The Maine SEO Blog

I’ve been participating in the GuestBlogging.com Apprenticeship Program, run by one of Copyblogger’s associate editors, Jon Morrow. In the second workshop, Jon talked about How “Ditching Your Niche” Will Help Your Blog Get More Traffic.

A little background

Google doesn’t do a great job listing popular blogs. Historically, Bloggers have been forced to make lists of influential blogs and bloggers. Then, Guy Kawasaki created Alltop; a glorified collection of (the best of the best) blogs. Guy started by creating lists by hand and organizing them into categories.

How to make sense of Alltop

Alltop has hundreds of niches, from SEO to Auto Racing to American Idol. So start by searching for your niche.

Searches don’t just search for the topic you search for; you’ll also have related topics served up. The other topics will help expand your focus as well as inspire you. After choosing a category, you’ll find the most influential blogs at the top of the page:

Then, use this list to search for influential blogs for both links and guest blogging opportunities.

How to find the best guest blogging opportunities

Some guest blogging opportunities are going to get you more bang for your buck than others. Once you’ve found a few blogs you’d be interested in blogging for, start by doing a little background.

1. Scan Alltop

Scan through the blogs at Alltop and pick blogs near the top that look interesting.

2. 5-Step Checklist

Go through this checklist, making sure it’s somewhere you want to write:

1. Feedburner subscriber count
2. Twitter link – Are they on Twitter? How active?
3. Comment count
4. About page and/or advertiser page
5. Commonalities in the blogroll

3. Do they allow guest posts?

Do a quick search on Google to see if they allow guest posts (Google site:[website] “written by” or “guest blog” or “guest post”) or just ask:

Hey, quick question. I’d really like to do a post for <blog name>, but I couldn’t tell if you allow guest posts. Would you be open to runnning a few ideas past you?

Thanks!
<Your Name>

Making it Manageable

• Every day, choose a different topic and go through all of the blogs
• Set a time for 30 minutes, and then do as many as you can before the time goes off
• Only go through 10 or so blogs per day
• Don’t try to do it all at once. Do a little every day, slowly getting to know the blogosphere

Nicki Hicks
Now get out there and guest blog

I’ve begun been participating in the GuestBlogging.com Apprenticeship Program, run by one of Copyblogger’s associate editors, Jon Morrow. In one of the first offerings of the workshop, Jon teamed up with Sonia Simone of Remarkable Communication to create The 7 Most Common Reasons Guest Blogposts Get Rejected at Copyblogger.

In the most recent session, Jon talked about cultivating connections. He’s not talking about connections with other bloggers – yet – but about other niches, categories, and industries.

Jon starts by saying: Your content is only as valuable as the connections it allows you to make.

Guest blogging is so powerful because of the connections it allows you to make. The bloggers who make it big don’t necessarily have the best content, but they do have the best connections.

Jon suggests creating dozens of little channels to get people to your blog – don’t just focus on the big highways. How do you do that, you may ask? Good question.

Ditch your niche.

Seems kind of crazy, doesn’t it? Hold tight, you’ll soon see why.

Jon suggests that you don’t get trapped in your niche. Every niche or topic interconnects with other topics, and by focusing on just one, you’re losing out on a ton of opportunity. That’s what the Internet is, afterall: an interconnected community.

But…my industry is huge

It doesn’t matter how big or small your niche is, if you focus only on your industry, your blog will eventually suffocate from a lack of new connections. Like a goldfish, it can only grow to the size of its tank…err, community.

Now what?

In order to continue to grow, stop thinking of yourself in a tiny niche. Realize your blog is a tiny piece of a huge network. Then we start the fun stuff.

Start by brainstorming. Think about what your potential audience might be searching for. What topics would bring in new – but still applicable - audiences?

For example

Let’s say I own a cupcake shop in a small town. I’ll certainly post things about latest designs and flavors, recipes, and updates on small town goings-on; but I’ll also post things about:

• Running a small business
• DIY baking that looks professional
• Cooking (not just baking) tips, tricks, and secrets
• Healthy baking and cooking
• Alternate and non-traditional cupcake uses (birthdays, weddings, company events, etc.)

