Are you ready to take your WordPress blog to the next level this year? One of the most effective ways to grow your audience and content is to accept guest posts from other experts in your niche.
Guest blogging is a mutually beneficial arrangement. You get fresh, high-quality content for your blog without having to create it all yourself. The guest author gets exposure to a new audience and can showcase their expertise. It‘s a win-win!
Consider these stats on the power of guest posting:
- 60% of blogs write 1-5 guest posts per month (Orbit Media)
- 62.96% of readers perceive blogs with multiple authors to be more credible (Social Marketing Writing)
- 70% of B2B publications outsource to freelance writers for more robust content (DivvyHQ)
- Guest posts drive a 64% increase in organic traffic (The Hoth)
Sold on the benefits but not sure where to start? Don‘t worry, I‘ve got you covered. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to attract amazing guest bloggers and manage the process like a pro.
How to Find the Best Guest Bloggers for Your WordPress Site
The first step to a successful guest blogging strategy is to find great writers to contribute to your site. You don‘t just want anyone – you want authors who are knowledgeable about your niche, write well, and have their own engaged following.
Here are some of the best places to look for high-quality guest bloggers:
Reach out to writers you admire: Think of bloggers and experts in your industry whose content you love. Drop them a personal email inviting them to contribute to your blog. Even if they don‘t have time, they may recommend someone else or share your opportunity.
Search for "[your niche] + write for us": Many websites have a page with guest author guidelines. Search Google for your industry keywords plus "write for us", "guest post guidelines", "guest post submissions", "contribute", etc. This will bring up sites accepting guest posts that you can pitch to have them reciprocate.
Join guest blogging communities: There are many online groups specifically for guest bloggers and sites looking for contributors. Some good ones are:
- MyBlogGuest
- Blogger LinkUp
- The Blog Herald Forums
- Guest Blogging Opportunities (Facebook group)
Use Twitter hashtags: Writers often use hashtags like #guestpost, #guestposting, #guestpostwanted, #bloggerswanted, etc. to find opportunities. Do a search and see who is looking for posts in your niche.
Ask your network: Put the word out to your connections on social media and via email that you‘re looking for guest contributors. Ask if they‘d like to write for you or if they can recommend anyone. Your existing community may have some great leads.
Check out contributors to other blogs: If you see a great post on another blog in your niche, check out the author‘s bio and website. If they regularly contribute guest posts, they may be interested in writing for you too.
The key is to be proactive in your search for high-quality guest bloggers. Don‘t just sit back and wait for them to come to you.
Guest Blogging Guidelines & Submission Process
The next step is to create detailed guidelines for guest authors and an easy submission process. This will save you a ton of time and ensure you get posts that are a good fit for your blog.
Your guest blogging guidelines should include:
- Your site‘s niche, audience, and tone
- The type of content you‘re looking for (topics, formats, length, etc.)
- How writers can submit (pitch, draft, final post, etc.)
- Your expectations (original content, linking policy, etc.)
- What‘s in it for them (byline, bio, links, social promotion, etc.)
Here‘s a basic template you can use as a starting point:
Guest Post Guidelines for [Your Blog Name]
Thanks for your interest in contributing to [Blog Name]! We welcome original, high-quality guest posts from knowledgeable writers in the [your niche] space.
Before submitting, please review our guidelines:
- We only accept original, unpublished content. Posts must be [word count range].
- Topics we cover include: [list of categories/topics]
- Tone should be [describe your blog‘s tone - casual, professional, etc.]
- Writers should be experienced in [your niche] and share unique insights.
- All submissions must be well-written, factual, and not self-promotional.
- You are welcome to include 1-2 relevant links in the body of the post.
- To submit:
1. Email [your email] with your post idea and outline.
2. If accepted, we will reply with next steps to submit a draft.
3. Our editor will review the draft and request revisions if needed.
4. Once finalized, we will schedule the post and let you know the publish date.
- You will receive:
- Author byline with headshot, brief bio, and link to your website
- Social media promotion of the post to our [number] followers
- Opportunity to build a relationship with our team and audience
We look forward to your submission and working together to create valuable content for the [your niche] community!
Feel free to customize this template to fit your specific blog and needs. The more detailed you can be, the better.
Once you have your guidelines ready, create a "Write for Us" page on your blog so potential contributors can easily find this information.
You may also want to set up a dedicated submission form, like a Google Form, to streamline the process and keep guest author details organized. The form should include fields for:
- Author name
- Email address
- Website/portfolio
- Social media handles
- Post title/topic
- Post outline/key points
- Attach full draft if required
Having a form like this makes it easy to manage submissions and ensures you get all the info you need up front to make a decision on the post.
