Photo by Dave Wilson Photography

“Look at me! Look at me! I’m over here! Come and join me.”

Is this you? Do you constantly push your blog to your followers? Do you constantly shout at others for attention to stand out above the crowd? Do you scream for affection, for affiliation, for an audience? You probably do. Most of the blogosphere does.

When blogging was first invented, it was used as a medium for every day Joe’s and Joanne’s to share their thoughts, their feelings, their news and their mews. Back then, it wasn’t a seven figure number trying to make a seven figure living. It was a select few, trying to earn nothing, but try new.

Now, though, blogging has developed from the Web log that it initially started as and coined its name from, and turned in to a multi-million dollar industry, full of ‘marketing experts’, ‘affiliate junkies’ and aspiring International authors. We find ourselves amongst a great universe of competition. A vast mist of self-promotion and egotism.

Are we writers, or are we marketers?

With competition comes an aspiration to stand out above the masses; to shout the loudest, to stand the tallest, to run the fastest. It’s this aspiration, fuelled by a dream of self employment, flexibility, stability, fame and fortune, that has created a large part of the blogosphere we see today.

Today, most bloggers have swapped their ideals of elegant writing and life logs, for a more measured and structured approach of marketing and analysing. It’s rare to stumble upon a blogger who considers his or her writing to be creative more than constructive, passionate more than poignant, open more than closed, and testing more than teaching. It’s rare to come across a blogger who still considers the writing and creative style flowing from their finger tips to be as important as the very topic they discuss, or a blogger who considers the prose to be more powerful than the next social media network at which they wish to deafen the crowd with news of their latest article. It’s rare to come across a blogger who refers to their writing as art, rather than article, as prose rather than post.

Find new readers without losing your voice

It’s time to move away from the shouting. To move away from the ego. To move away from the attitude of writing and then pushing people to read. As bloggers, we should be shunning the hard sale in favour of the soft sale. We should be focusing on the relationships we build with our current readers and forming relationships with new readers.

Shouting from the rooftops only makes you look desperate. Deafening your audience forces them away from your voice. And the few that don’t mind your disparity and are already sufficiently death from the shouting of everybody else in the blogosphere will sneak through to your latest post, but they won’t stay. They’re not loyal readers. They’re one-article-stands. They’re through the door and out the other side before you’ve had time to notice they were there. Sure, they’ll wear out your carpet as they walk through but they won’t clean up when they spill their coffee. They don’t care. They’re just one-article-stands, never to be seen again, until ten months down the line when your shouting brings them back to wear out your new carpet.

The cleaners, the chasers, the referrers, the friends

One-article-stands are fun when you’re young, but eventually we all have to settle down. To build something stable, something long-term, rewarding and profitable, we need to shun the one-article-stands and focus our energy on those that clean up their coffee, that chase us rather than making us chase them, that refer us to their network, and that become friends. We need to focus our energy on writing for those that are true, that are respected for their respect, that give more than they take, and those that listen as much as they speak.

Today, I’ll share my suggestions for building relationships with those who are as committed as you, as respectful and engaging as you and with those that naturally whisper your work to their audience. In my own little corner of the blogosphere, I’ve turned down the volume, both from within and from those around me. I’ve removed the rooftop shouting in favour of a quiet whisper and I’ve rejected the affiliates who write in favour of the writers who affiliate. Today I’ll show you how to do this too, to build a huge list of loyal readers, contributors and friends.

The Relationships that make your followers listen

Image by Intersection Consulting

Trust and authority are what entice followers to click your links. Trust and authority are what entice readers to subscribe, and trust and authority are what entice subscribers to share your work with others. But trust and authority can only be gained by building relationships.

Building relationships online has fortunately come second nature to me, but for many it is a difficult and often daunting task. Communicating online is entirely different to the real world. It’s much larger on many levels. Often, your network of ten friends in the real world is magnified to a network of thousands online via social media platforms such as Twitter and Google+. Suddenly, you find yourself thrust upon a moving plate of relationships and communications, struggling to find those who genuinely want to engage amongst those that just want to shout.

