WritingThoughts

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If you’re a writer, you’ve probably already wrestled with the question of whether or not you should contribute guest posts.

There are some clear advantages to writing guest posts, but there are some disadvantages as well. In this post, I’ll outline both.

Last week I covered the topic of whether you should publish guest posts on your blog. This week I’ll take a look at the other side of guest posting and discuss whether you should write guest posts.

Pros of Guest Posting

There are definitely some advantages to writing guest posts. Here are some of them:

1. Brings additional traffic to your blog or website.
2. Gives you exposure to different audience.
3. Helps you to build a relationship with the blog owner where the guest post is published.
4. Helps you to establish incoming links to your own site.
5. You may be paid since some blogs pay for guest posts.

Writing guest posts is not all positive, though. There are some downsides as well.

Negatives of Writing Guest Posts

Here are some of the negative aspects of writing guest posts:

1. Incoming traffic and exposure varies depending on the popularity of the blog where your guest post is published.
2. Takes away from the time that you would spend on other writing projects.
3. You lose control of the guest post content and may also give up some or all of your intellectual property rights.
4. You need to factor in time to answer comments on your post at the blog where it is published.
5. Most guest posters do not receive any payment.

More Information to Consider Before Writing Guest Posts

Many writers have successfully made guest posting a part of their strategy for marketing their writing or blogging services. You can do the same. Always remember, however, to read (and follow) any guest posting guidelines on the blog where you are planning to submit your guest post.

If you’re a writer who is considering adding guest posting to your marketing strategy, you should review the following posts for additional pointers:

• From Piggy Bank Pie.Com, 101 Blogs That Accept Guest Posts
• From Freelance Folder, Create a Compelling Online Portfolio by Guest Blogging
• From Outspoken Media, When Guest Posts Fail
• From Men With Pens, How to Wow Blog Editors (and Get Published)
• From Make a Living Writing, 6 Surprising Truths About Guest Posting on Blogs

In Summary

Although I’ve written quite a few guest posts (in fact I have one coming out this week), this is not currently a big part of my marketing strategy. Time is the main reason that I don’t write more guest posts.

Personally, if I’m going to submit a post to someone else I feel that it should represent my very best efforts.

Do you write guest posts for blogs other than your own? Has this strategy been successful? Share your experiences.