Why I Quit Blogging (and What to Do If You’re Struggling)
About four years ago, I quit blogging.
It wasn’t anything dramatic. I didn’t get drunk, delete my blog in a fit of rage, and tell everyone on twitter to go to hell (although I’ve been tempted).
No, I just kind of walked away. I stopped posting, let the blog go stale, and then canceled the hosting account.
The best way I know to describe is it was a kind of “learned helplessness.”
I wrote lots of great content, but no one linked to it. I optimized for search engines, but I couldn’t find my site anywhere in the first 100 pages. I tried submitting my posts to social bookmarking sites like Digg.com, but I couldn’t pick up a single vote.
Eventually, you just get fed up, you know?
You do everything popular bloggers tell you to do, but it doesn’t work, and so you feel like, “What’s the point?” Obviously, you’re doing something wrong, but you have no idea what it is.
And so you quit.
At Copyblogger, I’ve called it the glass ceiling of the blogosphere. If you do everything people tell you to do, you can get up to about 100 visitors a day, but then it’s like you hit an invisible wall, and you can’t go any further.
For me, it didn’t just happen once. It happened three times in two separate niches. At first, I thought it was just the topic, but then when the same exact thing happened to me with a different topic, I knew something else was up.
And the honest truth?
I never figured it out. Big, fancy pants “traffic genius” Jon Morrow couldn’t put two and two together.
After about six months of licking my wounds and thinking about it, I finally decided to hire Chris Garrett (co-author of the Problogger book) to look at everything and tell me what I was doing wrong.
Here’s what he told me:
Nobody knows who you are.
At first, I didn’t get it. I said, “Yeah, but isn’t that the point of publishing great content? You write lots of great stuff, and then the word spreads, and popular bloggers find out about you?”
“No,” he said. “Popular bloggers find out about who you are, and THEN they read your content, and THEN they link to you. Connections come first. Great content comes second.”
You see, I had it backwards.
I thought great content led to connections, but really, it’s the other way around. Feeling like an idiot, I decided to give it a shot.
I wrote about the same topics. My writing didn’t improve at all. I promoted my posts in exactly the same way.
The only difference was I made some friends with popular bloggers first, and then I asked them to help me promote it. Here’s what happened:
Within one month, I was averaging 1000 visitors a day from StumbleUpon, Delicious, and Digg. Why? Because I got to know Brian Clark, and he connected me with social media power users who promoted my posts.
I got nominated for the Best Business/Money Blog in the world. Guess who was on the nomination committee? Yep: Chris Garrett. I’d love to think it was a coincidence, but I know it’s not.
I got linked to by Lifehacker, one of the most popular blogs in the world. How? Brian introduced me to Tamar Weinberg, who wrote for Lifehacker at the time, and I wrote posts I knew she would be interested in.
One thing led to another until, nowadays, I know almost everybody.
The Power of Connections
Sure, I’ve improved as a writer since then, but what really makes it possible to get so much traffic is all of the connections I’ve picked up over the years. Recently, I helped a consulting client launch a new blog, and we picked up something like 200,000 unique visitors within two months, starting from nothing.
How?
Connections.
I’m not saying great content is superfluous. It’s not. You just need connections before it matters.
The cool thing?
Guest blogging helps you get both
Everyday, popular bloggers wake up with tens of thousands of readers hungry for something insightful, fresh, and amazing, and they have to keep them supplied. Privately, we call it “Feeding the content beast.”
And so what’s the one thing you can offer them that they’ll always be interested in?
Guest posts.
They don’t just want them. They need them. And if you can become a reliable provider, most will want to get to know you and do everything they can to help you, including introduce you to other powerful people.
Also, your content gets better the longer you write for them.
For the past three years, I’ve written for Copyblogger, and Brian Clark has edited my posts and given me feedback. Do you think that helped my writing? You betcha.
I go through my posts word for word, line by line and look closely at what he changed. It’s taught me more about writing than a degree in English Literature.
The coolest part is the price. For three years now, I’ve been mentored by one of the best writers in the world, and it didn’t cost me a dime. In fact, he paid me.
Of course, you might say, “Well, that’s easy for you to do. You’re in the blogging niche where there are tons of huge blogs. In my niche, there aren’t any big blogs to write for, so obviously this won’t work for me.”
But listen to this:
My first popular blog was about lessons I learned from investing in real estate. Guess how many popular real estate investing blogs there are? Zero. If you don’t believe me, Google it. The closest big niche is personal finance, and I didn’t write for any of those blogs either (although I should have).
The truth is, it doesn’t matter. You’re targeting readers, not topics. I wrote for Copyblogger because most bloggers are interested in learning how to make more money. The same thing for Brazen Careerist. Your career is a big part of your income, and so I wanted those people.
You can do the same thing for any niche. I’ve had students who focused on drawing stick figures, vegetarian fitness, and even a blog about nothing but tomatoes. We found related popular blogs for all of them.
The point?
You can do this.
If you’ve been struggling, it isn’t because you’re a bad blogger. It’s because you’re trying to do it all by yourself.
Getting your blog going isn’t about learning yet another traffic strategy. It’s about surrounding yourself with powerful people who can support you, and the best way I know to do that is guest blogging.
Granted, maybe you’re stuck in the whole “learned helplessness” phase, and you can’t believe it’ll work for you. If that’s the case, here’s the deal:
I’m probably going to regret this, but if you’re wondering whether guest blogging will work for your topic, leave me a comment below, and I’ll take a look at your blog. Try to keep it as short as you can (no more than three paragraphs, please), telling me what your blog is about, who your readers are, and what you’re hoping to accomplish.
If you’ll do that, then I’ll do for you what Chris Garrett did for me: I’ll personally respond back to you and give you some ideas. Free charge.
Fair enough?
Well then, what are you waiting for? Get started writing that comment! 
1,519 Responses 
I’m one of those people that feel as though my “niche” isn’t as easy as guest blogging and what not.
I run a indie music website where most articles are based on the newest track that’s just been released as well as trying to find new acts to write about.
Indie music doesn’t change all that often, sure the music industry is ever changing, but writing a lengthy expose on the faults of the music industry is a blog all unto itself and an angle that we’re not really wanting to make the focal point of the blog.
What advice would you give to someone who writes for a blog such as mine where there is continually new information that has to be posted on almost immediately or else it becomes passe?
Hi Patrick. So let me make sure I understand:
You’re targeting people who listen to indie music, right? Not the indie musicians themselves, but the fans?
The reason I ask is the approach would be very different for each of those two audiences.
Jon,
For some reason the reply button isn’t working properly and just reloads the page so I’m going to have to answer your question in another comment.
Yes, we are reaching out to fans of indie music primarily. We also put all of our posts up on Facebook with a link to the band’s Facebook page so that it shows up on their wall as well. This has helped quite a bit in getting the band to know that we are writing about them and hopefully keep us in the loop as to news they might need to get out there.
We also have some good contacts with PR firms that send us albums to review and new mp3′s but we’re still not getting out there to the masses as much as we’d like to.
I guess it did work afterall.
The first idea that comes to mind for you is I would be doing some freelancing for some of the major music mags and websites. Most of them allow bylines at the bottom, especially in the print editions, and so people would find your website that way. It’s basically guest posting, but getting paid for it.
Another approach you might take is writing for some pop culture blogs. Talk about the effect indie music is having on technology, kids, schools, all kinds of stuff. Those kind of topics are usually in demand.
I’m not the biggest indie music buff, but I’m also guessing there’s a certain age group who is more into it than others, right? Most age groups have their on blogs and magazines, and you can target those as well.
The key is to target the reader and not the topic. So, don’t get hung up on only writing for “indie music” blogs. A portion of the people who read pop culture, lifestyle blogs, concert blogs, etc. are all going to be interested in indie music, and those are the people you want to siphon off.
In any case, this topic is definitely NOT disqualified from guest blogging. You just need to broaden the approach.
Hello,
Thank you kindly!
I am a new blogger and I at times wonder if I should give up.
I write and give advice with a little humor about “seeing the gray area in Relationship and clarifying blur and talking about how this world is in a state of emergency needing better Communication”.
I am a willing listener and student to follow step by step whatever you tell me to do.
Thank you
I am a holistic health counselor working with women going through fertility issues and pregnancy. I write about pregnancy, fertility and things to help with those two (fitness, yoga, meditation, nutrition etc)
My blog at http://blog.inbloomwomenswellness.com hasn’t started taking off.
How do I attract people?
Thanks!
Becky,
Where does your audience hang out online?
Go there and give thoughtful, helpful advice in the comments. After you do that for awhile and the blogger knows your name, you can pitch an idea for a guest post the audience will love because you’ve been comments so closely you know exactly what they’re questions are.
You include a link to your site in the bio at the end of your post.
Look for health and fitness sites, women’s lifestyle sites, yoga sites and personal development blogs that write about women’s wellness.
Hope that helps.
Marsha
I’ve wanted Imperfect Clarity (http://www.imperfectclarity.net/) to be an amalgam of a few topics. I’m a beginning fiction writer (have been beginning for many years now), I’m a new freelance editor for an e-publisher, I’m a stay-at-home-mom to an autistic four-year-old girl. I’m interested in a LOT of things… and it’s hard to focus on just one.
I’ve taken a break from blogging recently because I’ve also felt that no one was reading my blog, that no one cared about what I was writing. And I guess my question to you is: how do I get people to care?
Hi Kari. When I click the link to your blog, I’m getting a “Page cannot be found” error. Could you double check the link?
To answer your question, the hard truth is you can’t “get people to care.” As a writer, it’s your responsibility to talk about topics they already care about.
Sometimes, if the topic is iffy, you can do a bridge. For instance, bloggers don’t really want to hear about guest blogging, right? And so, I start by talking about something they are interested in, blog traffic, and then I segue into how guest blogging helps them achieve it.
If I were in your shoes, I would do some guest posts on larger blogs for each of the topics you like to write about and see how people respond. The great thing about writing for them is you get lots of feedback in the form of comments, and it can guide you in which direction to take your blogging career.
For instance, when I was a beginner, I found out people hate reading about the nuts and bolts of real estate investing, but they like learning about the general “money principles,” and so that’s what I focused on. But you have to have an audience reading it to get that sort of feedback, and so if yours isn’t big enough, then you need to go to a bigger blog and see how they respond.
I’ve just had an “Ah ha” moment from this comment – thanks Jon!
As a writer, it’s your responsibility to talk about topics they already care about.
It’s so easy when you know how
Loved reading this post, and Kari’s response rang true to me. There’s a bit of a Catch-22 going on when you want to write about all kinds of topics, but you’re not well-known. In order to become well-known in blogging you kind of have to stay on topic! Guest posting is definitely a good partial solution to the problem!
Thanks for taking a gander at my humble little blog.
It’s 18 months old, but can’t stand on its own yet.
My niche? Christian men.
Thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave. This is a great subject to illustrate what I’m talking about, so thanks for chiming in! Christianity ties into almost every big topic.
For example, you can do a guest post on a parenting blog titled something like, “Abraham’s Guide to Dealing with Children Who Can’t Get along.”
For a personal finance blog, you could do something like, “Why Tithing Is a Great Way to Learn Frugality (and How to Start).”
For blogging/Internet marketing, you could do, “Does God Love Affiliate Marketers?” The answer is of course, but it would be a great lead-in to talking about a Christian approach to doing business online.
That last headline would probably go viral, by the way. Feel free to use it.
I read your blog, Dave. I only half hit your target audience
Geez this resonated with me Jon. For the first 12 months of my blog I wrote and wrote and wrote…and was basically shocked to see that no one seemed to enjoy my posts as much as I did
But then I caught wind of this networking concept you’ve preached so well here. I reached out. Made connections. Have done some major guest posts. On and on.
Now, even though my content is still the same, people are noticing. Everything seems to be snowballing all of the sudden. Traffic has skyrocketed.
It’s a great feeling, I just wish I’d read articles like this one when I started. But hey, better late than never.
Thanks for all you do Jon….now enough of the vulnerability
Marcus
Glad to hear it, Marcus! Keep up the good work.
First, Jon, I know I have to go back and watch the videos in the guestblogging series again. I started out hot and then got busy and drifted off.
I write a blog where my sought audiences are people who are in transition or are babyboomers. The two of them are often the same. My subject is personal development, mastery, and working through transitions. My writing is adequate, but I don’t think it is great.
I have set it as a goal to decide on a business model for monetizing what I do, but that isn’t going to help much if I don’t have traffic. Whine, whine, whine, I know.
I am the description you used in your blog. I got it up to where I have about (average) 100 visitors a day. I do have about a thousand rss subscribers and a hundred on my email list.
I am publishing a “manifesto” tomorrow, but I am afraid I am putting it out there to an empty house.
Any tips you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
Now I really am going to go back to the beginning and work on the action steps from the videos.
Mike
I’ve been thinking about places I might guest blog ever since I listened to your seminar at Third Tribe. My blog is called Turquoise Poppy (Turquoise is for Turkey and Poppy is for California) and is about “blooming where you’re planted” – i.e., making the most of your circumstances and finding a way to build meaningful work for yourself no matter where you end up in the world.
My readers are people like me – transplants, expats, third culture kids, location-independents who have lost a connection to their traditional work opportunities and who are looking for motivation and ideas to build creative business projects using the web and social media.
What I’d love to do in the short term is build may mailing list to offer affiliate products and get paying consulting clients. In the long term I’d like to set up a paid membership site to develop this community even more.
Thanks for this opportunity!
Hi Tara. Cool metaphors! That niche is full of opportunities. You could write for career blogs like Brazen Careerist, parenting blogs like Free Range Kids, maybe even personal-finance blogs like Get Rich Slowly.
The whole story about moving to Turkey would catch a lot of attention, I think. Popular bloggers are always looking for interesting stories like that.
A couple of headlines that immediately come to mind:
How to Travel the World, Meet Awesome People, and Get Paid to Do What You Love (career focus)
Why Leaving US Might Be the Best Thing You Ever Did for Your Children (parenting focus)
Jon-
Loved your post. Now, I’m checking out your offer for free blog advice.
Our blog is about helping professionals over 40 get their career mojo back. Our readers are smart but they are baffled by all the digital profiles they have to fill out and need a little digital hand holding when it comes to branding themselves.
My writing partner and I are digital marketing professionals so because we got so many requests from friends for help, we decided to create a blog.
This is a side thing. Our goals: Give us more street cred as authorities on the 40+ market, use this as a digital lab, if we get enough traffic, eventually sell sponsorships/partnerships.
Your suggestions?
Hi Susan! That’s a great topic. I think you could have a lot of success just writing some basic posts about how to use linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Most twentysomethings would just skip it, so I think you would attract your age group.
Also, the less obvious choice is social media blogs. I think it would be a HUGE hit if you did some age targeted posts for blogs like Social Media Explorer and maybe Problogger. For instance, what if you did an “Old Duffer” series? For example:
The Old Duffer’s Guide to Facebook
The Old Duffer’s Guide to Twitter
The Old Duffer’s Guide to Linkedin
I think people would love it. Talk about them from the perspective of someone over the age of 40 and give PRACTICAL advice about how to use them for your career.
Anyway, I think you have lots of opportunities here. Mommy blogs might be another good niche for you, too. Lots of mothers feel like they’ve lost their mojo and want to get it back.
Hi Jon,
It’s not perfectly clear what my blog is all about. It doesn’t have clarity to me, let alone a new visitor.
Maybe you could offer insight about that just given what I have written about… what speaks with what is already there.
I’d like to accomplish respect as a writer, marketer, internet business person, teacher/guide.
thank you
http://ericlwalker.com
Hi Eric. Check out my reply to Kari up above.
The tough part about having a small blog is you don’t get much feedback on what people like. So, sometimes it’s a good idea to do a few guest posts for blogs in different niches, because they already have big audiences, and it gives you a lot of feedback.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have a big blog yourself to write for big blogs. As long as your content is good, most popular bloggers don’t care if you’re just getting started and finding your niche.
Great post; thank you for stepping into the world of vulnerability for a moment and I’m ashamed to admit there is *still* part of me throwing my toys out of the pram wailing ‘it’s all right for you’! I’m pretty sure guest blogging could work for my niche, I just don’t know where to go.
My ‘niche’ is green living; I cover green tech, natural health and parenting. It might not sound like a ‘niche’ – but all 3 of those topics work hand in hand because my readers tend to be parents who are looking for solutions to living gently on the earth. I’m stuck at about 200 visitors per day with a PR of 4 after 2 years of regular, fresh content and I would like to accomplish about 50k per month. Hell, I wanna take on TreeHugger LOL!
Hi Ria. Yep, it sounds like you’ve hit the glass ceiling. Welcome to the club.
You have tons of opportunities there. For example:
You could write for personal finance blogs about how you use green tech to save you money. I.e., How I Saved $64 a Month by Installing Solar Panels (just an example. You could use any type of green tech that saves money and quantified the savings.)
You could write for fitness blogs. There’s a growing group of athletes who are interested in natural health and don’t like all of the chemical enhancement drugs.
You could also write for parenting and mommy blogs. There are tons of them that allow guest posts. Something like, “54 Ways Your Children Can Help Save the Planet (and How to Help Them Do It).”
If I were you, the first place I would go is the blogging niche. Most people don’t know this, but the majority of our readers (90% +) are absolute beginners and they have a lot of problems with the technology.
Brilliant post Jon. Why is it that that lesson is so obvious in real life (it’s not what you know, it’s who you know) but so totally lost on bloggers?
I think you just inspired me to write a blog post
Go for it! Tweet me a link when you publish it.
Hello again Jon
thanks for the generous offer….
I seem to have difficulty accessing other Physical Therapy blogs. There generally isn’t a collaborative (affiliate) culture. Our professional jourals are restricted access to members only usually with no interactive facility.
The professional societies have a pitiful uptake of blog / forum use. There are some Linkedin groups and no shortage of physical therapist internationally – with a compulsory requirement for continuing post- graduate training – which is what I provide.
I struggle to get sales and interaction. Averaging 100 views daily, 2,200 / month @ 1 poat weekly but poor opt-in in rate (list of 220 after 2 years – but keep it quiet!!).
Wondering if I should offer content to other groups ie chiropractors,osteopaths, personal trainers, alternative health practitioners – although that is not my core skill set.
Cheers
David
Hello David! Always good to see you.
Because you’re targeting physical therapists themselves, I would look more toward direct mail. Buy a list of their mailing addresses, send them a postcard offering them a free report if they sign up to your mailing list, and then use your blog as a relationship building tactic.
It’s pricier, but you have something to sell them, right? So hopefully you should be able to turn a profit, once you have their contact information.
I have been facing similar situation with my blog. Thanks for this wonderful article.
Have written some great content but still wants good ranking in google for it.
nce it start getting good traffic then can go forward with monetization.
You’re welcome, Afshan. Tell me a bit more about your blog, and I’d be happy to pass along some ideas.
Hey Jon,
I didn’t let my blog die, but I just took a month-long break to get married and move to another country, and I’d like to come back with more energy and focus and get it out there enough to make some money!
I’m a “mom blogger” (though most of us hate that apellation) and I write about all the many things I do wrong as a mom. My angle is helping other moms laugh about their many slip-ups instead of feeling guilty, and I like the small community we have built so far. Now, how to make it grow?
M
Hi Marie. That’s a great topic. You’re right, I think a lot of mothers do feel guilty, and yet even the best of moms screw things up.
The parenting niche is huge, and so you have tons of guest blogging opportunities right there, but I think you could also reach outside that topic to several other big niches. I’m betting you could find angles about personal productivity, healthy living, personal fitness, all of which are huge with lots of popular blogs.
That’s a very generous offer, Jon; I’d love to get your input.
I write twice-weekly research-based posts on ways to use social psychology to achieve social change. My audience are activists: people who want to change the world but could use some fact-based (not anecdotal) information about the most effective ways to accomplish that.
What I haven’t figured out how to do is attract the attention of the people who could take this information and change the world with it. I’d be grateful for any suggestions.
Hello Carol. I LOVE social psychology, so I’ll be sure to check out your blog.
The good news: social psychology connects to almost everything, and so you’ll have plenty of guest blogging opportunities. Probably the easiest place to get started is social media. Everybody with a blog or on twitter wants to change the world in some small way, and I’m sure they would love to learn the science of how to do it.
The bad news: to really get big, I think you’ll have to spice up your writing a little bit. I’m not saying you have to take out the facts. Those are essential. You just need to make it irresistible, kind of like how Cialdini did with his book, Yes! The trick is making the science interesting, so people will want to read it. If you can do that, I think you’ll have no shortage of readers.
Hi Jon,
Thank you so much for showing us your vulnerable side. Even if it is just this once!
It’s been frustrating to hit that glass ceiling with my photography on a budget blog.
I’m thinking of branching out my guest posts to frugality blogs rather than just photography blogs. Does that make sense to you?
Thanks again. I love the newsletter.
I think that’s a great call. Personal finance blogs would probably love to get some guest posts on frugal photography. You could probably write for some tech blogs as well. Posts like, “12 Cameras You Can Buy for Less Than $500″ are always popular.
Hey Jon
I know that my website and the market I’m in has got countless opportunities for guest post opportunities. Hey, I’ll be emailing you at some stage soon to see if I can guest post for Copyblogger!
Without taking your Course though – even though I’ve barely scratched the surface of it due to time commitments – I would never have got the ‘courage’ or the ‘confidence’ to reach out to some bloggers and make connections and ask if they wanted a guest post.
The first blogger i reached out for a Guest Post accepted – hopefully it will be published in the next fortnight. (And how funny to find him in the comments here above me!!!).
So a big thanks for what you’ve done.
Paul
Awesome! Email me the details, when you get a chance, so I can brag about you on twitter.
Vulnerable? I think not.
On my bouncing baby blog, a 6-month-old called Me 2.0 (www.mikaleebyerman.wordpress.com), I am lucky enough to have an amazing and engaging conversation going with a good volume of comments and decent traffic (4,000+ on my best day) … but I don’t know what’s next. I’m stuck between full-time employment, a passion for writing, not enough hours in the day yet a brain that goes 24/7.
My niche would most likely be defined by the blogosphere as “personal growth,” but I’d rather it be summed up in one word: snark. Seriously. I’m mostly writing about reinvention, post-divorce…but I cover a variety of topics, ranging from the recent NYT Vows scandalous couple to my New Year’s Eve penis tiara to my childhood belief that an artichoke was an animal.
So who needs a guest post on snark? Anyone?
You read Penelope Trunk’s blog, right? She’s made a career out of snarkiness/brazenness.
In fact, I think that would be a great place for you to guest post. Ittybiz too. Both Penelope and Naomi are moms, and if you could come up with some good guest posts to get the ball rolling, I think you could make some great connections there.
My blog is an opportunity to discuss stress in the workplace & to laugh at reptilian behavior. I also promote my book, Reptiles on Caffeine….b
Stress is another one of those great topics that connects almost everything. You could write for career blogs, fitness blogs, healthy living blogs, maybe even tech and gadget blogs (i.e., 7 High-Tech Chairs to Help You Relax at Work). Oh, and DEFINITELY minimalist blogs like Zen Habits. Leo is all about reducing stress and living a more relaxed life.
Hi Jon!
Thanks so much for your kind offer to look at my blog!
My ideal clients are moms, aged 35-55, who struggle with overwhelm. I help them get clarity on their dreams and traction on their goals.
My blog is a little over a year old, and I’m at that glass ceiling. I definitely subscribe to the content marketing model – I write a weekly ezine and post to my blog M-F.
I love giving lots great free content, but I want more paying clients. Is it just a matter of numbers (I had 370 subscribers last I checked), or is there something else I can do to make my blog more “client attractive”?
Thanks again for a great post and your kind offer!
With 375 subscribers, yeah, it’s probably more about the size of your readership than anything else. Although, a lot of other things DO come into play, such as bonding, copywriting, sales funnels, all sorts of things.
But you’ll probably get the most impact from just focusing on increasing the size of your readership. It’s hard to make any sort of income with less than 1000, and it’s hard to make a full-time income with less than 10,000. Not impossible, and it depends on the niche, but those are some rules of thumb.
It’s a great topic. If I were you, I would start with personal productivity and mindfulness blogs like Zen Habits and Dumb Little Man and build relationships there. You can also reach out to some of the other blogs in the parenting niche.
Hello again!
Thanks so much for sharing your perspective on the “number’s game.” Your comment confirmed my assumption, so I will keep working to connect with my readers. Thanks again for the advice! I really appreciate your help. Stacey
I’m taking you up on your offer. I’m a published children’s author specializing in ancient history (2 biographies of ancients and a historical fiction novel for teens, coming out this summer). My blog (http://historywithatwist.blogspot.com) is targeted toward ancient history buffs/novices, especially young teens as well as parents, history teachers, Latin language teachers, homeschoolers, etc.
My aim is to entertain and share my particular approach to history (i.e., what’s funny? Amazing? Fascinating? Disgusting?). I would love to grow my readership but can’t seem to find similar blogs (written for the layperson/kids versus academics) with which to connect. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Hello Vicky. First, thanks for writing about such an important topic. History is near and dear to my heart, and I’m happy to see someone writing about it.
Second, I would start by connecting with the parenting niche. Lots of parents want their children to learn history, and I think they would have a natural interest. You could do a few guest posts about how to get their children interested in history, and I think they would eat it up.
I’m sure there are other opportunities as well. If I had to guess, probably some of the bigger travel blogs would be interested as well. Lots of folks who travel want to know the histories of various places where they’re going. If you had posts about those places, you could probably snag a few fans.
This is a really interesting post, Jon, because I too have believed that great content would lead to connections, not the other way around. My blog, Literascribe – a writer’s take on the business of books and the writing life, has been running since 2007. First for fun, then as an avenue to promote my business, fictionfire (creative writing courses, editing, critiquing, mentoring). I’ve worked hard to use facebook and twitter too and have made contacts (Ali at Aliventures, Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn for example), who’ve been helpful and have mentioned my name. Still only around 5 visits a day to my blog and my site. Your opinion would be very valued.
I realise I didn’t give the URL of my blog earlier – duh! It’s http://literascribe.blogspot.com
Thanks!
Hi Lorna! The writing niche is HUGE. If I were you, I wouldn’t limit yourself to just creative writing blogs. Reach into nonfiction and blogging as well. Most people who write are interested in all types of writing, and most of the lessons apply as well. For example, writers block, storytelling, etc. all apply, regardless of what you’re writing about, and those types of topics would make a great bridge between your blog and some of the others.
If you do that, I think you’ll see a big bump in traffic. Just for example, a tweet from Copyblogger sends a few thousand visitors, all by itself. And I know for a fact that quite a few of our readers are interested in fiction.
Thanks, Jon – it seems I need to think about broadening my scope and also getting up the courage to approach people and offer to guest-post! As a professional writer and teacher it’s all too easy for me to think that writing comes easily to everybody, and it doesn’t – it takes nerve and it takes practice. I’m giving a talk in Oxford next week on the relationship between fiction and memoir so that could be an interesting area to blog about. Thanks again for your time and your comments!
Hi Jon, an excellent post and one that really addresses the “but it’s different for blogs about blogging” objection. I started our blogging at TheGolfGeek.blogspot.com, and at first it was a personal journal. Then I linked it to my Twitter account & things grew from there. Reader numbers weren’t high, but I was getting a lot of public praise from respected coaches in this niche. I’m in the process of readying DrGolfGeek.com for launch, using my medical background to have a look at the theories & assumptions of golfers. I have a couple of guest posts lined up, but I would of course love to have your input, so if you’re not too busy I’d love to take advantage of your generous offer.
Happy Friday!
Al
Allan, I noticed that the URL for your blog ends in “dot blogspot.com.”
Don’t let Blogspot or WordPress or any other platform host your blog. That’s asking for trouble because you don’t have any control over it.
I learned this the hard way. Use whatever platform you wish (I love WordPress) but make sure another company hosts it.
Hi Al. I LOVE your writing voice. Have you been studying copywriting? Sure looks like it.
If I were you, I would use guest blogging for SEO. I have a video coming out about this next week. If you could get ranked for a few top golfing terms, I think that would be your best bet for traffic.
For guest posts, you might try looking into the fitness niche. A lot of people who are into fitness are athletic, and they’d probably like to hear a doctor’s take on the benefits of it and how to do it correctly. You could also try career blogs. You could do something like, “An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Golfing with Your Boss,” or something like that. I think it would be a big hit.
Hi Joan, many thanks for your observation. I totally agree – I’m just about to launch on a self hosted site using WordPress at DrGolfGeek.com, for that very reason. I didn’t know anything at all about blogging when I first started, so I’ve learned as I’ve gone along…and it became clear pretty quickly that for almost all of the big blogs, WordPress is where it’s at, hence the move.
Jon – THANK YOU. You’ve put a big dumb grin on my face, for which I’m very grateful. I’ve read Copyblogger’s copywriting 101, and Stanford @ Pushing Social’s spectacular posts mini-course, as well as reading almost all of the output from both blogs.
Your suggestions are great – they have that obvious-now-someone’s told me factor, the mark of a significant insight. I’ll be exploring these and more, thanks again!
Al
I think the effectiveness of guestblogging does vary by niche. Copyblogger has what, 100,000 readers? A really big blog in the personal dev space would be 15,000, and there are a few around 5,000. But guestblogging has lifted my traffic (including my search traffic, I assume because with more inbound links comes more authority).
What I’m finding hard is to get from the level of 4000 uniques a month up into the really big leagues. The upward trend is pretty constant, so I guess what I need to do is be patient and keep up my current strategies.
Dude, personal development is a huge niche. Have you seen Steve Pavlina? Dumb Little Man? Lifehacks? Zen Habits? All of those blogs fall under the personal development category, and they all have more than 100,000 readers, I think. All of them with the exception of Steve Pavlina also accept guest posts.
Also, it sounds like you’ve hit the glass ceiling. 4000 uniques per month is only a little more than 100 per day. That means you need to focus on building your connections.
The great thing about personal development is it also connects with pretty much every big niche. So, if I were you, I would focus on getting to know as many popular bloggers as you can. Don’t limit yourself to just personal development bloggers.
Thanks, Jon. Zen Habits doesn’t actually accept guest posts any more except by invitation, and given that he doesn’t do email it can be pretty difficult to get one.
I may have to get over my aversion to Dumb Little Man (he edited a past guest post of mine in a way that made it say something far from my intention, and it still rankles, but I still occasionally get traffic from that post and it was a couple of years ago).
I have blogged outside my niche, with pretty limited response, though I haven’t gone after the really big blogs. I’ll give that further thought. Thanks.
Yes, Zen Habits requires an invitation, but it’s perfectly achievable to get one. I have students who have done it. Granted, you’ll never get one if you don’t believe it’s possible. Just based on your two comments, it sounds to me like your beliefs are holding you back more than anything else.
Also, you don’t really get results from writing for a blog only one time. The real benefits kick in three, five, even ten posts down the line. Did you catch the video about how to get links from popular bloggers? That’s how you get results. The guest post itself is only the first step in the process.
Hi Jon,
My blog has been sputtering along for almost two years now, bumping its head on that ceiling you mentioned for most of the time. I’m not too discouraged though, because through blogging I’ve been able to clarify my passion and what I want to do with it.
I want to live more creatively, and help other people live more creative lives. I’m not talking about just artists, or writers: I want to reach a wide range of people and help them achieve a creativity that infuses their whole life.
My current readers are mostly women, mostly 30 years+ and interested in some creative activity while not being professional artists. I love my readers, they’re smart, creative, and engaging. And i want more of that, I’d like to reach a whole lot more people and build some momentum with this thing.
Hi Dave. Creativity is a great blog topic because it connects with personal development, productivity, blogging, writing, social media — all the big niches. It’s also a popular topic. The highest traffic post at Copyblogger last year was about creativity.
So, I think you’re on the right track. I just think you need to go wide and start writing for his many of those popular blogs as possible. The more connections you can make to the more different niches, the more traffic you will get.
Hey Jon!
Thanks for the great post!
I am a design student and my blog is about documenting how I got into design school and what goes on once in school, things I learn, the projects I do, etc. Before I applied to design school, I wasn’t really sure what one actually learned in design school and I wanted to learn more about what types of things design students learned/did. However, I couldn’t find a blog that gave specific insight into a design student’s life at university so once I got accepted into design school, I decided to start my own blog documenting design school!
My readers, I believe, are people who are close to entering university, particularly interested the art/design field, current students, and also people in general who would like to learn art/design principles, techniques, etc.
Through my blog I am hoping to give other people an insight into life at design school and also help others learn about art/design (techniques, principles, etc.).
Thanks so much!
Kim
Hi Kim. Design is a REALLY popular topic. I suppose you’re reading Smashing Magazine, right? You should be writing for them. I know for a fact they have quite a few people who were either students at design schools or would love to attend them.
And that’s only one blog. If I’m not mistaken, there are at least half a dozen with more than 50,000 subscribers, and almost all of them allow a guest posts. So, I think you have lots of opportunities without even going outside your own niche!
Hi Jon,
I just signed up for your course but thought I’d take you up on your offer and get some early feedback.
I have 2 blogs:
http://thoughtmedicine.com
http://diet4yourmind.com
Both blogs teach people how to transform their lives by changing the way they think.
Thought Medicine’s tagline: Exploring the Power of Mind from Science to Spirituality
Diet 4 Your Mind is based on the same tenets as Thought Medicine but through the lens of helping people shift their consciousness in support of weight loss. (It will be a membership site soon.)
BTW I would love to interview you for Thought Medicine – about how you lifted yourself out of that “learned helplessness” – a subject dear to my heart.
Thanks… and Cheers!
Hi Linda! Those two topics are GREAT. I’m looking forward to working with you on them. And sure, I’d be happy to do an interview.
In the meantime, I think the writing, blogging, and social media niches would be a great place to start. Personal development too. Lots of those bloggers are really into positive psychology, creativity, and anything regarding the mental side of life. You’d need to link your topic with theirs, but that shouldn’t be too hard.
We’ll go to work on it shortly inside the class!
Hi Jon,
I can see your’e about to get slammed, so I’m just going to say ‘thanks’. Your advice helped me get more traffic, thanks to a bunch of recent guest posts and retweets from influencers in my niche: which is creativity for fiction writers.
If you get a chance: how do I keep the momentum going? I want to build my list quickly before an event in May.
Thanks again,
Julie
Warms my heart to get comments like those, Julie. Glad to hear you’re learning from it.
In my experience, momentum is about two things: working your butt off to get things moving and then making connections with awesome people who can help you keep it going. It sounds like you’re in the second stage, and so spending some time guest blogging could be really good for you.
If you’re preparing for an event in May, you might think about signing up for my class, so I can work with you and help you get ready. It’s not officially going live until Monday, but I’ll email you a link, so you can sneak in early, if you want.
Jon
Thanks Jon. I’d love to hear more…
“ElderCaring,” provides helpful info to make caring for an elderly person easier (even if it’s taking care of yourself first). Some original content, a lot borrowed and adapted (problem?!). Nothing controversial–seems inappropriate for the audience (targeting caregivers of elderly and adult children with an elderly parent).
I hope to do all the things that blogs are suppossed to do: instill trust, make people like you, AND get readers to visit my website: http://www.CheckInCalls.com.
I was “Freshly Pressed” once and received close to 900 views but typically I get in the 30-50 views/day AND practically no conversions to the website. Thanks for any/all insights!
Hi Karen. For elder care, I would target personal finance and parenting blogs for guest posts. For the first, planning your retirement years is a huge part of personal finance, and even people who are 20 or 30 years away from it are still thinking about it. And for parenting, I would guess most parents have parents of their own who are 50, 60 or older, and so they’re probably thinking about elder care.
In both cases, you’re targeting the type of person, rather than the topic. I think both niches would also be happy to hear from you.
Hi Jon,
I’m a CPA and my blog is about successful business startup. My target audience is women Baby Boomers who want to change careers and/or establish part-time or full-time passive income streams. They need help getting their finances organized and creating web sites and blogs to market their products and services.
I focus on teaching them how to control their expenses, maximize their tax deductions, and use WordPress and other software and online services to improve efficiency. I also help them understand the importance of their personal credit history and how that affects their business.
What I hope to accomplish with my blog is to attract more coaching clients and sell more of my own information products. I look forward to hearing your suggestions about how best to do that.
Thanks.
Sheryl
Hi Sheryl. What a coincidence! I actually use a CPA as an example on the FAQ page. Check it out:
http://guestblogging.com/faq/
Probably the two biggest opportunities for you would be personal finance and entrepreneurship blogs. There are tons of them, and many of them allow guest posts.
If I were you, I would do some guest posts for them, build a relationship, and then do a special offer to do a free webinar or a few free consulting sessions for the readers. Just from one blog, you’d probably pick up a few dozen clients. It’s some work, but I think it could really pay off for you big time
Hi John,
I always take note and listen when ever your e-mail arrives in my inbox and I also greatly respect what Chris Garret has got to say on the subject of blogging.
This post is so spot on, I keep reminding myself everyday to do more guest posts. I think there is definitely a fear factor for a lot of people in approaching the top bloggers in the industry.
My fear if I’m honest is what if they think your guest post is rubbish or it’s just not up to scratch? I guess it’s the age old fear of being rejected. Have you got any advice to manage this fear better?
My blog is about teaching and helping businesses to learn more about online marketing in a friendly, passionate way. I’ve received positive feedback from my clients and readers about the posts and I’m confident my content is good.
Keep up the great work.
http://www.smartdogdigital.com/blog
It’s funny you ask, because getting your guest posts ready for the big leagues is actually the exact focus of my class. It doesn’t officially open until Monday, but I’ll e-mail you a link for more information so you can check it out.
You definitely have lots of opportunities in online marketing. Copyblogger, just to name one.
Hi Jon,
David here. The Unmotivated Motivational Writer. For me and my blog, we are both still going through a transitional period (which has never seemed to complete its transition into something focused. Part of it is because I continue to live up to my title of Unmotivated far more than I care to admit.
I started off being what I called the low-budget Tony Robbins of the motivational industry. (and by industry, I mean I have a space on the web where I ramble/rambled on about motivational stuff. There have been various points where I kept thinking to myself how am I supposed to motivate folks to do what they want to do when I myself may and yet may not be doing the same.
