blog posts on your own website will do this also, but there's something about guest blogging that forces you to take an extra step with your research.
You want to be sure your facts are spot on, and you'll make an extra effort to get things just right.
Summary
My niche is social media, blogging, technology & geek stuff (like Star Wars).
Through guest blogging, I'm able to stay on the cutting edge of all these topics!
If I haven't convinced you that guest blogging is a wonderful experience, perhaps you can convince me why it's not in the comment section below.
I have no doubt that all the guest bloggers out there will agree with me on most of these points!
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