In the past, we’ve talked at length about the reasons for and benefits of guest blogging. Now, if you’re considering getting into guest blogging, you’ll probably begin your search for opportunities in the usual places. You’ll turn to some of your blogger friends, and you’ll also target well-recognized blogs in your niche.
And that’s a great start.
Today, however, I want to talk about looking outside your niche for guest blogging opportunities. No matter what you write about, there’s a good chance you can find guest blogging opportunities on blogs that, at first glance, have nothing to do with your niche.
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Let me share an example from a story I heard recently. There was a band that put out an album that had a lot of songs about love and relationships. While the band of course sought coverage on music blogs, they also had the brilliant idea to grab the attention of love and relationship bloggers. This put the band in front of a whole new audience, getting them far more buzz than they’d have been able to create by just targeting music blogs.
So, how can you find similar unique guest blogging opportunities? Here are a few tips to get you pointed in the right direction.
Ask your readers what their other favorite blogs are
What’s the best way to figure out other blogs your audience likes to read? By asking them…duh. You can create a survey or poll on your blog to find this out, or you can just straight up ask your readers what some of their other favorite blogs are. You can also ask your followers this question on Twitter, and I’m sure you’ll get a number of good responses.
Once you’ve compiled a list of blogs outside your niche, visit these blogs. Start thinking of how your expertise connects to the main topic of this blog. Come up with unique story ideas and pitches for each blog, and submit them to the blogger.
You should also spend time getting to know the readers of the blog. Interact with them in the comments. Figure out their likes and their dislikes, which topics tend to generate the most discussion, and how you can best connect with them should you submit a guest post.
Brainstorm connections between your niche and others
Most of us just don’t spend enough time brainstorming anymore. We’ve lost our creativity. Spend some time with nothing but you, a pen, and a piece of paper. Start jotting down every connection you can think of between your niche and others. No idea is too crazy or farfetched to put down. I think that no matter what niche you’re in, you’ll find that it has a connection to dozens of other topics.
Once you’ve come up with a list of these connections, start searching for blogs in these other niches. When looking for guest blogging opportunities, you might be tempted to look only at the top blogs in each niche. While you certainly want to reach out to these, you shouldn’t ignore the smaller blogs that have loyal bases of readers. Those blogs are often easier to get guest posting gigs on, and their readers are often fiercely loyal, meaning they’ll pay attention to what you have to say.
Try MyBlogGuest
MyBlogGuest is a really cool website where bloggers and guest bloggers connect. Blog owners who are looking for guest posters can submit opportunities and connect with eager guest bloggers. This is a great way to find guest blogging opportunities both inside and outside of your niche.
Have you ever guest posted outside your niche? Share your experiences by leaving a comment.