Long story short, I started thinking more about the writing aspect to things as opposed to the motivational end of things (though the motivational stuff is still there). In an effort to help folks get to writing for themselves, I tossed together a list of 200 “prompts.” And this is what seems to be of interest to folks… more than the motivational stuff. And yet, the motivational stuff actually took more work and dedication than the prompts did.
I guess my question(s) are can the 2 areas of writing (getting folks to start writing/get back to writing) and motivation (start doing more, being more, becoming who they feel they want to become), exist in the same blog structure?
–David
Absolutely! I frequently blend the two in my posts at Copyblogger, and I always get great results. Take a look:
http://www.copyblogger.com/author/jonmorrow/
So yeah, I think it’s a great mix. You could do guest posts for both writing blogs and personal development blogs, which are two of the biggest niches there are. Sounds like a winner to me.
Wow – this post resonated with me on all levels. Thanks for your generous offer of checking out my blog.
PiperLarson.com is a place where entrepreneurial business strategies and personal development come together. Readers are entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, bloggers & business owners.
My blog is an extension of my coaching services. I’d like to create a community of entrepreneurial-type people for an exchange of ideas and coaching referrals for my business.
Thanks!
~Piper Larson
I think you’ll have lots of opportunities, Piper. Personal development and entrepreneurship are two really big niches, and so you’ll have lots of opportunities without going outside of them. Ittybiz, Dumb Little Man, Zen Habits, Copyblogger, Problogger — all of them might be a good fit.
So get cracking!
Hi Jon!
I can’t miss out on this opportunity! My blog is about family fun on a budget. My main audience are moms. I post everything from games, crafts, recipes, fun challenges and anything else that is fun and on the cheap. The problem I have is that there are so many craft blogs, etc. and they all promote each other. I don’t want my blog to be just another craft blog. I feel a lot of craft blogs leave moms, and especially those on a tight budget, frustrated with not being able to do all. Sure it may look cute, but when you are trying to make sure food is on the table crafts are not a priority.
I want to promote families spending time together and to show that we don’t have to go out and spend a lot of money to really enjoy it. I want my readers to be able to read the post/activity and be able to do it with what supplies they have.
I’ve heard people say you have to post everyday to go somewhere. I hate it when I look at my reader and missed 10 posts from a blog in 3 days. It’s too much. I don’t want to overload others! Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Michelle. Two words:
Personal finance.
For one, PF bloggers are all obsessed with frugality, but they also love crafts. Some of the most popular posts are about making your own soap, cooking recipes, simple stuff like that. I think crafts would fit right in.
So take a look at all of the big blogs in the niche. Get Rich Slowly, the Simple Dollar, Five Cent Nickel, Consumerism Commentary, among others. I think they would all be interested in guest posts from you.
Thank you for this nice offer. I am a humor writer, and I’ve recently been thinking of writing “spritutal humor.” I think I would have a good audience for that.
My website looks amateurish, and that frustrates me. My readers are friends and family and spammers. I get a lot of comments from “strangers” who talk about singing lessons, which means they have not read my blogs, because “singing badly” is a metaphor.
I feel like I should be more technically-savy to be sucessful with this, even though I know this is not true. I can’t even figure out how to attach my picture to this comment.
Dawn
Hi Dawn. To make your website look better, the easiest thing to do is to buy a premium WordPress theme. I’m using one from http://www.elegantthemes.com. To get rid of the comment spam, you should also install Akismet. It’s built into WordPress, and it does a nice job of stopping it.
As for the topic, humor can work, if you’re able to adapt it to different niches. Technically, it applies to everything, so you have lots of opportunities. It’s just a matter of blending your style with theirs and coming up with a viable guest post.
Hello!! I am at that point of thinking of shutting down my blog! I had focused on “Inspirational People” events and the one’s that caught on were really not my most inspirational ones!! Here is one of the one’s that got the biggest response: http://thisinspires.me/social-media-is-not-for-you
along with:
http://thisinspires.me/be-the-sumarai
I am a stay at home mom and wanted a fun blog that focused on positivity and inspiration. I don’t want a Mommy blog or Fitness blog even though that is the majority of friends and twitter followers.
Is inspiration overrated? I’m thinking of starting all over again in a new direction but curios to see what you think! Hate to admit that I am sick of not growing and not building my audience *pout* Appreciate your feedback!
I think it’s a great topic, Francis. People are DESPERATE for inspiration. I’ve been blending it into a lot of my posts at Copyblogger lately, and it’s been getting a great response. Take a look:
http://www.copyblogger.com/author/jonmorrow/
The beautiful thing is that inspiration blends with everything. You could write inspirational posts for bloggers, parents, small business owners, all sorts of topics. Bloggers are always looking for inspirational posts too, so I think you would have lots of opportunities.
Jon
First – it was encouraging to hear that even a top blogger like you has struggled in the past.
I manage a personal finance & economic news blog that’s connected to an eCommerce site that sells business and personal checks.
One thing I’ve run into when trying to create guest posts for popular PF blogs is that the authors tend to want to strike up an advertising relationship when they find out I’m connected to a business as opposed to typical content marketing.
Unfortunately – that’s not in the budget for us – and my manager is a big SEO guy who’s all about building links organically (not paying for them).
Any advice on how to break that barrier?
Also would love for you to take a quick look at http://blog.checkadvantage.com/
Thanks again for the great advice so far!
Hi Kasey. I took a look at your blog, and your content is actually pretty good, much better than the traffic it looks like you’re getting. So yeah, I definitely think we need to focus on getting you some connections.
I’d have to see your individual guest posts to tell you why you’re getting that kind of response. Just to guess, are you promoting your business in the post? If you are, that’s probably why. In your guest posts, you need to give 100% content with no pitch at all except the byline. Once you have the relationship established, you can then come back and develop a special offer for their readers, which they’ll promote because they like you and you’ve been giving them such great content.
Does that make sense?
Yeah it does make sense. You’re probably on to something.
Thanks for the compliment too!
At first my posts were somewhat related to the product – and I realized that could be a turn off. Then I would just pitch myself as a writer – or maybe a title.idea.
But I think what I need to do is start sending the content instead of just a pitch/synopses. I was avoiding that because I was trying to pitch one idea to a handful of popular blogs at once and I thought – “What if both these guys post my stuff at the same time? They’ll be ticked.”
Of course – I was dreaming – and having two popular bloggers want your content would be a nice problem to have.
Thanks so much for your kind offer to look at my blog and offer your expert guidance!
The purpose of my blog is to be a source of career development information and support to current social work students and new social workers.
To that end, to further clarify my blog’s purpose, I changed my blog’s name from Social Work Career Transition to Social Work Career Development.
I am most grateful for my current community of career and mental health experts who visit my blog and offer their guidance and support; they essentially make my blog what it is
In light of your blogging experience, I would be most appreciative of hearing what advice you would give me in my particular niche.
Thanks so much,
Dorlee
Hi Dorlee. For you, I think the best thing to do would be to target newsletters. I would guess lots of social work organizations have regular newsletters, journals, and magazines right? You could write articles for them in exchange for a link back to your blog.
A lot of it will probably be off-line, so it’s not technically guest blogging, but all of the principles are exactly the same. You never know, they might even offer to pay you for your articles.
Hi Jon,
Do you know another about the sport of cutting horses?
My father and I have created a niche blog to promote the sport in Austalia. You can see it at http://cuttinghorselink.com
Our readers are those involved in the sport in Australia (1000 people) and international readers as well.
We are trying to get more traffic, to then go after bigger advertisers. So we either have to go for other readers in different horse sports here in Australia, or overseas.
Cheers
Ainslie
Hi Ainslie! For you, I think the best approach would be to use guest blogging as an SEO tactic. I’m releasing a video about that next week, but in the meantime, it looks like “cutting horse” and “cutting horses” collectively get about 35,000 searches a month in Google. If we could get you ranked number one for that topic, then I think you would pick up quite a bit of traffic and probably have a much easier time getting those advertisers.
We’ll work on it together over the next few weeks. Sounds interesting!
Hey Jon,
Saw this posted on Twitter (Jonathan of ByBloggers) and the title intrigued me! I can completely get what you’re saying. A few times I’ve been ready to throw in the towel. BUT, I really want to make this go.
I’m a coach and the topics I tend to write about are wellness and career. Both of which can be rather large – but my goal is to get people to a point where they are ignited – on fire with excitement about their own life. Any/all suggestions are appreciated. I’m currently trying to get my newsletter off the ground so that I have a bigger list when I release my first product in April.
Thanks!
Hi Karen. Writing about wellness and careers, I think you would have a really easy time writing for career blogs and also personal development blogs. For example, Zen Habits covers quite a bit on the subject, and it’s one of the biggest blogs in the world (200,000+ subscribers).
There are also a growing number of happiness and mindfulness blogs you could target. They are a bit smaller, but it might be really easy to get started there and work your way up.
If you’re launching a product in April, this is definitely something you want to get started on right away. Watch out for the announcement on Monday for the guest blogging class and take a look. From what you’ve said, something like this could be a good way to prepare for your launch.
Thank you for this awesome opportunity!
Through my site/business I aim to give courageous men the knowledge, support, and motivation they need to evolve into the best versions of themselves so they can eventually step into positions of leadership.
My reader is a growth-oriented male who has a deep desire to reach his true potential and contribute to the world in a big way with his unique gifts. The focus of my writing is “mature masculinity”, so I assume my readers are interested in learning all they can on the subject of being a REAL man.
Thank you for your help!
Hi Rahul. That’s a really popular topic right now, especially in the dating niche. Have you read The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida? Great book.
If I were you, I would write some guest posts for personal development blogs. That’s where you’ll find men most interested in growth. To some extent, you might also have some luck with career and entrepreneurship blogs, but I think personal development would be the best fit.
Hi Jon!
We’ve not discussed this blog before (or at least not much), so YES I’m taking advantage of your incredible generosity YET AGAIN. [you rock, but you know that!]
Object-Mechanics.com is a fledgling blog to support a book (in progress) on object-oriented programming. The audience would be programmers who are curious about the OOP paradigm or who did not “get it” from their academics or from one of the hundreds of learn-oop-in-30-days or oop-for-language-x books.
I ran a PPC test campaign for a week which seemed to indicate some interest (at least in the free first chapter) but did not give me any indication of where to go to find my target audience, or how to go about casting the search-net.
There are several blogs and podcasts on programming that are reasonably popular, but none of the blogs accept guest posts as far as I can tell. And I don’t think I can get interviewed on one of the podcasts until the book is actually completed (and maybe not even then).
Thanks!
–S
P.S. FULL DISCLOSURE: I took Jon’s guest blogging course and learned a TON, and can’t say enough good things about it or him.
Well hello, Mr. Lowe. Nice to see you, as always. I did a quick search and came up with a few dozen popular programming blogs. I’ll email you the list, and we can check them out for guest posting opportunities.
Jon — Thanks so much for a post that keeps it real, and also for this generous offer.
I write GoingByFaith.com,and it’s a Christian blog about keeping the faith in everyday life. Since I’m a newer Christian, the list is endless. Readers: male/female ages 25 and up, both new and seasoned Christians.
Hoping to accomplish: a blog that encourages others through the weak moments, trials or just “life in the world.” It’s kind of like this post you wrote — how it’s vulnerable and people can relate and think, “I totally feel that way!” — but you offer a solution. In the case of my blog, the solution would be a reminder to trust God, which leaves us encouraged and turning to him.
Thanks for an awesome class,
Jen
Hi Jen. Christianity ties into just about everything, so I think you would have an easy time finding guest blogging opportunities. I actually gave a few examples above, if you’d like to see how you can tie it into other topics. Inside your browser, click “Edit,” and then “Find,” and then type “Christian,” and search. Let me know if you have any other questions.
How kind of you, Jon!
I’m a professional organizer, and my blog is about anything related to organizing – often organizing-related products, but certainly not limited to that.
I’m not selling any products, and don’t really want to. I’m just trying to build awareness of who I am – so people who decide they want/need an organizer (or know someone who does) will think of me.
Hi Jeri! Who doesn’t want to de-clutter? In fact, I think maybe you should push the branding for your blog in that direction. A “professional organizer” is actually a political position for professional promoters for political parties. But de-clutter is much less ambiguous, and it has the benefit in the title.
In any case, I think you could do really well with minimalism and productivity blogs. Everyone there is always publishing content about how to be more organized, but they don’t tell you about the products to do it. You could pop over to their blogs and do some list posts about the best products to buy or something. I think it would do well.
Great stuff, Jon!
The site I’d love some advice on is http://www.FitMarriage.com where our topic is fitness aimed at busy married couples. We’ve had decent growth with the blog and the accompanying podcast, but we’d love to get more explosive growth.
Our goals are to sell more of our fitness program for busy married couples (Thrive90 Fitness) as well as get more exposure and interest in our podcast so that we can generate sponsorships as another revenue stream.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Also, I loved your interview on The Badass Project (JBT was a guest on The Fit Marriage Show and talked about your interview before it had even aired).
Thanks!
Dustin
Hello Dustin. Well… Let’s see. Fitness blogs are the obvious choice for guest posting opportunities, but I think it might also be a good match for productivity blogs because you’re targeting “busy couples,” and it might also be a good match for parenting blogs, because many parents are couples.
There’s three niches. See what I mean about targeting the reader instead of the topic?
My blog, RenewMyMind.com, is a blog about changing the way you live by changing the way you think. It has a very spiritual focus. I know there are a lot of religious bloggers, but I’m not sure I want to associate with them (religious people and bloggers tend to come across as condemning and unlikeable).
My readers are mostly people who search for “how do i renew my mind”, since I rank at the top of Google for that. Based on past comments, my readers seem to be people who have had traumas and/or life just isn’t going the direction they wanted. They’re looking for how to change the way they see life so they can live differently.
Hi Daniel. For renewing your mind, I would think personal development and productivity blogs would be your best shot. Your ideal readers probably frequent those blogs too. Not all of them will be interested in the spiritual side of things, but probably enough of them will stop by and read that you’ll be able to develop a fan base.
Thanks for this. My blog is about Quilting. It maybe niche but there are infact loads of blogs about quilting. How can you stand out in a crowd? I try to make my posts as interesting as I can but I only have a few followers. My readers are currently bloggers who have quilting blogs of their own in the main. My ultimate aim would be to become an authoritative voice in this genre but probably more importantly within my own geographic location … The United Kingdom … and to be in a position where it was big enough to have site sponsors. Thanks for any help.
Hello Tracey. I think that’s doable. The key to standing out is developing content that not only teaches people but touches them emotionally. Also, don’t feel like you have to be totally unique. You can cover the same topics but with your own personality and flair, and people will enjoy them and talk about them.
You might also reach outside your niche. If there are a lot of people blogging about quilting, sometimes it gets a little “incestuous,” where all of the blogs are sharing the same basic reader base. If I were you, I would do some guest posting for other craft blogs and maybe even parenting blogs. Lots of mothers would have interest in quilting, I would guess, and so that’s a perfect audience to reach into.
Jon, this January I switched focus from the virtual worker ‘biz think’ coaching my wife and I do (there’s a humungous blog at http://ChiefVirtualOfficer.com/blog/) and focusing on my author coaching (http://SomedayBox.com/blog/)
Yesterday’s Copyblogger post about writers is me all over. I know I write great books, articles, blog posts, songs, whatever. My fans are extremely loyal; both of them.
I’m terrified to the point of hysteria to approach bloggers I respect about guest posts. I know for a fact that a single rejection would be instantly fatal, and I don’t wanna die.
Yeah, right now I’m in the space of chaos between two sigmoid curves, so I’ll take whatever you’ve got about my current blog, or my guest-blog-o-phobia.
joel
Hi Joel. First off, I think author coaching is a great niche. There are so many people who want to be authors but need some guidance.
Secondly, being terrified is nothing to be ashamed of. It IS scary. One of the reasons why I teach my guest blogging class is to help folks get over the fear of doing it. If that’s all that’s holding you back, you should definitely think about signing up.
Super! Where are the details on the class?
Jon,
Thanks for this I am still working through the Guest Blogging course material.
my blog stillmansays.com is a record of an experiment I started in April 2009 in Union Square in New York City (hopefully to be taken elsewhere) with two chairs, one table and a sign that reads “Creative Approaches to What You Have Been Thinking About” and a smaller one that reads “Pay What You Like or Take What You Need”.
I sit out there with no computer, no cell phone, just waiting to talk with strangers about any subject at all that they are contending with and trying to offer a creative approach to it. No subject is off limit.
My content is very good but I have a small audience.
Any thoughts?
thanks so much.
Hi Matt. It’s a cool idea, especially when you’re working one-on-one with people, but there’s a problem when you do it with blogging: most people don’t want to read about other people’s problems. By constantly switching from topic to topic, you lose your audience. To keep people, you need to write for a specific audience and no one else.
If I were you, I would develop a blog about one specific area where you really seem to be able to help people, and then I would guest post about all of the other topics, driving people back to your blog. That way, you’re still getting to talk about everything, but you’re focusing people in on one particular problem where you’re a specialist.
If you wanted to work with people one-on-one, you could sell them telephone consulting from your blog as well. Might put a little money in your pocket in exchange for all that wisdom.
Matt,
I came across your site yesterday (Through Ash at TMF Project). I was doing her worksheets on business case studies…she mentions your work in her program…and I was intrigued.
I agree with Jon about creating a niche for yourself. I would love to have you guest post for my blog.
My blog is “daily inspiration.” I think that you probably have 100′s of stories that could fall under this type of blog.
Please contact me (through my site) or at steve(at)karmickappuccino(dot)com if you’re interested in writing for me.
Hi Jon,
Blogging and business are hot topics.
Disability, Parenting kids w/disabilities is NOT. Did you ever try to find those niches? I googled and found university articles and mom/pop blogs about their children, but not any about creating change… I’m probably doing everything wrong–but I really can’t find them.
I have tried to make friends in the right places, but not to win their influence–just to learn about writing, blogging and business. I enjoy being around “normal” folks for a change.
I know, sounds like the old arguments. But I really don’t know how to turn it around. I pour out my heart and get some comments and subscribers, but don’t have the tech skills to even set up things to sell.
http://ClimbingEveryMountain.com
Today was so bad, I didn’t even get spam. *laugh*
Any advice greatly welcomed.
ps. I’m glad you snapped out of it and are now influencing the world. Best wishes.
Hi Mary! Well… if you look at the evidence, I think you’ll see disabilities and parenting kids with disabilities IS a hot topic. For one, there are magazines with tens of thousands of readers targeted at those topics, and for two, every type of disability usually maintains a newsletter with thousands of subscribers.
So, that’s where would start. Instead of writing for blogs about those topics, I would do freelance articles for the magazines and newsletters in exchange for a link back to your blog. All of the principles are exactly the same as guest posting, but you’re just doing it more off-line.
You could also try parenting blogs. No, not all of the parents would be interested, but a huge number of parents of disabled children, and I think they would be delighted to find a thoughtful blog on the subject.
I am working on an authority site in the black natural hair care niche. I’ve studied this topic for nearly 5 years, and I think it’s time to produce some organized, helpful content. My site will include a Sisterlocks blog because I have Sisterlocks, and I have a lot to say about them.
I don’t have anything live yet because I’m still building. The obvious is to promote my blog on other natural hair care blogs. There are a lot of those kinds of blogs, but there aren’t a lot of great ones. So, I want to know how you think I can get on top.
Hi Terez. Hmm, seeing as I’m one of those pasty white fellows, it’s not exactly my niche, but my guess would be to target any type of fashion, celebrity, or music blog with a primarily black audience, and then talk about hair. You could criticize the hair of various celebrities and musicians, give people tips to make their hair look like so-and-so, and so on. Then you could link back to your blog for more general tips.
That’s really a unique angle. I like it. Your idea got my wheels turning as to some other out-of-the-box blogs. Thanks, Jon! I appreciate you taking the time to help me… and everyone else!
First off Jon, you’re a champ. Thanks for this.
My blog helps people in the entertainment industry with their career.
So, there are plenty of career blogs and plenty of blogs about my industry.
Two problems though:
1. the career blogs seem too general. I want a very specific reader.
2. The industry blogs are very popular and are read by the exact person I want, but they are all news driven. My stuff is evergreen how to content.
What do you think? Who should I go after, and with what type of content?
Hi Hashim. Well, you bring up an important question. Is it wrong to target blogs who are much more general than your own?
In my opinion, the answer is no, and the reason why is a SEO. No, you won’t get much targeted traffic from writing for career blogs, but you can use your guest posts exclusively to get high quality links and drive your blog up the search engines for your keywords.
For example, if your keyword is “music career,” you would be the byline at the end of your post saying something like, “This was a guest post by Hashim Warren. Check out his blog for more tips on how to improve your music career,” where the term “music career” is the link. Just a few links from big career blogs will drive you way up the search engines, in most cases.
I’m actually releasing a video about this next week, so stay tuned for it.
Hi, Jon
I’m writing in the niche of personal growth, life purpose, clean up your thinking, find and follow your dream. Ha! Maybe being more specific would help. I write a short 5-day-a-week newsletter and about once a week blog posts. Get pretty few comments, haven’t done many guest posts. Get great feedback from the newsletter. Any suggestions appreciated.
Hi Wes. The personal growth/personal development niche is HUGE. There are at least half a dozen blogs with over 100,000 readers who accept guest posts. So for you, I don’t think you even need to leave your niche. You’ll have plenty of opportunities right at home.
Hi Jon,
I write about the things no-one wants to talk about, because they aren’t supposed to happen: medical challenges, child loss, depression, and crises of faith.
I didn’t choose this niche, life handed it to me. For years, I felt completely alone, because no-one talks about these things. When I finally broke the silence, I discovered that more people than we care to admit have faced disability and medical challenges, lost a child, battle depression, and/or re-evaluated what they believe in life.
My goal is to build a community, a safe place for people to talk about these things. To find out they are not alone. To find support for their journey. And to offer support to others when they are in their most desperate moments.
In recent months I landed a regular-contributor slot on a faith blog. I’m guest-posting about depression for a series being published in book. So I think I might finally be building momentum, generating some visibility. I’d love some advice on how to help my target audience find me.
Thank you!
Hi Joy! Sounds like you’re on the right track, but I would go broader than just faith blogs. The beautiful thing about your topic is it applies to almost everything. Careers, personal finance, relationships, personal development, parenting — you could probably find intersections with your topic in all of those niches.
So, I would start writing for as many of those big blogs as you can. Target blogs with over 10,000 subscribers, and see if you can start doing a couple of guest posts a month. I think you’ll see your traffic take off.
I am a sign maker, so I make and sell physical products like banners, trade show displays, and yard signs.
Even though I don’t have a blog yet, I keep reading how sites with active blogs get tons more traffic than sites without.
So, if I want more traffic, I blog.
Simple enough.
But what to blog about?
That is my problem.
I’ve been making signs a long time, so to me, they are pretty simple.
Words you put on stuff.
Not rocket science.
I guess I can’t see the forest for the trees.
Hi Mark. For you, I think the main benefit of blogging is probably SEO. Terms like “banners,” “tradeshow displays,” and “yard signs” are great buyer keywords, many people will search for those topics looking to buy something, and said that’s exactly where you want to show up.
Of course, the biggest part of SEO is getting links, and so I would use guest posting for that. Write some articles for marketing blogs, design blogs, etc., and then link back to your blog with your keywords in the link. I’m publishing a video about how to do this next week, so stay tuned for it.
Dear Mr. Fancy Pants (aka – High Priced Guru),
Vunerable suits you. So does shamelss promotion. Damn good for you! Keep up the good work.
I’m a newbie and welcome your input. No need to be gentle. Rough is okay too.
http://www.TammyBleck.com/growing-old-is-a-bitch/
http://www.TammyBleck.com/socially-unsocial/
Hi Tammy. I think your blog is great! Sure, I can tell you’re still learning, but for a newbie, you’re off to a great start. With time, you could be quite good.
If I were you, I would write for parenting blogs, personal development blogs, maybe even career blogs, anywhere where you can find the connection with your topic. I think you’ll find a lot of people who would LOVE a blog like yours.
PS: I want you in my class. For one, I think I could help you get some results pretty quick, and for two, I want to be all to say you’re a student and take credit for all of your success.
Whoops. There I go being shameless again.
Jon:
What a great post! When I got your email today I knew this post was going to hit home and it did. I spent an entire year blogging and despite spending countless hours every week on it and churning out awesome content (so I thought), I couldn’t get anyone to tweet my stuff or leave comments. It was like I was writing for myself.
After a year of frustration and making just a few hundred dollars, I threw in the towel and sold the blog. I vowed to never blog again.
Now after reading this post I’m inspired. I actually enjoyed blogging but when you don’t have an audience, it’s kind of a drag. Your post has made me realize I was making the same mistakes you were making. I may have to give blogging a try one more time – doing it the right way. Thanks for the push!
Travis
Warms my heart to hear you say that, Travis. You’re right, it IS a drag when you don’t have an audience. But keep going. You’ll get there.
Your proposition really makes sense but how many big time bloggers have enough time or energy to do for the masses that want into this game what Chris and Brian did for you?
I was a marketer before I was a realtor. Realtors get training in marketing themselves to generate leads but little about marketing homes. After the bust when there were few buyers I thought it would be a good time to launch a blog about marketing homes which are now much more difficult to sell. No more stick a sign in the yard, put it in the MLS and call it a marketing plan. Been blogging about it for a while intermittently but now want to go at it hard and turn the site into a forum for best practices and generate revenue from affiliates that have products in that niche. In other words become a distribution point for the best products in the niche from yard signs to visual tours to training to books. I’ve got two other blogs going besides about the local real estate market in Durham North Carolina that I’m trying to adjust too.
Hi Jay. Well, you’re right, of course. We don’t have time for “the masses.” That’s why popular bloggers pretty much only mentor people who write for them. And it doesn’t matter how many videos I do, that’s always going to be a small group. Most people are just too busy/distracted/lazy to do it, and so the opportunities for those who do take action are always there.
I think it’s a great topic. Have you read marketingmonday.com by Dean Jackson? Similar topic, and I hear he makes a great living from it. Somewhere around seven figures a year.
PS: I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, so not too far away from your stomping grounds in Durham. So, howdy, neighbor.
Hey Jon, Loved your Third Tribe seminar.
My niche is personal finance for nurses.
I have made some strides in connecting with nurses on twitter. And have had a few guest posts on bigger PF blogs.
My desire is to teach a course-in the can already- at Kajabi. My first launch, unfortunately hit at Thanksgiving because of issues with my video editor, and my response was limited.
I now have about 350 newsletter subscribers in 16 months, and feel I need 1000 to be able to make the course work. Love to hear your input and suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Dean
Hi Dean. You’re right, it’s tough to sell a product without at least 1000 subscribers. For a full-time income, most folks need about 10,000 or more. Still, 350 is a GREAT start, so congratulations.
I would stick with personal finance blogs, but probably pump up the volume. Pick two or three of them and start writing an article for them every month. That way, you can really build a presence in the niche.
You might also try syndicating your articles to nursing magazines and newsletters. Lots of hospitals and nursing agencies such as Bayada would probably be thrilled to have them in exchange for a link back to your blog.
It’s not just posting, per se, but the process is exactly the same.
I have been doing this for over 5 years. Had to learn some technical stuff. Anyway my niche is happiness. lately I have decided to add relationships. Just don’t know what else to do. I am now getting maybe 100 readers a day. Help. Would like to set up a membership site for some income before I go broke.
Debbie
Hi Debbie. Happiness is a great topic! There are already several growing blogs on happiness, and so you could target those for guest posts. But really, the great thing about your topic is it ties into everything. Careers, parenting, personal productivity, personal development, social media, everything. Probably the closest match is personal development, so I would start there.
Thanks for the opportunity.
I’m a registered dietitian and mom who blogs at http://www.RaiseHealthyEaters.com. I write what to feed, how to feed and how to be a healthy role model. I also share my own successes and struggles as a mom of two young children.
I have written quite a few guest blog posts but if the blogs aren’t big enough, I don’t get much traffic from them. There aren’t very influencal blogs in my niche — but I know the parenting sites can work too. I am currently waiting to hear back from Simple Mom — and have a few other ideas. I also have little time but realize how important guest blogging is.
My goal is to increase subscribers and eventually offer products.
Thanks!
Maryann
Hi Maryann. I took a look at your blog, and I think you’re onto something. Great topic and well executed.
I definitely think you’re ready for a “bigger stage.” Yep, the big parent blogs are definitely a good target, but also look into health and fitness blogs. A lot of the readers will be parents, and you should be able to siphon them off.
Thanks for your offer, Jon. Hope you won’t regret it
I write about self-reliance with a green, creative angle. After 5-6 years I have established myself as a bit of an authority on alternative life style, and have about 450 daily visitors (despite big gaps between posting), but don’t sell enough of my cheap foraging guide to live on. I have ideas for big ticket products, but they would appeal to my minority readers.
I plan on posting more, including guest posting, if I knew which direction to go.
I could easily come up with some angle to make it fit the theme of a large blog, but the kind of people interested in those things are typically ultra thrifty, i.e. not profitable, or are difficult to deal with survivalists, a direction I don’t want to take.
Can you see a profitable way which allows me to carry on as before, or should I concentrate on the creativity readers, and build up their following, or develop a budding site on giving practical advice on running a greener website? I need to focus more on one area, but which?
If you are able to write about several different topics which can have very different audiences, what criteria should have most weight in making the decision
- your expertise
- your existing following
- your passion
- profitability?
I know they are not mutually exclusive, but there is always one area which dominates.
Sorry if this is a little long and at a slight tangent, but answers to some of the questions may help others too who face a similar conundrum of choice.
No need to comment on this, Jon, except the last bit, if you think it may help others.
The answers you gave others clarified things for me – I will go with creativity.
Hi Judy. All of those factors are important, but the most important ones for bloggers are: 1) what do people want to read about every day? and 2) what do people want to buy? If you don’t know the answers to those questions, then all of the others are irrelevant.
Personally, I will only work in niches where there are at least a few hundred thousand rabid readers and buyers. I want there to be at least half a dozen blogs or magazines with over 50,000 subscribers, I want to see at least a dozen products similar to what I’m selling, and I want there to be at least a dozen people making more than $1 million a year from their companies. It’s only after looking at that criteria that I began to consider my expertise, following, passion, and so on.
Hope that helps.
Hi: I have a design/lifestyle blog. I started Sept. 2011,it is a baby still. I am an interior designer with a web site and I have a blog that is linked to my website. The name of the blog is accordingtobraswell.com. Thanks for any input you might have. Love the way you write-very human and that is a talent.
Thanks peggy
I put the wrong address for my blog…it is accordingtobraswell.blogspot.com Thanks peggy
Thanks Peggy! if your goal is to attract interior design clients, the best way to use guest blogging would be to rank in the search engines for a term. For example, if you lived in Atlanta, you would want to be on the first page of Google for “Atlanta interior designer.”
Guest blogging can help you do that. I’m releasing a video next week on how to do it, so keep your eyes peeled.
John,
This is an awesome article and definitely opens the mind to many different considerations.
My blog is about fishing for catfish (http://www.learntocatchcatfish.com) and this is a niche I have been fortunate enough to have worked in for ten years or so (see http://www.txcatfishguide.com) I had instant recognition and people do know me. My problem is I am trying to keep pushing and expanding and there really aren’t any other credible bloggers in the same niche, although there are many in the fishing niche most focus on bass fishing. Catfish anglers are often viewed as kind of the bottom rung of the fishing world.
What approach would you take?
Hi Chad. Ooh, I might have to sign up! When I was a kid, I loved fishing for catfish. I once caught an eight pounder, and I thought I was in heaven.
If I were you, I would go outside of your niche and focus on parenting blogs. Lots of dads are looking for something to do with their sons, and I think you could probably grab their interest by talking about that angle.
You might also be able to find some angles for religious blogs, if it suits your personal style, and you might even be able to find an audience with personal finance blogs. You could quantify how much money you could save by catching your own catfish. It’s kind of an amusing angle.
I almost lost my life … and my leg in an accident.
Now I run again … because I can.
My blog tells my story, along with information about my writing (memoir is with an editor right now) and my speaking (getting more gigs regularly) At first, my blog was a random mess … of whatever was in my brain on a given day. In the last few months, I narrowed my topics to body, mind and spirit issues, because the traumatic experience I went through made we aware how connected and complex we are.
I’ve quest-posted for two other sites recently and that drove additional traffic to my site. I want to do more of that … and would love your suggestions how.
Thanks for offering to help.
Well, hello Janet. Everyone needs more inspiration, and so I’m happy to hear you’re blogging about it. The world needs you.
The thing is, I would bet you could relate your story to all different sorts of niches, right? You could talk about how you’ve applied its lessons to your career, to your finances, even to your blog. You could probably relate it to just about anything.
If I were you, that’s why would start. Craft your story for each audience, and then do guest posts on big personal finance blogs, career blogs, blogging blogs, all of them. Popular bloggers are always looking for inspirational stories, so I think you’ll get a lot of thumbs-up.
Hi Jon,
This is a very generous offer. Thank you!
My blog (The Writing Base) is about freelancing and writing and offers rock solid tips for freelancing success (that’s my tagline). I recently relaunched my blog after a year of hiatus partly because my blog wasn’t going anywhere.
My readers are new or recently established freelance writers who want to learn how to take their freelance writing business to the next step.
I’m hoping to establish The Writing Base as the go-to place for new freelancers. I also want to get a big enough readership to release ebooks so that my income is divided between client work and ebook sales. Right now I’m offering a free ebook to newsletter subscribers.
Ever since the relaunch, I’ve joined the A-list blogging bootcamp club and am actively seeking guest posts. One is due in March. I pitched an idea to Freelance Switch (How to keep your marriage to freelancing alive) but didn’t get a response. Now I’m in the process of rewriting, editing and polishing it to pitch to other blogs.
So my problem is that while my freelance business is going well now, my blogging efforts aren’t paying off and it’s very frustrating!
I hope you can help!
Hello Samar! Well, you’re certainly in a niche where opportunities are plentiful, so that makes it easy. There are TONS of writing and freelance blogs. You could probably do well just from writing for those, without ever having to go outside of your niche.
It sounds like the problem is getting your guest posts accepted, though. If you’re to that point, then you should definitely look into signing up for my class. There’s an entire module on exactly how to do your pitch.
And by the way, I actually interviewed Leo for a surprise bonus for the class. Guest blogging was a huge part of how he became successful. He’s also a great teacher, so glad to hear you’re a member of A-list blogging.
Thank you Jon. You might not have said it, but reading your response I realized that I should be pitching to smaller blogs first. I have a great relationship with a few bloggers and I should be pitching them.
I’m already in the middle of another course so won’t be able to fit yours in. I’m also travelling. But count me in for your next class! I’ll be the first in line
Hi Jon,
I think there may be too many straws for the camel but I will put my comment in hoping you will get to it.
I want to help people to be able to shoot great professional looking video.
At the moment it feels like I might be barking up the wrong tree. What do you think.
Http://video-camera-courses.com.
High regards
Geoff Stock
Hi Geoff. Don’t sell yourself short, man! There are TONS of people who want to know more about shooting professional looking video. I know of at least two gurus who are making more than $1 million a year from teaching about it.
It also ties into lots of niches. You could do posts for blogs about blogging, social media in general, technology, photography, marketing, entrepreneurship, all kinds of subjects. Each of those audiences are very interested in doing video, but they need someone to show them how.
Awesome, Jon!
Thank you. Hopefully you’ll get down this far in the list.
I’m partnering with two awesome entrepreneurs to create a membership site for business Mastermind groups that offers access to both the larger Mastermind community along with complete, private virtual meeting space.
Have a group? Bring it in and have your own private forum, chat, document storage, email communication.
Don’t belong to a MM group yet? Come in it, find like-minded souls in the Commons Forum and create your own group based on your needs. Coaches can host groups they are coaching on our site and save themselves the hassle.
After testing it for awhile we handed it over to a web developer for some customizing and we plan to be open for business March 1.
Our target audience is online and bricks’n'mortar business people. We ask people to self-sort into four “focus levels” of business experience to help you find your right fit: Creation, Growth, Refocus and Mastery.
I’m trying to narrow down the long list of business-focused blogs to those that would be most welcome to a guest post on the power of peer group support for your business.
Your ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks, Jon.
Marsha
Hi Marsha! Good to see you, as always. You’re a student, so you get a nice, juicy answer. Shoot me an email, and we’ll talk about it.
Jon, bought your course but not done it yet due to medical stuff but I’l get to it. My blog has not been launched–it’s under construction but there is content. The suject matter is Self-knowledge with many sub-sets of topics: procrastiation, time management, spouse selection, goals, education etc. Lots of tech things to work out but I’d be grateful if you have time to scan the content. If the response to this has overwhelmed you and you can’t do it…it’s Ok. Good of you to offer! Thank you
Hi Frank! Good to hear from you again. Seeing that you’re a student, of course I’ll take a look! Shoot me an email, and we’ll talk about it.
Jon,
Nice post. From the looks of it, it’s something people can relate to quite well.
Anyway, I have a straight talking blog about politics and economics from the point of view of a political atheist. It’s called The Black Sheep Report.
It focuses mostly on topics of individual liberty & free markets. It takes a hard look at politics and is highly critical of politics of both major parties. The whole idea is to inspire people to think outside of the left / right paradigm and break free from the political herd.
My traffic is moving int he right direction slow and steadily, but hasn’t taken off. Although my time spent on site, bounce rates, pgs/ visit…all great. So I think people like the thoughts offered. In fact, I get email and feedback to that effect.
Hope you can get past the candid political commentary and offer your thoughts about the blog.
Hi Richard. I think there’s definitely room in the blogosphere for political atheists. In fact, I’m sure lots of people feel exactly the same way.
The easiest targets will be political and news blogs. Are you writing for The Huffington Post yet? If not, you should be. From what I understand, it’s doable to get a blog there, and it’s one of the highest traffic websites in the world. I’m not much of a political junkie, but I’m sure there are several other new sites with similar structures that you might be able get to syndicate your posts.
With the economic angle, my guess is you could also find topics that would overlap with personal finance, which would allow you to write for some of the big personal finance blogs. You might be able to do entrepreneurship and marketing blogs as well. Not all of them will touch politics (we don’t at Copyblogger), but a lot do, and many of them are disenchanted with both parties.
So sure, I think you have some solid opportunities. Go for it!