But not only do we have to struggle to see through the mass of polluted people in social networks to build new relationships, we have to find the time and method to maintain and strengthen existing relationships with our current subscribers. Blogging isn’t about getting a herd through the gate and in to the pen. It’s about getting a fine selection of readers in to your home, where you can massage their thoughts and push their opinions. It’s about building long-lasting, strong, two-way relationships with people who genuinely want to listen to your advice and opinion. Once they’re a number in your list of subscribers, they become more important, not less, than those on your Twitter feed. It’s easier to keep a customer than it is to find a new one, so don’t forget about them once they’re through the door. It’s your job as the host to ensure you maintain healthy relationships with them all. But just how do you form new and strengthen old relationships without shouting and driving them away?

Blog commenting

It sounds simple, but many bloggers both new and old forget the real reason behind commenting on blogs. Bloggers often make the mistake of assuming commenting on blogs is nothing but a traffic generator. Short term, sure, you will receive visitors. But what about the longer term impact of continuous commenting on a blog? Think about the comments you receive. Think about somebody who has commented on your blog recently. Was it their first comment, or do they comment on a regular basis? Chances are, the first commenter that comes to mind is somebody that has been active amongst your community for a while and comments on all or most of your posts. They come to mind first because they’ve established a relationship with you.

Commenting on blogs is a fantastic short term way of gaining visitors, but selecting a small portion of blogs to continuously target with comments over time is a far better way to gain visitors, respect, and build relationships long term.

Email Fellow Bloggers

Let’s face it, all of us are bloggers, and a lot of us blog in the same or similar niche. That makes us competitors. Or does it? In may seem counter-intuitive to start a blog in a niche where others are already established, but it’s far easier to market a blog in a niche that already has an audience and a base of writers. Unlike entering a new niche, you already have a list of blogs at which you can comment, you can guest write, and you can build relationships with, and chances are they already have an audience caught up in one social media circle ready for you to jump in to the mix.

So while we’re all after the same prize, it also pays for us to help each other. Building a blog in a crowded niche isn’t just about building relationships with readers. It’s about building relationships with other bloggers too, because it’s the other bloggers that will promote your work to their own readers and let you interact with their own audience.

With this in mind, it pays to help others. Be a generous blogger by emailing a fellow writer if you spot a broken link or image on their Web site. Email them if you read their work and enjoy it. If they inspire you, tell them. If you mention them in one of your own posts, tell them. The more you help others, the more they will help you, regardless of whether or not you’re both after the same prize.

Networking Events

Local and international blogger networking events happen throughout the year in pretty much most cities across the world. From BlogWorld to a local Tweetup, face to face meets are a fantastic way to form new relationships and find loyal readers. If somebody has met you face to face, they instantly have a larger relationship with you than anybody you may have met via Twitter, and it’s for that reason that those readers you’ve met offline tend to stay as readers for longer than those you meet online.

Speaking at networking events is an effective way to stand out above the crowd and take in-person networking a step further. You’ll often find that event organisers are struggling to find speakers, so even if you don’t have much experience, they’re likely to be willing to listen to your pitch. Capture your audience, and you’ll easily translate them in to readers.

Thank New Commentators

Image by Flickmor

This is a simple technique I’ve used since my first days as a blogger. Remember to say thank you. When somebody comments on your blog for the first time, remember to thank them. I usually email them a personal response, and I try to stand out by offering them some further advice based on what they said in their comment. Sometimes I’ll refer them to another of my posts which may help them, or even refer them to another blog that may help them. Whatever I do, I try to help them beyond my post, because they went beyond reading my post by commenting, something only a small percentage of my and your readers will ever do.

I like to compare commentators to a single women. If she’s taken your number with a smile, she’s done so because she’s interested and wants to take things further. All you have to do is show her why she should. It’s the same with a new commentator on your blog. They’ve commented because they’re interested and like your work. It’s now your job to show them why they should subscribe. Standing out above the crowd to show them you care about the effort they just made to comment is a relatively effortless way to help convince them to become a subscriber.