Managing Guest Post Submissions in WordPress
Depending on how many guest posts you plan to publish, it‘s helpful to have a system for managing drafts and scheduling posts in WordPress.
First, I recommend creating a new WordPress user account with the role of "Contributor" for each guest author. This allows them to submit their post without giving them full access to your dashboard.
Then, you can have the guest blogger submit their post as a draft. This way, you can review it before scheduling or publishing.
Another option is to use a plugin like User Submitted Posts which allows you to accept guest posts from users without an account. You can create a front-end submission form that goes to a custom post type for easy review.
Whichever method you choose, make sure to:
- Carefully review the post for quality, relevance, and adherence to your guidelines
- Edit for grammar, spelling, formatting, etc.
- Optimize the title and subheadings for SEO
- Add relevant internal and external links
- Include a featured image
- Add tags/categories
- Preview before publishing to check for errors
- Let the guest author know when the post is live
Spending a little extra time on your editorial process will ensure each guest post is polished, professional, and valuable to your audience.
Promoting Guest Posts for Maximum Reach
To get the most benefit from guest posts, you need to put effort into promoting them to drive traffic and engagement.
Some effective promotion tactics:
- Share the post across your social media channels and tag the guest author
- Include it in your email newsletter
- Promote to online communities in your niche (Reddit, Facebook groups, niche forums, etc.)
- Mention on relevant podcasts or webinars
- Republish/syndicate on sites like Medium or LinkedIn (with rel=canonical)
- Run paid social ads to boost your best performing posts
- Encourage the author to promote to their own network as well
According to SEO expert Neil Patel, 9 out of 10 people only read headlines when searching content online. So make sure your guest post titles are click-worthy!
Consider pulling out interesting quotes or statistics from the post to turn into graphics. These are great for social media promotion.
The more you can amplify your guest posts, the more traffic they will drive to your site. And when you promote your guest authors, they will likely do the same for you, expanding your reach even further.
Tracking Guest Post Performance & ROI
Finally, to know if your guest posting efforts are paying off, you need to track performance. Some key metrics to measure:
- Page views
- Average time on page
- Bounce rate
- Comments
- Social shares
- Referral traffic
- Email subscribers from the post
- New customers/revenue generated
You can easily see this data in Google Analytics. I recommend creating a custom segment for guest post traffic to isolate and analyze that data.
In WordPress, you can also use a plugin like MonsterInsights which shows your Google Analytics data right in your dashboard.
The Publishers Report add-on allows you to track performance by author so you can see which guests deliver the best results:
Look for patterns in your top performing guest posts and authors. What topics resonate with your audience? Which promotion channels drive the most traffic? Use these insights to optimize your strategy going forward.
Guest Blogging Do‘s and Don‘ts
I‘ll wrap up with a few best practices and common mistakes to avoid when it comes to WordPress guest blogging:
Do:
- Create detailed guidelines and submission instructions
- Vet guest author portfolios and credentials before agreeing to a post
- Make expectations clear up front – post format, deadlines, compensation, etc.
- Allow posts to be conversational and include personality
- Prioritize original posts over syndicated content
- Fact check statistics/quotes and link to primary sources
- Disclose relationships (e.g. if it was a paid or sponsored post)
- Promote guest posts as much or more than your own content
- Engage with comments and encourage discussion
- Track results and optimize based on data
- Nurture relationships with top contributors
Don‘t:
- Accept low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant posts
- Publish posts with excessive links or overly promotional language
- Give guest authors admin access to WordPress
- Skip the editorial review process
- Neglect SEO best practices – keywords, formatting, etc.
- Forget to add tags/categories before publishing
- Let contributor accounts sit inactive – delete if no longer needed
- Ghost your guest authors – keep communication open
- Expect every post to go viral – focus on quality and consistency
If you follow these tips and commit to the process, guest blogging can be an invaluable source of great content and new audiences for your WordPress site.
Start Attracting Amazing Guest Bloggers Today
There you have it – a complete guide to finding, managing, and making the most of guest bloggers on your WordPress blog.
The benefits are hard to ignore:
- Publish more high-quality content
- Bring new perspectives and voices to your blog
- Grow your audience and reach
- Build relationships with influencers in your niche
- Generate more leads and revenue
Now that you‘re armed with this knowledge, you‘re ready to start proactively recruiting guest bloggers and streamlining your editorial workflow.
Bookmark this guide and keep it handy as you implement the strategies. With a little effort, you‘ll soon have a queue of amazing guest authors excited to share their expertise on your site.
I‘d love to hear how guest blogging works for you and any additional tips you discover along the way. Leave a comment below to share your experience!
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