You must be CRAZY man! Love your work, way to get a million hits
My blog…A BIG CATS LIFE
Living a life You Love, Powerfully, EVERYDAY!
Life, love, exceptance,challenges, parenting,creativity,sharing and choice.
Kind regards
Davia McMillan
Hi Davia. That’s a nice general topic that you can relate to almost everything, so you should have tons of guest blogging opportunities. Everyone in social media, especially, would jive with that, I think. I’m sure you’d also find overlapping topics with career building, entrepreneurship, personal finance, personal development — all of the big niches.
Hi Jon,
I just launched my new blog yesterday. It’s a soft launch, still perfecting it and will have a big launch in 2-4 weeks.
I can so relate to the glass ceiling. I’ve been there a while:) Despite guest posting on Copyblogger, Zen Habits, Problogger and many more.
Before the problem was my nicheless blog (www.getinthehotspot) I’m hoping this will be all fixed in this new blog clearly aimed at bloggers but my target audience is clear. I want to help normal small business owners, not those who want to be professional bloggers or those who want to be copywriters.
Am I making that clear on my about page? What are your suggestions for helping me smash the glass ceiling?
I truly value your opinion and time. You’re phenomenal and I hope we get to meet/talk/collaborate/have a cuppa one day:)
PS. I need to add your guest blogging prog to my resources page!
Well hello, Annabel. Always nice to see you.
I just looked at your blog, and judging from your comments, it looks like you’re off to a great start. Congrats!
Yep, changing topics was probably a good idea. Also, in general, writing only once for blogs like Copyblogger, Problogger, etc. isn’t enough. You need to become a regular contributor, maybe writing once a month.
Then you can ask for favors. Tweets, links, endorsements, and so on.
That’s where the real traffic comes from.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for your generous offer of feedback. I started my blog with the theme that it’s possible to be happy regardless of our external circumstances.
I’ve done 2 guest posts:
One was for a blog called Loving Nature’s Garden by Allison Kerr. The title was: 6 Ways To Find Happiness In A Garden. http://lovingnaturesgarden.com/2010/06/finding-happiness-garden/
The other was for Mary Jaksch’s blog Goodlife Zen. The title was: What Is Your Temperament: Are You A Stabilizer, Improviser, Catalyst or Theorist? http://goodlifezen.com/2010/09/10/what-is-your-temperament/
Both guest posts came as a result of my membership in Leo Babuata & Mary Jaksch’s A List Blogger Club, which supports your point about the value of connections. Sadly, I ran into some heavy duty financial and health problems and couldn’t keep up the $20/month membership in that club.
I think that discouragement and isolation have combined to make me lose focus. Lately, I’ve been writing less and less and writing about whatever strikes my fancy rather than sticking with my theme.
I’d love to hear your reaction once you’ve had a look.
Hi Eileen. First off, congratulations on the progress you’ve made. Your blog looks nice, your writing is pretty good, and you’re getting at least a few comments on every post. That’s much, much better than most folks are doing.
Speaking to a theme is big, though, and I think “being happy regardless of our circumstances” is a good one. It’s another one of those topics you can connect to pretty much every topic.
You could talk write a post for Problogger about how to stay happy with your blog, even when you’re not making any money. You could write a post for lifehacks about 31 ways to stay productive when your life is in shambles. All sorts of things.
So, I definitely think you have opportunities. We just need to work to exploit them.
PS: Welcome to the class.
What a nice offer! I blog about knitting and crochet in hopes of selling more of the patterns I design. Most of my traffic comes from links in a couple of free-patterns sites–which may not be the best way to attract people who are willing to pay for patterns.
I can think of a bunch of ways I could improve the site (better organization and photography come to mind) but mainly I’m wondering if I should focus on knitting/crochet specifically in hopes of getting the serious yarn-users or branch out more widely to other crafts in hopes of attracting a wider audience. It feels like there are SO many of both kinds of blogs. It’s hard to know how to stand out even a little bit.
Thanks!
Hi Sarah. I think you need to reach outside of the knitting and crochet niche. Like I recommended to another blogger up above, maybe write for some parenting blogs, because they’re so many mothers who are into it. You might also be able to find religious angles, personal finance angles, all sorts of things.
Jon-
Thank you for your incredible offer and for your honesty.
My site offers tips and guidance for home-based business owners and corporate employees who work from home. I cover a variety of topics including home office productivity, home/life balance, gaining more clients and other challenges that home office professionals face.
You helped me realize why my traffic isn’t consistent. Now I know that great content isn’t all that will bring in loads of visitors.
I’ve written a few guest posts but now I’m going to put that at the top of my list. Thanks for that tip.
Any advice for connecting with blog heavy-hitters? I’m sure they’re approached daily by bloggers around the country.
Thank you, again.
You’re welcome, Lisa. With your topic, there are loads of guest posting opportunities. Freelance blogs, entrepreneurship blogs, web design blogs, tons of them. There’s even Web Worker Daily, a blog about exactly that subject, and I’m pretty certain they accept guest posts.
As for connecting with heavy hitters… you should sign up for my class. That’s exactly what it’s about. I’ll email you some more information.
Hi Jon,
You continue to delight me with your kindness and generosity. Thank you for offering to give your take on our blogs and for continuing to encourage us to guest blog.
My blog is older than it seems because I actually lost a whole year of posts when I changed hosts once. Boo hoo! That was a discouraging experience and I haven’t written with the same consistency as I once did.
My blog offers tips, encouragement and inspiration. I want readers to realize that they can have the lives they want if they are willing to make the choices that lead to their goals.
Setting an ideal client has been tough for me. I think the 40-55+ year old woman seeks personal growth more than most, but I’ve had a number of men say that my blog resonates with them as well.
What do I want to accomplish with my blog? I want people to take control of their lives, in spite of their background and circumstances, to create the lives they dream about. Too many people (especially women) spend their lives helping other people reach their dreams at the cost of discounting and neglecting their own.
Thank you, Jon, for your input.
Well hello again, Dr. Brown. Encouragement and inspiration is always a popular topic. I think I’ve answered about five different bloggers on that exact topic, just today.
The good thing about it is it connects with everything. You can overlap “taking control of your life” and so on with just about any topic and craft it into a guest post. If I were you, that’s what I would be doing.
I have two blogs, and for some reason today both are weighing heavily on me. I was so feeling like quitting before reading this – in tears, though, I got through the whole thing.
Your offer is so generous, Jon. Will you check out my math blog? I believe I should be targeting teachers, tutors and homeschool parents so they can learn to better teach math concepts. It is primarily video based, with text in between, but has some written posts, as well.
Thanks so much for sharing your story and your talent.
Your blog is awesome, Bon! I may forward it to a few parents I know. In fact, that’s where I would be focusing, if I were you. There are TONS of big parenting blogs out there, and many of them allow guest posts. You could talk about the importance of math, the best ways to help your children with math homework, how to find a good math tutor, all sorts of topics. Parents would eat it up.
Thanks so much! That means a lot!
I will hunt down parenting blogs and start offering some math goodies.
Bon,
I’ve been skimming through the comments here and read yours.
Consider writing about dyscalculia, math dyslexia. More people need to know about it.
I happened to accidentally learn about it while struggling with my son. It has changed our lives to just know what it is.
I know homeschoolers who were so grateful for the lead.
You have a great site!
j
Hey Jon – great post! Glad to see you didn’t give up and I hear you about making connections.
My niche is writing. I write anything from copywriting, web content, articles, blog posts, fiction, nonfiction, press releases and the list goes on. I want to launch some classes to get teaching experience before I finish my fiction book. I have a creative writing jobs online website that has just made it to 1st page in Google about a month ago. Since then, I’ve had regular signups and readers.
I’m still trying to figure out how to organize the information and bring in the classes and expand on the topic of the blog. Since it’s made 1st page, I know I have to step it up and make it a better blog. I would like it to be my platform for securing writing work and a teaching job when I finish with my masters. I would love to hear your input.
I also created a website with my writing samples for web copywriting on a separate site.
Hi Gabriele. Writing is one of those topics where there are dozens of popular blogs, so you have lots of guest posting opportunities. I wouldn’t limit yourself to only creative writing blogs, either. Speaking as someone who helps run the largest writing blog in the world, I know for a fact that most writers are interested in all types of writing. Most of the principles carry over between fiction and nonfiction as well.
So, you should definitely pursue this. In fact, Copyblogger should be one of your targets.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for all the great advice about blogging. I actually write for two blogs. One is http://www.insurelargotoday.com, which is for a Florida insurance agency. We focus on local events, our commercial clients and of course, insurance (but not that much). I’m not really sure who reads that blog. I’ve been writing for it since April and only have a few comments.
The second blog is my own. It’s http://www.jennlikesit.com. I’m a Social Media Specialist for some local businesses (including the one above). I often talk about my clients (massage therapist and Home Shopping Network cooking demonstrator/caterer), local events/parks/restaurants, restaurant deals, parenting and products I love to use at home (mostly Wolfgang Puck products). I also try to giveaways as often as possible. My readers are motley moms and people who like Wolfgang Puck.
I’d love to hear your ideas. Thanks!
Jenn
Hi Jenn. Both blogs have potential, I think. For the Florida insurance agency, I would focus on using guest blogging for SEO. I’m publishing a video about how to do this tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled. For the second blog, you have tons of opportunities inside your own niche. There are a bunch of social media blogs who accept guest posts. You should be able to stay busy, just with those.
Hi Jon,
You hit the jackpot with this post and your generosity! Many thanks.
I like to tell people I’m the world’s oldest living blogger because I’m way past the age where people get into this with both feet and love it.
My niche, and my expertise, is writing about science and technology journalistically, making complex subjects intelligible and even fascinating to people who know nothing about them. My goals with my blog — http://www.thewritersclinic.com – are to show people how that’s done and to build my business writing and coaching other writers.
I had to stop for a couple of months due to a death in the family, but I’m now ready to get back to full speed ahead.
All suggestions welcome!
Hi Jean. The world’s oldest living blogger, eh? Well, I’m honored to meet you.
In the writing niche, you definitely have all the opportunities you can handle. You can write for freelance blogs, blogging blogs, social media blogs, marketing blogs, all sorts of different niches. They all have to do with making complex subjects intelligible and even fascinating, and so I’m sure lots of the readers would be fascinated.
On a personal note, a lack of clarity is probably the biggest problem most writers face, so I’m thrilled you’re teaching other writers how to do it. Hurry up and grow your blog! We need you.
Hi Jon -
Thanks for your help!
I’m an executive coach, my blog “The People Project” is on my home page http://www.nextlevelexecutivecoaching.com.
It is personal leadership, personal growth, personal development…coaching for changed behavior.
I have a feeling this is going to be a no brainer when I read your response, but sometimes we need someone outside ourselves, right coach?
Thank,
Steve
You’re welcome, Steve. Yep, you certainly have lots of opportunities. You could write for small business blogs, entrepreneurship blogs, marketing blogs, leadership blogs, personal development blogs…
Bunches of them.
On a side note, I’m glad to see you’re blogging. I have several clients who are coaches, and I think it ties really well into running a blog. People get to know you, and then they hire you as a client. It’s a great combination, and lots of coaches are making great money from it.
So, keep up the good work. And get cracking writing those guest posts!
My niche is business writing for second-language speakers of English (ESL). I live in Hong Kong and have trained business English for about 20 years. My blog (Business Writing with TASTE — http://www.writewithtaste.com) is for ESL people who have to use English in their workplace writing.
There are tons of ‘business writing’ sites, mostly for native speakers. I want to reach more who need this kind of service, but my problem with guest blogging is finding other blogs (in English) that cater to people who are not inclined to read English blogs.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Deborah
Hi Deborah. Well, the first answer that comes to mind is you should be guest posting for career and freelance blogs. They all have tons of readers from outside the US, and I know many of them would love to get better with business writing, because it has a direct impact on their career.
Don’t worry if 90% of the audience are native speakers. The 10% you’re looking for will be fascinated, and you’ll pull them right in. That’s what counts.
Also, since you have a background in Hong Kong, you should think about writing for some Chinese blogs. I don’t speak it, so I wouldn’t have the slightest idea which blogs that would be, but then you would be able to speak to 100% of the audience, or close to it. In fact, that’s where I would focus, assuming your written Chinese is presentable.
Hi Deborah,
Just jumping in to share a couple of ideas
I have one toe dipped in ESL (moving out of that area now) and completely understand what you are facing.
1. blogs about language learning: fluentin3months.com
2. My blog was initially only in English. But the response was poor, so I wrote the Japanese versions, and had them corrected. No comments on the site (alas!) but I’m mainly shared them through a monthly newsletter, and there was positive feedback. (eigoism.com)
3. installing a “google translate” or similar tool on your site might help
All the best!
Hard to resist feedback.
My main blog is http://wordgrrls.com The blog is about writing, with writing exercises, language and creative arts. Since this past November I have been illustrating all my own posts.
My readers are mainly people I have come into contact with online. At least that is how it seems from the comments I get.
I’ve been writing this blog since 2006. I write it for myself, for writing self discipline and I admit I’d like to have some fame/ fortune along the way.
Hi Laura,
Sure, there are lots of opportunities in the writing niche. Here’s a list of the most popular writing blogs right now:
http://www.copyblogger.com/top-10-blogs-for-writers-2010/
Almost all of them allow guest posts. If I were you, I would choose three or four of those and become a regular contributor. You should see a BIG difference in traffic.
Jon
I read your articles it’s bit informative sound goods i will expect some thing more in future SEO Services
“Ageless Elaine” writes about how to achieve healthy, radiant skin. She is Your Anti-Aging Expert, blending Beauty and Science.
I get responses to my blog posts when they are posted on LinkedIn to related groups, i.e., spa and beauty professionals.
But the blog itself is growing very slowly.
Thank you for your generous offer.
Hi Elaine. Ohh, every woman in the world is interested in that topic! If I were you, I would target some of the so-called “mommy blogs.” Lots of moms feel like they’ve lost some of that radiance, and you could try it into a post like, “How to Get Your Sexy Back: 21 Ways to Stop Looking like a Mom, Even When You Are One.” I’m sure they would love it.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for this post and offer.
I have been blogging for about a year now. I blog about lessons I learn from everyday life. Basically, how to view things that happen to you in a positive way.
http://www.newdaynewlesson.com/
My target is anyone who wants to make a difference to others and to themselves.
I guest posted quite a bit in the first few months, time wise a bit less lately. I also co-write another blog as well as contribute to two others.
I would love to increase by readership, especially email subscribers.
Any tips would be great.
Thanks,
Susie
Hi Susie. I think you might be struggling because your topic is too broad. For example, what’s the specific benefit readers get from reading your blog? I’m sure there is one, but it’s not clear, and so I’d work on that. Otherwise, you’re basically depending on your personality to keep people around, kind of like Oprah or Howard Stern, and that’s very, very tough to do. It’s better if you have one focus.
Thanks, Jon. I hit my wall just like you had last fall. Here’s a link to my blog. Any thoughts are appreciated:
http://www.websiteblueprint.com/web-marketing
Gregg
Hi Gregg. You’re in a niche with a bunch of popular blogs, so that makes it easy. If I were you, I would be writing for blogs like Duct Tape Marketing, Ittybiz, Problogger, SitePoint, and so on. Lots of business owners read those blogs, and so you could siphon them off to your own. Also, you should become a regular writer for a few of them, if you can, contributing a post once a month or so. That way, you are building a relationship with them, and you can maybe work out a deal to promote your book for you.
Thanks for the advice Jon. If you do have a chance to check the blog out and see if or what changes I could make that would be deeply appreciated. the link would be http://www.happymakernow.com
Thank, you are appreciated,
Blessing to you Debbie
Hi Debbie. Happiness is a growing niche, and the great thing about it is you can connect it with just about anything. If I were you, I would start writing for personal development blogs, because that’s the closest link, but you could branch out to careers, personal finance, social media, pretty much everything. It all connects to happiness.
Hi Jon
Very much appreciated your advice and output – just excellent. I have a work psychology blog in UK, where the blogging market is much smaller and in an earlier stage to US. The audience leans towards 30-60something women.
Do you think I should focus on UK or spread my net wider please? – and any other advice most welcome.
Hello Phillipa. I think you should definitely expand beyond just the UK. Everyone wants more motivation, and besides, most blogging audiences are international anyway. With your topic, you have great connections to careers, productivity, personal development, blogging, pretty much everything. They’re all connected to motivation, so that gives you plenty of guest posting opportunities.
Hi Jon, thanks for generously sharing your advice with us! I blog fables and flash fiction (in between free chapter excerpts from my novel The LIttle Dreamer, a fairy tale for adults). Do you see any platforms for guest blogging in this area?
Hello Anila! Fiction blogs are always tricky, but I think you could swing it. If all of your posts are targeted toward adults, you could try doing some guest posts for personal development and happiness blogs. They’re always looking for inspirational stories, and if you could meld your style and their’s, it would be a good way to grab people’s attention and get them to your blog.
Also, if a lot of your fables and fiction are targeted at children, you might consider setting up a separate blog for that and then writing for parenting blogs. Parents are always looking for new bedtime stories, so I think they would love it.
Hi Jon,
thanks for your generous offer, I am learning a huge lesson in targeting the reader & not the topic for guest blogging. I haven’t a blog but am planning on launching my site in May. I am going to use guest blogging as part of my start up strategy.
I am pastry chef and am trying to move into Restaurant Marketing, my target audience is restaurant owners & managers. At the moment i am getting more interest in my social media monitoring than marketing due to my lack of experience.
I love your work and glad i found you through Copyblogger.
Hi Ebony. Let’s see… I know there are some big newsletters related to restaurant marketing. What’s the one guy’s name? Rory Fiat? Something like that. He’s pretty big, and I think there are a few other gurus too. You might try writing for their newsletters.
You could also use guest blogging for SEO, working to get a first page ranking for terms like, “restaurant marketing.” I have a video coming out tomorrow about how to do this, so keep your eyes peeled.
Wow, there is a huge number of comments to this post! You seem to have struck a nerve, but then you probably knew that before you made your offer. If this is link bait, count me as a hooked fish.
I blog about effective ways to promote web sites. I am a keyword specialist at the moment, and an aspiring SEO expert. I want to increase my keyword research and SEO consulting opportunities. I would also like to sell tools as an affiliate, that I myself use effectively for web site promotion.
Hi John. Well, you certainly have opportunities there! If I were you, I would be writing for as many marketing blogs as you can, because many of the readers are business owners, and they might be interested in hiring you. Copyblogger, Problogger, SitePoint, Duct Tape Marketing, KISSmetrics. You have lots of opportunities.
Hey John,
I’m a designer with a new website almost good to go! My design is quite specific.
I don’t have a blog!
What I’d love is some ideas on how to put together a ‘not really blogging blog!’ I’ve got stuff to say but that’s not my strength -design is – How would you approach a ‘Not so hot at writing so Here’something you might like to look at’ blog. A post-it-note-photo-log.
Hope this of interest to others too.
xS
There are quite a few designers that have successful blogs. Maybe you don’t think that you have much to say, but your designs can speak for themselves.
Some designers also are familiar with PHP, which helps to tweak WordPress blogs, for example. Whatever sets you apart from the average designer, can get you noticed. Learning some SEO could surely help, since more than a few designers are quite weak in this area, despite the ability to create beauriful designs. You might want to look at Thesis, because of it’s built-in SEO strengths. My blog at http://websitepromotionblog.net is a plain vanilla version of the Thesis theme. It is very easy to customize, even for myself, a non-designer. I would like to use a Thesis skin for my blog, but I haven’t found one a really fell in love with, at least not yet. Good Luck in your efforts!
Hi Siita. If your goal is to attract clients, the best strategy is to write for whatever blows your clients are reading. In your case, I would guess that’s small-business owners, primarily, so focus on marketing, entrepreneurship, and small-business blogs. They’re always looking for designers who can offer targeted advice.
I write about early stage companies. Your experience with blogging is the same that many entrepreneurs have.
I harp on a couple of issues. First, it’s not about the product i.e. it’s not about the content. Second, for all the successful start-ups I’ve been involved with, success was determined by the people who were involved (investors, advisors, mentors) and their connections. Most entrepreneurs fail because they focus their attention (sometimes exclusively) on developing the product – defining and adding all the bells and whistles. The first hurdle is marketing, not product development.
A blog is a product, and content is the bells and whistles. Success isn’t about the posts, it’s about everything else wrapped around it. And stellar success comes down to connections. But building relationships isn’t easy and the short-term results aren’t tangible, thereby the tendency of bloggers to focus on what they do know best and is tangible – writing posts. A new blog is the product of a start-up company.
In the end, if content is king then the right connections are god almighty.
Those are some great insights, Cynthia, and well said. I took a look at your blog too, and I think you have some real talent. There are several entrepreneurship blogs you could be writing for, but I think marketing blogs in general might be a good match. Most of the people reading them have early-stage companies. In any case, keep going. With time, I think you could be quite good.
You are now such a super popular person! I will add to the load by mentioning that my blog talks about conflicts and how to deal with them (as a learning experience).
Marital disputes, workplace conflicts, you name it and I have an answer for that….wish to become the go to solutions-provider for anyone suffering from the pain of confrontations going nowhere!
Who would be great to invite? Thanks
Hi Nora. So many people are insecure about conflict, and so I think that’s a great topic. It also hooks in with nearly everything. You could write for career blogs, personal development blogs, even social media blogs. Conflict is everywhere, and so you have lots of opportunities!
Hehe Regretting this offer yet?
If you’re still game, our blog is about fitness. Our readers have spanned a wide gambit, which has made it difficult to narrow in on a smaller niche.
With a wide array of readers, it’s been difficult to focus in on weight loss, and end up talking about fitness in general.
Hi Todd. I’ve actually had a few students now who blog about fitness, and they had the most luck with personal development blogs. Just about all of their readers would like to either lose weight or get in better shape, and so it makes a good fit. It’s not the only topic fitness connects to, but it’s where I would start.
Hi Jon,
I blog about all things SMS / Text messaging(for mobile phones). We developed a communication suite using mainly text messaging and have been selling that offline for the last 7 years. Now we’re trying to move into online sales.
We’re mainly targeting small businesses and essentially, we sell cheaper, faster and more convenient communication.
Our software is used by many corporates as well, but selling to them is generally harder, so we’re not focusing on those.
Hi Riaan. That’s interesting. If you’re targeting small businesses, I would start writing for marketing and small business blogs, and maybe even social media. Lots of people who read social media blogs have businesses, and they’re also more into texting than the general public. But definitely marketing blogs. There are tons of them, so that’s where I would start.
Hi Jon,
I write for nomorebacon.com and I’d love to get some more exposure to help the reach of my message grow.
I’m all about guest blogging but the obstacle that I’m running into is WHERE I should be guest posting. My blog is about my weight loss journey. I’m having some fun with it and hopefully inspiring others along the way.
The obvious answer is that I should be guest blogging at fitness blogs like you’ve recommended to others. I’m having a hard time nailing down specifically which blogs those are. It seems like most bloggers in the healthy living/fitness niche hit a ceiling earlier that some other niches. Not sure why that is. Maybe I’m totally wrong?
Above them, it seems like it’s mostly corporate blogs like “That’s Fit,” the AOL blog or similar magazine backed sites.
Do you have any specific examples of fitness or healthy living blogs that would be considered professional blogs?
Hello Ryan. Yep, there aren’t that many big fitness blogs that allow guest posts, but there are a few. You just have to dig them up, which is something I show you had to do in my program. Also, don’t forget about fitness magazines. Many of them allow bylines, meaning you can use them to build awareness for your blog.
But the biggest opportunity for you, I think, is personal development blogs. There are lots of them, and they are huge. Not only would they be interested in the dietary side of it, but also the mental part. Because that’s where most people struggle, right? Just getting your mind right is tough, and really, that applies to more than weight loss.
If you really want to be bold, you can probably apply the lessons you learned to almost anything. For instance, if you have kids, you could talk about the importance of being a good sample for them and write for a parenting blog. If you started doing better at work, you could write about how losing weight helps your career on career blogs. And on and on.
It’s all about connecting the topics. See?
Hi Jon,
My site is 6 months old, and by month 2 I was guest blogging, kind of working my way up. My site is about Internet Marketing, and I have been experimenting and tuning the whole way.
I have yet to write for Copyblogger or some of the others, as I do my best to write outstanding content, so it takes me awhile, considering all the time I must spend marketing my site out there.
Thanks for your offer to take a look
Rick
Hi Rick. Glad to hear you’re already guest blogging, but yeah, writing for the big blogs is where you get the most results. You need to be submitting posts to Copyblogger, Problogger, JohnChow, and so on. Even if you can only do two a month, I think you could see a big bump after a few months of doing it.
hello..
i am just reader..
and interesting about blogging but no idea what to do ..
i just want you to advice/suggest me to give an idea to build a succesful blog just like you..
hope your attention..
hehe
Hi Sopie. If that’s where you are, I would focus on just reading Copyblogger, Problogger, and so on. They have lots of great content, entity good way to train yourself up from being an absolute beginner. Take a look, and then come back to me once you’ve learned the basics.
I can’t tell you how many ways I’ve tried to figure out what I’m doing re blogging. I don’t think I’ve really gotten into blogging because I started this thing with pieces taken from a weekly newspaper column I wrote and then folded into a book.
The general niche is personal and spiritual growth. But I’ve had nothing but trouble coming up with even a usable keyword for this site. (I mean how many people are searching for “enlightenment.”)
What I know about my market is too general. I’m a slow writer. I don’t know if anybody wants what I have or even if I can reframe in a way that gives people something useful, as well as entertaining.
Ideas truly welcome, Jon.
Hi Lynne. Personal and spiritual growth is really popular online, so I think you definitely have opportunities for guest posting and attracting new readers. Also, being general isn’t a bad thing, but I do think you need more clearly convey your benefit or who your audience is. For example, Steve Pavlina is “Personal Development for Smart People.” Zen Habits is “Smile, Breathe, and Go Slowly.” Work on it and see if you can find it appealing angle like that.
In the meantime, there are tons of big personal development blogs who accept guest posts, so you have lots of opportunities there, if you decide this is something you want to do.
Hi Jon,
My blog is a general “life” blog-I’m a Flight Attendant and think I get to see some pretty cool stuff that I like to share. The general niche is anyone who is interested in travel, becoming a Flight Attendant or is interested in our lifestyles. I think.
Look me over when you have a moment, please!
Hi Blondie. I think a blog for flight attendants is a great idea. You could write some guest posts for travel blogs, of course, but you can also reach out to parenting blogs, writing about how to fly with your kids, productivity blogs, talking about how to find a great flight within a few minutes, personal finance blogs, writing about how to get the best deals while you’re traveling. All sorts of things.
And then you can optimize your byline for a keyword that would attract flight attendants. For example, I imagine showing up on the first page of Google for the term “flight attendant” or “become a flight attendant” would be pretty cool. You might even think about opening your own online classes especially for flight attendants.
Sounds like a neat business to me.
Okay, so I just read your Cowardly Lion piece and enjoyed it as a mirror for myself. I’m afraid of blogging.
Writing that weekly newspaper column and doing everything possible to syndicate it to newspapers that were folding faster than I could call them–all while keeping up with a full-time psychotherapy practice about did me in.
My time is my own at this point, but I think I’m just afraid to commit to blogging. I still do, however, love the truth.
Acknowledging your fear is a big step. Now you just have to decide if you really want it, because if you do, then it doesn’t matter if you’re afraid. You continue anyway.
Hi Jon;
I have two blogs (one on food called GroovyFoody http://www.vanessanixanthony.com) and one that is my writing website (www.play-onwords.com).
I am a freelance writer, who in order to survive, morphed her journalism career into a sort of Jill of all trades deal (with regards to writing). Now, I still write articles locally and nationally for both print and online media but I also do copywriting (ghostblogging, website content, marketing materials and e-books) for small businesses. Topics on my site then end up including everything from social media, SEO and grammar to ethics in writing etc.
I have had editors and other bloggers tell me they love the content on my site but I just can’t seem to get the traffic. Partly because I think my focus may be too broad but I hate being hemmed in to only one topic of writing.
I’m about to migrate my site from WordPress.com to self-hosted .org and was even thinking of setting up a multi-blog platform on the site, so that both of my blogs could live on the same site, hopefully increasing traffic and making it easier to keep up with both.
But I keep going back and forth about it all because of the work required and the lack of guarantee that it will garner me anything better than what I have now. This indecision has made me lose my motivation for it slowed me down on posting.
How can I best take it to the next level?
Thanks,
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa. Yeah, it’s a struggle to transition, right? I’ve actually had several students now moving from journalism to blogging. You guys have all of the writing tools, but the whole promotion and marketing side of it is completely different.
You don’t have to limit yourself to just one topic, but you should keep each blog separate. Think of them like your own little online magazines, each with their separate brand, audience, website, and everything.
As for the traffic… part of it may have to do with the topics you are writing about, but the big problem is probably just a lack of connections. If that’s the case, then doing a little guest blogging may be all you need to move to the next level.
Hi Jon,
Thank you for the opportunity and what you say resonates with me. There are many days I ask myself why I even bother to blog. I have written a few guest blog posts and unfortunately those blogs do not have a large following.
How do you really reach out to bloggers such as Brian Clark and Darren Rowse, when they are incredibly busy, and probably won’t respond to you.
Thanks!
Hi Avil. Well, the short answer is that’s what my class is about, so get over there and sign up.
The long answer is you have to be proactive about it. You have to strategically leave memorable comments, talk with them on twitter, meet up with them at conferences, interview them for your blog. All sorts of things.
It’s definitely possible to get anyone’s attention, but you have to work at it and think strategically.
Hi, Jon,
I am a marketer / social scientist and focus on personality types.
We design marketing programs that target the unique set of decision making traits each type has. My clients are marketers with lists in any niche.
Who do you think I should reach out to in the marketing segment of the blogosphere.
Hi Jay. Marketing is a big niche, so you certainly have a lot of opportunities. Copyblogger would probably be a good fit, as well as KISSmetrics, Duct Tape Marketing, and maybe Michel Fortin, just to name a few.
Hi Jon,
My blog Thrift Core is about thrifitng, frugality, and saving money.
My readers are young adult thrifters and the mommy-blogger sort. Mostly females.
It’s a crazy dream, but I’d love Thrift Core to be my full-time job. I’d love to monetize the website with ad revenue or a combination of ad revenue and related paid writing work.
http://www.thriftcore.com/ – Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Hi Van. From the sound of it, you’re squarely in the middle of the personal finance category, and that gives you lots of opportunities without even leaving your own niche. There are at least half a dozen big personal finance blogs who accept guest posts. If you can relate it to mommy bloggers as well, then that’s even better. That gives you to close niches to pull traffic from. So get to work!
I write a blog about motherhood/parenting. I include things on coupons, parenting, crafts, FPU, and daily parenting aspects. My readers are mostly mothers, but some fathers and a few single people who are starting a family or just need inspiration saving money. I would love to help parents become better parents and just help people find resources that will make their life easier! I did a guest blog on Money Saving Mom and my numbers were good for 3 days, but now it’s gone down. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Carolynn – Hopefully you don’t mind some friendly advice before Jon gets to you.
There are so many bloggers out there doing what you do. One suggestion I have is to find something that sets you apart. If you can’t do that, then take Jon’s advice: Find a way to get connected to the right people.
You have useful posts that help people out, but I suspect you’re just not getting as many visitors as you want. If I were you, I would keep on guest posting. Those links you get back will add a lot of value over time and allow you to rank higher in Google.
I hope that helps!
Hi Carolynn. First off, motherhood/parenting is a HUGE niche with lots of popular blogs to guest post for, so you have plenty of opportunities without even leaving your own niche.
But yes, the big benefits from guest posting come from doing a LOT of it. Optimally, you need to be writing at least once a month for several big blogs. That’s how you increase your exposure and start pulling in real traffic.
Also, Tom’s advice about finding something to set yourself apart is important. You can keep writing about the same topics and stay within the same niche, but look for something readers in your niche want that aren’t getting and target that.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for the food for thought. I’m a freelance writer and online writing instructor and have done a few guest posts but want to pursue it more in 2011. (My blog is aimed at writers; my original goal was to encourage new writers.) Two reasons that I hesitate – the time factor and b/c I don’t feel like I’ve anything remarkable to offer.
However, Chuck Sambuchino invited me to submit a guest post on his blog…so what am I waiting for, right? Thanks for the wake up call.
Have a good week,
Karen
Hi Karen. Glad to hear you’ve already gotten started guest blogging. Taking action is what it’s all about.
For timing, I think it’s actually a mistake to publish too often when your blog is new, because you end up spending all of your time writing new content and you don’t have any time left for promoting it. A better strategy, in my opinion, is to publish maybe one post per week on your own blog, and then try to write another post per week for someone else’s blog (a.k.a., a guest post).
Two posts a week is manageable for most people, and you end up making a lot more progress, because you’re dividing your time between content and promotion. It’s a lot more efficient.
As for coming up with something remarkable… that’s important. Really important. You don’t have to be original, but you do have to be remarkable. If you haven’t read it, check out Seth Godin’s book, Free Prize Inside. It’s a book about how to be remarkable, and it might help you find the right angle.
Hi Jon,
Alas, this particular challenge will not land me in the Guiness Book so I’ll have to keep working on my peanut stacking. Plus, I do not want to be called a cotton headed ninny muggins – particularly in front of everyone (but if you let me buy you a glass of wine so I can pick your brain you are welcome to call me that sans public audience). I know guest blogging works in my niche – creativity and writing, so I have absolutely no let to stand on, dagnabit. That said, I heard from someone of blogging fame who said you can’t do it alone so get to know some of the big bloggers, and start guest posting. Well, okay.
Hi Jon, I’m Karen Daniels. Pleased to meet you. May I interest you in a guest post?
Hi Karen. Since you write with such personality, I’ll show you mercy and abstain from calling you a cotton headed ninny muggins. This time.
Feel free to send me guest posts anytime, but I’ll warn you, the competition at Copyblogger is pretty stiff. I’ve had several students do it, but only after I trained them for a few months. Still, if you’re feeling brazen, give it a go.
And even if you can’t make it on Copyblogger quite yet, there are still loads of other writing blogs who accept guest posts. So, get yourself moving and start writing some!
Jon,
Last year I closed the yoga studio portion of my business and now do solely Life Coaching & Hypnosis, which has been my true love for many years! I send out a constant contact email once a week to my 500 or so readers (about 230 opens with any given email). I have converted some of my cc emails to the blog on my website. I can’t get anybody to leave comments. Grrr… Help!
Many thanks!
Heather
Hi Heather. Life coaching and hypnosis are two popular topics, so good job there. It puts you squarely inside the personal development niche, where there are lots of blogs to guest post for and get links from.
A 50% open rate on your e-mails is pretty good, but how many of those are clicking on the links? If it’s 25% of those, that’s about 50 actual visitors. With 50 visitors, you should be getting at least a few comments on every post.
Just taking a look at your blog, I think it might help to switch up your style a little bit. Your posts read kind of like journal entries, and that’s about three years out of style. The new way to do things is to write posts that are more like the articles in mainstream magazines, ranging from 500-1000 words, giving actionable how-to advice, and capturing people’s attention with a great headline.
So, I think you need to work on both the connections and content part. Like I said above though, guest blogging can help you with both, so get cracking writing for some of those personal development blogs!
I write at http://www.OnlyABreath.com and share about my Christian faith. My readers are primarily women and moms. My posts are primarily for daily devotions and encouragement.
I want more readers!!!
thank you!
Melanie
My web site is a food/recipe blog. All my recipes are based on clean eating.
I’ve done a little guest blogging, but it never seems to bring in much traffic.
Any advice appreciated.
Hi Tiffany. To really get benefits from guest blogging, you need to:
1. Write for blogs with more than 10,000 subscribers
2. Become a regular contributor, writing 5+ times for the same blog
3. Ask the blogger for links and tweets to your blog AFTER your guest post
You definitely have lots of opportunities with food and recipes, because those connect with so many different topics. Parenting, personal development, what to bring to office parties, all sorts of things.
But to really make a coherent strategy out of it, you need to pick a handful of blogs you want to write for on a regular basis, and then really establish a presence with those blogs and earn yourself brownie points you can turn in for favors later.
Make sense?
Sorry – My readers are mostly female, about 30-55, majority have kids. All my readers are health minded or at least interested in getting healthier.
What I’m trying to accomplish: More traffic!
Jon, I am in AWE! Your devotion to keeping your word is inspiring as hell. I’m so glad I signed up for your guest blogging course. You have already taught me so much by example.
Thanks so much,
Linda
Thanks Linda.
Hi Jon,
thanks a lot for your offer.
In the beginning my blog http://joescholes.com was planned to document how I produced my next record. From collecting the initial songwriting ideas to the release. The musical niche I am in is „Ska music“, an international scene, mixed ages.
The focus of my blogposts has been shifting quite a bit lately. I’ve written stories about my life in a rather popular Ska band in the late 1980s, I have done a „Best Ska Album Of The Year“ poll as well as starting a „Toolspotting“ series where I published photos of Ska bands performing live and talking about the equipment they use.
The readers I target include both fans and musicians, the Ska scene has some lifestyle aspects: fashion, vinyl records, going out, meeting at weekenders ….
Though I have some ideas about what you might suggest, I am very open to a fresh take on this.
Thanks, Joachim
Hi Joachim,
In your case, you should use guest blogging to improve your search engine rankings. Here’s a video on how to do it:
http://www.guestblogging.com/google-traffic
Ska gets 1.5 million monthly searches, so it’s obviously a popular term. If we could get you to the first page, that would be pretty nice, wouldn’t it?
It’s possible, I think. The idea would be to guest post on popular blogs purely for the search engine benefit, even if it has no relationship to your own audience. For example, you could write for a personal finance blog about the financial realities of being a professional musician. Very few of their readers will care about ska, but in Google’s eyes, the link is still valuable.
Obviously, the closer you can get to the music niche, the better, but in your case, it doesn’t matter much, because you’re doing it purely for SEO.
I wouldn’t name your blog after yourself, though. You should put as much of your focus as possible on the reader. Read this for more info:
http://www.copyblogger.com/user-focused-content/
Hey Jon,
I write garden design advice (how to plan not how to dig) and run online courses for homeowners. My audience is mostly women in mid-40′s.
I’ve never tried to guest post for the reasons you mention & virtually all other landscaping sites with courses are for people who want to do it professionally. Mine is targeted for the DIY people.