It can be made even easier by using the ‘Thank Me Later‘ WordPress plugin, which automatically sends a thank you email to your commentators. I prefer the person touch of sending the email myself, but if you don’t have the time then this plugin may suffice.

Social media

I’ve put this last in the list because this is so often the most effective but also the one that is used in all the wrong ways. Social media, that is Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to name the top three, lend themselves to conversation, and it’s conversation that creates relationships. But it’s also conversation that can ruin relationships.

Social media tools let you find like minded people, they let you have group conversations, they allow you to select who you talk to and who you don’t, and they’re open 24 hours a day. Used well, they’re like the perfect networking event… without the formality. But, and here’s the big but… Like a lot of networking events, they still have idiots. The shouters. The noisy man in the centre of the room who is waving his arms. The one that is throwing business cards at people who didn’t ask for them. The one that thinks he knows more than anybody else and has nothing else to learn. Unfortunately, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and every other social network out there are full of them. They translate from the real world arm waver and business card thrower in to the CAPS LOCK user who throws links to his latest blog posts every five minutes. They’re anything but a whisperer, and nothing less than a reader killer. I hate them, you hate them. Or you may even be one of them. Either way, they exist, and while they may be pulling in a lot of visitors to their blog posts, I can guarantee they’re not pulling in many commentators or many subscribers, and they’re probably losing more long term social networking followers than they are gaining. These people are great are finding short term coffee-spillers, but not so great at finding long term relationship builders.

But why do we want long term relationships?

It’s simple, and it comes down to the goal of 99% of bloggers. Long term relationships make you money. They feed your family. They pay your mortgage. They bring you an audience. And they build your authority amongst your niche. Long term readers become long term subscribers, who in turn become long term customers and advocates of your products.

Like I said earlier, it’s easier to keep old readers than it is to find new ones, and luckily for us, it’s easier to monetize your blog with old ones than it is with new ones.

Whisper and they’ll move closer

Most bloggers want to stand above the crowd. Most bloggers scream for attention, affection and affiliation. And that’s why most bloggers fail to develop successful blogs. And I say let them. Don’t join them. Screaming for attention isn’t the way to build your blog, because all you do is fall flat on your face in the middle of a sea of others doing the same. Whispering your way to affection and attention is the way to build long term, engaging and profitable readers. Whisper your way through Twitter, through Facebook, through commenting and engaging with others, because the more you whisper, the closer they will move to hear what you have to say.

If you liked this post, please share your affection by whispering this post to your Twitter followers and fellow bloggers, or write a comment below.

How often do you post links to your blog posts? Do you actively try to build upon your relationships with your current readers, or just focus on finding new readers? How often do you chat with your subscribers in other circles outside of your blog? Let us know in the comments below.

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Photo by Carf

Over the years I’ve been blogging, I’ve been fortunate to be able to write guest posts for several high profile blogs, including in front of an audience of 45,000 at John Chow Dot Com, and most recently on Darren Rowse’s Twitip.

I’ve previously spoken about guest blogging, specifically how to secure guest post slots and how to make the most of guest posts, so I won’t go in to those two things too much in this article. Today, I want to help you to identify and ask the right questions when deciding which blogs to write guest posts for, and how to ensure the audience reading your guest post clicks through to your own blog.

John Chow Dot Com Vs Twitip

Before I analyse the results of my guest posts on these two blogs, I want to set the scene:

Subscribers (at time of writing guest post):
John Chow Dot Com: 45,000
Twitip: 6,000

Average Comments Per Post
John Chow Dot Com: 50
Twitip: 30

Average Visitors Per Day
John Chow Dot Com: 6,600
Twitip: 5,000

All logic tells us, while looking at those stats, that the best blog to write for (most subscribers, most comments per post, most visitors) would be John Chow’s blog. But my own results tell a different story.

