Guest posts are rapidly being used by more and more bloggers to get their names out – yours truly included, of course. Contacting bigger bloggers and actually getting them to agree to allow you to put in a guest post is easy enough, but how do you make sure that your guest post does more harm than good if they let you know that they’d be open to a guest post slot? That’s what we’ll cover here.

Make sure you don’t make any spelling or grammatical errors.

Now that I’ve said that, you guys will probably find at least one error in this post. Seriously though, a couple are alright, as no human is perfect; if your post is littered with spelling errors though, you are going to do more harm than good. Think of it akin to going up to speak on a stage – if you are dressed as an idiot, no one is going to listen to your message, as good as it may be; blogging is no different.

Being totally different is not important; being totally opinioned is.

When writing a guest post, you do not have to think of a new unique topic that no one has ever discussed before; you do have to try and present that topic in a unique, engaging way that will leave people wanting more (and get you a few visits to your own blog).

Remember, that most people read a blog because they’re interested in what the person behind it thinks; if you’re just factual and don’t provide any of your own opinion, I’m not reading your posts. Although not providing your own opinion may work fairly well on news-type blogs, in this niche you need to be personal, and this is no different whether you are writing for your own or someone else’s blog.

Write enough to leave people wanting more, but don’t drone on.

Remember that a lot of people read blogs from work or school; even if they’re at home, it is unlikely they will spend more than a few minutes reading each blog. If you write a novel, especially on someone else’s blog as a guest post – I’m not going to read it as I don’t have the time. Keep your posts to fewer than 1,500 words if possible; remember, short and sweet.

Do not submit a guest post that is only a couple hundred words as it is likely a) it will not be accepted and b) you will not be able to put forward your views in such a short space anyways. Also stick to shorter paragraphs, to make it easier on people eyes – although the standard paragraph is eleven lines, you probably want to stick to half that on average.

Post unique and killer content on your own blog.

A lot of people get sucked into the whole guest posting spree and churn out posts for various blogs in their niche and then neglect their own website. Remember, people are notoriously fickle – their views about how good a writer you are if they see your guest post on another site may change to views that you’re a lazy person if your last post on your own blog was a week ago or worse, poor quality.

Do not neglect your own blog, and although you do not need to continually post top quality posts, you should at the very least have your first post on your blog that people clicking through to see be one that is interesting, is funny or asks for reader interaction.

Respond to comments on your guest post.

After you have written your killer post, you need to try and respond to every single comment that has been made on it. Remember, the more comments that are made on the post, the more popular it looks and the more people that will view the comments section to see what discussion is going on; there is also the fact that replying to comments left help further show readers your personal side.

Of course, there will be some comments you cannot reply to, however even if it’s just someone letting you know that they like your post – say thanks! Make sure that you put in the effort that those who have left comments have done – if someone leaves you a couple paragraphs debating with your point, debate back – it’s always fun, and it’s likely you’ll gain a new reader.

Do not be perfect – leave your post open.

The average human cannot be perfect; however, in the world of guest posts even if it were possible, you shouldn’t.

Remember that if you leave your post open – you don’t need to have errors, but even just ending with a question asking people what they think – you are encouraging discussion, and discussion is the main reason why millions of blogs exist today (and more are being made as I type this).

You do not want to create a post so perfect that all the replies to it are “Wow” , “Good post” and “Excellent work”. If all blogs were like that, none of them would exist, which is why you should never fully cover a topic or if you do, leave it open to debate for readers.

I will be running a few guest posts on other blogs myself, as I have a truckload of time on my hands and not a lot to do with it – if you’ve got more subscribers than myself and are too lazy to post during one of the next few days, send me an email and I’ll sort you out.

What do you think of the above points, and how much success have you had guest posting on other blogs?