Would appreciate any suggestions you have!
Many thanks
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
Oh, that’s an easy one! I already have several students in the DIY gardening niche.
The idea is to go outside of it and overlap it with other topics. So, for example, you could write for a personal finance blog about how to save money by growing your own vegetables, or you could write for a productivity blog about how your garden helps you destress and live a more focused life.
In each case, only a portion of the audience is going to be interesting, but that’s okay. You’ll still pick up readers and build awareness for your blog. I’ve seen it work.
I’ve been studying this for a while because I’m stuck at 20-50 visitors a day and have been researching this for the last couple of weeks.
My biggest issue as a blogger right now is building a community around my blog.
Just started with implementing a subscriber system and now I’m going to implement ways to build up my portfolio. I need to get in the way of traffic not wait for it to hit me.
Good advice, Thank you
Hi Erick – I’ve gotten caught up in looking at everyone’s blog on here.
A few of suggestions I have if you don’t mind:
1 – Add a title to your page. Right now it just says “fithope.com” in the title area of your blog. You could be using the title tag to help bring visitors to your site by adding the title of your blog and a tagline.
2 – When I look above the fold, there seem to be a LOT of colors and a LOT of links. It seems a little bit busy.
3 – You write about:
– Offense that the olympic logo may cause Iran
– Why you shouldn’t trust companies offering free trials
– A review of Chipotle
While all of these may be broadly related to your niche, it seems like you may not be focused enough so Google has no idea what you’re writing about. If they don’t know what what keywords to send your way, it will be hard to build up a loyal base.
4 – As part of your branding, I would recommend adding a favicon so that when people view your page or bookmark it, they can associate an image with your site.
Just my two cents. Don’t get me wrong, I think you have a great writing style and a lot of potential. You have a great, memorable, short domain name which isn’t as common these days. Your headlines do make me want to read your posts, but then again I think I’m right at the center of your target market (guy in his 20′s who exercises regularly and likes sports and eating healthy.)
Good blog!
Hi Erick,
Tom gave you some good advice, here. The first issue you need to solve is narrowing your blog down to just one topic or audience. Otherwise, you’re talking about things that only interests a portion of your audience, which is a sure way to lose them.
After that, yeah, the whole focus of guest blogging is traffic, so it’s definitely something you should do.
Hi Jon
I started Peg’s Blog last August and write mostly about St. Barth. I was hoping to get lots of subscribers and be considered an “expert” on the island and generate bookings at the same time.
I am traveling right now and am in Australia, so I plan on writing a little bit about my travels, too because I think my readers might be interested in that, too. Is that a bad thing to do?
The real goal is to get my company (and me)recognized. Can you please have a look at http://pegs-blog.stbarth.com/ and let me know if you like it and how I can guest blog in a few places? Thank you -Peg
Hi Peg,
I see you signed up for the class, so welcome! For you, I think the best idea is to focus on using guest blogging to get you ranked on the first page of Google for a term like “St. Barth.” Here’s a video about how to do it:
http://www.guestblogging.com/google-traffic
Jon, this is my third try commenting on your post, but my comment is not appearing! What am I doing wrong? I would really appreciate your advice!
Well, now I look like the ignorant fool that I am when it comes to computers! Nevertheless, I have a blog with several hundred hits a day. I am a mommy blogger who posts about nourishing, whole food preparation, sewing tutorials, and chapters from my book about living in a tipi and homesteading as a teenager. My goal with my blog is to gather a following of faithful readers who will mob me to buy my book when I finally publish it. (Like Pioneer Woman!)
My question is in regards to the incestuous tendency of many of the blogs I read and aspire to guest post for – what strategy should I use to be noticed and remembered?
– come up with really unique content
– post on a popular topic with better photos and text than every one else
– find blogs outside of my niche to guest post for, or
– ? What do you suggest?
Thanks so much for your input!
Trina
Hi Trina,
Good, an easy one! I already have several mommy bloggers in my program, so I’m somewhat familiar with the niche.
Since there are so many blogs there all talking about the same general topics, you have two choices:
1. Battle your way to the top purely based on the quality of your content and become a leading blog in the niche
2. Pick a subset topic and dominate that instead. For example, become known as THE expert on child nutrition or homeschooling or one of the other topics important to mothers, and don’t try to talk about anything else. In other words, specialized.
It’s such a huge niche, I think both approaches can work. The first will be harder, but the rewards are bigger. The second will be easier, but the rewards are smaller. So, it’s up to you to decide what’s important here.
Either way, guest blogging should be your primary promotion strategy.
Hi Jon,
Great that you’re doing this! And thanks so much for the info. I’m feeling in a bit of a rut myself. I’ve been told that my niche is too narrow to really see any traffic, so any help you could give would be greatly appreciated.
I moved to the Netherlands in 2008 after marrying a Dutch guy. I started my blog Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland to give tips and information to other expats coming to the Netherlands.
My readers are looking for a place to comiserate and know they’re not alone. I also include typical Dutch recipes, tips on learning the Dutch language, immigration information, news, interviews, books reviews, etc.
I’ve guest posted on several other expat blogs, travel blogs, and blogs focusing on expats just in the Netherlands and it’s only gotten me so far. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Tiffany,
That’s a great topic. I don’t think it’s too narrow at all to build a successful site around it.
In your case, I would focus on using guest blogging to get you to the front page of Google for a term like “Netherlands expats,” or whatever the dominant term is. Here’s a video showing you how:
http://www.guestblogging.com/google-traffic
By using that technique, you can expand to writing for blogs outside the expat niche. So for example, you could write for a career blog about what it’s like working overseas or a parenting blog about the benefits of raising children in a foreign country or a personal finance blog about the differences in the cost of living and how you’ve managed it.
Then just use the linking strategy above, and you’re good to go.
I’m not sure if my last request went through, so I’m resending.
I’ve been blogging at http://www.phototourdc.com/focalpointdc. I’d appreciate any insights for improving.
Thanks much!
Lynford Morton
Hi Lyn,
Nice looking blog! I like the clean design.
I already have several students in my program from the photography niche, so I’m somewhat familiar with it. Here’s what I think:
Any photographer would find your tips interesting, so I don’t think you should limit yourself to DC. Expand it to everyone. By defining yourself to one geographical region, you’re turning away a lot of readers.
For guest blogging opportunities, the best place to start is obviously the big photography blogs like DPS, but you can also expand beyond that. For example, you could write for a tech blog about the best camera to buy for a birthday present, a career blog about the harsh reality of being a professional photographer, the list goes on and on. You can connect photography with almost any of the big niches.
So, I think you have lots of opportunities.
You passed right by a few people here. We must be extra special in some way.
Anyway, I’ve tried the guest post thing. The quality of posts I was offered was suspect or only decent. I ask for posts to be used as guest posts when I find something I like.
I find it hard to write guest posts myself. I post daily so I need my content ideas for my own blog. How do you decide what to use yourself and what to use as a guest post? Also, if you use the same idea for both, how much difference do you try to make between the two posts?
Hi Laura – I hope you don’t mind me butting in, but I noticed Jon hasn’t had a chance to respond yet.
Although there’s a tendency to want to keep our best posts on our own blogs, they won’t do nearly as much good for people if they only get read by 50 people on your blog when they have the potential to be read by 20,000 people on another blog and have several hundred people discover your site for the first time by clicking through the author link.
As far as re-using the posts on your own blog, I would simply link to the guest post and have your readers go to the blog you guest posted on to read the original post. Then, there’s no sense re-posting the same content on your own blog since your readers will have already read it.
Also, if you have a focused niche, you could write about a topic that wouldn’t normally appear on your blog but is still similar enough to find you new readers.
Thanks Tom. I don’t mind your reply. It was good advice. It will still be hard to give away my best post ideas to another blog.
Hi Laura,
Well, I think posting daily is a mistake for most beginning bloggers. You end up spending all your time writing content nobody reads, which is a total waste of time.
In my opinion, you’re far better off cutting down to once or twice a week, and then writing one guest post every week. That way, you don’t have to worry so much about running out of ideas for your own blog. You can just spread it around.
I’ve seen people triple their traffic by making just that one change.
PS: I finally got a chance to respond to you above as well.
Hi Jon,
When I got to the end of this blog and saw 242 people had already commented, I decided not to add my request for your advice. You’re welcome.
So, I’ll just say I found you on Copyblogger a while back, liked your voice and message and have been following you since.
Because I have a miniscule readership, your disappointing experience with your blogs was an eye opener. Never had looked at it the way you say. I realize I’ve been kidding myself that I read for the content alone. I believe now that the personality behind the words makes all the difference. Thanks.
You’re welcome, Dorothy, and thanks for the kind words.
I always wanted to write about ‘my angel’, and that is what has always inspired me.
Although I have an award-winning blog on cars, I still do not get the *ahem* emotional benefit from blogging. And I don’t get massive traffic, but get the kind of traffic you’d get if you do ‘everything right’…
My blog – the one that I WANT to work on now – Life ETC (http://blog.momekh.com) has been around since the time John C Dvorak called blogging the best thing since CD ROM (he actually did). But now I think I have found focus and write about ‘unconventional strategies for work and life’.
I find Chris Guilleibeau’s Art of Non Conformity to be the closes that comes to what my blog is about, and I relate to and try to follow his “297 days to overnight success” ebook. (You ‘do’ know him, right?)
The reason I say all of this is to get a back link to my blog, that is how much tainted my thinking sometimes becomes
But in seriousness, I don’t even know what I am doing wrong, or should I just give it more time?
Any advice from the “traffic genius” will be appreciated.
God bless and good luck to your conquests and queries…
Hi Momekh,
Sure, I know Chris. In fact, some of my students have written guest posts for him, which is something you should consider doing.
But also, look at some of the other personal development blogs as well. There are several with audiences greater than 50,000, and if you could become a regular contributor, I’m sure you would see a huge surge in your traffic.
Hi,
My site helps people with eating disorders.
http://www.helpforeatingdisorder.com
I have had some guest posts already, but where do I find the bigger ones? And how do I become a regular contributor.
Also how do you find social media power users to help you out?
Thank you
Im sure this is all killing you…
Nina
Hi Nina,
That’s a great topic for a blog. So many people need help with it and are afraid to talk to anyone, but you can read blogs anonymously, so it’s a much better way to reach out and start getting help.
We talk about exactly how to find the bigger blogs and become a regular contributor in the class, but the gist of it is this: connect your topic to other popular topics, and then write a guest post that bridges the gap.
For eating disorders, probably the closest match for you would be personal development blogs, but you could also write guest posts for blogs offering beauty tips, blogs targeted at teenage girls, and fitness blogs, where a lot of people develop eating disorders to stay thin, and so on.
Hope that helps.
When i search on Google using several key text to get related information on the same i found your website and appreciate on it .
Iran
Hi Jon,
First of all, thank you for this generous opportunity, as I’m one of those bloggers who get around 100 visitors per day, I use social media to promote my blog about living the art life, but still getting nowhere.
I love the blog format because my goal is to let the viewers take a peak into my life as an artist. I give advice based on my own experiences without the “art world snobbery” and tell it straight. And there’s my art as well. I even do videos. I’m not sure if I need to be more specific with my blog, or what actually interests people because I rarely get feedback on my blog. I want to build good connections and target the right audience. I believe my audience loves art but maybe I should try a more specific audience? I’m not sure.
Of course I want to sell my work and my vision is to have blog/website hybrid, with my blog on the front page so my site is constantly alive and changing. And an e-shop for my art. I want to take my career to the next level, but there’s so much info out there, it’s easy to lose focus. Any help would be great, and I would trust your advice because you sound like the real deal. Thank you.
Hi Joshua,
Well, it depends. It sounds like your writing for artists, which is great, but those people aren’t necessarily the ones who are going to buy your art. So, if your goal is to sell lots of pieces, you would target one crowd, but if your goal is to build a community of artists, you would target a completely different one.
Make sense?
You can’t really do both on the same blog. If you try, each side will end up getting disinterested with the content targeted at the other side, and you’ll lose readers. So, you either need to pick one, or start separate blogs for each.
But both niches can work with guest blogging. It’s definitely something you should be doing, either way.
Hi, Jon,
I think I’ve figured out what to do based on your previous replies! So thanks for the time looking at the previous blogs!
I blog to help overwhelmed, stressed out women who sell. I have done one guest post on a woman’s beauty site and realize that I need to do regular guest posts there plus others.
Thanks!
Sue
That’s a great topic, Sue. You should take a look at writing for productivity blogs and career blogs as well. You’d probably find a lot of interested readers in both of those niches.
hi jon
thanks for offering your help.
i write a blog where you will find style notes for people who change the world.
http://www.hoongyee.com
my target readership are women 18 – 45 who are passionate about creating a lifestyle that balances their personal and professional worlds – and looking fabulous.
i get few comments and 20-40 visits per day – so frustrating! i have guest blogged with a little success and boy am ready to dig in and kick it through the goalposts!
can you tell me what you think of my blog? your insights would be greatly appreciated.
am looking forward to starting your course on april 15th.
many thanks, hoong yee
First off, welcome to the class Hoong. I think it’s going to work great for you.
The great thing about changing the world is a lot of people are passionate about it, and it connects with almost everything. You could write about how to use your career to change the world, how to use technology to change the world, how to use your words to change the world, and so on, allowing you to write for the career, tech, and writing niches, just to name a few.
There is clearly a bunch of stuff taking place in the world to know its association with the bible. I suppose the next year will fulfill prophecy.
I started out doing quite well but then after 3 month i became board with it.I started out Bloging because i allways thought there was not enuff space on face book or and my english is not that good as well where do you get the strenth from to keep on blogging plus one of my visitors said my blog was hard to read because of no full stops.mind one of my firends michle who is a world wide writer form doing tv scrips and his books says not to wory about the english its a good use whos right whats my blog on i find it hard to stay on a subject as well i keep changing mind it does get hits off google so i suppose thats a good thing what made you come back to blogging the main reason
Hi Kevin,
To be a popular blogger, you need to be a good writer. You don’t have to be Shakespeare or anything, but you do need to write better than 90% of people. So work on that, and then get back to me.
hi Jon,
Thanks for your offer of help (which I suspect by now you’re regretting).
hi Jon,
Thanks for your generous offer (which I suspect by now you’re regretting). I’ll keep this short as possible. I’m a therapist, my blog is called Monkeytraps, its tagline is “A blog about control,” and my subject is the universal human addiction to controlling reality instead of learning to accept and collaborate with it. Yes, it’s sort of Buddhist-flavored, but also draws its ideas from the world of addiction treatment, existential philosophy and Gestalt therapy. I try to make all this more accessible by writing in the voice of Bert, my own “inner monkey” who’s trying to recover from control addiction.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks, Steve Hauptman.
Hi Steve,
Sure, I think that’s a cool topic. Who doesn’t have control issues?
It applies to a lot of areas too. You could write a guest post for a career blog about control issues at work, a guest post for a parenting blog about control issues with kids, and so on.
So, I think you have lots of guest blogging opportunities. Definitely something you should be doing.
Hi Jon, or Tom,
I can’t believe the comments section is still open. So I’m going to go for it, and ask you to take a look at my site too. http://www.rachellecarlson.com
I’m a 40something mom of 7.
My blog is about a health and wellness lifestyle. (not totally sure who my readers are) but my target readers are moms who are older, (30′s,40′s) and can’t seem to lose the baby fat, or get into their skinny clothes. They want to be healthy and fit. They have tried every diet under the sun, and can’t seem to stick with an exercise program.
What I want to accomplish is to let them know that they CAN get fit and healthy through nutritional cleansing, integrating fresh, whole foods and 15 minutes of exercise a day. And of course, I’d like to make an income as well.
That’s it. Thanks for your time and I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
Rachelle
That’s a popular topic, without a doubt, Rachelle. Millions of women would love to solve those exact problems.
If I were you, I would be writing guest posts for mommy blogs, since they serve your target reader. There are a bunch of big ones that accept guest posts. You could also write some posts for fitness blogs, cooking blogs, and so on.
Hi Jon
Thanks so much for the opportunity to get your feedback and thank you for your vid series.
My blog is about facilitating people to write about their experiences with mental illness (very therapeutic!) My target audience is people with mental illness, people who care about someone with mental illness or people who are interested in learning more about mental illness by placing themselves in the shoes of someone with mental illness. Also, somewhere in there, people who have authentic experiences who wish to guest blog on my site.
I just started a few months ago so I’m still working out the process…I blog once a month re my own experiences and what I have learned/tips and then I invite others (Superheroes) to guest blog about their experiences. Makes for inconsistent and amateur writing I know but I really want to make this work. I have a vision of an open community without hiding behind a forum.
Eventually, given the oodles of traffic I am going to have because of all the connections I have made guest blogging
, I won’t have to go get the guest bloggers and people will be clambering to be guest bloggers on my site! Well that’s what it looks like inside my head….
So I am keeping an eye on popular mental illness blogs and though there is opportunity there to comment and get noticed, there doesn’t seem to be an opportunity to guest blog because all the posts are written by the resident blogger. Then there’s the Non-profit sites that don’t have a blogging section but do have a newsletter… I’ve thought about offering to do an article for them?????
So I have thought of checking out the health and wellness sites but it so huge I don’t know where to start.
Any ideas? Feedback?
Thank you!
Hi Trish,
I can tell you you are really giving this some thought, and that makes me happy. Here’s my advice:
Go wider.
Instead of writing from a mental illness and nonprofit blogs, connect your topic to other popular topics. For example, you could write a post for a career blog about how to talk to your boss about your mental illness or what you need to say during an interview. Or you could do a guest post for a personal development blog about the importance of not isolating yourself when you have a mental illness and how to make friends.
Really, it’s a topic that touches everything. Parenting, careers, technology, productivity, personal development, everything. So, find those connections and then use them to write guest posts.
I apologize for how long my comment is. I got carried away and then remembered the 3 paragraph limit.
No worries. I’ll forgive you this once.
hey Jon,
I submitted a request for feedback the other which apparently didn’t get in under the wire. I’m still interested in your opinion, though. Can you tell me what a consult would cost?
thanks,
~ Steve
Sorry, Steve. I kind of got behind on these,and I’m just now catching up. I’ll get in touch with you by email.
I think guest blogging is very important. There is always the opportunity to try and get paid for guest blogging. If others enjoy your content. Or I run a contest for the guest authors of my blogs to give them incentives of writting quality content. The most recommendations means the author is up for pay. Guest blogging I believe works well for both the blog welcoming a guest and the blogger. Contests for the best content definately makes it all the better. Just a suggestion
Yep, those are all things some blogs do. When you’re still small, offering incentives is definitely important for attracting guest bloggers. And when your blog gets big, it becomes necessary to reward the best writers, so you can keep them around.
Hi Jon!
I am wondering if guest posting will work for my blog.
My blog is about employing art, the creative process and inspiration as key tools to navigating the highs and lows of living an artistic life. My readers are determined Artists seeking support, inspiration and community to empower themselves in creating a fulfilled life, a life free of the starving artist syndrome, a thriving life!
I’m hell-bent to provide a space that nurtures the creative warrior, a space that doesn’t cringe from discussing what occurs when in shadow, and offers self-excavating tools to emerge into the thriving light.
Also, I’m wondering why I seem to arrive late to the party! mama! I’m sad to have missed your sign-up date cuz when reading I thought perfect timing! I’ve been asking myself for resources to solve the very issues you talk about. I believe in my ideas! I also believe I need to meet the learning curve to bring those ideas to fruition, they way they deserve.
Would be grateful if you’d share when you’re going to host another class. AND If you’d please satisfy my artsy curiosity – Would guest posting work?
Hi Stephey!
Yep, it’ll definitely work for you. I actually have a student blogging about that exact same topic.
You could write guest posts for writing blogs (there are a bunch) about the highs and lows of life as a writer. You could write about how to be more creative with your work for a career blog. You could for a personal development blog about how to survive financially when you’re an artist.
So, the topic is no different. It connects to everything.
And by the way, the class isn’t closed yet. I’ll send you some more information by email.
Hi Jon!
Thank you so much for taking the time out to respond! I value your time and input. I love the way you think – why the heck hadn’t I thought about some of those? I’m an intelligent gal. Mama!
I truly resonated with reading about the glass ceiling. I’ve been trying to shatter that thing since the beginning of the year. To tell you the truth, I have been struggling, been holding tenaciously tight while seeking the answer and viola! Looks like your class could be it!
Look forward to getting your email. All My Best, stephey
John,
At my blog, I write about energy careers and related topics such as sales, relationship building, industry news, and energy technology. I even guest posted at the most popular industry website – but didn’t get a single hit because my byline was hidden behind a link.
I get most of my traffic from StumbleUpon but my most loyal readers are from BrazenCareerist.com and comments are so sparse. The BC folks eat up the posts on the BC site, but my blog is seeing just over 1 comment per blog on average (half of which are my replies!)
Where can I go to spread the word about the amazing opportunities in energy careers and actually get visibility?
Thanks!
Megan
Hi Megan,
Other career blogs would be a good bet, but you can connect it to just about anything. For example, you could write one for a parenting blog called “11 reasons your children should consider a career in energy (and how to get them started).” You could do one for a technology or futuristic blog about “7 upcoming energy technologies that have the power to change the world as we know it.” You could do one for an economics blog about the pros and cons of different technologies and how they affect the economy.
For you, I think it’s also important to focus on SEO. If you could rank #1 for “energy jobs” or something like that, you should be able to get lots of targeted traffic. Check out this video to learn how to do it:
http://www.guestblogging.com/google-traffic
Hi Jon.
I am a big fan of yours and I like the way you write. My blog is about learning to play the acoustic guitar, but it is meant for those who have been playing for about a year and have just graduated college/university and have not improved much.
I have read your articles and I have come to find out that the key is not to target the topic but the readers. So I have decided to target people interested in songwriting and career blogs.
But here is the question: how do I connect the topics together? Do I just write about songwriting and career and then place a link to my blog? What do I do?
I know this is totally late but I would really appreciate it if you replied to this.
Thanks
Samuel Lab
http://onehouracousticplayers.blogspot.com/
Hi Samuel,
Well, you could do a guest post on a career blog about, “How to Become a Professional Guitarist — The Ultimate Guide.” You could do one for a songwriting blog about, “11 Tips for Writing a Great Acoustic Guitar Melody.” Also, think about expanding into other less related niches. You could do one for parenting blogs about how to get your kids started playing guitar. You could do one for a personal development blog about why everyone needs to learn to play an instrument and how to start.
Like other topics, it connects to just about everything. You just have to see the connections and use them to develop guest post topics.
I am new to the game and appreciate the great information that you have made available. I’m still not sure as to the viability of my particular niche idea, but your strategy certainly makes the development process easier to navigate.
Thanks Paul.
Hi Jon! I’m finding the free videos you offer to be of great help, especially in this down economy that most of us here in the U.S. are experiencing.
That sounds a little strange, but they’re of great help for me because I’m not just trying to succeed in a niche, I’m pretty much trying to create one out of thin air.
The bigger area I’m in is outdoor blogging (a growing niche), but my specific focus is on fly fishing humor. I feel a bit like I’m ahead of the game since my stats don’t look “like a heart attack victim!” and I know who the “big players” are in the outdoor blogging world. My question is this: How do you go from waiting to “be noticed” to taking a proactive approach to meeting these people right away? Do I just send an email and brag about myself? ( Surely not!? )
Thanks for everything and for “keeping it real” as they say. You’re one helluva guy.
Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it?
No, you have to be a lot more strategic about it than just bragging about yourself. The short answer is commenting, twitter, and interviews are great ways to get to know them, but exactly how you use those strategies matters a great deal.
We actually have an entire module in the class called “Networking with A-List Bloggers” that walks you through it in detail over about an hour of video instruction. If you can afford it, you should sign up. I think you’ll get great results from it.
Hi John, My niche is focused on Promoting Fire Protection and Fire Prevention. My original focus was to provide technical support and a forum for consultants in fire protection and property loss control. What I discovered was the concept is already there it’s called “Linked-in”. I’m therefore starting to change my strategy. Im also working on a niche site related to thefiretalk.com with some other coaches that are making money online. Im not sure if Im overdoing it. Yet I still believe in my idea, I’m hanging in there and making adjustments. Looking forward to work with you.
Hi Nixon,
Are you mainly targeting consumers or businesses? It might not change the approach, but it would certainly change which blogs you would write for.
Either way, you should definitely use guest blogging for SEO. If we could get you to the first page of Google for terms like “fire protection” or “fire prevention,” I’m sure that would send you quite a bit of targeted traffic.
If you haven’t seen this yet, watch this video and you’ll see what I mean:
http://www.guestblogging.com/google-traffic
John, Thanks for the response. I may still focus on both, I see where your coming from and yes it would be great to rank for fire protection or fire prevention. Does the class start on June 15?
Yep.
Jon,
I have been writing this blog for a few years. I’m a pro dog trainer but teach much about attitude of the owner and come from a health, fitness & nutrition standpoint. Have written the 5K Training Guide | Running with Dogs and Produced Treading for Dogs DVD.
Your post speaks loud & clear to me. I’ve studied with the likes of Frank Kern (lived near him even) and still struggle.
I’m writing because I recently moved to Hawaii after 13 yrs in San Diego. I’ll be starting a new blog called with the url: http://www.BigIslandDog.com
I want it to rock. I plan to put more e-books I write including a Fresh Food Dog Food Diet etc.
PLEASE help!
I’m one that has always “gone for it” and usually do well very well… the blog…. that one I have put tons of effort into,and it’s not working, and I’m not good with that!
Hi JT,
What? You studied with the great and mighty Frank Kern, and you’re still struggling?! Impossible!
No, this social media stuff is so different from Internet marketing. It’s a reversal in the way you have to think, so I understand why it’s been giving you trouble.
But it’s a great topic. There are TONS of dog lovers, and you can connect the topic to just about anything.
For instance, you could write for a fitness blog about running with blogs. You could also do a post for a veganism blog about, “Should Your Dog Go Vegan?” That would get people talking.
You could also write for parenting blogs about the best dogs for kids, personal finance blogs about the cost of probably taking care of a dog, and so on.
Hope that helps.
Jon,
Trying to get thing to the next level, here.
Moving the franchise king dot com and the franchise king blog dot com over to WP from Typepad, finally. (In 2 weeks.) They will become one-with a separate are for blog posts.
Besides that, is their anything “missing” from what I’m doing?
http://www.thefranchisekingblog.com
(BTW, I am a regular contributor to SBA.gov, Small Business Trends, and Open Forum by American Express.)
Thanks a lot. Means a lot to me.
JL
Smart move changing from TypePad to WordPress. That should help all by itself.
Also, great job already writing for SBA.gov, Small Business Trends, and Open Forum. In the same niche, you could also be writing for Entrepreneur.com and BNET.
But I also think you should expand beyond the small business niche. For example, you could write for a personal finance blog about the financial realities of being a franchise owner, and you could write for a career blog about the right time to quit your job and open your own franchise.
Your writing is fairly good, but I see several things you could definitely improve. We can work on it together, if you decide to join my class. Based on where you are right now, I think you’d be a great candidate for it.
HI Jon,
My name is Deb Sutherland, and I blog over at Frugal Living and Having Fun – A money Saving blog.
I blog about saving money in all areas of life, and having fun along the way.
I post daily deals, recipes, crafts, retail sales, coupons, etc.
I started my blog knowing nothing – hardly even knew what a blog was. I have no technical skill at all, and have no idea how to navigate around twitter.
However, that said, I have managed to grow over 30,000 Facebook fans in less than a year and a half, and have about 35,000 (Plus) page views per month. – I have also managed to convince over 5,000 people to sign up for my e-mail subscriber list.
Problem is, I grew so fast, my foundation is weak. I just started reading your content three days ago, and I am in awe. I guess I have done something wrong. Have not made the connections, do not have many link backs, and need to know how to get to the next level of blogging.
I just signed up for your Guest Posting Course. Would love to hear back from you.
Blessings,
Deb Sutherland
http://www.frugallivingandhavingfun.com
Hi Deb,
First off, congrats on already having 30,000 Facebook fans and 5000 email list subscribers. That’s something to be proud of.
Then again, I’m not surprised. The personal finance niche is one of the most rabid audiences I’ve ever seen, a lot of blogs grow really quickly.
But you’re right, you can plateau if you don’t build the right foundation. With a topic like yours, I think it’s certainly possible to get up to 50K, 80K, or even 100K subscribers, and that’s not something I tell everyone.
So let’s make that our goal, shall we? To get you over the hump?
I certainly think it’s possible for you, and it will be a pleasure to help you get there. Talk to you in class.
Jon
Hi Jon,
Thanks for this opportunity for feedback on my blog.
It started out as a blog version of something called Practice Tip of the Week, which I wrote for two years as an email to my yoga students, and anyone who signed up at the yoga studio website.
Once I started blogging, it became much more fluid, despite the tagline: friendly advice for building a yoga practice.
Sometimes it’s much like a practice tip, only now it’s called Five-Minute Yoga Challenge.
But I also write about yoga philosophy, North American yoga culture, the psychology of building a practice, the psychological impact of particular poses.
I’ve just hit 100 visitors a day, after a year of blogging.
When I started I’d have said that my ideal reader wants to make yoga part of their life, but can’t make the essential step of starting a home practice.
Now I’d have to add: or they are already in love with yoga, have a practice, and want to go deeper.
And recently I’ve been drawn to the intersection of yoga and aging, and the way that yoga is redefining aging in North America.
I have been thinking about, and procrastinating on guest posting for several months now.
Thank you for this incentive to actually do it.
You’re welcome, Eve. Congrats on getting to 100 visitors a day. It might not feel like much, but a lot of bloggers never make it that far.
Still, I think you can go further. Millions of people are passionate about yoga, and so you certainly have a huge audience to draw from. It’s just a matter of finding them all.
To do that, I think you’re right that need to take a fairly wide approach guest blogging. Write for personal development blogs, mommy blogs, fitness blogs, mindfulness blogs, productivity blogs, and anything else where you can find a connection. You can connect yoga to almost anything.
If you do that, I think you’ll see your traffic skyrocket. Inside my class, we actually have a bonus interview with Leo Babauta about how he built Zen Habits to over 200,000 subscribers, and if I were you, I would follow the same approach.
So if you get a chance, take a look at the video explaining what’s in the class, and think about signing up. I think it would be great for you.
So, my ‘niche’ is tango. I’m a professional dancer and I review only good performances for people to learn…
Ideas?
What other info you want? It’s new – only a month – our biggest day so far is 1800 hits… but i want 20000 subscribers/readers… Gotta have a goal.
Hi Damian,
Great topic. For you, I would be writing for dating and relationship blogs because of the obvious romantic angle. Fitness blogs could also work too, because it’s great exercise. You might even try personal development with a post like, “20 Ways Learning the Tango Can Make You a More Passionate Person.”
Make sense?
Jon
Hi. My blog is a parenting hub that focuses on natural parenting, raising boys, and parenting news. I’ve been blogging for a year and a half and not yet reached the hundred visitor mark. I’ve freelanced for babble.com and I’m a contributor for the Sesame Street family newsletter. I’m on twitter facebook, youtube,and linkedin. I don’t kmow how to get readership faster or more comments. Please help!
Hey! I think you probably just need to expand your reach. The “low hanging fruit” would obviously be other parenting blogs. There are a bunch of big ones that allow guest posts, so you could start there. Also, parenting has a lot of connections with personal development, personal finance, careers, all sorts of things, so you might think about doing some guest blogging in those niches as well.
My niche is mixed media art journaling with a focus on authenticity and empowerment. I have the blog (http://wildprecious.com/blog), a youtube channel (http://youtube.com/effyswild) and a NING community (http://wildprecious.ning.com).
I have no trouble producing content for the YouTube (art videos) or keeping things fresh in the community, but the blog gives me fits! It is supposed to be a magnet for women who would benefit from my services (creativity coaching & e-courses on mixed media art as a spiritual and self-help practice) but I’m unsure how to make it work as one.
Thanks, Jon!
Hi Effy,
A few thoughts.
1. When I click through to your blog, it’s tough to figure out exactly what it’s about and how it’s going to benefit me as a reader. That’s bad. You want your readers to be drooling over your content within no more than 5 seconds of coming to your blog, and to do that, you have to make the benefit of reading painfully obvious.
2. My initial instinct is you should focus more on the creativity and less on the mixed-media, at least on the front end. Everybody wants to be creative, but almost nobody wakes up in the morning wondering how they can be better at mixed-media art. If you want to do courses on it, you can, but I would make it a backend product instead of a front end focus on your blog.
3. If your topic is creativity, you have tons of guest blogging opportunities. You could write for career blogs, parenting blogs, writing blogs, social media blogs, pretty much anything, because all of those audiences want to know how to be more creative. In fact, posts on creativity consistently get a lot of traffic on many of the blogs I track.
So, there’s my advice. I hope that helps.
Jon
Hi Jon!
Really enjoying your posts and videos.
My blog is mainly a video blog, but as you can see on my site I write something accompanying the videos too.
What do you think, should I write more, write less, write aproximately what I say in the video, or write mainly to add to what I’m saying. Or should I have a separate video blog and written blog?
How would your teaching program apply to my video blog?
Morten
Hi Morten,
You have a couple of problems here.
1. Your blog is more about you and your journey as a jazz guitarist than it is the reader and helping them become a better jazz guitarist. From a traffic perspective, that will probably keep you from ever having a really popular blog, unless of course you become famous. Then everyone will want to learn from you. But otherwise, I’d really recommend starting a blog for aspiring jazz guitarists and focusing solely on how you can make them better. Nobody is as interesting to the reader as the reader themselves.
2. Right now, your blog posts are in journal format, which is about five years out of style. These days, almost all really popular blogs follow either a news or a how-to format. Your subject fits better with how-to, so I would adopt more of that style. Think of your blog more as an online magazine than an online journal.
If you can get those two problems fixed, then yeah, I believe guest blogging can help you. We could try to make your blog the top site in the world for jazz guitarists, ranking #1 on Google for the term. That would get you plenty of targeted traffic, and you could grow by word-of-mouth from there, or maybe through advertising as well.
This comment list is so long, that scrolling it alone took me a couple of minutes; it’s almost impossible to believe that someone would be going through all of these blogs!
However, if I’m luckily mistaken, I’d like a piece of advice on my blog: it’s a fashion blog with subsections like personal style and handmade accessories. I’ve noticed that most famous bloggers in this niche have started out small, but I’m really having trouble with being noticed. I’d love your input on that.
Hi Daria,
Yep, it’s for real. Here I am.
This is actually an easier one because I already have several students in the fashion niche. From what I remember, not many of the big fashion blogs allow guest posters, so you are pretty much forced to reach outside of the niche, but that’s fine, because fashion intersects with a lot of other topics.
For example, you could write for a social media blog about the 10 best dressed people in social media. You could write for a personal finance blog about how to look great for cheap. You could write for a mommy blog about how to look sexy, even after you have kids.
Opportunities abound. You just have to go for it.
My blog is a hodgepodge built from experiences in our family. More and more I’m trying to write it not as a diary for our immediate family, but so that others will benefit from the content.
I write about Montessori education, about homeschooling, about crazy things our pets do, about home improvement projects, recipes that wind up on our table because they’re easy, and living as a military family.
I’ve found that many of the parenting blogs are either other personal accounts where guest blogging doesn’t seem feasible, or they’re hosted by the big parenting websites, where the blogs are done by a multitude of bloggers, not just one that I could get in contact with.
I have definitely learned a ton from these videos and I appreciate your willingness to help those of us just learning about this. Thank you so much!
Hi Jessi,
There are a few big parenting blogs who accept guest posts. I can’t recall their names at the moment (I’m not a parent, so I’m not as familiar with the niche as others), but you should look into it further. I have several students in the parenting niche, and they’re getting some great traffic just from writing for other parenting blogs.
Also, you might think about focusing your blog a bit more. There are so many blogs with that exact same approach that it’s hard to stand out. I think you could go a little more niche and probably differentiate yourself better.
Jon
Hey Jon,
Truly awesome post. My blog targets people who wants to live reasonably fabulous but in a frugal way! I welcome your comments and advice.
Thank you kindly.
Kindest,
Don-Andrew
Well hello Don-Andrew. “Living reasonably fabulous but in a frugal way” would place you squarely within the personal-finance niche, where there are at least a dozen big blogs that accept guest posts. If I were you, I would pick 3-5 of them and become a regular guest poster. It’s a tactic lots of now-popular writers in the niche have used, and it works like gangbusters.
Hi! Wowie, you can bet I’m going to comment on this!
I just “found you” a few days ago and have already greatly benefited from what you wrote. Thanks so much.
I write at Brown Sugar Toast (www.brownsugartoast.com). The basic purpose for my blog is to help people (specifically females) add interest and creativity to the somewhat mundane things in their life (cooking, homemaking, parenting, etc).
My main audience consists of females and more specifically, Christian moms.
I’ve done a teeny bit of guest blogging but struggle because sometimes I feel like I have nothing original to contribute and there are a lot of Big Bloggers who are better than me, so…why keep blogging?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Christa
Hi Christa,
Sure, we all feel that way sometimes. When you’re a beginner, it’s especially tough, because you feel like everything has already been said by bloggers internationally more “important” than you are, and so what’s the point?
But it’s faulty thinking. Because you see, despite the popularity of those big bloggers, the majority of the world has never heard of them, even if they have, they’ve probably forgotten what they said, and even if they haven’t forgotten, maybe they would connect more with your perspective.
The bottom line: if blogging is something you are passionate about, keep going. Don’t worry about originality.
Also, you have lots of guest blogging opportunities. Parenting is one of the biggest blogging niches there is, and it could probably keep you busy, all by itself. There are also lots of big blogs related to cooking, creativity, productivity, and so on, all of which connect with your topic.
So you should definitely be doing more guest blogging. Get to it!
-Jon
Thanks, Jon. I’ll check it out.
Where’s the link for info on your class?
JL
http://www.guestblogging.com/brutal-truth
Hi Jon,
I just found you. I don’t remember how. Maybe Facebook. I’ve been playing with blogging for well over three years, just to find my feet. I’ve got several blogs that are about writing, but now I feel I finally have found a topic that I can offer some expertise on and I’d like to increase traffic there, and garner some clients who are looking for a new perspective on the screenwriting craft.
