My first ever guest post at Moz.com (January 2008)

...Which got me an invite to guest post at SearchEngineJournal.com

...Which got me a position of columnist & editor at SearchEngineJournal.com

...My name became known...

...I got more and more invites and opportunities coming my way...

Guest blogging allowed me to build my online business from scratch...

Guest blogging builds brand, connections, following & traffic...

...I used guest blogging to build my connections to compensate my inability to meet my partners and clients in real life...

...Plus, referral traffic from my guest posts has been my most efficient traffic source...

Guest blogging:

(1)
What really matters is influence and authority

Guest blogging builds both allowing you to CHOOSE opportunities coming your war

e.g. Having my name known in the industry now lets me launch my projects & easily market them

Invest in yourself and your brand (This is your most valuable asset)

(2)
Grab ANY opportunity...

(2) ...And stick with the best!

Get ready for being pitched...

Your about page is your
asset

Don't be afraid of approaching editors as well!

You can:

• Find common connections at Twitter & Linkedin
• Ask a current contributor for an introduction
• Connect with editors on social media

You can:

• Apply to be a one-time contributor
• Share an idea for an article series or column
• Apply to be interviewed, to do a webinar or share your case study
• (Or all of it)

You can get even more creative:

• Join the Twitter chat set up by the editorial team
• Participate in their Google hangout
• Connect to them at then event...
• etc

(3)
Nurture EVERY opportunity to grow your exposure & following

Once your blog post is published:

• Comment & reply to everyone who comments
• Connect to those who shares it on social media
• Connect to the editorial team & other authors on social media
• Connect to those featured in the same article, etc

No opportunity (even a small one) should be wasted

(4) If you link, you do that for traffic & exposure, NOT for the sake of links...

(4)
Be open with where you are linking...

Most editors are not jerks...

If I say I am going to link to my own site (because it makes sense), they gladly agree

It's when you start sneaking your links in the article (in order to get more), you are running into a risk of screwing that opportunity up

I am always very open about the fact that I am going to mention my own projects...

Don't be sneaky about how you link too: It's not about anchor text!...

It's about trust, exposure and traffic...