Finding new ways to expand a blog’s reach and network with others is always on the mind of top bloggers. With the nature of SEO constantly in flux, some look for strategies that can help insulate themselves from any abrupt changes in search engine rankings. This can come in many forms, such as increased social media outreach, intensified email campaigns and guest blogging opportunities. In the case of guest blogging, there is much to consider before approaching a prospective blog about providing your services in exchange for a link or mention. Before you act upon this ambition, continue reading to find out about three ways in which to prepare for guest blogging opportunities.

Evaluate Your Blog

If you were a complete stranger, what would you think about your blog? Whenever approaching an individual about a guest blogging opportunity, they will undoubtedly want to see your prior work. Will they believe you are a good enough writer to be featured on their blog when they see yours? By evaluating your own content before contacting another blogger about this opportunity, you will be able to ensure that your blog is in tip-top shape, as well as making sure it is pinging links that are valid (in case any are now broken). There are plenty of potential benefits that come with re-evaluating your content after some time has passed; one of them is ensuring that others will find your content to be to their liking and will be more likely to say yes to your offer.

Research the Possibilities

There are so many blogs in existence today that it can be difficult to know which one best suits your tastes. Contrary to popular belief, a guest blogger does not have to settle for writing about topics that do not interest them. With so many niches out there, it is rather easy to find one that fits your interests. You can begin this research by searching for “[topic] + posts” or “[topic] + guest posts” in order to find potential opportunities that meet your interests. Once this is done, you should have several leads on blogs that you can approach. Before doing so, however, be sure to see what angles these blogs address, so that you can combine your fantastic writing skills with an approach that they will appreciate.

Produce Excellence Immediately

Now that you have evaluated your own past work and have researched which blogs are of interest (and how they operate), you can begin the final step: creating content that they will enjoy. By creating something before you have been approved, you will be able to approach the blogger with something concrete that they can inspect immediately. Even if the content is not exactly to their tastes, good content can always be identified. You may find that the guest blogging opportunity is approved on the spot with the content provided, or you may be asked to revise the structure or theme. In either case, congratulations! You have just landed a guest blogging spot and will now be able to start pinging links back to your website across the web.

Despite potential confidence in your area of writing, guest blogging requires effort and preparation. By producing quality content upfront, researching which blogs best fit your objectives and evaluating your own blog to ensure everything is in order, you will be prepared to obtain multiple unique and valuable guest blogging opportunities around the web.