I’d be very glad to hear your opinion, when you come up for air from this “God What Have I Done?” experiment of yours.
Thanks, Amanda
Hello dear Amanda. Screenwriting is a topic near and dear to my heart, so bravo to you for having the courage to maintain a blog about it. Just from the brief glance I took, I can tell you have talent as a writer, and given the appropriate dedication to the craft, I think you can go far.
As for guest blogging opportunities, you should be hanging out at all of the top writing blogs, for sure. There are many, including Copyblogger (my home), will allow guest posts, and my advice would be to become a regular contributor. But that’s not all. If you really want to make a go of it, write for any big blog where you can find a connection. For instance, you could write for a personal finance blog about the financial realities of being a screenwriter, a career blog about how to become one, and so on.
Sounds like a solution. Encountered the same problem in 2 different niches. Links below:
http://just-pauls-thoughts.blogspot.com/
and
http://elections2012andyou.blogspot.com/
I look at the world sideways, and toss out my two cents. I don’t have to persuade anyone, just interested in letting them think for themselves.
Well, what do you know? Two talented writers in a row.
Your writing is quite good, Paul. Granted, you seriously need to get off blogspot and get your own domain, but I do believe you could go somewhere, if you tried. Especially with the elections one. The days of having a blog exclusively about your thoughts are over and gone, but if you’re willing to commit yourself to a particular subject OTHER PEOPLE are interested in and invest some significant time into it, I think you have what it takes to make it.
Politics is another one of those subjects that connects with everything. You could just post not only on political blogs but also on parenting blogs, personal finance blogs, and maybe even social media blogs. In the last election, social media was a big part of it, and I don’t doubt 2012 will be the same. In any case, yes, you should definitely be guest blogging, and the sooner the better.
Thanks a ton Jon, I will implement this asap!!!!
Hi Jon,
I’m a dentist and you *know* how much love I get from most people:) Can’t you just picture me on Copyblogger?
Even if I were to (miraculously) land a guest blog gig, I’m not sure how many people would like to read it. Taking it a step further, since my business is service based, no sales can be made online (at least that I see).
The whole aim of the blog is to offer beneficial knowledge, especially preventive, but in a light, non-technical yet entertaining way.
Your insight is much appreciated!
Thanks.
Ritu, my friend, my brother, you couldn’t be more wrong about people not wanting to read about dentistry or being unable to generate sales from it.
If you owned a parenting blog, how could you turn down a post like, “7 Warning Signs It’s Time to Take Your Child to the Dentist?” If you were reading a personal finance blog, how could you ignore a post like, “How to Cut Your Dentistry Bills in Half… Instantly?” Even in the career niche, you could do a post like, “7 Ways a Pretty Smile Can Help You Get a Better Job.”
And as for the no sales problem, the sale doesn’t have to be made online. That’s just where you generate the lead. People come to your blog, read it, fall in love with your approach to dentistry, and then you offer them a free consultation, where you proceed to wrangle thousands of dollars out of them to fix their teeth.
So don’t tell me this doesn’t work for you. It does. In fact, yours is the easiest one I’ve addressed all day.
Thanks, Jon, for your generosity with your time and this great offer. I could use some help with how to handle my blog since I don’t actually do much writing on it. It’s mostly videos of travels, cultural events, festivals – mostly about France where I live half time. I have offered my videos out (with links to my blog) on Twitter, Facebook, and through a few emails to other travel blogs but haven’t had much success (although Lonely Planet and TravelAvenue did syndicate me). Perhaps the only way to do this is to start writing about these places and events rather than videotaping them. Any suggestions on how to increase traffic? I’m on Youtube with 48K views and several other video hosting sites but people tend not to leave those sites to come to my blogs (I have 4). Thanks for your help. Again thanks for offering your skills to us ‘small potatoes.’
Hi Cynthia,
I don’t think the problem is Video Versus the Written Word. I think it’s a lack of focus.
Part of getting people interested in a blog is picking a subject lots of people are totally obsessed with, and then parking about that topic and nothing else. If you keep changing topics, then you can’t help but boring a portion of your audience. Also, if you talk about something that’s only mildly interesting, you can’t help but boring everyone.
France could be a great topic, but what about it is fascinating? The food? The scenery? The sexy accent? Also, who is obsessed with it? Ex-pats? Dreamy teenage girls? Stay at home moms with a desire to escape?
You need to know the answers to those questions. Once you do, then sure, guest blogging is your ticket to spreading the word.
-Jon
Hi, Jon,
thanks so much for this post. My blog is about creative process and art, art therapy, education, etc. I already checked your tips that you gave here in comments – will follow them for sure!
However, here’s what makes me puzzled. I have two blogs: one in my native language Slovene (//creatissimo.blogspot.com) and one in English (//creatissimoineng.blogspot.com). I don’t want to use ‘Google translate’ on my Slovene blog, because the translations are awful… I don’t write in both languages on one blog as I thought that my posts would ‘look’ too long… However, I get more traffic on my Slovene blog than on English. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth writing in English for ‘only a few people’…
What to do?
In Slovenia, FB and twitter are not as actively used as elsewhere. So, I’m stuck with a particular no. of Slovene followers, so I would really, really spread my wings over the borders…
I hope you can give me a tip or two – I’d be very, very thankful, esp. for your time if you will be able to check my blog.
Thanks a lot.
Jozica
Hello Jozica. Those are certainly important (and popular) topics, regardless of the language. My guess is that you’ll have a lot more guest blogging opportunities in English though, and you’ll also have a larger theoretical maximum of readers.
But I suppose it depends who you want to write to. From a practical perspective, I think it will be easier in English, but if you don’t have a connection with those readers, maybe it doesn’t matter. So, it’s up to you.
My friend and I started a vegetarian cooking blog about a year ago–mainly because we live far from each other and it was an easy way for us to share recipes. And then people started reading it–so we’ve kept it going.
Any thoughts? We appreciate your insight
Thanks!
Katie
Vegetarian cooking is a great topic. Guest posting for some cooking blogs would obviously be a good choice, but also fitness (for the health benefits), parenting (lots of parents wonder if they should raise their kids vegetarian), personal finance (how to be a vegetarian when you’re on a budget), and so on.
Dear Jon,
My blog is primarily about flowers…arranging flowers, enjoying flowers and my ultimate goal is to teach people how to do flowers for themselves for home parties, all the way to DIY flowers for the bride to be.
Any advice would be welcome.
Thanks,
Michele
Hi Michelle,
Flowers is another one of those topics that connects to everything. You could guest post for gardening blogs, obviously, but also dating blogs (how to know which flower to give your date), relationship blogs (the best types of flowers for different special occasions), career blogs (why you should have flowers in your office and how to take care of them), and so on.
-Jon
Jon,
Thank you for all the free advice. I am a comedian and recently took to blogging. My posts tend to center around sex and dating.
I have written a few guests posts for small local publications. How can I expand my horizons? Does this actually apply to me?
Thank you.
Absolutely. I have several students who are comics, and I believe they’ve all seen an uptick in traffic.
Granted, you have to adapt your style to the blog you are guest blogging for. Most of the big blogs are how-to oriented, so you need to give useful advice, but you can still integrate your humor and personality into it. In fact, that’s what makes people fall in love with you and want to read your blog.
So, you might even say you have an advantage. The greatest sin bloggers commit is being boring, and comics are trained NOT to be boring. If you play your cards right, you should have no trouble getting lots of guest blogging gigs.
Hey Jon,
You’ll probably need to edit this comment some, as I’ve got 4 blogs that I’m running presently, none of which are producing any kind of income whatsoever. The sites are:
http://www.edsays.com
http://www.edappleton.com
http://www.ethical-im.com
http://www.kickbuttsnow.com
(I don’t know if you’ll be needing the “www” to access them or not)
Anyway, I’ve been doing this for a little over a year now. I used some of what I’ve learned from Phil Henderson (Stupidly Simple SEO + 5in45 Masterplan) to keep my rankings in the SERPS, but even though I get traffic to the sites (granted, not much) it seems that regardless of what I do, nobody is buying anything.
My main blog reviews “Guru I.M. Products”, the second one covers strategies and tactics for things like PPC, SEO, and the like, and the last 2 blogs are (or at least up until recently were) “Auto-Posting Blogs” covering I.M. Products from Amazon and a “Quit Smoking Products” blog.
I’m at my wits end with all of them and am seriously considering tossing all of it into the trash and going back to the “9-5 Grind”. Of course, that’d be all fine, well, and good, but being unemployed with absolutely ZERO employment prospects at this time kinda makes “Quitting” not so hot a prospect either… So, besides going out and pissing off more GURUS, any suggestions?
Hi Ed,
You need to change your model. Once upon a time, you could publish reviews and other simple content, rank in the search engines, get free traffic, and then make sales, but for the most part, that model is long dead.
You can still get free search engine traffic, but only if you are publishing astonishingly high quality (and unique) content and getting links from trusted sites. Without superb content and without links from trusted sites, you don’t have a prayer of ranking for any competitive terms.
Also, to make sales, you have to build relationships with people. The idea of someone coming to your review site, following an affiliate link, and then buying a product just doesn’t work very well in most niches anymore. You need to get them to subscribe, build your reputation with them as an authority, and then recommend the products.
If you want an example, look at Copyblogger.com. That’s the future of the blogosphere.
In any case, I’m getting that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but it’s the most useful advice I can give you. Hope it helps.
Best,
Jon
Hei Jon,
I am already hooked to guest blogging and you are doing a great job.
My blog : TheGadgetFan.com is a blog about Gadget scene in India. Though a little late in entering the scene, the blog is scoring well and is competing with the popular Indian blogs with decent PV’s.
I want the blog to go to the next level. I want this blog to be the first thing to think about if someone is thinking about India gadget scene. I know there’s great content out on the blog but it is not getting the traffic it should get.
Congrats on already having some success, Sriram. That’s great to hear. Getting to the next level is usually about two things:
1. Deepening your relationship with readers in your niche, so they actively promote your content for you. Guest blogging is a great way to do that.
2. Expanding your reach into niches that are only indirectly related to yours. For example, you might try writing for gadget blogs outside of India, as well as career blogs (which gadgets you should have in your office), productivity blogs (which gadgets will save you time), and social media blogs (which gadgets will keep you connected).
Hi! My blog is very very new. I have to admit that I purchased a “put together” PLR blog not really knowing what I was doing. ( I still don’t). I now know that I want to turn this blog around, and make it unique. I am not a master gardener, but a well seasoned one (look under my fingernails during the summer… ewww TMI).I want to turn my blog around to original content semi humorous, geared to other gardeners like myself. Easy to understand USABLE content and products. My long term goal is to write how to EBooks.
Well hello, Vicky. This might surprise you, but I already have several students in the gardening niche who are having a lot of success with guest blogging, so it’s definitely something you should pursue. The key is thinking beyond just gardening. For example, you can write for mindfulness blogs about how gardening is a great way to relax, personal finance blogs about how to save money by growing your own fruits and vegetables, and so on. As always, it’s all about finding the connections.
WOW! Jon.. you are amazing. I get back into town and find you are actually answering everyone. I hope it won’t be too late, but I will be enrolling in your class on Thursday or Friday.
Vicky
Hi Jon:
Loved your post on Problogger last week!
My blog is about entrepreneurs who are running successful companies \9not necessarily internet driven) and who have hit a ceiling of income, life quality and business growth.
I discuss topics to free the owner from running the business and make the entire enterprise scalable and more profitable.
Your feedback and ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Patrick
Thanks for the kind words, Patrick.
I think you have a great topic. Granted, it may never become a HUGE blog, because there are only so many successful entrepreneurs, but of those who have made it, I think you’ll find a great many who are interested in how to address those problems.
It’s also a topic where you have lots of guest blogging opportunities. Entrepreneurship and small business blogs would obviously be the most direct connection, but also marketing blogs, because most of the people who read them run or are building successful businesses, productivity blogs, because entrepreneurs are always trying to get more done, and so on.
Only a small percentage of the audience will be successful entrepreneurs, but it doesn’t matter. What’s important is drawing those people out of the already successful blogs and gradually building a community for them.
My blog focuses on 7 different niches, one for every day of the week:
Marriage Mondays
Taste (food, alcohol, or restaurant reviews) Tuesdays
Whatever Wednesdays (social commentary)
Tune Thursdays (Musician review)
Fiction Fridays (Book review for singlemindedwomen.com)
Savannah Saturdays (about a place, event, etc. in Savannah, Georgia where I live)
Sightseeing Sundays (blog about somewhere I have traveled to as I use to be an international travel marketing director).
I am afraid you are going to tell me to focus on just one topic, but I am knowledgeable about each and feel I have something to offer for each topic.
Hello Shawndra, dearest. You’re right to be afraid.
The ugliest, most dangerous myth in blogging is that our blogs are about us. If you look at all the biggest bloggers, they don’t focus on what they want to write about or what they have to say. Instead, they write about topics their *readers* are desperate to learn more about, and they are violently opposed to writing about anything outside of that set of interests. If they have a post idea that doesn’t apply to a portion of their audience, it goes in the trash, no matter how good it is or how much they want to write about it.
The problem with writing about seven different topics as you’re always alienating six different groups of people. At the very best, you can only satisfy 1/7th of your audience with any given post. And that’s death. My advice: figure out exactly who you are writing to and how you are going to benefit them, and stick to their interests, not yours.
Now, there’s one escape route, so to speak. If you really have a consuming desire to write about all of this topics, then start seven different blogs. By separating the audiences, you’ll avoid boring them, and you can build a community around each. Of course, that’s a hell of a lot of work, but it’s really the only way to do it, so the choice is up to you.
Jon,
Thank you for offering your time and expertise on this subject.
Text from my welcome page…
Daily Discoveries will include stories about local people, places, and things. Historic locations will include headline articles about forgotten locations with historical significance. I’ve also added a mixture of photography resouces and information.
I would love to hear your thoughts about the overall concept, layout, content as well as suggestions on how I could market my blog in the most efficent manner. Also what is your general census on how person a person should get on their blog? Jon, your critical feeback will be grealy appreciated!
Thanks again,
Laurie D
Hi Laurie. Your design is good, your writing is clear, and I think you have promise as a blogger, but you run into a common problem: your blog is about you, not your audience. My advice would be to pick a group of people you want to read your blog, figure out what topics they are passionately interested in, and then write about those.
Jon,
First I just want to thank you for all your blogging insight! It’s simple, straight-forward, and practical.
I write a Women’s Lifestyle Blog, Morningstar Project (http://www.lindseymorningstar.com). It specifically focusing on finding ways to have a healthy mind, healthy body, and healthy soul. Pretty broad topics, but it fits with my career in psychology (just recently finished up my PhD) and love for exercise and healthy cooking.
There are a lot of other young female bloggers in my niche which makes it difficult to stand apart from the rest. I strive to write good, meaningful content (not just a diary of my life like most do) and focus on taking quality photos. But I struggle to get tons of comments or get noticed by the power players in my field. I would love any suggestions!!
Many thanks!
Lindsey
You’re welcome, Lindsey. Thanks for reading and watching.
Standing out isn’t so much about being unique as it is 1) talking about the issues most deeply important to your audience, and 2) connecting with other “power players” in your niche who will help you spread the word. If you’re having trouble getting their attention, then guest blogging is definitely something you should be doing. It’s by far the best way to build a relationship with them.
Hey Jon, fell upon your blog by chance and viewed some of your videos. Very impressed.
My blog really is about questioning the natural or un-natural order of things, I’m not sure who my audience is at this point and I’m not doing this for money. I’m also trying to keep things simple.
So, I’m trying to do some homework and figure out what to do in order to generate traffic. You’ve given me some ideas. Also, I’ve always wanted to start a radio show, maybe a podcast ? I have a group of unique friends with various backgrounds that would be willing to share thoughts and ideas on a multitude of topics, and, it could be audio taped from an individual’s garage where all roadways seem to stop. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Jon, any advice would be appreciated.
Taras
Thanks for the kind words, Taras.
Before you get into promotion or generating traffic, the most important thing you can do is decide exactly who your audience is. Otherwise, you’ll end up gaining a few fans and then losing them, as you switch from topic to topic in search of what you want to write about.
Ultimately, our blogs are not about us. They’re about our readers. And so before you go any further, you need to figure out who your readers are.
Hello Jon,
Thank you for offering free advice to help improve my blog. It is about creating a portal website for my other websites and to feature other peoples websites with the same topics.
Some of the topics I’m covering are creating site portals, general topics about the future of business, marketing ideas, social networking, web hosting, and improving customer support.
What type of suggestions do you have for my blog?
Thank you for your feedback,
Frankie Cooper
Hmm. This seems to be another instance of needing to find a clear focus. You need to write for one audience or about one topic and nothing else. If people can’t see the benefit of reading your blog within 5 seconds of landing on one of your pages, you’re already sunk. So, it needs to be crystal clear why they should read and subscribe.
Hey Jon,
You’re quite an inspiration. Aside from that, was browsing through all the comments, and I`m surprised that you give time to reply to a majority of it. You’re very dedicated.
Anyways, my site is about helping others through personal stories from the community, through the lessons they learn. But when I try to find a place to guest post, I find it hard to find one with my niche. Where would you say is a good place to start? I’ve been meaning to write one, but I don’t know where.
When you search for a place to do a guest post, what factors determine where you post?
Michael
Thanks Michael. I really believe in helping people, so it’s a pleasure to connect with everyone.
My advice: guest post for some personal development blogs, mindfulness blogs, and happiness blogs. Their audiences will be predisposed to being interested in uplifting stories, so they’ll be the closest match.
As for the criteria, that’s something we cover in detail in my class, but the short answer is it’s best to write for blogs with more than 5000 subscribers, an active audience who loves commenting, and a blogger who reciprocates by linking to you and helping you promote your blog.
Jon,
Thanks for offering to provide some feedback. My niche site is BunnyHutchHQ.com and it’s focused on helping people who are considering rabbits for a pet. I provide info on what it’s really like to have a pet rabbit, reviews of hutches/cages, and other bunny-related information.
Best,
Adam
Being a childhood rabbit lover, I love the topic! From a guest blogging perspective, I think the best fit for you would be to write for parenting blogs, discussing the pros and cons of getting a rabbit for your child, and so on.
Thanks, Jon! You’re commentary makes a lot of sense to me. Great advice. Look for me…meanwhile, when are we going to start working on that screenplay???
– Amanda
I wrote one in college, and the experience just about did me in. Maybe one day I’ll work up the nerve to write another. It’s harder than a lot of people think.
Jon, you are too generous.
My niche is parents and caregivers of adults with disabilities. http://ClimbingEveryMountain.com
When I started, almost a year ago, I knew there was nothing out there, but that’s why in desperation I started it.
I can’t even find any good keywords when I search Google. “parents of adults with disabilities”…”caregivers and disabilities”…”residential services for adults with disabilities” (if you discount all the paid providers and researchers–there is nothing for parents)…”building inclusive communities for adults”
Many of my subscribers are university students in “Disability Studies” classes who are going to be special education teachers. (Their professor is a friend of mine.)–talk about “forced” subscribers. They get graded on their “reflections” on my posts.
So, give up? start over?
Hi Mary,
Good to hear from you, as always.
The decision of whether to start over or keep going really depends on your objectives. If your goal is to build a big blog fast, then yes, there are probably better topics, where you’ll get more traffic with less work. If your goal is to make $10 million year from selling stuff to your audience, then yeah, we could probably pick a few topics where it’s easier, too.
But if your goal is to build a community around something you are passionate about, then none of that stuff matters. You’re happy to work harder and make less money, because you believe in it, and that’s all there is to it.
However, I’m guessing I haven’t really answered your real question, which is “Is it possible to build a popular blog for caregivers of adults with disabilities?”
The answer to that question is an emphatic YES. I don’t think it will be easy, I believe you’ll have to work your butt off to do it, but if you want to, you can.
For one, start writing for every website and newsletter for every disability in the world. Lots of caregivers read those websites and newsletters, so that puts you in front of them. And for two, you can absolutely relate it to other big topics like personal finance (i.e., should you buy long-term health insurance?), parenting (how can you avoid your kids having to take care of you?), and so on.
The thing you have to realize that your doing it first, so instead of writing 10 guest posts that attract 100 subscribers each, you’re going to have to write 100 guest posts that attract 10 subscribers each. If you’re willing to do that, then yeah, I absolutely believe you can build a popular blog.
Best,
Jon
Jon,
reading through the advice you have offered others in these comments has given me several good ideas — thanks!
Welcome!
Hi Jon:
I’d love it if you take a look at my blog.
I feel I’m at a crossroads with it. I guess my niche is personal development for stay at home moms. There’s some bad-assery in it. I use a lot of story-telling to illustrate my points. At times it has been more of a personal blog but more and more I’m writing for the audience.
I have some products to come out (e-books based on the 30-day, 1 step a day idea and physical products) and would appreciate your feedback on building my audience both in terms of raw traffic and those committed to buy.
Thank you,
Alison
Well hello, Alison. This is an easy one. Personal development and parenting/mommy blogs are two of the biggest niches there are, and so all of the hard work has already been done for you. You just need to pick out a few big blogs in each niche and become a regular contributor, gradually building a relationship with their readers and the bloggers themselves. Do that, and neither money nor traffic should be a problem.
Hey Jon,
Thanks for doing this.
My blog is a personal development blog about “living weird” and accepting who you are inside.
I haven’t even had it up for a month yet but I’m not really sure what else to do to promote it.
I am currently working on a free eBook to bring in subscribers.
Any help you could provide would be extremely appreciated.
Thanks
You’re welcome, Waldo. Personal development is one of the biggest niches there is, and so really, you should be buried in guest blogging opportunities without even having to stretch outside your own niche. But if you really want to, you could try guest posting for audiences who embrace weirdness, such as the social media crowd, programmers, people looking for a date, and so on. Your topic relates to all of them, and so you could write articles for all those niches.
My blog is about organizing and time management for creative people, seekers, iconoclasts and other types who don’t want to alphabetize their socks.
My readers want to know WHY they should do something before they spend time on it. They’re impatient but also curious. They’re into self development but they’re practical too. They need answers/help but they also know they need to put in the effort to get a result that works for them.
I want people to hire me to organize them and coach them. I want them to buy my ebook. I want to develop other products for them. I want to be known for my unique take on my topic and be pals with/respected by popular bloggers.
I’m not sure where my best guest posting opportunities are, which blogs people who would hire me are reading.
Thanks, Jon!
Hi Claire. Your best bet for guest blogging opportunities would probably be productivity blogs. I.E., Zen Habits, Dumb Little Man, Life Hacks, and so on. But you can also go beyond that, if you want to. Writers, marketers, and freelance designers all have issues with time management, and each of those topics have several huge blogs that accept guest posts. So, I think you have lots of opportunities!
I feel that its more then just about about writing, but if you have something to say and its strate, it some times makes you feel better to say it! Some people will agree and some will disagree, but you still have every right to express that, God bless the good old U.S.A. and may we never louse that right!
Hi, Jon. You’re doing a spectacular thing here. Thank you so much.
Have to tell you, it’s so reassuring to hear you say you had such poor success with your early blogs and then made a huge success.
I think your fine writing makes a difference for you. That’s something I’m not sure I have, so guest posting scares me. But I sure see your point about how it can help.
http://www.eBabyNurseryDecoration.com is my nine month old blog. It’s aimed at young parents, mostly mothers, who are putting together their first baby nursery and probably don’t have a lot of money.
I explain design principles, how to do mural art, offer original(?) ideas for themes and just anything about interior design that will give them a nursery that looks professionally designed.
I’m an interior designer and decorative artist (retired) who thinks DIY is the only way to go. But yet, I’d love to make some money from the blog sooner than later.
My traffic is abysmal and the many comments I get daily seldom include any from people I want to target.
I’m at the point of cutting my losses, so I’ll greatly appreciate your wisdom on whether you think there’s any life to my blog, or not.
Thanks so much, Jon.
You’re welcome, Dorothy.
Being a great writer helps, but it’s by no means necessary. If you look at the top blogs in the world, very few of the bloggers are actually superb writers. For the most part, they just focus on giving useful advice and making it as clear as possible. Really, I think that’s all you need, so don’t feel like you have to be Shakespeare or something. It’s absolutely not required.
Also, you have some really easy targets with your topic. There are dozens of big parenting/mommy blogs, and I’m sure they would all be interested in guest posts about putting together their first baby nursery. You could also do posts on personal finance blogs about how to decorate on the cheap, posts on productivity blogs about how to get it done when you’re working full time and can’t invest 100 hours into it, and so on.
If you’re passionate about the topic, don’t give up on it until you’ve written for a few of those big blogs. I think you’ll get great results from it.
Hi Jon, thanks for the offering.
My blog is http://nacspost.blogspot.com/ which is a notions blog about capital signals that I’ve learned from books, videos, internet, music…etc.
I don’t have any readers yet because I used to keep it private before. Until recently, I enable it to public.
Two things I like to accomplish by this blog, first is to record things I’ve learned from the world that I think is worth to read over and over again, second is to share the knowledge to the one who is interest what’s world going on in each field like me.
Please advice, your time and comments are valued and appreciate as always.
A couple of quick points:
1. Congratulations on starting your blogging journey. It sounds like you are at the beginning of it, and so it might be too early to begin guest posting just yet, but welcome to the club.
2. No one tells you this, but hosting your blog on blogspot makes you look like an amateur. If you’re serious about being a popular blogger, get your own domain name and install WordPress.
3. If your goal is to become popular, your blog should focus on a particular audience or topic, not what you think or what you believe is important. So, pick one thing, and become an authority on it.
Hi Jon,
What an AMAZING opportunity this is! Thank you so much!
My site is Tangerine Turtle http://tangerineturtle.net and is about family, food and inspiration. I started blogging several years ago as a way to keep in touch with family and friends (I’m a Yank expat living in the UK)…my blogging has now evolved into my ‘work’ and this year I have really been working hard on making it a ‘working’ blog.
I am also a cancer survivor and went through the healing process in a foreign country with no family around me. It changed me, and although I haven’t strayed far from my counseling roots (pre-kids), the experience has led me to want to inspire and help others through my blog.
I have been wondering if my blog is too scattered. I have many varied interests and love researching and sharing what I find, in the hopes of gathering many different types of readers. (Also, that’s just who I am…)
Twitter has been a recent addition to my ‘arsenal’ and I absolutely love it and have met some fantastic people there, so things are starting to move in the right direction, but I’m still not hitting the big players that I need to.(Although, I’m thrilled to say that both Blog Tyrant and Johnny B Truant have commented on my writing skills. A much needed boost as I was starting to get pretty down on myself.)
I’m really looking forward to your thoughts and advice!
Hello Magz!
First off, I can tell you have a lot of personality, and that’s going to help you. In the end, blogging is nothing more than a popularity contest, and the more personality you have, the easier it is to win.
But yeah, you do need to focus yourself. All of us are multifaceted beings with lots of different interests, but sadly, blogging doesn’t really allow for that. At least, not if you want to be popular.
If you really want your blog to take off, you need to serve one particular audience or focus on one particular topic per blog. You can have multiple blogs, if you like, but keep each one focused on only one thing.
Jon, I tried to reply to your comment directly, but it’s only letting me start a brand new comment. (Sorry!)
My big question in response to your feedback is:
I have spent a considerable amount of time and effort on http://tangerineturtle.net over the last few years. I suppose initially when I started going ‘serious’ with blogging, I modeled it after The Pioneer Woman, whose blog is well respected and seems to be an extension of her as a whole person. (I would say she has about 3-5 areas she covers consistently).
I also have recently had my podcast listed on iTunes and the current episodes refer back to Tangerine Turtle as do the videos on my YouTube channel.
Is there a way to focus it better without giving it up and wasting all the current work?
As I said earlier, I have narrowed down the most consistent topics to family/parenting, organizing, food and self development/motivation.
Is there any way to keep all of these, or would they all HAVE to be separate blogs?
If they have to be separate, then what would your advice be on choosing an area to continue Tangerine Turtle?
Thanks again!
Magz
Sure, that’s understandable. If you really want to keep all those topics, the best thing you can do is relate them to a single audience. For example, you could relate all of those to being a mom or to being a female executive or whatever. That way, you’re still talking to a very specific audience who has an interest in all of the topics.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for this offer. The name of my website is Blog Tweaks (www.blog-tweaks.com), and my goal is to provide services for bloggers while also providing blogging content that will keep them engaged. I’ve also thought about doing the same thing with internet marketing for small businesses, but my thought is that it would need to be on a different site (and I don’t have time for that now).
So far I’ve guest posted at ProBlogger (thanks for the tweet), and I’m planning on writing more guest posts pretty much now (I’ve got this idea for Copyblogger: Don’t Let Your Blog Get Caught with Its Pants Down).
My ultimate goal is to use content marketing to start a business that can support me (and my family) full-time. What are your thoughts (always appreciated)? And thanks again for this offer!
Well hello, Joseph. Nice to hear from you.
Already pitching me on post ideas for Copyblogger, hmm? I like the initiative!
Yeah, I definitely think it’s possible to build a business around your topic and make a full-time living from it. I’ve done it, and we’re in the same niche.
Also, guest blogging works great in this niche, as I’m sure you’re already discovering. You just need to do a lot of it. Pick a few of the biggies, and become a regular contributor. That way, you build a relationship with both the audience and the blogger themselves.
Hi Jon!
You are amazingly generous with your time and expertise. If you haven’t burnt out on this offer yet, I’d love any advice you have. http://www.bakelikeaninja.com.
You are way too kind! Promise to help others if I have a chance.
I love it! Your personality really sparkles.
Let’s see… baking probably seems like a small niche with not a lot of guest blogging opportunities, right? But it still works. You could write frugal baking tips for personal finance blogs, birthday party recipes for parenting blogs, and so on. It connects with lots of things.
Go for it! I think you’ll do well.
Jon,
I’m really thinking about getting into the blogging gig full time. Currently, I’m the Chef/Owner of a mobile food booth called River Cat Gourmet, but right now it’s part-time and really getting on my nerves because it’s not generating enough cash flow yet.
I’m hoping to get some pointers on how to go about starting a blog in the food industry niche, but have found that there are several blogs out there that deal with the same thing.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Hi Robin,
Don’t worry about being unique. More likely than not, very few of your potential customers are reading any blogs on the subject, and therefore they’ve never even heard of your competitors. So just focus on writing really useful content, getting them to subscribe to your list, and then building a relationship, so they feel comfortable in buying from you.
Just so you know, the process for starting a blog is pretty much the same in every niche. My guest blogging program might be a little advanced for you at this point, but you might check out these inexpensive resources from Darren:
http://www.problogger.net/learn/
That’s not an affiliate link, so I don’t earn a dime from referring you. Also, if you’d like help setting up your blog, I highly recommend Johnny from JohnnyBTruant.com.
Best,
Jon
Hi thanks so much for doing this, I’m a young jewish blogger. My blog is thejewishteen.blogspot.com I love blogging. I think it might be something Iwant to do when full time when I grow up. Anyway what would be some good things I could guest post about/what types of sites/blogs. Thanks in advantage.
Welcome! Good for you for getting started early!
Like all the others here, your topic connects to pretty much anything. You could write for parenting blogs about something like 13 Things You Should Know about Your Child’s Jewish Friends. You could write for a personal development blog about the importance of understanding your heritage. And so on.
So, you definitely have lots of opportunities. Go for it!
Hi Jon. No where to say thanks, so this is just a thank you for your advice about my blog question…and all the others, too. Many of them are helpful.
I’d dearly love to take your guest posting course. Everybody says “Guestpost,” but only you have such a well thought out action plan. Unfortunately, the Shoemoney System got me for 5,000.00 non-refundable dollars recently, so now I’m financially dry. Stupid of me, I know, but I just let them suck me in. I’m ashamed to admit greed got in the way of my brains.
I truly appreciate all the free help you’ve given me, Jon. I’m going to try to put it to work. Maybe next time you offer the course I can take it. For what all you’re offering, the price is reasonable.
No problem, Dorothy. Catch you next time.
Great post, Jon –
My target market is technophobe creatives, such as writers, who don’t have a clue what content marketing can do for them. I’ve done a little guest posting, but since my market doesn’t read blogs all that much, I’m not sure whether to seek out writers’ blogs or just to offer my work wherever a given post seems to fit. I find myself gravitating to the bloggers’ blogs, but I’m not sure my level of expertise quite makes the cut.
Also I need to learn to crank out the content faster.
Ha, okay. I think you might have finally stumped me.
If your target audience is afraid of the Internet, then yeah, guest blogging for popular blogs probably isn’t going to get you very far.
On the other hand, you could go offline. Freelance for some writing newsletters, magazines, and so on, and then drive them to a website. The process is essentially the same as guest blogging. It’s just in print, instead of digital.
Don’t let confidence hold you back, though. The only way to become a good writer is to keep writing, even when you think every word is crap. So stick with it.
Well Jon (you are impossible not to like) I haven´t even read all the comments due to post fatigue, post viral fatigue even, since so many bloggers above are on their way to sucess. I am clearly at the learned cluelessness stage and wonder if it´s even worth trying to go on… sob). First, I´m not sure what my Nitch is – in Europe we say Neesh – and after that I´m not sure about anything else. Go on, have a laugh at my blog (ignore the posts in Spanish)which is the tumbleweed of the blogosphere. Doodleoodleooo!
Hi Maureen,
First of all, welcome to the class. I saw you signed up, and it’s great to have you with us.
We’ll be sure to get your niche straightened out, but my gut instinct says starting a blog about Spain for ex-pats and tourists would be a great idea. The guest blogging opportunities would be a little tougher to find, but it’s still possible.
For a personal finance blog, you could write about the financial realities of living in a foreign country. If you have kids, you could write for a parenting blog about raising your kids in a foreign country. And so on.
In this case, your guest posts probably wouldn’t be about Spain in particular but about living abroad, but you can still talk about Spain in your posts, using your stories as examples, which would hopefully get readers interested in your blog.
Hi John – I have two blogs I’d like for you to take a look at. My main blog is my business blog that focuses on corporate storytelling and PR at http://thebuzzfactoree.com/blog. It is the backbone of my business web site, but I’m not getting much traffic on either, and I have an embarrassingly high bounce rate (70%). I’d love to know if you have any suggestions for that.
My second blog is my “fun” humor blog that I wish I could spend all my time on, http://thatawkwardage.com. It’s aimed at women 50+, but I actually get a fair number of male readers, as well. I get about 100 hits every time I post, but that’s after a couple of years, which still feels pretty paltry.
With both of these, I generally post about once a week, which I know isn’t enough, but since they aren’t my full-time job, it’s hard to find the time to do more, especially when it doesn’t seem to matter in terms of traffic. I promote both on social media. Would love to know about avenues for guest posting.
Thank you for your generosity. And oh, by the way, I’m from your neck of the woods. I grew up in Hickory, N.C.
Gail
Well, yes. I’m quite familiar with Hickory. Small world.
For your buzz blog, you should be writing for online marketing and social media blogs. There are a bunch of them, so plenty to choose from. And for your humor blog, you could write guest posts on pretty much any topic, but you would just need to adopt the style of the blog you are writing for, inject some humor into it, and then attract them over to blog.
I won’t lie to you, though. Humor blogs are really hard to make popular. If you enjoy it as a hobby, that’s fine, but you’ll probably get better results from your blog about building buzz.
Hi Jon,
You are a riot. You have the same wit as Johnny Truant whom I want to be like when I grow up.
I’ve been a writer most of my adult life, but recently started a blog as a way to jumpstart my business, Studio 4 PR. My niche, is PR for creative types and kitchen table entrepreneurs.
My blog is: http://www.personalityandpurpose.blogspot.com
I look forward to your feedback.
Thanks!
Robin
Johnny is a good friend of mine, so I’ll take that as a compliment.
For those audiences, you should definitely be writing for online marketing blogs and social media blogs. In other words, Copyblogger.com,SocialMediaExaminer.com, JohnChow.com, and so on.
Hi Jon,
Thank you for the generous offer!
I’m signed up for your class, so if you’d rather hold off (I know that I’m going to get plenty of ideas there) I understand. Just impatient to get started! 
I run two sites: rockyourwriting.com, and my personal author site, cathyyardley.com. At Rock Your Writing, I encourage authors to “sell a lot, without selling out” and cover stuff like non-evil (but effective) promotion. I am working on strategies for genre fiction authors especially, since I am one. I’m also a publicist for a new genre publisher.
Here’s my quandary: I’d love to encourage guest blogging, but it usually looks like this: genre authors either give an interview on another author’s blog (usually because a book is coming out, which still seems to hit an audience as a cold “look what I’m selling” post), or they go on writing sites, giving tips. While in theory all writers are readers first, I’ve seen a glut of writers pitching other writers in a thinly veiled attempt to hook them on their books.
I keep feeling there’s another way, but I’m not hitting on HOW. Help!
Very much looking forward to the class,
Cathy
Yep, that happens. The problem, I think, is you don’t have enough subscribers yet to attract high quality writers. You really need 10,000+. Otherwise, you have to pay them to write for you, anywhere from $50-$150 per blog post.
But you yourself should have plenty of opportunities. Just within the writing niche, there are a bunch of blogs that allow guest posts. You could stay busy just with those.
open to all and any constructive critique….
Hi Sasha. I took a quick look, and it looks like you’re just getting started. My advice would be to pick one audience you want to write for, really focus on becoming an authority, and then write a lot of how to content. That’s what it takes to build a popular blog.
Yo Jon,
Found you from your guest post on ProBlogger. Awesome story….
Anyway, i’m a new blogger and my blog is targeted for people who are learning to blog and enjoy some off the wall writing that inspires, teaches, and entertains.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Keep on kicking ass.
Thanks Brad. For teaching people to blog, focus on social media blogs. There are a bunch, and almost all of them take guest posts.
I’m not going to put my blog here because truthfully that’s not the reason I’m writing here.
Just wanted to let you know how inspire I was when I read a post of yours on ProBlogger.
I was finding the post very interesting until I knew you had SMA. I was shocked. And pleased.
You are a true inspiration, keep rocking!
Thanks Hugo.
Hi John
I am new to blogging but I am also a 76 year old Great Grandma who knows almost nothing of computers and what I am doing here. It was my daughter who wanted me to get into blogging.