Guest Post Conversion

Here are the results during the seven days after the guest posts were published (including the day they were published):

Total Visitors from Guest Post
John Chow Dot Com: 39
Twitip: 125

Total Page Views from Guest Post
John Chow Dot Com: 103
Twitip: 175

Total Subscribers Gained from Guest Post
John Chow Dot Com: 0 (0% conversion)
Twitip: 4 (3% conversion)

From those results, we can clearly see that the initial public stats, that is the subscribers, visitors and comments, do not mean your guest post is guaranteed to bring good results. In fact, under the surface, there are several things that Darren at Twitip does that ensures guest posts convert relatively well compared to other blogs.

Why Do Guest Posts at Twitip Convert Well?

When trying to decide which blogs to guest write for, you often have to look beyond the basic stats to gauge an idea of how valuable your post will be to the community. Twitip has three things that the stats can’t show, but that ultimately lead to exciting conversion rates for any guest poster.

1. The WordPress Author is “Guest Poster”

After writing many guest posts across a wide range of blogs, the biggest problem I’ve found is that many blog readers are ‘Author Blind’. Because the blog author can’t setup an author account for every single guest writer, he or she usually publishes the post under his own author account. This causes lots of problems, because many readers simply don’t realise the post is a guest post. Here is just a sample of the comments on guest posts I’ve wrote, where commentators have referred to the blog author rather than me.

At Twitip, Darren has a WordPress author called “Guest Poster”, which he uses to publish all guest posts. Immediately, his readers are much more informed about who the author is, and immediately they know that they should look for the biography of the guest author in the blog post.

2. Darren’s Readers are Loyal

Whereas John seems to have a high turnover rate of readers (that is, many readers read his blog for a few weeks, then move elsewhere) Twitip is a relatively new blog with loyal readers, who have built relationships with Darren, and have become prolific commentators.

Going back to yesterdays discussion on how people buy based on relationships and emotion, readers at Twitip are far more likely to see a guest post as a recommendation by a friend (Darren), and are therefore more likely to click through to the guest authors blog. John doesn’t have the loyal following or relationships, unlike Darren, that aid in the sales (or conversion) process.

“Relationships and Loyalty Abound at Twitip”

3. The Author Biography Isn’t Skipped

One of the problems I’ve found with guest writing, is blog authors try to make the one paragraph biography of the guest writer stand out. They’ll make it italic, bold, and maybe even have a bright yellow background. Unfortunately, this totally counteracts the attempt to get it noticed.

On a blog where people are used to adverts, like JohnChow.com, text that is heavily styled and at the top or bottom of the post will often go unnoticed. Readers minds treat it like an advert. They’re blind to it.

While at Twitip, Darren makes little attempt to make the paragraph stand out. It’s often just italic text with normal links. This equals normal reading by the audience. Rather than separating it from the real post content with fancy styling, the paragraph gracefully flows at the top or bottom of the post. Whereas at other blogs, readers know they’re about to read a bio before they even start reading it, at Twitip, readers only realise they’ve read the biography after they’ve read it.

Remember to look beyond the basic stats when considering which blogs to write for. There’s far more to it than the amount of subscribers. The quality of those subscribers is just as important.

What Can I Do to Ensure my Guest Post Converts Well?

Of course, there’s only so much return you’re going to receive by picking a blog that presents itself well for guest authors. 60% of the battle is ensuring your actual guest post does the right things to convert. Here are four things to remember when creating guest posts for high conversion:

1. Ask the Author to Put Your Biography at the Bottom of the Post

How often do you want to click on a link of a guest author before you’ve read their guest post? How often do you finish reading their post, then remember to scroll back up to the top of the page to click through to their blog? I’d imagine the answer to both those questions is “Not often”. You’ll get a far higher click-through rate if you ask the blog author to put your paragraph biography at the end of the guest post.

With that said, in an ideal world, you would ask the author to quickly introduce you in one sentence at the top so readers know whose writing they are reading, and then add the main paragraph biography at the bottom. This is what Darren did for me with my guest post at Twitip.

2. Link to a Specific Blog Post in Your Biography

My guest post at Twitip was the first time I’ve ever linked to a specific post on my blog from my guest author biography. I was amazed by the results! Over the seven days after the guest post, 94% of the clicks from Twitip were direct to the specific post I had linked to. Very few people decided to click to my blog homepage.

