Why Creative Entrepreneurs Should Try Guest Blogging (+ How to Get Started!)

Once upon a time, I was an editor for a magazine. And, we used to get submissions ALL THE TIME. We accepted some and declined plenty of others. Working as an editor, I learned some secrets that set me up for success in the guest blogging world and I want to share them with you!

We’ll get to those in a minute.

First, I want to tell you why guest blogging is such a cool marketing tool for photographers, designers, writers (duh!) and other creative entrepreneurs (not just educators!) and why you might want to consider it, even if you think you’re not a good writer or you’re not ready or you think you don’t have anything valuable to say. I get this might be a tall order and take some convincing for some 😉

Maybe it’ll help if share why I guest blog?! I hope so.

Reasons why I love guest blogging and why it’s good for our business…

• Pushes me to think outside the box, to see how I can uniquely but authentically communicate ideas.
• Helps me build relationships with industry leaders and friends.
• Gives me an opportunity to get in front of a new crowd of people.
• It’s good for SEO.
• Positions me as a leader in our industry.
• Positions me as an expert on the topic I’m writing about.
• It allows me to borrow the authority and credibility of the blog I’m writing for.
• Helps our business be seen everywhere, which helps with brand recognition.

Reasons why creative entrepreneurs should try guest blogging and why it’s good for your business…

• Please see all reasons above.
• Swap out all the mes for yous, the ours for yours and the I’ms for you’res 😉

Hopefully, I’ve made my case?! Give me an, “Okay, okay, Becky, I see what you’re getting at…I’ll give it a whirl!” in the comments below if you can pick up what I’m throwing down!

Guest blogging is such a cool tool for creative entrepreneurs because it’s free marketing. I mean, it’ll cost you some time, research and discipline to pitch your ideas and write your posts…but it won’t cost you any money.

Alright, you like the idea of this. You have lots of rad ideas. Lots of expertise and things you’re passionate about, so what do you do with it all. I’ll share some of my magazine editor secrets with you in this second half of the article…

How to get started with guest blogging…

• Research and decide who you want to write for!
• Start coming up with ideas of what you want to write about. Make sure the topics are valuable for the blog’s readership, not just your audience.
• But, also make sure they’re relevant to and valuable for your audience so you can over deliver for your clients and send free goodies to your list.
• See if the blogs you want to write for have submission guidelines on their websites. If they do, follow the rules! Some companies, magazines and blogs won’t even consider your ideas if you don’t follow their guidelines.
• Create a spreadsheet that includes the folks you want to write for, your ideas for that specific blog, the date(s) you contacted them, notes/responses back, etc. so you can keep everything organized as you reach out to multiple blogs.
• Go big! Contact your favorites first. If they’re not interested in your idea, keep moving down the list.
• Follow up a few times before you move on.

How to choose who to write for…

• Make sure the blogs you’re interested in writing for take submissions from contributors outside the organization. If you’re not sure…ask!
• What are you passionate about? What blogs are talking about these topics?
• What are you good at and/or what do you specialize in? What blogs are talking about these topics?
• Who has a similar audience to yours? Or, an audience you’d like to introduce yourself to?
• What blogs are currently influencing your audience?

How to make this a win for the blog you’re writing for…

• Make sure you know what their company/blog is all about and you’re actually a genuine fan of what they’re up to.
• Do your research and know what types of posts have been recently published so you don’t pitch something too similar.
• Show them you’ve done your homework! Offer a handful of well thought-out, relevant ideas when you email them instead of just saying, “I’d love to contribute to your blog.”

At the end of the day, it’s all about the same thing you hear us talk about all the time: VALUE. How can you use your expertise and experiences to add value to others in your industry?

If you can answer this question, I’m convinced you can write an incredible guest post for some of your favorite brands. Once you do, come back to this post and leave another comment (below your “Okay, okay, Becky, I see what you’re getting at…I’ll give it a whirl!” comment) to let me know how it went so I can celebrate with you!

If you need a little more inspiration, feel free to check out a handful of my favorite posts I’ve written for The Yellow Room and the Rising Tide Society.

The Yellow Room

5 Musts for Bringing Meaning to the In-Between of Entrepreneurship

Stop Letting Unmet Expectations Hold You Back

7 Ways to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed & Start Getting Things Done

Rising Tide Society

3 Ways to Stop Perfectionism in its Ugly Tracks

7 Tips to Breeze Through Setbacks