She created the blog and website for me so that I could share the information of my Great Great-Grandma who lived in Roby Texas on a small farm. This information is on down to earth cooking, home remedies using natural foods such as apples, oranges, parsley and other foods to keep you in health. I am bad at adding images to make my blog stand out like so many I have seen. I am trying to learn how to do this but I can write and say what I want.
I believe this one is important and have proof of what they do because they all lived past the age of 90. I follow their advice today and I am in unstoppable health. If it was not for some of their advise when having my children I would of been lost. The doctors were not helping my daughter and she almost died. But the simple things that my Great Grandma had me do saved her life.
My daugher felt that I should share these with everyone and the recipes they handed down in our family over the years. They really saved our family through the depression and both wars.
Thank you John for telling me if I am a fool to do this. I have no idea what I am doing and it is my daugher who keeps pushing me to read this and read that.
Sarah
That’s wonderful, Sarah. It takes such courage to put your ideas out there like that, and I admire you for it. Keep going.
Hi Jon! I have a design/arts & crafts/budget lifestyle blog called http://www.BudgetBlonde.com
There are thousands of design blogs out there. How do I stand out?
Hi Cat,
First off, welcome to the class. I see you signed up, and I think it’s going to be great for you.
Your blog also has a strong personal finance aspect, so that’s where I would start. The personal finance community is huge with lots of big blogs to write for, so plenty of opportunities to get you started.
Hi Jon,
I’m thrilled that you’d be willing to do this.
My blog, Success Evolution, is about my journey toward success and sharing the lessons along with that journey. My focus is to draw readers in by telling a story and sharing some of the lessons and giving a few tips to help transform their own lives. I also offer others to share some of their own experiences and suggestions.
I’ve found a few blogs that are somewhat similar and have already begun connecting with some of those people but I’d like your opinion and some of your own suggestions. Thank you very much. It’s a great opportunity.
Hi Timothy,
Yep, blogging about success, you have lots of blogs to choose from. The personal development niche is enormous, and you could probably stay busy writing for those blogs alone, but success also connects with just about everything: personal finance, parenting, your career, you name it. So really, you could probably find a suitable angle for almost any of the big blogs who accept guest posts.
So, get cracking. You need to write as many as you can.
Hola Jon,
3 months ago i started a blog about online marketing for small businesses. I know there are many blogs like that in the States, but not so many in Spain.
Besides, the fact that I had to close my own business las December, made think a lot of all the thinks that I did wrong and could have made better if I has known how.
Since then, I started reading and reading on the internet about online marketing. Till the point that I’m starting a postgraduate on online marketing by the university of Barcelone next november (I do it to learn and also to give me permission to work on that).
Every post I make takes me like 5 hors to write because I want to do it ok. And because of my past experience as an entrepreneur, I know what it is like and what small business woner want, but don’t have many targeted reader.
If I look for entrepreneurship blogs, they are all full of marketers
and not targeted possible reader. I was thinking of guestblogging in blogs about architecture, design, psicologist, coaches, and so on. Different liberal freelance jobs. But I’m not sure.
Should I network with other marketers? Should i guestblog in their blogs? Will they let me although we speack about the same? Should i write in totally different blog?
Where should I start?
I feel very overwhelmed with that. Who should I network with and all this things….
thanks a lot!!!
L
Yep, you should definitely write for marketing blogs. Sure, a lot of consultants and advertising reps read them, but a lot of entrepreneurs do too. A surprising number, in fact. At Copyblogger, I don’t know the exact figures, but I would guess 10-15% already have access businesses, and another 50%+ want to go into business for themselves. And I’d suspect most other marketing blogs have similar ratios.
So yeah, it’s definitely worth your time.
Dear Jon,
I love this series of yours! I know you are right — starting at the top is a much smarter strategy then bottom up. The aha! moment for me was that ghostblogging at the highest level is an option. Who knew?! I am grateful for that advice.
If you happen to take a look at my blog: niche = marketing/social media/occasionally small business. My reason for blogging = personal branding. I don’t have any information products to sell.
BTW, I took a seminar where the speaker (very well known) said you can write a months worth of blogposts on a Saturday (1/2 hour each) if you sit down and really put your mind to it. Just crank those babies out!!! Instead, I labor for hours over each one … and then only a handful of people ever read it. Crazy, I know.
Thanks for the great series!
Rhonda
Ha! Yeah, a lot of well-known Internet marketers don’t really understand blogging. Expecting a post you write in 30 min. to go viral and get you lots of traffic is like expecting a movie made with a handheld camcorder to win an Oscar. It’s possible, I suppose, but not very likely.
I personally spent more than 10 hours on each of my posts, and it’s made me one of the most popular writers in the world. So, don’t believe everything you hear from Internet marketing gurus.
I started laughing when I read “I may regret this…” and then saw 419 comments.
My blog is http://borderlessthinking.com
Cherry
My focus is women between 35 & 55 who are ready to change their lives and how they feel about themselves. I want to help them develop an awareness of their self defeating paradigms that they picked up through their lives and then help them change them. Since I want to use this blog to build a list and derive clients, it’s important that I’m making a connection with them and that they’d feel safe and willing to work with me.
Jon, aside from not being a woman, this requires some vulnerability so think you’re out of the mix.
Hi Cherry! Yeah, I’m not exactly your ideal reader.
Still, I think that’s a great topic, and actually, I have several students already writing about similar topics. My advice would be to reach out to a lot of the parenting/mommy blogs, because the majority of their readers are women, many of them are in that age group, and quite a few of them have grown kids and are trying to redefine themselves.
So, it’s the best match. Certainly not the only place to write, but definitely a great place to get started.
Jon,
Your post really resonated with me, as do many of the comments from others. I am totally impressed with the dedication it takes to respond to so many as you have done. Here hoping you have a little more energy left for the task…..
BestCustomerConnection (http://BestCustomerConnection.com) is my slant on customer experience — specifically organizational dynamics that make it possible or impossible to delight customers.
As an organizational psychologist I’m fascinated by the ways leadership, employee engagement, technology, structure and process all make a difference in how we treat customers. I’ve been posting for 18 months.
I want to reach line managers, specialists in marketing, sales, organizational effectiveness and anyone else who really cares about customer experience. I guest post for the American Marketing Association and make time to comment on other blogs.
So how to I get to the next level?
Marc
Hi Marc,
Thanks for the compliments. Sometimes it takes me a while to get around everyone, but eventually, I do.
Delighting customers is certainly a popular topic, and it puts you squarely in the marketing niche, so that’s where I would look for guest posting opportunities first. Of course, the foremost of those is Copyblogger, where I’m the Associate Editor.
You might also find some opportunities with career blogs, technology blogs, and design blogs. All have connections to delighting the customer.
Best,
Jon
Jon,
I write a craft blog where I publish my own projects and tutorials. I sell some kits and patterns to go along with them. When a project gets a lot of attention, I will sell a finished piece, but I try my best to encourage my readers to make things themselves…they’ll love it even more if it’s handmade…by them! I’d love for you to take a look at my blog. I am in the middle of a complete redesign going on behind the scenes, so my recent posts have been “Top 10″ countdowns, leading up to the new site. Not much fresh content going up, but hopefully you’ll get a feel for what I do. I’d love any feedback you have!
Nikki
I see you completed your redesign. Looks nice!
While I’m not into it personally, I already have several students in the program in the craft niche, so I’m somewhat familiar with it. In general, writing for so-called “mommy blogs” seems to work well, because a lot of moms are into crafts. Personal finance blogs can also work, because you can save money by making some of these things, helping you live a more frugal lifestyle.
So, start there. Plenty of opportunities in both niches.
Hi Jon,
The problem I have is getting noticed in a market with thousands of blogs. I have just written a book which may help, but where do you start?
Thanks
Well, it’s hard to believe this when you get started, but it’s actually easier to get noticed in a crowded niche with thousands of blogs than an empty niche where you’re the only one writing. It’s because the more blogs there are, the more opportunities you have to get links.
So, this may be counterintuitive, but being in a crowded niche is a GOOD thing.
To stand out, you just need to release ultra-high-quality content (i.e., national magazine and newspaper quality), as well as form connections with popular bloggers. Guest blogging helps with both, so you should certainly give it a try.
Jon
John,
I’ve read through a lot of your comments today. Great stuff here, thanks!
I’m redoing all my websites & don’t have much brilliant writing to show off yet, which is why I didn’t respond right away. But I have a lot of content I’ll be getting out soon.
I’m a songwriter & performer. I also teach songwriting, guitar, & performance & I’m good at inspiring musicians & creative entrepreneurs. There are a lot of smaller music niche blogs I’m aware of – can you recommend any large blogs I should tap into?
Probably the easiest place to start is with career blogs. You could write about the brutal truth of working as a full-time/part-time songwriter, guitarist, musician, etc.
But it also connects with other niches. For example, you could write for a parenting blog about how to write songs to put your kids to sleep. You could write for a dating blog about the 10 instruments most likely to impress your girlfriend. Whatever.
Thanks, Jon! These are great ideas. I can see more ways to stretch my reach now.
Thanks Jon for the very generous offer. I’ve been trying to catch up on the advice you have been giving in the comments. Just watching two of the videos convinced me to sign up for the course!!
My blog is pretty new though I had the name and the first ‘post’ up last year.
I write about regular people who decide to do something different with their lives-rule breakers, path blazers… Not just entrepreneurs but also stories like that of building a resource that is really needed when none exist.
I have already made a list of blogs I could write guest posts for and know a few ‘big’ bloggers because of my regular comments and by sending them relevant links/info. The last comes very naturally to me because I tend to be a ‘fan girl’ when I love a blog and the blogger in question does notice me. I look forward to your advice & the course!
Awesome! Glad to hear you’re off to a great start, and a (very late) welcome to the class.
Hi, Jon. Thank you so much for taking the time to help.
Problem #1: I just (2 days ago) finally chose a niche, and I’m still not sure it’s the right one. The SCHMOrgasboard started as a blog filled with random musings. The tagline was “Blogging to the average Schmo”. I had goofy posts, a letter to my kids, social media stuff, etc. I figured out quickly that wasn’t working. So I looked through my posts, saw that social media posts outnumbered the rest, and made the outcasts private (can’t bear to delete them).
Problem #2: My post “7 Lessons I learned from Watching Cartoons” is a humorous post not fitting in with the social media stuff. I figured I can try to rewrite it to fit, but if I can’t, I’m afraid to get rid of it. It’s the biggest traffic getter (anywhere from 10-30 on average per week compared to 5 or less for each other post).
I’m also a mom and am considering starting a separate blog for that topic, as I’m not sure trying to combine the two would work out well.
Thank you again. I truly appreciate any advice you can give. I hope I didn’t take up too much of your time.
Diane
Yep, sounds like the path most bloggers follow. You start out writing about everything, and then you figure out you really want to be writing about one topic, but then you’re stuck with a blog bloated with everything.
My advice would be to definitely focus on one topic/audience. If that’s social media, you have plenty of guest posting opportunities without even leaving the niche.
I think we are all now waiting for nothing on this. I see that he has stopped answering all of us on the 2nd of June. I am not sure why he sent me an email to read this post and ask me to post here if he was not going to answer us anymore. I am disappointed in this and not sure why this happened. I hope all the people who posted after me will one day get an answer you are looking for. I do not think he will ever post again here. It is a lot of work and he is tired to do this. Sorry for everyone that this has happened to. Good luck all of you in your blogs and hope that you can find your way. I have a hard time becasue I am so old and it is not easy to understand any of this.
Well, not true, obviously.
I just got a bit behind, but I always, always follow through on the promises.
I, for one, posted a comment with the knowledge that bloggers have lives and do not have the time to sit around monitoring the comment thread for a single post; the knowledge that all good things must come to an end, or at least slow down to a trickle; and the hope that Jon may revisit this thread every so often. Even if it takes six months or a year, or even more, to get a response, I will appreciate the time he takes to respond to me and everyone else who has commented, and the advice I get will be worth the wait.
Thanks Diane.
And by the way, reading back to your question, I realized I didn’t answer about the post. 30 visits per day is nothing in the grand scheme of things, and it’s also not about how many people come to your site. It’s about how many people subscribe, and having a consistent message helps with that.
Hi again, Jon. Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment.
Since that comment, I did rewrite that Cartoon Lessons posts. It actually turned out quite well. I got a few comments on it. No new subscribers (yet) but I also bought theschmorgasboard.com and transferred my site over. I’m pretty excited about it and am looking forward to this new step toward a blogging career.
Since moving my blog, I joined a writing challenge group and decided to turn the old site into The Literary Schmorgasboard. I’ve loved creative writing since I learned how to write and think it will be a good outlet for all things not related to social media. Plus it will help me be a better writer in general.
I really want to thank you. You didn’t tell me to rewrite my post or move my blog, but if I hadn’t read this post and commented, it would’ve taken me much longer to reach this point, if ever I did. So thank you for inspiring me.
If you’d like to read the post, or any others, it’s at http://theschmorgasboard.com.God bless!
Diane
Hi Jon,
Thanks so much for offering to look at my blog and offer advice. I enjoy reading your post. It’s refreshing to find come across someone like you who is honest and direct.
The name of my blog is “Weather Anchor Mama.” I am a weather anchor in New York and my blog is about balancing career and motherhood. My 10 month old may drive me nuts sometimes, but it’s all worth it.
I write about everything from various conundrums with my little Princess, make up tips, creative gift ideas, and all things weather related,. Pretty much everything under the sun! My blog is almost 2 months old, and I would love to gain more followers. I’m totally new to the blogoshere and would appreciate your advice.
Weather Anchor Mama
Welcome to the blogosphere!
Careers and motherhood are two of the biggest niches there are, so you can probably start writing for blogs in those categories and do just fine.
Be careful about writing about “everything under the sun,” though. In general, your blog should be super tight and focused, giving them how to advice to make their lives better. Almost without exception, that’s the approach that gets the most traffic.
I’m in (what seems to be) a catch 22 situation. I’ve written books but haven’t had them published. I write about creativity which I think is desperately needed in the world today. (Not high art, more intuitive common sense to deal with all the broken systems).
I got tired of the conversations about how difficult it is to get a publishing deal so am now going the self publishing route. Now the conversations are ‘there’s no point self publishing if no-one reads your blog. You need followers. I have 12. I also have about 70 twitter followers but I think most of them are random people like restaurants and software salesmen.
I don’t want to sound whiny, desperate and needy but sometimes that’s exactly how I feel.
Well, you’re right about one thing. Using a blog to build your platform is a great way to get started as an author. Regardless of whether you’re self-publishing or getting a publisher, having a bunch of raving fans hanging on your every word is going to help book sales.
And some more good news: creativity is a super hot topic. At Copyblogger, it’s one of the most consistently popular topics we write about, and I think that’s because the near universal desire to be more creative.
Since creativity is connected to everything, it also makes it easier to get guest posts. You can talk about creativity as it relates to your career, parenthood, entrepreneurship, writing, pretty much anything, which opens up all of those niches to you. So, you’ll have plenty of opportunities.
The bad news:
I took a look at your blog, and the style of your posts is about three years outdated. You need to make them longer, focus them on teaching the reader how to do something, and use magazine-style headlines. In fact, the more you think of your blog as an online magazine, the better. That’s what they’re quickly becoming.
The good news: I think you have the writing chops to carry it off. If you can make the style adjustment and also start writing lots of guest posts (at least one per month, preferably more), I think you’ll see your traffic skyrocket.
Hi John,
I just received this post in my inbox. Not sure if you are still doing it but its worth a shot.
Yes, I have hit a glass wall. Make it the 178359th time you have heard this.
I am primarily a writer, a learner and a passionate teacher. I write to inspire anyone who wants to write on the web. ‘Another’ writing blog!
I started my blog as my writer’s platform, to show that I can in fact attract audiences and keep them. Within the first few months of blogging, of of my posts was featured on Freshly Pressed for about 4 days and I got around 230 subscribers off just that. That proved to me that given an opportunity, I can do this. I also receive quite a few comments considering I have a very small readership – less than 500 susbcribers. People tell me that they love my positive attitude, my quirkiness that I am quick to help. I value my readership and go out of my way to help them.
I want to establish my blog as a successful online writing blog – my goal is to win a Top Ten Writing Award for next year.
I am a passionate learner, I am persistent, I work hard. I have post graduate degrees in Law, Marketing and persuing one in Teaching now. I believe I can excel as a professional blogger. My biggest drawback – networking doesn’t come naturally to me. I can spend years at a place and come out making 3 close friends. I need to fix it I know. I am definitely going to do your course as soon as I finish my degree and do my best to do you proud. I have spent a year searching through everything available on the net, and I know a thing about Marketing or two. I know you are the best of the best (and I mean it) and that’s why I will follow you closey. Don’t freak out.:)
My guestposting isn’t going places – I am torn in many directions. Maybe the timing isn’t perfect for me but I know I have one shot. You my friend. Thank you.
Sorry – that turned into a vent – I will do it reply. Would be honoured to have some feedback on my blog. Cheers.
Marya,
Congrats on your persistence. A much needed trait to survive as a writer.
My first suggestion will sound counter-intuitive: Narrow who you write for and what you offer them. Writing for anyone who wants to write better on the web leaves you floating in the vast ocean of writers on the web. Nowhere.
Maybe you write for young women who write. Or for young women who dream of writing and feel they can’t. The biggest mistake bloggers make is to try to be everything to everybody. Pick a focus. You can always change.
Secondly, I’d suggest tightening up your writing. It’s easy to let everything we’re thinking flow through our fingers. It’s rarely a good idea.
Those two steps will take you a long way.
Good luck.
Good post Jon. I’ve enjoyed your blog posts and videos. I’m also a Copyblogger subscriber. My site is one of several that I have. This one is for political commentary. Thanks.
Hey Rick,
Congrats on taking the time and effort to share your thoughts in your blogs. Couldn’t find anything on your second blog so my comments are about the political site.
First, I’d suggest you upgrade to a better theme and navigation. Getting a navigation box that asks me whether I want to leave the page with every click is a major annoyance.
You are writing about timely news issues – energy, health care, politics. Look for blogs on personal finance, energy independence and green tech and political junkies like you. See if they accept guest posts.
Make notes about the popular topics on the blogs. Pitch ‘em an idea. Maybe you can trade guest posts.
Build your portfolio of guest posts and move up to bigger blogs.
Good luck.
Sorry Jon. I guess that I didn’t write my request in the correct format. I started the above blog several months ago. I get tremendous satisfaction from writing it. I also have several other blogs and affiliate sites with blogs. I have many interests and I’m trying to keep them separate so I don’t confuse my readers. My “life” blog is http://bfinfosystems.com. I sure would appreciate your opinion on either or both. Thanks and sorry for not getting it right the first time. Have a great day.
You will have fun with this one Jon. I am looking forward to your comments about how to bring more traffic to this niche site. This is an important challenge for me and when you visit the site you will see why.
Hi Vicky,
I honor your energy, tenacity and courage.
You’ve lived through alot and you have great stories and wisdom to share. Unfortunately, just telling your story is not enough to bring traffic.
The key is in writing with such resonance that your reader feels you are telling THEIR story, not your’s. If you can make people believe you are reaing their mind because you are mirroring their feelings so well, you’ve done it. Those are the posts that create raving fans and people share.
I also suggest making your site visually less busy. The world map in the background is distracting. You might trying graying it down or creating more of a ghost image.
Best to you.
Marsha
Ok, so I am a few days late for responding to your call for helping us. I actually tried to read thru all the comments and responses and didn’t even get halfway though. I’m pretty sure I know what to do with guest blogging at this point, I know its something I am going to do and now I am simply curious what you might say are the big blogs I could write for.
I have 2 sites, http://emilyrose.co (where I tell my story and offer support and advice to creatives who may have (dis)abilities) and http://emilyrosetheartist.com (featuring my personal art for sale.)
What do you think Jon?
Thanks for your time in looking at my sites and letting me know!
Hi Emily,
Sorry for the delay. Jon’s kept me busy working on the member’s side of the site.
There are a wide range of blogs you could write for about creativity and (dis) ability and how one feeds the other.
Obviously, the creativity and art blogs should be on your list. Add to that personal development blogs. What about minimalist blogs about how you’ve had to limit your creative choices and come out stronger?
Women’s lifestyle and health sites are other natural extensions. Some personal finance blogs may be open to your story of how you support yourself.
Enjoy and good luck!
Hi Jon! Thanks so much for doing this! And not shutting it down after the first 300 comments
I run a blog with a very specific niche – women who run handmade or creative online businesses (like Etsy) –
recently I have had coaching and ebooks to my offerings
http://www.frecklelips.com
There aren’t many crafty business blog that are super successful – so i’m wondering what other blogs I could reach out to?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Sammi,
To be honest, if you hadn’t said what your site is about I wouldn’t have known it after landing on your site. My first suggestion is to write a tagline that explains what you and who you do it for.
Don’t limit your thinking about what you can write about. Jon teaches an entire module on expanding your message.
If your specialty is creative entrepreneurs you can write for creativity and productivity blogs, business and personal finance blogs, personal development blogs, “mommy” blogs, women’s lifestyle blogs.
The blogosphere is your oyster. Enjoy.
Sorry Jon. Couldn’t miss the opportunity. I hope you get to recharge with kharma from helping all us out!
I started a site called Gilt Clover: Life Design for Innerpreneurs – Manifest Your Essence. I’m also started a project to interview 1000 visionaries for Sustained Humanity.
I just started. I haven’t added any products or services yet. I do have some great connections I’ve made, and I am getting comments and RT. I would like to harness more of it. If you could take a look and let me know what you think, I would sooo appreciate it!
Rhina,
Love the hip design of your blog. Very fitting for your topic and audience.
Hit up the personal development blogs, especially for women. Also spirituality blogs, women’s lifestyle blogs, healthy and beauty, life design blogs and of course — art, fashion, culture and maybe even some counter-culture blogs with a similar vibe.
Good luck.
Hi Jon, thanks so much for the opportunity. In early June I started http://www.BlogRehab.com. I’m a former editor addicted to reading blogs. I noticed that a lot of bloggers made typos and grammatical errors that made them look less professional. I thought I could help them in a fun way. My mission is explained here: http://www.blogrehab.com/2011/06/intervention-begins.html. Most of my grammar tips for bloggers have funny examples and wacky retro photos to illustrate my points.
I don’t think anyone else is doing this quite the way I am. I’m doing regular guest posts for TribalBlogs.com, and would be honored to do some for you! I already have lots of ideas. I’d appreciate your taking a look at my blog for bloggers.
http://www.BlogRehab.com
Thanks!
Clever, fresh, witty and nicely designed.
Looks like you’ve already had a guest post at Johnny B.’s site so you may be on your way.
Besides writing blogs, look for sites where particular groups of bloggers hang out — blogs on creativity, productivity, personal development should be easy.
Think beyond just “writing” and you can find places eager for your humor.
Hi Jon – I bet you are regretting you opened the flood gates! But what an incredible gift you are giving us all. I’m a professional woman who writes a blog for working mothers – with a particular focus on women who are middle to senior managers. I guess I am a sub-niche of the mom bloggers niche. You’ve sold me on guest blogging (via a great endorsement from Jen Gresham) and where I’m struggling is 1) continuing to sharpen and focus my content and 2) who to target for my guest blogging effort. I’m not designing my site to sell any products (yet) but I am working on my first e-booklet on maternity leave to come out this fall (I was thinking of just giving this particular one away).
If you are still providing feedback, I’d love your thoughts on my blog – good or bad. Also, a question. Did I see you are in North Carolina? If so, do you live workshops in the area?
Best to you.
Portia,
Sounds like you need to create a marketing plan. That will help you in both your content and guest posting, as well as helping you focus any offerings such as e-books.
Where does your niche of professional women hang out online? That’s where you want to guest post. Look at mom blogs, career blogs, productivity and personal finance blogs.
Cheers,
Marsha
P.S. Jon currently lives in Mexico. He doesn’t do live workshops.
I started my blog last October because I wanted to record my original songs and encourage others to follow after their own creative dreams. I use my degree in Business to help readers (aka “Creative Minds”) to learn the tumultuous business-side and live out their goals. On Wednesday and Thursday, I write about life (usually calling the reader to see a different perspective, be inspired, make a life change). I feel like my readers enjoy both aspects of my blog.
I guess I’m stuck deciding between going full-force into my Monday blog focus and continuing where I’m going…basically, deciding what I am doing in a nutshell.
Hi Jenny,
Not sure I found your blog — it didn’t have a header or title on the top.
Which way you go depends on your goals. Do you want to build a following that can eventually pay you for products or services? That determine which path is closest to cash.
Whether or not you’re interested in income, the key to any successful blog is determining what your readers are concerned about and want to know and giving it to them. This proves itself over and over every day.
Good luck. Keep writing.
I’ve enjoyed this series so far, and I’ve learned a ton from it. I would love to have a more experienced/successful blogger to take a look at my blog and see what they think.
My blog is a health/fitness blog, focused on kettlebell training and intermittent fasting for weight loss.
Thanks!
Hi Jon, i started this blog, 6 weeks ago, as a test of my own skills for writing. I have been off of work due to work related stress caused by a bully boss, there are 2 great niche topics.
I am also married to an awesome painter and decorator, another great niche subject, which he is not convinced about.
My iLoveSchnoodles blog is my testing ground but I am not convinced it has potential as a money making venture, more a hobby.
What suggestions (easy to implement) have you to monetizing it?
With warmest wishes
Lorraine
Hi Haley,
Is your program for men or women? What age? When you know that, where do they hang out online?
Look at health and fitness blogs (of course), personal development, men and women’s lifestyle blogs, even beauty blogs.
Also, consider using either a premium WordPress theme or hiring a web designer to give you a hip, fresh look. It will help
Best of luck!
I suppose it may happen to anybody! As the nature of people is liek this that we are always looking for something new and interesting! But you made you way back to online writing, so it is very cool!
Hello Jon
I am exactly the “case study” for failed blogs. I started my blog a few months ago merely because I loved to write. I was fed the exact same line..
Create great content, write your heart out and help change the world.
Needless to say after about a month of facebooking my friends and family that I had a new post and to please “like” it or even read it at least read it, I abandoned that and started making niche adsense sites and promoting clickbank products.
Then It hits me that my goal wasn’t just making money, I WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE!
How can I write about the topics I love (inspiring other) and still make it profitable and get traffic?
please help
I am actually just starting up a blog for the first time–I am playing around with content but haven’t yet begun publishing my posts [not yet happy with them], and am somewhat torn as far as where I’m going, niche-wise.
My first preference is to write a sort of anecdotal blog–I have done a lot of prolonged low-budget travel [by "low-budget", think "dirtbag"], have worked some very unusual jobs [traveling the US as a full-time freelance model, living and working in remote wilderness for six months, etc.], and have been through some rather unorthodox experiences that I won’t go into [as this comment is going to be long enough already]. My life itself lacks cohesion–which is almost what I would want to emphasize via my content–and I worry that any blog I write may similarly be tough to unify with any one theme.
I was thinking I’d spice up the content by adding interviews with people I meet–experts on popular fields [I have a good friend who plays a significant and rather publicized role in the permaculture movement, as one example] and people I’ve met who are involved in various subcultures [especially some that are widely frowned upon: urban explorers, street performers, people in swinger/kinky/BSDM culture, adult film actors, certain religious groups, etc.]–perhaps as well as reviews, or instructional posts on miscellaneous things I’ve picked up along the way [everything from how to sleep in your car to how to waxing your legs with sugar].
Main question, I guess: Is there a way I can give this blog enough cohesion to appeal to a target demographic [or two or five]? [And if so...what kind of audience would that BE, anyway?] Thanks in advance!
I found your article informative. I have been thinking of guest blogging and it makes me feel better to know that it could be a process I could accomplish. Thanks
Hey Jon!
From the look of it, I may have missed the boat on this one… But I’m going to throw my blog into the ring anyhow!
After reading through all the comments above, I’ve developed a list of potential niche blogs to go after, from mommy blogs to parenting blogs to photography and personal development, so thank you!
I’d love any other feedback you might have on http://www.layoutaday.com, where I focus in fast, fun scrapbooking ideas and inspiration.
Thanks so much-
Lain
My blog is about family travel – tips, and our personal travels driving from Alaska to Argentina.
My readers are parents who want to travel with their children, or those who just dream about it.
I want to monetize my blog. I’m creating products, but need to grow my traffic.
I’d LOVE to connect to Lifehacker, DumblittleMan, other productivity blogs and blogs for creative people, “life reinventors” and entrepreneurs. How would I approach them to be a guest blogger?
My blog The DaVinci Dilemma(TM) is for multi-talented (renaissance people) and gives tips and inspiration for making the most of your many talents while combatting common issues of the polymath such as overwhelm, procrastination, distraction, fear of failure etc.
People who find the blog LOVE it, and we have written a lot of very good content, but our list is much smaller than I would like. If a blog grows in the forest and no one sees it…
Thanks!!!
Lisa
Hey Patrick~I’m a blogger who writes about de-stressing, relaxation, exercise, meditation, personal/inspirational stories and changing your life.
I would love to help inspire people to become entrepreneurs and/or help them be inspired and live more productively in this stressed-out world–while doing what they love to do! Preferably from anywhere.
PS~I recently had my first guest blog post in Problogger~http://bit.ly/qomPQT, although I’m not sure that site attracts my target audience which is predominately, I think, women 24-25-ish or older, creative women (and some men).
Look forward to hearing from you! Thanks.
Jean
Hey John,
It looks like you got a handful of comments on this post.
Damn, typo. But at least I didn’t address you as Patrick…
Hello,
I have just started my blog, my first post went up two days ago!
It is going to be a blog for people with back pain and back related problems. The approach is minimalistic. I simplify complex medical jargon and offer people simple, clear, useful advice on taking care of your back and looking after your body.
http://www.thebackblog.com/
Any feedback or suggestions for the future will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Joshua,
Health, fitness and wellness blogs are huge. You should have no trouble finding other blogs that would appreciate guest posts on what is one of the biggest health complaints. Consider taking your expertise to places and people who experience back pain: workplace sites and blogs, blogs for freelancers, new moms suffering from back pain, senior citizens and those with limited mobility. I’d also suggest making your posts shorter. They are very comprehensive, but you will run out of topics soon. You can do a series of short posts on the best exercise. That gives you more to Tweet and post to Facebook about. Then package all of them into a free ebook. Keep up the good work.
Jon,
I write a blog about classic cars, race cars and the people who made them or drove them.
I have been at it for 9 months posting 5-8 times per week. I have about 150-200 unique visitors per day. I started writing a weekly guest column 2 weeks ago on a UK car site. Two other sites that are related aggregate car blogs, one is German and one is in English. I am on both sites but for some reason Analytics does not show any click throughs.
There are not many blogs that are like mine. Most car sites are either discussion forums or professional magazines with a dozen writers.
I rank very high on Google, the top 1,2 & 3, on certain search terms about cars that are my speciality. The name of my blog also ranks No. 1 on Google.
Yet, I would like much more traffic because I do not think that I can make much money at this traffic level.
Thank you for your help.
Mike,
Bad news first: Get your blog off Blogger and onto a self-hosted, WordPress site. Your blog looks good — for a hobbyist. It’s not that hard to rank high in a small niche. But to drive real traffic — or sell ads, you must be on a self-hosted site. There is a bias in the blogosphere and you’ve hit your glass ceiling.
The good news: Get a serious, professional site, come up with a kickass series of interviews and pitch to one of the magazines. Or, pitch to the car maker’s sites/blogs. Or pitch to a print publication. Or to some of the manufacturers who make some of the hottest components for classic or race cars. What about men’s lifestyle or health blogs and magazines? What about Playboy?
Work your knowledge of the niche and your connections. Floor it.
Wow number 482. Thanks so much for you offer, and I kinda like the vulnerable side of you.
I know I’ve hit the glass ceiling…..I have bruises to show for it. I get told by readers and others that my content is great, but I just can’t seem to win on the subscriber and traffic front. I want to get more street cred in marketing/business writing, and roll-on work blogging and writing about my obsessions.
Knowing I could put more work into building relationships with other bloggers (as you say) and comment etc… I took my first big step and have just had a guestie today on Write To Done and another on Virgin Blogger Notes.
So I can taste what you’re talking about and how it all works, but not sure where to go from here…..help please
Hey Di Mace,
Congrats on your first steps. Those may be the hardest. As Jon said in his post, this is about targeting readers, not topics. Who are your readers? Where do they hang out? What’s your target market? What are they worried about? What can you help them solve? Answer those questions and you’ll know what to write about, for whom, and the blogs you need to be on. Writing about your obsessions is not the key; write about what your readers are obsessed about. Good luck.
Wow Jon, truly a generous thing you are doing.
My blog targets those people that want to get fit with an all natural whole foods approach (raw foods)
I want to incorporate fitness and healthy eating and help people achieve both.
Thanks!
Luis,
You’re onto a huge trend. Where do your potential readers hang out? Health and fitness blogs? Sites on exercise and personal training? What about lifestyle blogs — for women, for moms, for baby boomers and aging boomers concerned about maintaining their health. Craft some guest posts to target the specific needs of those audiences and pitch them. I don’t think you’ll have much trouble. Be well.
Hi Jon
Great blog post, equally great offer and way too good to miss. I’m a ghost writer and copywriter so would love your comments on my blog, which also serves as my website.
Thank you
Thank you for some other informative site. Where else may just I get that type of info written in such an ideal method? I’ve a mission that I am simply now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such information.king Regards Tom
Daily meditation practice works wonders for me. Absolutely love it! I hope everyone gives it a try!
I have found you just at the right time! My blog is geared towards moms wanting to create change in their life and the world. I have a small subscribe list and am considering shifting my focus to nutrition and fitness – which would feed my business site http://www.radiantlifehealthcounseling.com
I am considering starting a separate blog about real food, health, fitness, and step away from the mommy side of things. Or…blending the two.
Not sure….ugh. I love blogging and need to make it work.
I should sign up for your class
Hi Jon,
My blog is about simplifying life and enjoying it. A very avid fan of zenhabits, although he doesn’t do guest posts anymore.
My site is http://sagoyism.com
Can you take a look at my site and tell me any mistakes I’m making?
Also, what do you think I should do to get more readers/subscribers? And where do I look for opportunities to write guest posts?
Many thanks,
Josh Sarz
Hi Jon, seriously new to blogging. We have been writing about one blog per month and have tried to incorporate different key words ( using key word analytic to determine niches) to einto each blog, knowing full well that it would be next to impossible to target say “jewelry” as we are not experts. I am one of those people who has already reached out to several other people seeking guest blogging opportunities and want to pursue this further. My question is simply, I am dumbfounded where to to begin to find a niche. Our product is all about the connections made when you give The Angel Pendant, how it touches people,gives them hope, taps into their heart if you will. We are not a religious site, not a jewelry site. We already share people’s stories on our site and I use Facebook and twitter to share then as well. SO… what to write about. I am running out of ideas and feel like every blog is beginning to sound like the last one – telling a story of how we helped raise money for a cause or how the angel pendant will serve as s vehicle for their special message. HELP… so how do you develop a niche. So far, website traffic has been very low and I do post to digg as well.
PS Jon, Here is our website, I would appreciate your feedback and tips.
http://www.theangelpendant.com/welcome
Thank you Jon!
Hey jon,
My website is http://whosyourblogger.net/
I have had one guest post on Pro Blogger, and another coming 9/27/11
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/05/14/a-blog-commenting-strategy/
I also have guest posted on some small blogs like John Chow, Max Blogpress, and NetChunks.
Is there any way I can get a guest post on Copy Blogger
Or what can I do to help you first? 
I popped over because of Annabel Candy’s tweet on Friday… and then I stayed the weekend!!! Watched your videos – very inspiring… but more inspiration came from your comments WOW… I have a momblog where I write list posts about almost anything outings, school ideas, parenting, tips. I would like my blog to stand out in the crowds of millions of other moms around the world but I just couldn’t think of where to guest post “BIGGER” so to speak… I have often guest posted on the same level, but I would love to grow my traffic… who doesn’t love a traffic spike that stays!!! Anyway reading through your replies to comments has given me a heap of ideas. I won’t be signing up for your course – my blog does not earn dollars, let alone installments of them!!! But I really wanted to say THANK YOU for the inspiration and the challenge you have set to aim higher and dream bigger!!!
I live in this place of going back and forth about whether blogging is worth it. I’ve thought about quitting but I like it so I keep going. I’ve always heard it’s about great content. I guess I’ve been doing it backwards too. Thanks for this post. it really hit home!
Hi Jon,
My blog is young and I am enjoy seeing it grow, I write to encourage people and to show people how to live their lives to the fullest.
We should all learn how to live the life that we deserve, and I come in to show how. I am looking forward to start your course and learn ways of ensuring I reach a larger audience and share my ideas.
Thanks for sharing what you know with us. Not many people give so freely.
I truly wanted to compose a message in order to express gratitude to you for the awesome tricks you are writing at this site. My considerable internet search has at the end been paid with high-quality points to exchange with my family and friends. I would point out that we website visitors actually are unequivocally endowed to exist in a fine site with so many perfect people with very helpful things. I feel quite blessed to have come across the weblog and look forward to plenty of more excellent moments reading here. Thanks a lot again for everything.
Hi Jon
My blog has evolved from a health and fitness blog to one about food (eating disorder recovery), sex (love in mid life) and death (my husband’s suicide) all with lots of swearing and hopefully some inspiration.
Any ideas about popular blogs that would be interested in my crazy perspective?
I know I’m the 495th comment so I hope your fingers haven’t worn out by the time you get all the way down here
Thanks for taking the time to do this … it is very generous.
My blog is: head-heart-health.com
Hello, Jon,
I’m a male quilter (there are more of us than you think) who’s come up with a new take on Celtic knot applique.
My four-month-old blog has chronicled the creation of a new body of work for an upcoming gallery show (next week).
I’ve written an article for an online magazine aimed at quilters (which hasn’t published yet).
All of this is coming to a head at a time when the original purpose of the blog is coming to an end . . . is there life for my blog after the gallery show??
I want to be the blog & help you find at 2am when you are searching “_(medical diagonsis)_ what do we do now”.
My focus is the first six weeks after a diagnosis when normal people with busy lives need to learn about hospital culture, patient advocacy, and learn the language of medicine.
I would love to hear your take on what I want to do.