Once you start brainstorming how your industry can play into other niches, the sky is the limit!

Nicki Hicks
Ready to ditch your niche?

The following is a recap of a Remarkable Marketing Blueprint with Sonia Simone and Jon Morrow – both editors at Copyblogger.

1. They Don’t Know Who You Are

Go ahead and submit a guest post via traditional means, but that still means the blogger won’t know who you are. If you’re an unknown, then the big blogs get so many posts from people they know, then why would they post yours?

So how can you fight against it?

• Start commenting on the blog. If the blogger sees that you are participating in the comments, that will work toward the chances of your guest blogposts being published.
• Get on Gravatar.com and get your face connected to your comments. It helps connect your name with your face.
• Don’t use “doppy names”. You’ll stand out…but in the wrong way.
• It’s all about building a relationship with the blogger:
  • Get familiar with the blog
  • Make yourself stand out
  • Keep it short and sweet when you reach out to a blogger
  • Don’t treat the blogger like a god. Here are some tips on how to get a big shot answer your email.

2. You didn’t meet the standards of the blog

Consider the audience.

Submit your best work to the biggest audience.

Put time into your guest post. (Jonathan put together some point that relate to that here.) There’s a direct correlation between time spent on the post and the amount the post is shared.

Feel free to repurpose your content that you submit to guest post, but don’t do it as a blogpost. Try a PDF or a video – repurpose it as something else entirely.

Don’t submit a post you’ve already run on your own blog.

3. You didn’t match the editorial style of blog

For example, Copyblogger’s first paragraph – even the first few paragraphs – is usually only one sentence long. They use a lot of sub-headers and juicy sub-headers throughout the post. Take time to match the writing style of the blog.

Look through the popular posts and mimic the structure of one of those posts. Don’t reinvent the wheel here. Stealing framework is ethical as far as Copyblogger is concerned.

Adapt your own personal style for the blog you’re writing for.

4. Your topic isn’t a fit

If you want to write a post that is PG-13, you wouldn’t want to post it on the PG-rated Copyblogger. If you’re hell-bent on keeping curses in your post, then try to find another blog that would post a PG-13 post.

5. You weren’t memorable

Help readers make a connection with you with a personal story. Mention your kids, or your dog, or how much you hate broccoli – whatever it is! Those personal details will stick with people and bond you with them.

6. You keep making the same mistakes

Take the original post and compare it to the published version. You’ll learn more from those edits than you ever could from a writing book.

Editors feel good when you correct posts you write again for the blog. If you don’t fix mistakes you keep making, editors might see it as being lazy, that you don’t get it, and that it’s going to take a ton of time to edit/keep up with (and the writer becomes a chore).

That said, you’re not expected to be perfect the first time around. They might even make you rewrite the post. That’s not a big deal. You’re never going to be perfect, either.

Guest posts are a collaboration – don’t feel insulted if and when your posts are edited. For one guest post Jon did, he was told up front he’d be creating 3 drafts. Copyblogger posts go through three rounds of edits with multiple editors, including Brian Clark. (Due to this, Copyblogger is willing to take a post with strong ideals and poor writing and do the work to improve it for publishing.) These are all things you need to be aware of for whichever blog you’re looking to do guest posts for.

You can create a relationship with other guest bloggers by reaching out and asking “How was your experience doing the post for Copyblogger?”

7. You think you’re entitled

Sonia talks about an example with a woman who was persistent about a post she submitted which simply wasn’t suitable for the blog’s audience. Sonia nicely told her this, but the woman pushed. Instead of saying “OK, I’ll edit it and make it so it does suit your audience,” the woman presumed her post she be published. So instead of following up and standing out, she’s actually called attention to herself as a trouble maker.

It’s important to remember humility when you post on another person’s blog – you’re a guest blogger, after all. Act like one.

Sonia Simone – Remarkable Marketing Blueprint

Jon Morrow – Associate Editor of Copyblogger