Always ensure you link to a specific, targeted post from your author biography.

3. Links Inside the Blog Post Don’t Work Very Well

On several of my guest posts, I’ve linked to a post on my own blog within the guest post content. While I’ve had a few click-through’s, there’s never any harm adding the link, don’t expect great results. Most people find it awkward to stop in the middle of reading an article so they can open up another post. You’ll always get more click-through’s by linking to the post in your guest author biography.

4. Before Proceeding, Ask Previous Guest Authors for Reviews

Take 15 minutes to look back through archives of the past two months of a blog you’re considering writing for. Pick out three or four names of guest authors, then contact them. Ask them if they would mind sharing the results of their guest post. How many visitors did they get? How many subscribers? Were the results worth their time? There’s no better way for you to make decisions than by asking those who have made those decisions before you.

Let’s Recap!

• Don’t just look at the basic stats to make your decision on who to write for
• Be a part of the community before writing. Get a feel for the loyalty and persona of the readers
• Don’t just go for the blog with the most subscribers. Your post may get lost in a sea of less than loyal readers
• Always ask the blog author to put your biography at the bottom of the post
• Ask the author if they would mind giving you a quick, one sentence, introduction at the top of the post
• Always link to a specific, relevant blog post within your author biography
• Try to get feedback from past guest authors before deciding who to write for. There’s no better indicator than experience!

Do you find it difficult choosing who to write for? Have you been a guest author on blogs and not seen much return? Are you looking to guest write but don’t know where to start? Let us know in the comments!

Related posts:

1. How to Get Your Guest Post Published on a Pro Blog Recently, I’ve been writing a lot of guest posts for...
2. What to do After Your Guest Post has Been Published Yesterday, I spoke about how to get your guest post...
3. 2,524 Words on Promoting Your Blog & Building Relationships (Without Killing Anybody!) Photo by Dave Wilson Photography “Look at me! Look at...

Yesterday, I spoke about how to get your guest post published on a pro blog. Today, I want to discuss what to do after your post has been published in front of those 30, 40 or 50 thousand subscribers.

Taking Advantage of Guest Blogging

The real benefit of guest blogging comes when you write several articles for one particular blog, or for a range of blogs with the same audience. The idea is to get your name in front of the same audience on a regular basis.

Back in the days when guest posts were rare, it was possible to achieve fantastic results from just one guest post. But in this age where guest posts are a daily occurrence, it takes a series of guest posts for an audience to truly notice the author.

Five Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your Guest Post

Thank the Author – As we discussed in yesterdays post, the blog author will often not reply to your email regarding a guest post. You’ll often only find out they have decided to publish the article after it has already been published. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t thank them. Via email or via the post comments, ensure the author knows how grateful you are.

Reply to Reader Comments – If you’re guest blogging on a site with 40,000 subscribers, your post might receive anywhere from 50 to 100 comments. Reply to them and answer any questions that come up. One of the problems you’ll find with guest blogging is some readers skip over your introductory paragraph and as such don’t realise it was a guest post. By replying to comments, more readers will become aware that you’re the author.

Make Your Own Readers Aware – Your readers are subscribed to your blog because they want to read what you write. That’s true whether or not your writing is on your own blog or somebody else’s blog. So make them aware of your guest post in the same way you would make them aware of a normal post on your blog. Post about it on your blog. Tweet a link to it. Tell your friends on Facebook. However you get the word out about your normal posts, do the same for your guest posts.

Build Relationships with the Commentators – It’s probably not everyday you write a post that receives upwards of 50 comments. So make the most of it while you can. Click through to the blogs of those who wrote comments. Write comments on their blog. Add them to Twitter. Add them to Facebook. Build a relationship with as many of those commentators as you can, within the first week after writing a guest post. Keep your name in their email inbox.