Hi Jon,
Thank you for writing a post that makes so much sense. My niche is helpful relationship advice for couples (married or not)at http://www.reconnectrelationships.com
I am discouraged about my blog that no one seems to read (except those generic wordpress responders) and I have not posted a blog on my site for a while. I get more “mileage” out of sending the same article as an e-newsletter to my contact list.
I could be a guest-blogger and would love to hear your ideas of where to start.
Janna
Hi Jon
Thank you for returning to the blog world and teaching. I hear you on the importance of connections first. I can see why there’s no advancement without, yet an introvert finds that part challenging.
I joined the application list for ‘Surviving the Blog’ to get some immersion in it. A good dunking in ‘making connections’ will be good for my soul, and my business. Even if the prospect of it all is daunting. But on:
the glass ceiling at the Bellagio is pretty; mine is not.
Jon,
My blog is several months old and just a handful of subscribers. After watching your guest posting video w/ JBT, I began searching for blogs in my niche with an eye to guest posting.
My niche is parents of teens with disabilities planning for life after high school. Most of the sites that pop up with my key words are static government sites not blogs.
Any suggestions about traffic generation and guest posting really appreciated! Thanks for the generous offer and for all your great content!
Jon,
I blog about political issues, technology innovations, Arctic developments, etc, as they apply to one aspect or another of climate change. Sometimes, I tie them into my environmental thriller novel, MELTING DOWN (“Jason Bourne meets climate change”).
please take a quick look: http://www.harvey-stone.com. Any suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Harvey Stone
Hi Jon,
I can’t find your response to my post yesterday, Oct. 2nd. I’d really appreciate getting your comment on my blogs at http://www.harvey-stone.com
Thank you, sir.
Regards,
Harvey
Hi Harvey,
I’m Jon’s protege, and he has bequeathed this task to me.
As Jon says in the post above, target readers not topics. A quick glance at your blog shows me you’re targeting topics — noble ones, indeed. Who are your readers? Can you specifically define your target audience? How old are they? Which sex? Political party? Where do they hang out online? What do they read?
Answer those questions. Figure out what concerns keep your readers up at night, or what they argue about over a beer. They find the blogs that appeal to those readers and pitch posts on those topics.
I can pretty much guarantee you’ll see a jump in traffic from receptive readers.
Go for it.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for sharing some of your history here.
I write to people learning how to play guitar, I try to deal with topics that seem silly but at the time they can feel like major issues,
Example: Getting your pinky to stop doing the crooked dance when you’re trying to play guitar scales or 3 finger chords.
I’d really like to know your ideas on what kind of posts might work as I approach other bloggers for guest posts.
http://www.instantguitarist.com/
Cheers
Ant
Ant,
Now that you’re a member, you’ll get lots of feedback.
But let’s get you started. Look beyond music blogs to the places your target market hangs out. What about parenting blogs, for parents of kids learning to play guitar? How about lifestyle blogs? And there’s a universe of blogs that focus on arts and entertainment. Music is creative — there’s a huge trend now in developing creativity. Lots of blogs.
Can you turn those “silly” things into a fun read with a sense of humor? If so, you’ve probably doubled your chances.
Any of those strike a chord? Sorry — couldn’t help myself.
HI. I have a non-drug treatment for dyslexia (booksneuraltherapy)and I just wrote a book titled Reversing Dyslexia: Improving Learning and Behavior without Drugs which is due out in February, 2012.
I am also developing online classes to teach parents how to do the work on their kids if they can’t afford to come see me or live somewhere really remote.
I figure I need to reach parents of 5-15 years olds.(although it works on all ages, even at 70) ..and I don’t know where to start. I need to build a big mailing list so people can buy the book and the online training program. Can you please help me with the blogging – who and where to write to??? Huge thanks in advance.
Hi Phyllis,
Congrats on focusing on helping people. The world needs what you do.
You need to find out where these parents hang out online. Parenting blogs, blogs for moms, blogs for parents of kids with special needs may be the most obvious places. Expand that to lifestyle blogs — urban sites, country living sites, regional sites. What are a parent’s biggest worries and needs? Write about those, one at a time. Adjust your focus and your tone for the specific blog’s audience. Do some keyword searches on dyslexia and you’ll find the places you should be pitching guest posts. Keep up the good work.
HI I am interested in blogging to the dyslexia world. I have developed a non-drug treatment and just finished a book, Reversing Dyslexia: Improving Learning and Behavior without Drugs. But I can’t figure out how to find the parents of dyslexic kids and also adults who would like to be empowered to leave the mainstream belief that dyslexia is permanent..and actually heal their issue.
Help!! How do I reach people who would like to reverse their dyslexia. (yes, it’s possible to reverse it and not just compensate which is what mainstream medicine and education still touts).
I’m truly enjoying the style and layout of your site. It’s very easy on the eyes and that makes it tons more pleasant for me to check in here and frequent more often. Did you bring on board a developer to design your theme? Excellent work!…
Hi Jon (Well Marsha now)
I’ve really enjoyed your last few posts and videos and reading these comments. Your offer of looking at our blogs is incredible and I hope loads of us leaving comments sign up for your class!
This information has come at a time when I am currently opening up my blog to guest bloggers to focus on another project or a couple of months. But all this information has got me buzzing…I go to and fro between wanting to devote loads of time and energy to my blog and then having the urge to do other projects instead. It also eats up a lot of my time and if I continue I’d like to make it work financially.
I’m in the huge niche of Natural Parenting Bloggers and wonder what other blogs other than parenting ones should I target? Also interested in how on earth I can earn an income from this niche but I expect I’m asking too much with that – any links appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Hi Jon!
I realy liked the article, keep up the good work.
P.S.- Quick tip – Next time put more images (they make it easier and more enjoyable to read).
Jon… you’re going to give feedback on 516 blogs (517 now,)? Talk about doing something ‘remarkable’. Thank you so much.
My blog is http://SpiritSentient.com, and I offer Success-Consciousness For Creative People.
I work with creative entrepreneurs (artists mainly), who know they’re talented but not-quite-successful, helping them live wealthier lives.
I’m open to any feedback, thanks again,
-Jason
HiJon,
This is simply amazing. Very few marketers do this and it’s what sets them apart.
My blog is about Fitness where I cover a lot of topics. Would love to hear your take on it.
Thanks
Jay
Jay,
The trick with fitness blogs, any health blog for that matter, is making the new visitor feel that you’re talking to them and know their fitness problem when they land on your site.
That means you have to be clear with your branding and positioning. That doesn’t have to be hard — just what problem you solve, what your unique solution is and who you serve.
Present that clearly, then tailor your fitness topics to your unique audience and their concerns and worries.
Do that and you’ll stand out from all the other fitness blogs out there trying to be everything to everyone.
Best of luck.
I am confused. The emails I’ve gotten pretend like you’ve just done this, but yet most of these comments are back from February. Is this just a repost of something you already did? You clearly didn’t respond to all the questions in the last 3 days like your email implies.
I like your stuff but I wish this post and its promotion didn’t seem so devious.
Beth,
Sorry for any confusion. This blog, and especially this post, is dynamic and changing.
We have new people discovering the site all the time, so the sequence may not be clear.
We do respond to all the comments but it may take some time.
Sorry again for any confusion.
Everything Jon says applies to me, almost verbatim.
My problem really is trying to do it all alone.
I focus my writing on sharing ideas and advice for writing, school and blogging. I occasionally do a blog post about good living, ways to balance life and to improve the quality of it, because many lessons learned can turn into great posts.
I joined the class and I’m extremely excited to begin this weekend.
I know after 3 months I will further improve my craft and understanding.
Ok here goes, I am writing concerning Prophecy and end time events, be sure and vist my BLOG and let me know what you think and thanks for the feed back
HJ Ross
HJRoss,
Who do you want to read your stuff? Figure out where they hang out online and where this topic is being discussed.
Study the posts and see where you can offer your viewpoint. Suggest a guest post.
Best of luck.
Hey Jon,
I’m writing about electronic music, I’m currently sitting at about 1,200 uniques a day, but I don’t know how to monetize without being excessive advertisements.
Any thoughts?
Gregory,
This site and course isn’t about monetizing your blog, so I probably won’t give you the answer you want.
Besides advertising, I’d look into affiliate products and relationships, so that you get a commission if readers click a link on your site and purchase something. Similar to advertising but more subtle.
Good luck.
Hello, my blog exists but it has no posts, because after open it I began reading Problogger and learned a lot, and then I realized that I have no contacts at all. The site would be in spanish, because it´s my native tongue, but, who are “The spanish Bloggers”? How I make my contacts?
Laura,
It is tougher in other languages. Use the Spanish version of Google to search for the biggest blogs in your language. Look for related topics to your focus and see how you can position yourself to build relationships. You may have to do some educating on what guest posting is before you land any posts
Best of luck.
Hi Jon, thanks for your offer & tips.
I have a new blog on personal growth. I’m wondering if it is realistic to think that I could actually make a living from blogging? ( Given that I’m new to writing, blogging, traffic, and no contacts).
If it’s possible, what might be a typical timeframe to create an income at least $2K/mo? What if I bought & worked your program?
Thanks,Brad
Brad,
The only way to make a living from blogging or online is to find a need people have and fulfill it. If you can identify a need that people worry about and would pay money to have solved, you can make a living.
Personal growth is a huge and growing niche. There are LOTS of people blogging about their personal growth process but I’m willing to bet, few who are making money at it. Flip it around.
Write about your readers’ personal growth processes and help them solve their problems and you’ll build a following. Listen to what they want and need and provide it and you can start making money.
Time frame? Unknown. Depends on how quick you are to attract a school of hungry fish and give them exactly the kind of food they want.
Best to you. Namaste.
Hi Jon,
Thank you for this article
I’ve been frustrated lately, and this made me feel a lot better.
The goal of my blog is to cover the different sides of being a young woman (young-mid twenties) with authentic, inspiring posts that reflect our imperfections and still can teach something and show hope and a positive future.
I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Thank you again
Best, Jen
Hi Jen,
Now that you’re a member, you’ve gotten more and more focused. Can’t wait to see what you create!
Hi Jon & Marsha!
My website brings out the strength in people! My blog is all about improving sports performance for people involved in endurance sports like triathlon & running.
My readers tend to be slightly more woman than men, middle income people who have been involved in sports for a couple of years & are looking for an edge, a way to improve to improve on their previous performances.
My goals for the blog are twofold – to build an active community (I rarely recieve comments even though I have many readers) & for the site to be seen as the ‘go to’ for topics on the area.
Warm regards,
Jen
Hi Jen,
I looked at your site and to be honest, I couldn’t find your blog. Your site looks very commercial and advertises your services well with lots of people pictures, but I can see why you aren’t getting comments. It doesn’t have the feel or look of a community site.
How about featuring some articles or interviews on the home page, to jump inside? Under the intro on the home page you could have a list of related articles, which would also draw people in.
I would consolidate your service offerings in one area and move your “About” segment to an About page so you can feature more user-friendly content on the home page. Otherwise, it feels like a sales brochure and I just want to click away.
Overall it looks like you offer great resources. The site just needs a more user-friendly presentation.
Best of luck.
Hey there! So, I have been struggling with my blog. Right now, I’ve got a food blog…but I realized that I’ve been just copying what other bloggers have been doing. I didn’t have a niche. I still don’t. I came up with an idea last night…and am still putting the finishing touches on it….but I think I could have my own spin. I just feel like I’m wandering around aimless and have no direction. I want my readers/commenting to grow and it just hasn’t. Help!
Brooke,
Food blogging is a great niche, but as you’ve found, it’s easy to become just another foodie blog.
What’s your passion about food? What do you want to communicate to people about? Health, taste, natural foods, local foods? Do you have strong opinions about how food should be prepared or eaten?
Looking at your blog I find no reason I should stop and visit. What does “waiting to rise” mean? Give me a tagline that tells me what you write about and for who.
Include your photo — it’s not on your about page. You need to share your personality and passion; not just a picture of your dog.
Focus on a few things about food that really matter to you and let your passion flow. Make the text bigger, too, so it’s easier to read.
Give people reasons to hang out and talk to you, and they will.
Best of luck.
I am a maternity/newborn photographer. I write about recent sessions, upcoming promos and a few things on teaching new mamas about how to take care of newborn, your pregnancy, and all of that jazz..so what do I do to draw more attention. my readers are new moms, girls that want to use me when they get pregnant, pregnant women and even some guys..I want to have people have trust enough to hire me as “the trusted baby whisperer.” as well as been known for knowing so much about babies that they feel comfortable with me and their new babe..I do travel to photograph in other states and will be moving to colorado, so I really want to get more customers from there and promote to all the celebs that have interest in hiring me.(I have done a lot of children’s commercial work that has images in the high end boutiques that celebs shop at.) so here you go, bring it on! thanks much! best. danielle fox
Danielle,
You DO take fabulous baby photos. Well done. And you’re in a large and growing niche — you can target new moms in both text and photos.
However, your talent is lost and being amateurized by having your blog on Typepad. Get off Typepad and get on your own self-hosted domain. There are some absolutely gorgeous WordPress themes for photographers now that are very easy to set up and showcase your art so beautifully I can practically guarantee you’ll be able to raise your fees easily.
Also, get rid of the social media feeds — you’re wasting valuable space that should be devoted to your photos. Put them on a separate social media page on your new blog.
Highlight and exploit your reputation as the “baby whisperer.” Get testimonials from clients and feature prominently.
Use your experience with babies and selected photos (with permission) to write guest posts on mommy blogs and photography blogs.
You will be able to take this career anywhere you like with the right online presence.
Good luck.
Hey Guys!
I am doing a blog about online PR/Marketing and sales techniques for SMEs. However, it mainly focuses on the former and emphasizes that PR is still relevant in achieving success for online small businesses.
My readers are mainly small business owners who may need some pointers as to how to get the ball rolling online and attract targeted attention to their businesses. I might also pick up students of PR and Marketing who just want some tips for doing this online.
I hope to accumulate a substantial amount of readers as well as some small business clients for my PR/Marketing firm that is now in its final stage of development.
Thanks for you tips
Kind regards,
Shelly
Shelly,
There’s a lot your market needs to know about PR and marketing online — and a lot they are afraid of. So you have a lot of client education to do, before they can even begin to benefit from what you can do for them or help them do. Be aware you may have to start from very basic steps.
I would also suggest you hire a professional web designer for your blog. I clicked over, and your home page is a mass of teasers to your posts — all in the same body copy text font. There is no header or tagline that tells me where I’ve landed, what you do and how you do it for.
If you want to attract SMEs you need to have a first-class, kick-ass site that demonstrates you know what you’re talking about. Otherwise you efforts will be wasted.
Take a look at Duct Tape Marketing and a few of the other leading marketing blogs, and you’ll quickly see what I mean.
Onward!
Hullo! What a sweet offer you’ve thrown out to all the frustrated bloggers of the world. Not a club I’d like to stay in much longer… Anywho.
My blog is geared for stressed out solopreneurs and micro business owners who know that work should be easier–they just don’t know how. I’ve got a bent towards mindfulness and people who give a shit about their impact and contribution to the world.
So many thanks for your thoughts!
Shawn
Damn, Marsha just let Jon know that he writes awesome.
I know he is going to say yeah another fan boy. Ofcourse I write awesome, that’s my job
but please tell him he writes awesome.
Just that, thanks!
Message delivered.
Hi Marsha,
My blog is about interior design. I focus on design inspiration, DIY projects, and learning to design for your own home. My targeted audience are mostly adult women, but really anyone interested in interior design. I want to gain a following of readers so I’m not writing for crickets. I want my blog to be full of good information, but also down to earth and entertaining.
I really do appreciate your help and advice. Thank you!!
Hi Jenna,
Write about kid-friendly inspired design and guest post on mom and parenting blogs. Write about designing outdoor rooms or garden rooms and approach gardening blogs.
Low-cost, high-end makeovers? What about personal finance blogs?
What makes your blog different from others? Pick a style, a theme — even a color. I stumbled across a great blog on blogspot of all places, House of Turquoise, while researching paint colors this summer.
The writer loves all things turquoise and puts together an inspiring blog — which, by the way, is where I found my inspiration and my color to paint an old chest.
Have fun!
Hi Marsha
My blog is a personal record of my life as the mother of our 3 children under 6 and my rediscovery of my identity.
By choice, it’s purely personal and not-for-profit as I need this creative space to express myself. It’s really helped me in my recovery from PND.
However, life on a single income is very tight and I may need to monetise it some time in the next year or so. If I did, I would have strategically chosen ads in my sidebar of products I really like and are a good ‘fit’ for my readers.
I have a brilliant band of core followers and have created a tight sense of community which I’m really enjoying.
However as the children are growing up, I feel the need to shift my focus outward from the home more and follow my passions like stationery, foreign languages, travel, blogging, reading, all things French and German and papercraft.
Careerwise, I’m a lawyer but haven’t practised for the past 4 years as I’ve been a SAHM with the children. I am considering leaving the law and maybe following some of my passions above to forge a new career.
Teaching about blogging and/or helping people set up blogs really appeals to me. I would like to use my blog to further this aim. I have already lined up a guest lecture about my blogging experiences at our local university which has just started a social media course so hopefully something may come of that.
But any other tips about the type of guest posting I could do would be most welcome. Thanks!
Jane
Jane,
I salute your decision to stay at home, and to rediscover your identity.
The problem with making money with your passion is that some of your interests don’t have large markets (stationery) or are highly competitive (how to blog). That’s not to say it can’t be done; it will be more difficult.
How about starting to teach other women how to do what you’ve done — abandon their career identity to create one of their own choosing and use the power of their keyboard to do it.
That combines your personal life experience (authority + credibility) with your passion (blogging) and further extends your core following. From that target niche you can spin off classes on blogging (for busy women), social media, etc.
You could be busy.
My blog encourages men to be better leaders, better husbands and better fathers. It has a decidedly Christian foundation throughout. I saw some great ideas for another blogger targeting Christian men and they were great ideas.
My goal, rather than targeting Christian men, is to provide encouragement to men of all groups in a way that shares Godly truth.
I’ve only been at it for ~30 days or so and am up to 25 visitors a day on average. Triberr has been the biggest traffic boon so far.
Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Brian,
I think you can go a lot of places with your focus.
Dad and parenting blogs come first to mind. Go beyond that to men’s lifestyle blogs.
Business blogs focused on leadership might be interested. Personal development blogs are another natural extension of what you’re advocating.
Hope that’s helpful.
Best of luck.
Hi Jon,
Just enrolled in your class this week. Interestingly, the headlines assignment got me thinking about where I want to go blogging.
Then I received your e-mail on struggling and feeling vulnerable. That’s exactly how I feel right now.
After leaving 20+ years in the corporate world, I started consulting full-time, helping small businesses and entrepreneurs with their social media strategy. This has been rewarding, but now I want to step back and re-evaluate where I want to put my time and energy. Keeping up with such a broad field can feel a bit overwhelming at times.
I want to focus on becoming a skilled copywriter and apply what I have learned to redefine my niche market and promote my services.
I enjoy blogging. My background is writing and photography. With a degree in English Lit and Journalism, you’d think I’d be a better writer. I think I need to unlearn some things, and also find my voice.
There are definite opportunities to explore in both areas below … I enjoy interviewing and I am an expat (US) living in Montreal.
Consulting blog: http://www.alisoncummings.com
Travel blog: http://www.lucandalisontravel.com (horrible url)
Thanks for this opportunity,
Alison
OK…I will take you up on your offer
I nearly pulled out my credit card after watching your 2 videos, but then I got to thinking….”I sell birdseed, there are hardly any blogs with a readership for me”…and the wallet went away.
What do you think?
Where could I focus my efforts?
How will your course work?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
Are you kidding? There are lots of birding, naturalist and green gardening blogs on line.
Who buys your birdseed?
Moms? Mommy blogs. Dads? Daddy blogs. Parenting blogs.
Blogs to teach kids about nature. Blogs for anyone who loves nature. Blogs for seniors who now have time to watch birds.
Lifestyle blogs, personal development blogs (achieve serenity) and health and fitness blogs (bird-watching is good for reducing stress.)
Get the idea?
Hey Marsha and Jon,
My Comedy Matters Blog/Vlog at http://www.jeffreygurian.com/comedymatters is an inside look at the comedy world and the celebs that inhabit that world.
I get personal, backstage, exclusive interviews with people like Jimmy Fallon, Tony Rock, Russell Peters, Bo Burnham, Amy Schumer, Richard Lewis, and many comics that people love.
I range from an average of 200 to 700 readers a day and on occasion have gone up as high as 1600 when someone like Lisa Lampanelli tweeted the article to her followers.
I would love some of your advice since very few people have my connections to celebs, and I think I should be having many more hits on a daily basis.
Thanks so much,
Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
A few thoughts:
Your comic blog is the perfect opportunity for “list posts” culled from all your material. Here are a few sample headlines:
-The Top 10 Things All Great Comics Have in Common
-The 21 Funniest Things I’ve Heard Comics Say
-The 6 Rudest Comics on Twitter
Get the idea? Look at your content for patterns and then look for patterns. See if you can do one of these a week.
You might be able to syndicate those kinds of blog posts to entertainment blogs or sites.
Go for it!
Hi Jon,
Great post, I should have known this really because of the saying ‘it’s not who you know but who knows you that counts’.
Time to start connecting an getting known.
Chris,
What’s the old saying?
“The more things change the more they remain the same.”
Money is nice but not enough of a motivation after all. I can see why people quit.
People should focus on the content they are offering and be honest about how valuable and unique the information is to people.
great videos on this website very good info.
Right on, Webman.
Thanks for the compliments. Will share with Jon.
hello…
i am the seo guy for pluckaduck.com and doing its blog also.
pluckaduck is a daily deals website.
can you, most kindly, give me a few helpful hints about the kind of blogs I should be targetting to guest blog for in order to get quality… relevant anchor text links from.
If you can give me just a few websites urls also… as suggestions… I will be blown out of the park with respect and gratitude and will always remember it.
Best Regards,
talha
Figure out who your readers are and where they hang out.
Moms on a budget? Mommy blogs, parenting blogs and work-at-home blogs.
How daily deals can help you stay in line with a tight budget? Personal finance blogs.
Lots of beauty product deals? Beauty blogs.
Get the idea. Jon’s first module is all about figuring out the topics you can write about for guest posting.
Good luck!
Hi my problem is that I am not sure if my blog has a specific enough niche to do proper guest blogging. I write about traveling (mostly in Korea for the time being) and would like to expand to people who are also interested in art and underground culture but keeping it in time with traveling. I know it can be done its just about focusing. How can I work guest blogging in to help that happen? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Art, underground culture and travel are broad topics that could appeal to a lot of blogs for guest posts.
The key for you will be in telling great stories about the art and underground culture you find in the places you visit.
If you can do that, you can have your pick of creativity blogs (of course), underground culture blogs anywhere, travel blogs, lifestyle design blogs and personal development blogs.
It’s all in how you tell your stories.
Hi, Jon. Just started following your vids last week. I’ve decided you’re a genius, no matter what any IQ test has to say about it.
I’m in an ultra-niche. I’m writing an ebook that teaches people how to paint faux wood grain. Take out the /blog of my url to see some examples. I know the blog needs a bunch of tuning up and a few more posts and that’s happening this weekend.
My biggest concern is, that there are several potential topics areas to focus on: faux finishers, auto painters, furniture repair, fine artists, crafters, home remodel and design, to name a few. How do I decide where to focus my efforts for guest post submissions? I need to write differently for each group. I’m suffering from overwhelm. Any ideas? This is an amazing project you’re doing. Thank you!
Norman,
What’s your goal for getting in front of these different groups? To sell your services? To sell products?
Then start with the path closest to cash. That may be the most logical suspect or the biggest market.
Here’s a secret Jon teaches in the course: The first guest post is not the goal. The goal is establishing a relationship you can leverage later for tweets, testimonials, endorsements etc.
Marsha
Hi Marsha, I’d be honoured if you took a look at my blog:
http://www.batshite.com
I’d love to get your feedback.
Thanks,
Scott
Hi Scott,
Interesting premise that should give you a lot of blog fodder.
If you’re indeed an activist, why no social media buttons so people can follow you and share your message?
Here’s something Jon has told numerous bloggers: Write less to write better. Rather than posting daily, wrote less frequent but more thoughtful posts.
Post twice a week on your own site and aim for a guest post once a week.
You’ll watch your traffic and followers increase steadily.
Best to you on your latest novel.
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Hi Marsha, I have a variety of products all related to empowerment. However, I am well aware that empowerment is a 70′s word and I have researched the internet to try to find a suitable niche word. I have not decided what the best one would be. I have a few sites with the following topics – ending insomnia, an empowerment program, hypnotic audio recordings and “dream retreats.” They really all are tied to my basic empowerment program. I have written articles that no one has accessed on Squidoo and Ezine and wonder if I should discontinue my participation on these sites, remove the content and use those articles to blog about on my sfkayser site in the process of being set up. The blog would be hosted there but of course I would want a catchy name. Any guidance you can provide would be appreciated. Using the power of the mind to achieve success relates to all topics and that is what I want to blog about.
Well I just watched Jeff Johnson’s traffic generation video so I will leave my articles alone although I have had no traffic. Just unsure what to do with the blog.
Hi Susan,
I’m wondering if your research helped you find mollygordon.com and jenniferlouden.com? Both women write or coach about similar topics. Molly, who has taken Jon’s class, focuses her coaching on alternative practioners.
The reason I mention both of these women is that you’re likely to find current language about empowerment on either blog. Read especially the comments to find out how people are talking about these topics, the questions they’re asking and what they want to know.
Both blogs would be excellent sites to model — and potentially better homes for guest posts than Squidoo and Ezine.
I hope this is helpful. Personal development is a huge niche right now. You need to target your audience, but with the right topics and right approach you can do well.
Peace,
Marsha
Hi Jon,
Great Blog, We are looking for ways to get our Marketing Playground Blog infront of the right people. We moved it to wordpress about a week ago and it already is getting several comments and shares. We are trying to get some content written on some popular blogs. I am still on the wordpress learning curve with trying to add certain plugin’s and widgets on my sidebar to capture new leads. What do you think I can do to get this blog into potential clients hands???
Kevin,
Where do your potential clients hang out now? Internet marketing blogs, small business blogs, writing blogs?
Find those blogs and park yourself there for a few days or weeks. Follow the most popular posts and comments.
Then craft some guest posts addressing what the blogger is missing. You can link to your site in your writer’s bio at the end of the post.
That will put you in front of the people you want.
All the best.
Heya!
Ok, more than curious:
I’m an English teacher who blogs about changing teaching – what you teach next to the curriculum is as important as the facts. So teaching kids to be independent thinkers, creative, curious and critical (instead of the standardized testing, do as your told and everything will be just fine).
Thanks in advance!
Sjoerd
Sjoerd,
Who is your target audience? Teachers? Educators? Parents?
Find the blogs where they hang out — education blogs, creativity blogs, parenting and mommy blogs.
Study those blogs. See what they’re missing that you can offer. Pitch a guest post. Repeat.
You’re viewpoint is valuable. Get it out there.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for the opportunity. I also recently signed up for your course and I’m looking forward to it.
My wife and I have an independent travel blog http://yTravelBlog.com which is about informing and inspiring people to travel. We share our own tips, stories, photos, write destination type articles.
After 18 months online we have decent traffic, 60k uniques, but are looking to take it to another level. Particularly interested in getting more subscribers to the blog and our monthly newsletter, plus some big guest posts. Any feedback much appreciated – Craig
Our site lets interns rate and share their fashion internships. We target students in schools and so far, we’ve gotten responses from people mostly in the east coast and London. This time is vital, because London is beginning to bring up the hot topic of unpaid internships and QC wants to get a slice of the action.
On average we receive 150 viewers a day, and it has plateaued. We try to get as many students as we can, but some simply just don’t care. On the other hand, we’ve been getting positive responses from commenting on fashion blog sites. We’ve designed our website to serve as a resource for fashion students, but what else can we do to increase readership?
Thank you,
Tiffany Ouyang
Hi Tiffany,
Commenting on fashion sites is a great strategy and one we teach. It works, if that’s where the fashion students you want to reach hang out.
If you’re commenting, you should have some sense of what students are asking about. Offer to write a guest post on a topic they want to hear about.
You may also want to add some copy to the top of your website to tell students what you offer, why it’s important to them and what the benefit is for them. That’s missing now. While the graphics are very cool, you need some copy to pull it together.
Best of luck.
I guess I’m actually one of those rare birds who realized a while ago that guest posting is a great idea.
I did two guest posts – the blog owners were happy to say yes- got a flood of traffic- but then chickened out when there were very few comments.
I guess it’s reassuring to know that I need to do more than one guest post on a site, since I felt like, how can I approach them again if the post wasn’t such a hit?
So, can I? And how should I phrase the e-mail?
Thanks
Rachel,
If I give you the answer you deserve, I’d be giving you two full modules of Jon’s course.
Researching blogs and your topics so they will be a hit is one entire module, and pitching A-List bloggers is another module.
Sounds like you may need to hit a few out of the ballpark on other blogs before going back to these folks for a repeat performance. Then they may be willing to give you another chance.
Good luck.
I know I need to guest post, I run a photography blog for DSLR beginners. Digital Photography School is the largest blog I know of in my niche but I’ve got 1st time jitters…
I’m going round in circles deciding what to write? everything I come up with doesn’t seem good enough?
Any help?
Mandy,
If you spend enough time on the sites you want to guest post for, you should have a good sense of what they are not talking about that you can write about.
That makes deciding easy.
Hi Marsha and Jon –
Thanks so much for reviewing my site at http://EatBetterAndMove.com
I write a fun / feisty weight loss blog.
I used to be very fat and unhealthy and changed my life through some simple FUN healthy changes in my habits.
My blog is about getting REAL with folks about how they can get healthy and slim and enjoy life to the fullest.
My hope:
-To keep readers coming back to my site over and over again
-To build a loyal following of readers who connect with my message
-To build trust so that my readers will buy products I endorse
-To help people lose weight and get healthy in a safe fun way
My readers? folks who want to lose weight
I sincerely appreciate any direction you can give me.
Jana
Bravo to you!
One of the key points of Jon’s course is that you need to be on a mission that people want to support. You certainly are on a mission.
People who want to lose weight is a huge category of people. I know the ideas and techniques can apply to anyone. And
while it may seem counter intuitive, I encourage you to narrow your focus: What age? Men or women? City dwellers or rural folks?
People who land on your blog have to feel like you’re speaking directly to them. Talking to 20somethings about losing weight is going to sound and feel different than talking to folks in their 50s dealing with mid-life changes. They have to feel comfortable, like you know their problem inside and out and have EXACTLY the solution for them.
Determine your target market and write directly to them. Listen to what they want and need and give it to them.
That’s the big secret to growing a successful readership.
Rock on!
Hi Jon & Marsha!
How I wish I had received your emails a few months ago…
I’ve been blogging since 2005. I had a mommy/cooking/building memories blog where I made many friends who still email me after I deleted the blog.
I had a non-scary vampire blog where 8,000 people showed up the first month, much to my surprise. To my disappointment, most of the many readers where young teens or preteens who were interested in leaving “OMG” type comments and emailing me to be their “friend” and have discussions. (I am slightly older – okay even my KIDS are older than teenagers!) I was starting to get worried that Big Brother was watching me to see if I was trying to make contact with teeny-boppers – or that some of the other readers were and I had to protect the younguns who insisted on leaving their home addresses and phone numbers in the comments for the pop-culture vampires who-shall-remain-nameless to find them!
But. . .
My main reason for spending so much time and $$ on blogging was to make an income, which never really happened.
I’m not a noob, at least as far as I’ve been able to ascertain. I can put a sentence, a paragraph, and a whole idea together well enough that people spend time reading. (I assume they’re reading due to a low bounce rate.)
There were no comments (except from link mongers). I made enough to cover my expenditures, but not enough to justify spending every waking moment blogging. So. . . I deleted almost all my blogs with the plan to delete the rest after Christmas.
Via the usual woman’s prerogative, I changed my mind and decided to start all over fresh applying every secret I discovered in the past 6 years of blogging right from day one.
As my husband is fond of telling me “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result” which is basically what you’re telling me in these wonderful videos.
Marsha, I don’t expect a response since I don’t have anything really to show you. I just want to say thanks to both of you for being so kind and supporting the community of frustrated bloggers and ask that you keep me on your list for the next session. Maybe I’ll have something of quality to show you then.
Hi Teresa,
Wow. You do have some stories.
While being smart and being a good writer are helpful in having a successful, money-making blog, they are not the key elements.
More important is being able to see a school of hungry fish and offer them exactly the kind of food they want. It takes a certain sense of smell, which can be acquired, to sniff out a lucrative market. We have to have the guts to do the research that proves our good idea is one people want to pay for.
Most people don’t bother doing that research.
Take your time and do the research. And hopefully we’ll see you around soon.
All the best.
Howdy Jon!
First of all, I really admire you for being able to answer all of these comments! I have a small marketing consultancy in Austin, TX and I wrote my first blog post 8 months ago (and yes, it sucked!).
Anyways, I’d be interested to see what you think of my content so far. I plan on doing a big push on guest blogging starting next year. I’m just trying to build a nice backlog of content right now (as well as getting into a more efficient writing pattern).
My blog posts are aimed at solopreneurs and businesses under $5 million in revenue, teaching them about everything from marketing to business management.
Thanks again for your awesome (and inspiring) posts both here and on Copyblogger!
Rishi
Rishi,
Thanks for your kind words.
Your content looks pretty good and full of useful tips. What I didn’t find when I scanned your site (which most people will) was a clear sense of who your customer is and the benefits of listening to you.
In other words, who are your customers and why should they care?
From a design and content perspective, your site is slick, but a bit impersonal and a lot like all the other marketing sites out there.
You could tell me what you do and who you do it for in a well-focused tagline. The benefits of reading your blog, subscribing or working with you could be more clearly laid out throughout the site.
Hope this is helpful. Keep it up. You’re on the right track.
Hello
My site is fairly new and is about skin problems. The people coming to my site are looking for solutions to skin problems that they have whether it is dry skin, rosacea, shingles, aging skin, skin cancer… The list goes on.
There are basic blogs in my niche. I am just not sure where to go and post so that I can eventually get the attention of those that I need to create a relationship with. I am having a hard time thinking outside the box of skin care sites.
My site is an Adsence site so my goal is to get a massive number of readers to my site each day. I am having the articles written because I am not great at them, just ok. Do you have any suggestions on how to expand my thinking about my niche or the articles ?
Thank for your help.
Linda
Linda,
Sorry for the delay. I answered you a couple weeks ago but it seems the system ate it. :-0
See if you can step back from skin problems and see the bigger picture. Skin problems are not only a 1)health and 2)beauty problem, they can affect how people feel about themselves, which means they can be a 3)personal development problem. Those are three huge and busy online niches.
Do research on those kinds of sites and think about how skin problems are related to health, beauty and personal development. Come up with at least 5 overlapping topics and you’ll be on your way to being able to write for new audiences.
Good luck.
My website is http://www,hsp-stress-relief.com and my blog which is on the site is http://www.hsphealth.com/blog/. My blog is about health for highly sensitive people and it covers traits of highly sensitive people, genetic and stress disorders, social stress and mental stress. I look at anything that can help reduce stress and improve health and write about it.
I write for highly sensitive people who happen to be deep thinkers and creative types of people. Some are healers and intuitives.
My goal is to make my website and blog the top online resource for HSP health. I am creating a brand around HSP Stress Relief and I have monetized with adsense and want to generate a lot of traffic so that I can keep the $ part low key which is important for my market. Eventually I am interested in starting a forum on HSP health on this website.
Thanks for your help.
My blog aims to help people over 40 become more successful in their careers, and overall, feel more mojo. The audience consists of people who are in search of a job, and those who are in a rut in their current job. Due to that bifurcated nature, and also because people come to the site starting from different points, some will benefit by learning how to get a digital profile and how to improve their soft communication skills in order to get noticed, while others are more in need of strengthening their technical skills and know-how and getting more into trends that are growing, to allow them (or their) employer to get ahead in their industry… in the future.
Putting meat on them thar bones: After a year of writing on (and covering the basics of) social media and soft communication, I am trying to pivot from writing about how to interview better and how to use twitter for job search, to learning about hot trends like (1) gamification, (2)what’s new and cool about mobility, (3) cutting edge software for collaboration in enterprises, and (4) free online tools for better marketing and PR (the right price for small biz and solopreneurs).
To be short, traffic has been growing, but it is still about 4,000 uniques per month, and I am eager to catch the Shinkansen, instead of lurking on the commuter train (know what I mean)?
Thanks you in advance for your help, and I am SOOOO looking forward to your advice!
Diane,
I also responded a few weeks ago but WordPress ate it. Since you’re now a student we’ve covered your questions more in depth in the private forum, but for the sake of everyone else reading, I’ll go over some highlights.
Career development and personal development are huge and competitive niches. The fact you’ve identified your target market — over 40 — and their problem — get back their mojo — puts you light years ahead of most people who just have ideas they want to write about.
What’s behind the desire for more traffic? Will you be offering coaching or classes? Or selling services?
It doesn’t look like you offer a free report or other giveaway in exchange for a subscriber’s email. Why not? Looks like you have enough content to repurpose. An email list is essential to developing a fanbase for any blog, whether you sell or not.
Besides toipics, think about solutions to problems. Your target market has lots of problems, perceived and real. Start writing about the problems with empathy and compassion while also offering (how-to) solutions and your traffic will grow.
Talk soon!
Hi Jon,
Thanks for the update. I am running a health site and post articles about healthy live. Please have a look and tell me what wrong i am doing?
Hi Ashutosh,
Health is a huge niche with many angles that can apply to many “target markets.” I’m not sure who your site is for. You seem to have a lot of articles for women, so is it a women’s health site? If it is, you should say that clearly.
Your tagline, “We care for you,” doesn’t tell me what you offer and how you help. That’s what a good tagline describes.
Right now, your blog is very generic. I’m also unsure about your credentials to be giving health advice. I suggest you make that more clear.
Narrow down your target market, the problems you can help solve and be more clear in your messaging. That should help build up your authority.
Best of luck.
WOW Jon you’re amazing, thank you so much for sharing all of this valuable info!
My blog is SoberJulieDoingLife, it began as a journal of my life and over the last year it’s morphed into sharing all of the things which are leading me to serenity.
