Photo by See-ming Lee

I discussed yesterday about how important your reputation is in order to build a successful blog, so today I want to discuss actual methods to build that reputation.

Guest Posts

I still remember when guest posting started to become popular amongst the blogging crowd. The first person I saw who truly took advantage of guest posting was a young lady called Jane May. She came on the blogging scene very quickly and back in 2007 wrote some of the first guest posts on John Chow’s blog. She wrote a series of excellent blog posts and quickly became a popular name with John’s audience. Soon thereafter, she sold her own blog for what I’m sure was a very nice figure.

I do sometimes wonder whether Jane was a fictional women made up by a more experienced blogger in order to sell (she had the looks, the personality, the writing, and the motivation). The way she just disappeared from the blogosphere forever when she sold her blog after building some fantastic relationships was strange to say the least, and a little disappointing for somebody like me who had become fond of her writing style and considered her a good online friend. But regardless of her departure, her use of guest posts to bring her to a position of authority within the blogosphere is one I still admire to this day.

Building a Relationship with Somebody Else’s Audience

Jane’s method of posting a lengthy series over several weeks on one single blog is even more useful now than it was back then when she did it. Guest posting is very common these days, and that means people are less likely to click through to your blog than in previous times and it’s likely to be harder to form a relationship with these people. And for guest posting to truly work as a quality promotional technique and to build your reputation, forming relationships is what you need to do. There are two ways to do this:

1. Write a series of posts in quick succession on one blog, targeting the same audience.
2. Write posts for a variety of blogs in quick succession, who you know have an overlapping audience.

There are advantages to both methods. With the first method, you can often strike a deal with the blog author so you can control exactly when your posts are released to ensure maximum effect, and you guarantee that your audience is the same each time, therefore hitting the same people with your brand over and over.

But the second method, when managed well, can often prove even more lucrative. While you’re not going to be able to hit exactly the same audience on multiple blogs, you’ll find that much of the audience of one blog also reads another blog. Or that same audience might even read two other blogs, or even a few more. Write guest posts for all these blogs and publish them within a short space of time (the same day if you can!), and you’ll instantly stand out to those people who read all or several of those blogs. Your name will seem like it’s everywhere, and that’s exactly what you want when you’re trying to build your reputation and your online brand.

I’ve written at length about how guest posting can be a great promotional technique. Seriously, use that next great post you were going to post on your blog in a more creative way by sending it to a high profile blog to be published as a guest post, and then do this once a week. You’ll be amazed at the results!

Network With High Profile Bloggers

There are very few industries in the world where anybody, anywhere, no matter how little experience they have can easily network with some of the most high profile in the niche. You could be in your first hour of being a blogger, but all you have to do to speak to Darren Rowse of ProBlogger is create a Twitter account. It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s valuable when you’re learning, and it builds your reputation.

Here are three ways to network with high profile bloggers and build your reputation in the process.

Interview Bloggers

Most bloggers, even the highest profile, will almost always accept an interview offer. Send them your questions, get the answers, and publish the interview on your blog. The very fact that you were able to communicate directly with a high profile blogger will impress your own readers and it’ll start the basis of forming a relationship with the right people in the right places.

Social Media

It’s so easy to network with the right people using social media. Add them on Twitter, on Facebook, on StumbleUpon and any other social media Web sites you use. Then chat to them. They’re humans, just like the rest of us. If they happen to give you some useful advice during your conversations, use it to spark a blog post where you can tell all your readers about your conversation and what you learned. Passing on the knowledge you have gained is what blogging is all about.

Face-to-Face Events

There’s no shortage of face to face events for bloggers to get involved in. There are thousands every year, from professional conferences to Tweetups to blogger coffee mornings, you shouldn’t have any issue engaging with like-minded (and often more experienced) individuals in a face to face environment.

Release an e-Product

We’re all aware that e-products are becoming more popular. Whether they’re offered for free or for a fee, they’re a fantastic way to build your reputation. They show you’re dedicated to blogging, willing to put in the time and effort to build a product, and position you as an authority voice on a topic.

Help Somebody Specific

I wouldn’t say it’s easy to help a large group in one go like we do with our blog posts, but it’s certainly something we all do as bloggers. To stand out and build your reputation, it’s time to help people individually. It doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming, it just has to matter to the person you’re helping.

I tend to do this quite a lot, just because I like doing it. In the past, I’ve gone out of my way to help a teenager who found my blog and became a regular commentator. She was truly passionate and interested in blogging. She had never blogged before, had never had an audience, never created a Web site, and never had any help. And that last point was key. I almost held her hand, gave her advice every time she asked, promoted her blog whenever I could, and generally went out of my way to see a budding blogger with great enthusiasm and passion do something she enjoyed.

Never.Stop.Blogging. Ever!

I realise I’m the biggest hypocrite alive by talking about this point. If you want to build your reputation as a blogger, you can’t stop blogging. You can’t stop for six months and start again and expect your reputation to be what it was six months earlier. It’s just not going to happen. I’ve been blogging for nine years and I genuinely believe my lack of consistency and my tendency for being a perfectionist are what have truly stopped me from becoming a larger authority blogger. I have my own small following who will always stick with me and enjoy what I have to say, but that could have been so much bigger had I not taken the three or four extended breaks during the past nine years.

Be consistent, and be consistently good. You can’t build your reputation without doing this!

Be Authentic, Have Morals, Be You!

You may be the most consistent, you may write some good things, and you may release an e-product, but unless you show your personality, be engaging, and open yourself up to engagement, you’re going to struggle to build your reputation.

Have morals when writing. Don’t just promote something because the affiliate rate is good. Promote it because you have tried and tested it and found it to be good. Be the good guy amongst the many bad guys, and you’ll win the best audience. Be the one who engages and cares, and you’ll build an audience that engages and cares too.

Becoming an Authority Blogger is Impossible Without a Solid Reputation

Remember, you could write the best content, but if you’re not engaging your audience, you’re not solidifying your brand, you’re not paying your knowledge forward, and you’re not being consistent in your writing schedule, you’re not going to build your reputation, and you’re not going to build your blog.

How do you build your reputation? Do you struggle with posting consistency? How do you engage with high profile bloggers? Let us know in the comments!

Further Reading:
9 Practical Tips for Building Your Website Authority

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