In the same way that blogging isn’t about writing an article and letting readers flock to it, guest blogging isn’t about writing a post and letting people click your link in your small introductory paragraph. In the week since I wrote my two guest posts for John Chow, I’ve received 100 visitors to this blog from John’s blog. And sure, I’ve received some subscribers as a result. But I’ve gained far more subscribers by visiting the blogs of those people who wrote a comment on the guest posts, building a relationship with them, and then eventually getting them to click through to my blog (via Twitter, my email signature or a comment on their blog) three or four days after my guest posts went live. Extend your hand and people will grab.

Write Your Next Guest Post – Remember, the true benefit of guest blogging comes from multiple articles in front of one audience. I’m currently aiming for a guest post every three days in front of one audience. It’s hard work, for sure, but the rewards are very fulfilling.

Besides jumping up and down with excitement, what do you do after your guest post is published? Let us know in the comments!

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Recently, I’ve been writing a lot of guest posts for high profile pro bloggers and each time I do I receive several emails asking me how I was able to write for such a well respected and large blog.

To some people, the process to get a guest post published on a large blog is quite obvious, but other people often believe high profile blogs are only open to the elite of the guest blogging world.

Here are my tips that have helped me get my articles published amongst several high profile blogs, including John Chow Dot Com.

Guest Blogging Tips

Don’t Send an Introduction Email – Pro bloggers are busy people and they receive hundreds of emails each day. If you email them with the question “Hi. Can I write a guest post for your blog?”, it’s very likely to receive no response. Simply write your guest post and send it to the blogger. Don’t bother asking for their permission. If they don’t want to publish it, they won’t do so. If they do want to publish it, they will do so. There’s no need to ask for their permission first.

Keep Your Email Short & Sweet – Following on from a pro bloggers lack of time, they don’t want to hear your life story and your argument, no matter how strong, of why your guest post should be published. All they’re interested in is supplying quality content to their audience. If your guest post does this it will be published, no matter what your background or life story.

Attach a Snippet About Yourself – Generally, bloggers will include a small paragraph to say who the guest post is from (you!) and link back to your blog. Include a short paragraph, two or three sentences at the most, about you and your blog. What’s your name? Where do you blog? What do you blog about? That’s all you need to include.

Don’t Link Back to Your Own Blog (Too Often) – It’s very rare that I link a part of a guest post back to a post on my own site. If I do, I only do it once in the article. I also make a point of telling the blog author that I’ve included this link and it’s perfectly fine for them to remove it should they feel the need. So far, no author has removed any links back to my blog, but I like to make them feel they have control.

Don’t Use HTML – If you’re anything like me, you use the HTML writing mode of WordPress or your blogging platform of choice. When writing a post for your own blog, you may insert your own paragraph and list HTML tags rather than letting your blogging platform do the work. When it comes to guest blogging, go back to the content management method of letting the blogging platform do the work. Include your bold/strong/italic tags, for sure, but leave out paragraph tags. Most bloggers don’t insert them manually, so you’re saving the author time by not including them. And on the off chance they do insert them manually, they will be well used to doing so.

Do Give the Pro Blogger Time – You’ll quite often find the author doesn’t reply to your email. Don’t worry. Of all the guest posts I’ve had published, I’ve never received a single email reply from the author, other than the time I became aware that the author had decided not to publish my post (I gave him 10 days to make a decision), at which point I emailed him to tell him the post had been published elsewhere. He replied to thank me for letting him know and to confirm he would no longer consider it for use on his blog. Give the author time to make his or her decision. I generally give ten days. If the post hasn’t been published by then, I email them to ask them to no longer consider it for their own blog and then I publish it elsewhere, either on my own blog or as a guest post somewhere else.

Remember the Pro Blogger is Human – No matter how much money the blogger is making or how many subscribers they have, underneath the Web site there is a human. They’re not too big for you. You’re not too small or unimportant. As long as you’re writing quality content that is of interest to the audience, you stand a very good chance of seeing your writing in front of 40,000+ readers.

Have you ever had a guest post published? Have you ever considered yourself too small to write for a pro blogger? Let us know in the comments!

PS. There is a followup to this post, discussing what to do after your guest post has been published.

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