I share my life with hubby/kids, my journey on sobriety, my faith, great products and other bloggers guest posts.
I’d love your feedback of where I can take this, I’m truly interested in spreading the awareness that Life is to be enjoyed in the moment.
I want traffic lol.
Thanks
Julie
Hi Julie,
First, congratulations on beating addiction and being brave enough to share the journey and the joy. You rock!
As your blog grows you may want to ask yourself if your purpose has changed. Journaling about what you’ve learned is cathartic and may help others. But it’s more about you than them by it’s very nature.
If you want to help people, you have to make it more about them than you. What is their problem and what is the specific solution you can offer to help them solve it?
That may seem like a silly question and the answer may seem obvious: They can just read what I did and do the same. But they rarely works for people. People looking for solutions need to know that you have the exact solution they need for their problem, and they’re not going to take the time to figure out if you do.
If you want to grow your traffic I suggest you take a look at the non-sleazy copywriting and marketing tutorials over at copyblogger.com. It will make a difference.
Best of everything.
Happy New Year,
Thank you for sharing that with us – what a great story.
I really wish that my Blog can take off in a positive way and become successful. I initially started it as a kind of portfolio site to show my written work and inspiration. However as time has gone on, I have developed it into lifestyle trends, beauty and fashion. I realised that it’s perhaps not as niche as some other Blig sites out there, and Ive considered starting a deprecate one which is dedicated to beauty and lifestyle alone? I have signed up to Stumble Upon and I’m trying to get myself out there but to be hknesf it’s harder than I thought.
Please could you shed some light (even if it’s just a few points)? I would really appreciate any feedback you could give.
Wishing you all the best for 2012 X
Hi Lili,
I’d like to see a couple of things on your site:
1. More personality. It seems like you started to build the site around yourself, then pulled back. Give it more. I don’t get a real sense of who you are, what you like and what you’re about.
2. More clarity about who you are writing for. 20somethings with fashion flair? Urban divas with money to spend? Target your audience very directly. Don’t try to be cool to everyone. Doesn’t work.
3. What does success mean to you? More subscribers, more comments? Give your blog a sense of your personality and make it more personal for people and I think you’ll see more response. Right now you’re blending in with a lot of hip trend blogs.
I hope that’s helpful. Best of luck.
Hi Marsha and Jon
I have a website called Women Unlimited (www.women-unlimited.co.uk) which is a multi-author site that has been running for 3 1/2 years. I have recently decided that I need to create a much stronger profile for myself on the site so have launched a Julie’s blog section which seems to be doing well.
The site is a general business site for women entrepreneurs and we focus mainly on marketing topics for micro-businesses. My challenge is that my audience is really wide from pre-startup to startups to businesses that have been established for 3-5 years and the sectors are equally wide from retailers to inventors to coaches… so I don’t have a clear and targeted niche. I find that I am getting bogged down in trying to write something that is going to appeal to everyone … any advice?
Julie,
The answer lies in your question: You must target your niche. You can’t be everything to everyone. That is about the surest recipe for failure there is.
What’s your purpose with your blog? Are you raising your profile to get consulting or coaching clients? If so, then what do you want to be known for? Asking tough questions? Deep insight? Encouragement?
Decide what you want to be known for and write from that point. Look for the common thread that applies to everyone. Every size business needs to ask tough questions, for example. Every entrepreneur needs encouragement.
I would also strongly suggest focusing on one niche or you’ll struggle as you dilute your message to appeal to everyone and it won’t be effective anyway.
Good luck.
Thanks so much for this opportunity.
About my site: Upswing Baby Names is targeted at expectant parents, most likely moms, who are growing their families and also happen to be ambitious and stylish. These parents want their kids’ names to be ahead of the trends.
I haven’t monetized my site yet, but I want to once my traffic meets my targets. I imagine sponsors may reject me if my readership isn’t big enough. I want to start off with affiliate and private advertising, and eventually want to create an e-book that doesn’t just regurgitate what’s on the site. I’m a little concerned once I monetize, I may turn off the few readers I do have, but perhaps those aren’t the readers I need.
How I Approached Guest Posting: I submitted a guest post to Name Berry. They rejected my post, but said I could try again. I’m cautious that if they reject me again, that door may close, so I plan to submit another post to them, after I have spent more time reading their blog and commenting. I admit I’m a little nervous about getting rejected again. I have considered guest posting on Mom blogs, and recently considered pregnancy blogs (if they even exist).
Any ideas for how to improve the content on my blog and where to submit guest posts would be much appreciated! Thanks!
Angie,
Your strategy is sound and spot on.
Take as much time as you need reading the site you want to post for, especially the comments. Craft your pitch to reflect what you know the blog readers want to learn about.
You’ve identified the related blogs that would likely be interested in guest posts. After you get a couple guest posts on other blogs, expand and start pitching.
Bravo!
What a very open and honest post and one I feel I can relate too – I have felt that temptation to walk away from blogging, all that time, effort, money and stress that comes with it – but my hearts in my blog so I will stay.
As a mummy blogger I would love to hear your quick opinion, free of charge.
Real Supermum,
Your heart may be in your blog, but it doesn’t have to be painful.
Congrats on your success. You’ve touched a nerve.
My quick reaction to your blog is that I’m not exactly sure what it’s about — I see reviews of cute products right next to articles on domestic violence. The effect is jarring.
I’m not saying you should eliminate one or another. You’ve been blogging for awhile and you’ve built up content and a following. Now may be a good time to evaluate what you’re doing, what that’s achieving for the time and money spent, what your goals are and how you can better spend your time and energy to achieve your goals.
Your blog may benefit from a redesign, mostly to reorganize the content so it’s easier for your readers to find what they want and you can more clearly target the different needs your readers have.
I hope that’s helpful.
Hi Marsha and Jon!
My blog is about hot chocolate and everything related to it. Occasionally, I also bake with hot chocolate products. I am interested in chocolate for health and also the history part.
My blog is new and I’d really enjoy hearing your take on how I could get more visitors who’d also be interested in purchasing something through my affiliate links.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Mariam,
What fun! You have an option most bloggers don’t have — you can indulge luxury and fantasy to your heart’s content. Your readers will, er, eat it up!
Seriously. Reviews, recommendations galore. Mouth watering photos. How about “chocolate sitings,” asking your readers to report when they’ve had a chance encounter with a hot chocolate.
One suggestion: White text on a black background is very hard on the eyes. If you’re committed to that look, make the body font larger and break up the text with subheads.
Delightful!
Jon, I am brand new to blogging but not network marketing. I’m super excited to have stumpled across mlsp and decided to take a shot a blogging. Everthing you see on my site I’ve basically learned how to do in the last four months, so I know I can do this. I just need another eye and a lot more direction.
In 4 month my blog continues to change as I try to brand myself and discover my niche. Although I’m not completeley sold on the name the niche is mlm and online success secrets. I’m hoping to make some major changes soon and would love to hear your thoughts and any ideas you have to help to take my blog to the next level.
Hey Vonita,
Congrats on taking the leap into blogging.
The biggest thing I would suggest you consider as your blog grows is being very clear about your blog is for and the benefit you offer, not just what it’s about.
I get the idea your blog is about MLM only from the categories in the sidebar. Neither the blog title nor the tagline gives me a clue. So if you want more traffic, you need to be clear who your blog is for and what problem you solve.
If you’re an expert, show it. I don’t get a sense that there’s an expert providing this advice. Plus, some personality wouldn’t hurt.
I hope that’s helpful. Best of luck.
Oh my gosh! I’ve stopped writing blog post last year and I am still figuring out on myself how should I start writing again. I am digging the internet for motivations to continue what I have started. I thought I was the only one experiencing the indescribable emotion.
Thanks Jon.
Carissa,
You’re welcome. Good luck.
Dear Sir,
I have purchased this i.e. moneyguru.org – an 8 year old domain during an auction. I have written few articles on how to make money online, but the outcome is very disappointing. So, it is requested that kindly take a look at my blog and advice me accordingly.
regards,
Hi Navjot,
I’m not surprised your results are disappointing. You’re writing about topics and it’s not clear who you’re writing for and why they should believe you. You don’t display any credentials that qualify you as a “money guru.” That’s a big problem.
Who is your audience? Young people? People with a full-time job trying to make money on the side? When you are very clear about who your audience is, what their problems are and the specific solution you offer them, you’ll get better results and more traffic.
Keep plugging away and best of luck to you.
We have been trying to get our traffic up for almost three years and have let the blog go since mid last year after consistently blogging for two plus years.
We are in the coaching niche, specifically coaching people on online poker. People enjoy the coaching, we just don’t get enough traffic. Our book also is well received by those who purchase it.
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Hi Chris,
Where do your readers hang out? On poker sites? On other entertainment and gaming sites?
I would look around see where you can start guest posting about the most popular topics you’ve seen on your own blog. Because you can include a link to your site in your writer’s bio at the end of the guest post, you’ll naturally drive more traffic back to your blog.
I would send those readers to a special landing page just for them and give them a free giveaway in exchange for subscribing to your list — maybe the first chapter of your book. Now you can start building an email list of loyal fans.
Best of luck.
Hello!
Mamashine is in the motherhood niche with an emphasis on holistic health and personal development. We also have a concentration on the new mother phase and postpartum depression.
My vision has been for the site to be a collaboration of many contributors for content as well as additional experts in a membership component. I am having a hard time knowing how to secure contributors without paying them. I have created a bio for any contributor where they can link back to their own site.
Can you give some feedback on how to make a collaborative blog work with limited funds?
Thank you so much!
Mariana
Mariana,
Collaborative blogs are a challenge to make work, especially in the beginning. The idea is that everyone gets more online exposure by working together.
I would make an active social media presence a requirement of being a contributor. Each writer has to agree to give social media exposure to everyone’s posts and be active on a Facebook page. Spending time strategically on social media may be your best bet with limited funds.
Also think about how your bloggers can guest post on some of the more popular sites in your big niche and drive traffic back to your blog.
All the best to your venture.
Good afternoon John/Marsha
I am running a blog rascalguy.com. The blog is quite new (blogging for 4 months).
Generally I want to make people laugh as well as teach them something by unveiling some “life truths” that are around us but we fail to see them. Maybe some posts are too sarcastic, or too aggressive, but it is still an irony.
As for my readers, the blog is aimed at mainly male young audience that is fond of pranks and likes to have fun.
Thank you for your advice.
Sincerely
Nicolas
Nicolas,
Great domain name. Great concept.
You have a good start. You need to do a couple of things:
1. Be more clear about who your blog is for. Your reader should know this blog is about him within 10 seconds. You do that with a great tagline and design.
2. Be more clear about what you offer. If it’s sarcastic, spicy advice, find a way to say that. With this topic and domain you can afford to be in-your-face than most blogs.
3. Find a great graphic designer and/or illustrator to bring Rascal Guy to live. Make him a cartoon character or an avatar, but give him life! You’re passing up a golden opportunity to set your blog apart.
Good luck to you.
Hello, I am sure you are by now regretting offering this assistance but it is truly appreciated. I was downsized about 3 months ago from a high level corporate position.
I have only been blogging for a month. My Blog name is ‘Coffee, Tea, Wine & Girl Time’.
I bring people into my life and share funny antecdotes about spending time with friends and silly things we did as well talk specifics about how bring coffee, and wine house to your home and visiting local places and talking about what their coffee, wine and tea. My hope was to also make it interactive with sharing their favorites and having Q&A sessions where I would try different suggestions they make and together we can find the best beverages. I am also a html dummy so my website build is very basic. Any advice you offer is wonderful!!
Hi Lisa,
You’ve chosen to write about some of the world’s favorite little luxuries. What fun!
But you’re setting yourself up for some serious judgment when you say you’re talking about “high end” beverages and your blog doesn’t look high end.
Do yourself a favor NOW and go over to StudioPress or Elegant Themes and get a great theme — you don’t need to know HTML to use their themes — they are plug and play.
Find more ways to offer benefit and value beyond your personal stories. Product reviews and recommendations are some of the best ways. Create your own ranking system if you like.
Figure out a way to use Google + hangouts to do online wine or coffee tasting events. Now that’s interactive!
Good luck to you. Great idea.
I’ve been blogging for about 10 months now. It was actually my son’s idea that I start a blog. I LOVE it! But I don’t want to spend 20 hours a week writing, networking and learning for nothing. It’s like you said in your article – I’m doing the things people tell me and I’m stuck at about 100 views a day.
I never thought of guest blogging. I’m definitely open to that but I’m not sure if my style is marketable.
My blog is definitely very focused – everything homemaking. I try hard to write posts that are informative, practical and true! Ninety-nine percent of what I write is tried and true. I want to succeed but I don’t know anyone! HELP! My blog is http://homemakersdaily.com/.
Patty,
Where do your readers hang out online? Likely places: Crafting blogs, personal development blogs, mommy blogs, women’s lifestyle blogs.
Find a bunch (at least 6) that fit your target audience and tone and study them, especially the popular posts and comments.
Figure out how you can adapt your topics and material to what they are asking about and not writing about. Pitch a guest post.
Repeat.
Give people what they’re looking for and you’ll see lots more people coming to your site.
All the best.
Hi, I am a certified diabetes educator and exercise physiologist. I am somewhat unique in that there are relatively few diabetes educators that alsohave an advanced degree in exercise physiology.
I have been an educator in a hospital for almost 19 years now. It is well known through research that exercise plays a tremendous role in improving and controlling type 2 diabetes, however, few educators and even doctors recommend it with the enthusiasm it deserves. The result is that exercise remains a very underused tool for treating diabetes.
My blog articles are designed to explain the need to exercise and get people motivated to do it. My audience is the estimated 26 million people with diabetes and 72 million with prediabetes.
(I average 7-8 unique visitors a day. Please help.
Milt Bedingfield
Milt,
Your expertise is desperately needed. You should have little trouble getting guest posts with your credentials.
Target: health and fitness blogs, personal development blogs, sports and exercise blogs, lifestyle blogs, women’s and men’s blogs, mommy blogs — almost anywhere people are talking about their life and problems.
Please get your message out there.
Blogging is a new thing for me…but I absolutely love it!
It’s only been about 2 months now, and I’m sitting right at the point where you were…about 100 hits a day.
I’ve been taking pictures for about 7 years now, and thought that it could be interesting (and potentially profitable) to blog about what I’ve learned.
Guest blogging is definitely on my list of things that I know I need to do in order to be successful.
Thank you in advance for taking a look at what we bloggers have to offer!
I look forward to your reply and further correspondence with you!!
Brent,
Photography is a huge blogging niche. If you haven’t already, study the top blogs in the niche — what they write about, what they sell, and especially the most popular posts and comments.
That will help you craft a unique and different angle that sets you apart.
Look forward to hearing more.
Thanks for your very generous offer, Jon and Marsha.
I started blogging just over a year ago, and had a 4 month hiatus while we moved across continents.
My blog is about fuelling creativity in education (rather than stifling it) and my target audience is both homeschoolers (of which I have been one for almost 20 years), and also parents who want their children to go to school, but who are concerned that it is stifling their love of books and learning.
One of the reasons I shamelessly took a break is that it didn’t really seem to matter.
I’d love your ideas on this.
Debra,
Who are your readers? Parents? Teachers?
Where do they hang out online? Likely spots: Parenting blogs, mommy blogs, teacher/education blogs.
Read and study those blogs, especially the comments.
Then look at your material and figure out how to adapt what you write to what they want to know. Pitch guest posts.
Repeat.
Good luck! Kids need more creativity.
Jon, help me – I was so excited to read that you hit your ceiling at 100 readers per day – I was embarassed to write to you and tell you that that’s where I was – 100 a day on a good day. I am about to give up. My audience right now tends to be “wannabe crafters” – I want to be in with the artist crowd, the artists who have already made it and are traveling around the world giving courses on how they paint, journal etc. I love my audience but $200.00 of sales a month isn’t cutting it. HELP
Cathy,
First, get your blog off typepad and onto WordPress. It’s a more professional platform and much more versatile. You’ll be taken more seriously.
Study the blogs where the serious artists hang out until you see the patterns of how they write, what they offer, how they present themselves, the design of their site. Emulate.
Read the comments especially, and look for gaps in the market. Explore how you can fill one or more of those gaps with your products or services.
Best of luck!
I loved the articles and learned a lot from them. I want to blog and really have no idea where to start.
The method I use now is just new pages that are added to my website.
Thanks a million
Raschell,
We don’t teach basic WordPress set up but there are a lot of bloggers that do. Google “how to start a blog” and you’ll find a lot of resources.
Best of luck.
Hi Jon & Marsha,
My blog is http://www.moneyinmandarin.com. It is aimed to promote the study of Mandarin Chinese amongst the Filipino-Chinese in the Philippines.
My aim is to:
* Raise awareness of the practicality of learning Mandarin Chinese by featuring real-life stories of people who use the language in their career
* Increase fluency by Providing tips and strategies on learning the language + appreciating the culture
* Provide job and business opportunities with the language as well as providing practical financial advice.
I’d love to hear your ideas on this.
Thanks a lot in advance!
Allan,
You’re way ahead of most bloggers in that you’ve clearly defined your target audience, your goal and the benefits.
Look for the blogs and site where your audience hangs out online. Regional blogs in the Philippines? Blogs for women or mohters? Sports related blogs? Career blogs? Business blogs? Likely all of the above.
Read and study those blogs. Pitch a guest post tailored for that audience.
Best of luck. You have the hardest part done.
I have a blog called illumination – it’s about removing obstacles to understanding. It’s been up only a few weeks and not much action. I have a unique way at looking at truth as it applies to the bible. A lot of the teaching that goes on in Christian circles is incorrect because of fundamental misunderstanding about faith. There are two kinds of faith but only one kind of faith is being taught. My guess is that a lot of Christians will not like my material even though I’m convinced it’s correct and extremely helpful.
Hi Frank,
You need to clearly identify the benefits to Christians of why your view deepens and strengthens their faith. Beware of using a hammer to deliver your message, even though you are convinced you are correct.
Search for more opened minded blogs on spirituality for guest posts. Then more open-minded Christian blogs that might present a different view.
Best of luck.
I write a self development blog. My take is that authenticity is the path to lasting satisfaction. More specifically, self development is about learning, not what is wrong with you – haven’t started highlighting this yet; plan to do so in a couple of months.
All comments and feedback most welcome.
Evan,
Great angle. The personal development niche is huge. Lots of blogs you can target, as well as spirituality blogs.
Focus on identifying the benefits people want — more happiness, less stress — and show how living authentically is the basis of getting those benefits.
It sounds backwards, but it’s the way people respond to the world.
Best of luck. We need more authentic people planting their flags.
I’m 12 week old blogger who writes about quitting. Essentially its a self-development blog focused on quitting beliefs that hinder the path to a better life.
But I’ve been considering rebranding or possibly starting over. I feel my area of expertise might be in the life coaching sector so I’m exploring that option.
Either way, thank you for any feedback.
Tony,
Congratulations on taking the bold step to write about something everyone wants to avoid.
The problem, which you’re identifying, is that you’re focusing on the problem and it’s difficult to focus on the benefits. The benefits of quitting are not well understood in Western culture.
You may not need to rebrand as much as reframe how you present it so your readers and potential clients can strongly identify with the benefits they want.
And you don’t have to start over to move into coaching. Offer a 3-month package of coaching sessions now with clearly defined benefits (this is what we’ll do together, this is what you can expect as a result), set it up in PayPal and get it on your site.
Best of luck.
Hi
Thanks for a very interesting and encouraging article.
I would like to improve my own Blog and become a Guest Blogger. I would value any advice that you could give me please about Guest Blogging.
I am a Personal Development Coach, author and speaker. My hobby is cycling and I am currently the third fastest track cyclist in the world for my age group. You can find out more at http://www.roysavery.com
The purpose of the Blog is to help people improve their lives. We do this by offering a free report, “How to live a Successful Life” and by asking them to subscribe to our Newsletter. We then tell them about our book, “The Successful Living Handbook”.
Our site is about to change slightly because we are about to add a new front page containing an 800 word article, which will encourage people to sign up for the free report.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Roy Savery
Roy,
You’ve got a good start. But you’re making the biggest mistake bloggers and coaches make by being too general and broad.
You need to be more specific about the “people” whose lives you want to help. Age? Gender? What are their hopes? Biggest fears? What keeps them up at night?
Clearly define their problem and how your unique solution helps them solve it. Name their fears and show you resonate with them. Most important, show them the benefits of working with you.
That will take your blog to a new level.
Best of luck.
Hi Marsha!
I’m fairly new (I blog about personal finance and am targeting the middle class person who thinks he or she can’t really make it as they are too late, too old, and or too poor). That was my story and we’re kicking butt working Dave Ramsey’s baby steps. We’re also having fun with his Drive Free Car concept and we’re tracking our own DFC account in the blog too.
I’m not even close to 100 visitors a day!!
I’ve figured out I need to be guest blogging. I would appreciate any other feedback you’d care to share! Thank you!!
Mary,
Figure out where those middle class folks who have given up hang out online. Read the comments about money on those blogs. Figure out what keeps them up at night. Tailor your guest post pitches to those worries.
That’s the success formula in a nutshell.
Good luck. The world needs more of what you offer.
Hi Jon and Marsha, my site is http://oornelakes.com
My dream is to write for a living. I pretty much only write humorous pieces. I put up this site because I couldn’t get published anywhere else.
No one has read any of this stuff. And I really do mean no one. If you have suggestions for how to get noticed, I’d love to hear them.
Many thanks,
Bob
Bob,
Your situation is trickier than most. But you know that.
Who would be interested in reading your stuff? Figure that out first. Then figure out where they hang out online. Read and study those blogs. Then pitch a guest post.
Also check out entertainment blogs. Repeat above steps.
I’d aim for repeat gigs on a handful of well read blogs.
Good luck.
Hi, Jon (well, Jon’s assistant Marsha – hi both of you!),
Thank you for this forum!
I was in on the webinar tonight and unfortunately, I couldn’t hear where to buy the program and it wasn’t on the screen. That said, I’m knee deep in Clay Collins’ workshop, so I’m hoping Jon’s class becomes available again in a few months. I’m very interested, to say the least.
So, about me. ‘Cuz I’m a legend in my own mind and think everyone totally needs to know who I am!
Seriously though, my niche is cooking, but for singles or just for couples. I am the better half (there might be argument there…) of a child free couple and this is a rapidly growing demographic. Despite the fact that I am part of this demographic, I’m still unsure of which direction to take. Should I be teaching them to cook, to reconnect through cooking, or what.
Simply put, I love to cook, write recipes and meal plans, and I love people that understand why I choose to remain child free. One day (which was like, a month ago), after five years, I had an epiphany. If I can’t relate to families, why target them! D’oh!
Further, there’s a need for an award winning recipe writer/chef that can relate to people like us. It seems like all of the cooking sites out there are all family-centric. So, where to begin?
I read Jon’s comment earlier where he said write what people care about. What do you think would be the best way to research what they already care about? Blogs catering to child free couples are few, and frankly, how would I even know if they have enough subscribers to want to pitch them (since, if I understood correctly, Jon also said that showing up on smaller sites or seemingly spammy sites won’t help, but can actually hurt).
Jon, if you read this, I just want to say that I completely relate to your story about blogging interviews with the best selling authors. I was interviewing celebrity chefs and stunned that they would talk to me. I felt so honored, but do you think they ever tweeted/facebooked about our interview? I can count on one hand out of 40 interviews how many that did. So I know that a link to the interview didn’t even make it to their subscribers. Talk about frustrating. You’re so right. It’s not who YOU know, but WHO knows YOU.
Have a GREAT 2012 and thank you in advance for your advice and direction! I know I was long-winded. Reckon it’s because I’m Southern and I get it honest.
~Angela
Angela,
Figure out where your childfree food-loving readers hang out online. Lifestyle blogs? Personal finance blogs? Health and fitness? Personal development? Probably all of the above.
Easiest way to learn what they care about — read the comments on the blogs where they hang out. Read hundreds and hundreds of comments and you’ll know.
Don’t let those interviews sit there! Bundle a few together for a Celebrity Chef Special, require an email opt in and use it to build your list. Now ask those chefs to tweet about it and mention it. They will (most often) like being included with other celebrity chefs. Suggest they might want to link to it from their own site.
Do that once or twice a month and get those interviews back into circulation.
This is evergreen material — repurpose it.
Best of luck.
Hi Jon,
Was on your webinar today. Thanks, it was great!
During the first 20 minutes I was inspired to contact one of the blogs that ranks in my niche (perimenopause)and asked about guest blogging. She was delighted to hear from me as she is not able to blog consistently right now due to some personal matters. Sooo, thanks for the boost and inspiration!
And if you are still suggesting avenues for our niches, mine is specifically staying fit during perimenopause and menopause. Ha! Surprise me with input on that one!
Aloha!
Dorothy
Bravo on your take-charge attitude, Dorothy.
Have you checked out the BlogHer network? If you meet the requirements that could be a gold mine for you.
Where do your readers typically hang out? Check out some women’s lifestyle blogs, blogs for female entrepreneurs and business owners.
Blogs especially for women are a big category.
Good luck!
Oh good grief! I’ve been sitting on those interviews, thinking they weren’t of any value since they only got me around 500 subscribers and give or take a few thousand listeners (when I was actively doing them). /facepalm
Thank you so much for all of the advice, Marsha. I really appreciate it!
Thanks Marsha!
Will pursue BlogHer when I get my postings up to once a week. I have a great goal to motivate me now!
Hi John; This was a very generous offer. The point of my blog is to promote sales and traffic to my website. I sell new and used amusement equipment, mostly used so far. I have a pretty good email mailing list for people already in the industry, but I’d really like to reach those people who are thinking of starting or who are operating on a small scale say week end warriors. I do think i could also write about having to change businesses late in life. I’ve actually thought about a take off of the guest post you mentioned and do one on how going out of business isn’t always a bad thing. And people should read the earlier replies. I don’t always read earlier posts before writing mine. I use a screen reader, and it takes a lot of time to do that, but something told me to read them this time. Your responses helped to get my creative juices flowing into areas I wouldn’t have thought of before. Thanks John and Marsha, Max http://www.midwaymarketplace.com/blog7 http://www.midwaymarketplace.com
Hi Maxwell,
Your creative juices are on the right track. Your target market is going to be smaller than many by it’s very nature. But, more importantly, you’re starting to see the related topics. Such as:
Why this is a great business for later in life. Target personal finance and retirement planning blogs.
Why this is a great side business to save money while you plan to quit your boring day job. Target career blogs, personal development blogs, personal finance blogs.
Why this is a great side job. Target mommy blogs, sites for unemployed workers.
The benefits of this kind of business. Target small business and entrepreneur blogs.
I think you get the idea. Think outside your niche.
Best of luck to you.
yes; you got me on the right track. I just found a couple to submit to that I thought you’d like. ONe is a vegetarian site. They do posts about concessions businesses. I suggested a post about why there aren’t more vegetarian options at the carnival midway and what we can do to improve it. and i found a party rental company in arizona that is looking to promote their blog by having guest posts. I wrote with a couple ideas I had for them. hadn’t thought about unemployed though. and I have a question about ethics when it comes to submitting a guest blog. I found one self improvement blog that i was thinking of submitting a guest post to, but it said the post had to come from a self-improvement blog. I’m not exactly sure I meet that requirement. Is this something that comes up often, and how honest should I be here. Is this perhaps a case of I should pass them by because the post has even less chance of being accepted. I’d appreciate your thoughts. Looking forward to tomorrow’s post. thanks , Max
Loved this blog post, though it sure was hard to scroll through the 666 comments to get to the comment form. I’m jealous!! Would love to hear your thoughts on my new blog. I am trying to gather proposal stories from all 50 states…problem is its been difficult to get people to submit stories
what kinds of stories are you looking for? am from texas, but have lived in several states. good luck, max
Cool idea. To be honest, I think your site could look a bit more romantic. The wood grain background is a bit masculine.
That aside, I think to solicit good stories you have to tell a good story. To solicit a good romantic story you have to lead with a great romantic story. Just throwing an offer out there, even with money attached, seldom works.
You could try guest posting on wedding planning blogs and especially wedding photographer’s blogs. Consider writing blogs as well.
Use social media to your advantage. Promote the great stories you get like crazy. Offer a cash reward for tweets or Facebook shares that lead to submitted stories. Are you using Facebook? That seems a natural for this kind of idea. Leave comments on YouTube wedding videos.
Best of luck. Neat idea.
Thanks for the reply! I am looking for marriage proposal stories….ideally that tell a good story and something about the state they are from
My blog is about the process of weight loss with a particular focus on optimal mindset and optimal methods.
My readers are people looking to lose weight and get their body back.
What I ultimately hope to accomplish with my blog is to use it as a springboard for an online fitness consultation business.
Hi Daniel,
Weight loss is a huge niche online. Properly positioned, it shouldn’t be difficult to find guest posting opportunities, especially when you write about mindset.
I’d look at health and fitness sites, of course. Then, personal development blogs (minsdset), personal finance (saving money with optimal methods), mommy and daddy blogs, blogs for freelancers and other at-home workers, career blogs.
This will work more effectively if you narrow down your customers from “readers who want to lose weight” to a more specific subset. Men and women need a different approach. Women of different ages need a different approach. Focus on the people and their problems — not your process — and you will have an easier time starting an online fitness consultation business.
Best of luck.
Thank you, Marsha! I just joined the GuestBlogging course, so I’ll start with your suggestions and continue with the materials once the class starts. Much appreciated!
Great article and I totally see what you mean and I’m sure that it works.
I just have a question. It’s understandable how to act if you live in an area where the connections live, but what if you live in say Uruguay or something like that. How can you make those connections. I mean in person. Sure thing, they can be done on the Internet, but I believe you were referring to real life (not virtual) contacts and connections?
Kenneth,
Actually Jon was referring to online connections. He lives in Mexico and continues to grow his network.
Incredibly generous offer…thank you, Jon and Marsha.
In its current iteration of Heartspoken, my aim is to help readers strengthen the life connections that I believe contribute to happiness and success: Connection with Self, with Others, with God/Source and with Nature. I also blog about personal notewriting, because I think it’s such a wonderful connection too. I’ve tried incorporating a gift area, but that has been a total flop.
In a very real sense, each of these types of connection could be a different reader, though many of us want to cultivate all four. So I’ve struggled with identifying my ideal reader [so I can sleep with them
] and whether or not I should narrow my niche. I’ve even wondered whether to just make it all about personal notewriting and try to get a corporate sponsor (a stationery or fountain pen company).
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Elizabeth,
It is all about connections, isn’t it?
I suggest getting crystal clear about who your ideal reader and customer is, what their problem is and what your unique solution is. Your definition of your ideal reader and their problem is very fuzzy right now and that’s the reason for your confusion and lack of traction.
It’s very easy when we have a process (our unique solution) that works so well to want to share it with everyone. The danger is we focus on the process, not on the person on the other end. We all do it.
To be blunt, you’ve put the cart before the horse.
Once you can show people how those deep connections solve what keeps them awake at night, and how notewriting is a tool to facilitate that, everything will make sense. You won’t be able to attract a sponsor until you can demonstrate who your audience is and that you do attract them.
Yes, I believe you should narrow your niche and be very specific about who you can help.
Peace.
Thank you SO much…this confirms what I was coming to realize and gives me courage to make some changes. Your statement “…you’ve put the cart before the horse” was a polite way of saying that I told a friend last week, “I’ve done this all Bass-Ackwards!” I hate that it’s true, but I can’t begin to fix it until I know what’s wrong.
I am an ideal candidate for Jon’s upcoming course and will take it in a heartbeat if he offers it again. I’m six lessons into James Chartrand’s Damn Fine Words course, however, and have promised myself not to get sidetracked by any other “bright shiny objects” until it’s over.
Peace and blessings to you and Jon both. I am very grateful for your gently honest appraisal.
Elizabeth,
You are wise to focus on one thing at a time. Come back and see us when you’re done with James’ course. This course will be much easier for you then.
Onward!
Hi Marsha,
My blog is new (part of a new wordpress website that replaced an older, static website). Originally I thought of blogging as a way to get clients in my door for treatment. And, as a recovering chronic pain sufferer, I felt I had a lot to offer people and was passionate about sharing some of that knowledge.
But I’ve been doing lots of thinking/reading/researching and I believe that I was thinking too small. I want to have a bigger platform, reach more people and create income from the blog itself.
My focus on treating and preventing chronic muscle tension can be applied to almost anyone and lots of different conditions, but my biggest market segment is the 40 – 60 year old (aging baby boomer) who is trying to avoid surgery (eg back fusion, joint replacement), multiple medications and/or feeling debilitated and old.
Right now I feel like I am in flux, trying to clarify the overall business plan and the online component of that plan. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
If I tackled a larger stage, should I change the website name, start a new website for that aspect of the business and keep the current one for the local business or another alternative I haven’t thought of?
Thanks so much. Looking forward to learning from the Guestblogging course.
Thanks
Hey Maria,
I think we talked about this inside the GuestBlogging forum, yes?
Because muscle pain and management is such a big topic that touches so many people, you may want to consider creating s separate site to offer your expertise and develop your authority. Trying to do that from a locally branded website could create more confusion than clarity.
That way you can clearly separate your hands-on, brick-and-mortar services from a more general blog and information products. However, if you decide to change your domain name, it’s possible you could keep everything on one site.
Let me know if you have further questions.
Hello Marsha,
Very generous with your time so thank you.
I am just in the process of changing my blog descriptor to Yoga Mat Manager – this is a professional development blog for Business executives and people managers who are interested in using mind boy spirit techniques to manage people, solve problems and have more meaning in the work they do.
I have just started the cousre and enjoying the practical tools. What are your thoughts about offering a post is there a particular protocol?
Cheers Jan
Hi Jan,
Yep, there are very definite protocols and Jon gives you the exact scripts to use when pitching. That’s Module 3, which you will have access to soon.
Glad you’re enjoying the course.
Hi Marsha (and Jon),
Thanks so much for doing this! To echo many of the posts above me, this truly is a great offer.
I’m a blogging newbie, I just started a month ago after thinking and researching blogging for two months or so. My blog is a book review blog and I review books that I read and have read, which mainly fall into the Christian fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy (fairy tale fantasy) genres.
I am on Goodreads and have gotten a few visits (4?) from there, but most of my traffic comes from fb friends when I share the link to a new post.
I know you’re big on guest blogging, but how does one go about that in the book review niche where the purpose is usually to share your own opinion about a book?
Many thanks!
~Rina
p.s. I am planning on asking a friend to design a header picture for me, but haven’t gotten around to that yet.
Rina,
You’ve rather boxed yourself in with your narrow focus on book reviews, but it may be possible to get guest posts.
The trick for you will be to expand your book review to include several key takeaways — actionable items — from the book that pertain specifically to the audience on the blog you want to post for.
So, if you’re reviewing a book for a site for Christian moms, for example, you want to pull out at least three key points from the book relevant to Christian moms.
If you can do that well and consistently, I think you can land quite a few guest posts.
Good luck.
Hi Marsha (and Jon),
Thanks for your generosity in time and knowledge!
My recently started blog is called Growth in Business, and is about personal growth and development opportunities that we have while making a livelihood. So the target audience would be anyone who works for a living (if they are involved in marketing and/or do business on the internet, so much the better) and are also serious about self-development. A religious background might help, but the posts should speak to and be understood by any growth-oriented individual.
The ultimate (business) goal of the blog is to eventually get some of the readership interested in our business consulting (internet marketing) services, but that’s a little further down the line. First we want the readership who appreciated our ideas and values.
I’ve already started looking at some of the personal development blogs with an eye towards guest posting; any other ideas?
Thanks!
Aviva B
Hi Aviva,
The first thing I would suggest is to narrow your niche. Targeting anyone who is working for a living is much too broad; even adding who is interested in personal development doesn’t narrow it much.
Reason being that by trying to be everything to everyone your message will come across as being too diluted and generic to really strike anyone as being specifically for them. And that’s the key to succeeding in blogging — making your reader feel like you know them so well you’ve been watching them through a webcam.
If people don’t feel like you have the exact information and solution they need, they’ll move on. Fast.
Same goes with finding blogs to guest post for — if you don’t resonate with the blog’s core message and audience, your post won’t get accepted.
Best to you.
Hi Jon,
I started my blog about a year or so ago but only now am getting more and more clear on what it is and what direction I’m taking.
My blog is CrazyMomLife.com and I’m a mom of soon to be 7 kids. I know very well the feeling of feeling overwhelmed to even inadequate as a mom. Expecting my 7th child any day now, people often ask how I handle such a hectic schedule and life with 6 kids.
I’m now in my mid-30′s and experiencing some awesome things in the area of personal development. My marriage and personal finances have never been better. I’m less stressed, more happy and so exited about what my next 3 decades have in store. I want other moms to have a better life too. But I needed a major kick in the pants before seeing these results.
I want to be that kick in the pants and voice of encouragement for other moms. I’m no superwoman and I believe if I can do it, anyone can. It takes discipline, it takes sacrifice, and I’m more of a tell it like I see if kind of person rather than a sugar coater but I want to let moms know they ARE capable!
Stacie,
You have a great start for a successful blogging career in a very popular niche.
1. You’ve identified your target audience very specifically.
2. You know their fears, worries, concerns and what keeps them up in the middle of the night. You can write about it with authenticity.
3. You have a strong voice and can speak with authority and credibility.
If you can learn to adapt your topics to other mommy and parenting blogs, even personal development and finance blogs, you could have no end of guest posting opportunities.
Bravo. Keep rockin’.
Wow, this is some really great advice, thank you for doing this.
I think after reading through a lot of these I’m getting the idea or where to find guest blogging opportunities. I’m wondering though, how do I know when my site is filled out enough to start guest blogging?
I’m guessing you’re going to say to start now. But is there a level where all these new readers will come and say “wow, there’s nothing here”?
my site is http://bethcranford.com/ and I write about personal development, home schooling, homemaking, and home business. My target audience is christian moms around the 40 year old mark.
I have about 50 articles, across all of these topics but mostly home business, that are partially written. Should I get more of them written and published first?
Thanks!
Beth,
Contrary to what many people say, Jon doesn’t believe you need to even have a blog to begin getting your guest posts published. He is a strong advocate of linking in the bio of a guest post back to an email opt-in page that says very little about what you do with an email opt-in form.
Your articles, wherever they are