Chadrack
[This is a continuation of our guest blogging series. If you’ve not read the previous entry please click here to read it now to get the entire scoop!]
In the previous entry for this series, we discussed: “The Secret to Getting Hordes of Endless Free Traffic as a Guest Blogger” and I categorically stated that starting with a purpose in mind and crafting your guest post to achieve that purpose is sure to open the flood gates of targeted traffic to your business blog/site.
As much as that is true, you'll need to know that that is only one side of the coin!
And, just as a one-sided coin is useless so also is a guest post that focuses only on what you want to achieve!
I don’t have to repeat that for you to understand what I’m saying but you must note that every guest post you’ll ever write is not about you but about your target audience. You cannot afford to be selfish when it comes to content marketing using guest blogging.
Your reader is the real reason WHY you are writing and not YOU!
It's the reader who matters, and ultimately it's only the reader who matters.
Yes, you have defined a purpose for your content but the reader will only take your desired action to fulfill your purpose only IF you can give him what he wants.
This is an essential element in the equation. “KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND NEVER FORGET WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS!“
But what really is it that the reader wants?
It’s information.
>>> Information that will not only empower him but also help him heal a hurt.
>>> Information that will ease a pain in his life.
>>> Information that will help him save time and money.
>>> Information that will help him profit with his business.
The reader wants information but not just any information. He wants information that will be beneficial to him and your job is to provide him with the most useful information you can with your guest post.
When the reader is reads your guest post you must help him PERCEIVE that you are truly interested in helping him. If in any way he perceives the contrary then you're success is in jeopardy!
But How Do You Do This?
This is where your attitude comes in. Your attitude coupled with a thorough understanding of the reader's needs and your expertise will help you craft your guest post that it will be invaluable to your readers.
One error you must avoid here is thinking that the reader’s purpose is the same as yours. Of course, you may want to write an article about how you overcame a particular problem. That is perfect. But the focus should not be just how you did it but how the READER can do it and benefit BIG from it.
So, when you have established the purpose for your guest post as we discussed in the previously, make sure you know WHO your reader is, WHAT he cares about and what PROBLEMS he is struggling with before you ever write your guest posts.
With that let me give you 3 simple ways you can know who your target audience is.
3 Simple Ways to Knowing Your Target Audience
(a) Read The About Us Page Of The Host Blog:
This is important as it will help you have a bird’s eye view of what the blog is on. Knowing this is important as it helps you to know what subject to write about. This will also help you to know the type of readers that frequent the host blog. Writing a guest post on dog training for a blog that is about home business is a big waste of time, except of course, if you can find a way of making it relevant to a home based entrepreneur’s needs!
If there is a “Write for us page”, it is important that you read this also.
I’ve personally experienced situations when some bloggers contact me with the intention of writing a guest post on the subject of pay day loans for the Web Income Journal! This is a clear sign that the person has not taken the time to read the blog to know that the target audience here is online entrepreneurs and not those looking for payday loans!
(b) Read A Few Posts on the Host Blog:
Another way is reading some of the posts already published on the blog. Some blogs have a way of displaying their top posts, whether the most visited or most commented. If there is such on the host blog, then reading through these ones will also help you understand what the readers of the blog are more interested in. Understand the direction of the top posts and package your post in line with them.
If a subject continuously receives attention from the blog readers it definitely shows that it is a subject they are interested in. Don’t shy away from it because it has been treated many times on the blog. What you will need to do is approach it from a different angle. With a little creativity and your personal touch, you could just make something new from that subject!
(c) Study the Comments by the Readers:
This is another powerful way of having a glimpse of who your target audience is. In fact, this will give you a wealth of tips and ideas on what you should write on. As you go through the comments, have an eye for comments that ask questions seeking for solutions. Note also the comments that build on the main post. All of these will help you to have an idea of the type of readers that frequent the host blog. Writing your guest posts with these readers in mind is sure to help you easily bond with them and your article will not be out of place.
Guest Blogging Takeaway
If I’m to summarize this post for you, I’ll simply say that the only way you can laugh at failure as a guest blogger is to craft your guest posts in such a way that you can achieve your purpose through helping your target audience.
Your purpose and your target audiences’ may actually be different but as a master craftsman you should be able to know how to bring the two together and come out smoking on both ends!
But should you go through all of these to write a guest post? No, no, no you don’t have to. But if your intention is to create monuments that will drive targeted traffic for years to come then you should. Ultimately the choice is yours!
Or, what do you think? Post your comments below and let’s know what you have to say about this. And, what else can I say but remember to share this with your friends. I'll truly appreciate it!
You nailed it Chadrack. As you said, “guest posting is about your reader, not you.
I like to paraphrase that with my latest quote: “Every guest post is by you, but not about you”
Thanks for writing this. I’ve also written an extensive guest posting 101 on my blog. Please check it out!
@Michael Chibuzor,
That is simply succinct – “Every guest post is by you, but not about you!” It cannot be said any better. Sometimes we could be too selfish that we miss the whole thing. Thanks for the comment.
Btw. Just read your A-Z post on guest posting and must say you have just done what I couldn’t do with a post! Like I mentioned while introducing this series, I planned writing just a post on guest blogging but had to decide on a blog series since there was so much to write about. But you have done it and very well too!
@Chadrack,
Reading the recent posts on a targeted website to know what the targeted audience really needs is guaranteed to land you the deal of getting published on any big blogs on the internet. Apart from getting backlinks, users of that blog will see you as an authoritative person in the field, thereby giving ways for more followership on your blog and social profiles.
I totally agree with most of your points.
Also, your pitch matters a lot, if you want to guest post on my blog and send me a fluff email. I will surely discard it immediately. So, make sure that you have good pitch and also avoid writing short posts as guest posts.
@Chadrack, Thank you bro. for checking my content out. I want to make sure a lot of people access my guest posting 101: the A-2 of guest posting that works. Can you please recommend to your readers?
They would appreciate this kind gesture!
@Michael Chibuzor,
That is really something that will be of great help to all. Actually, I’m planning out something in the course of this series which I hope will bring you into the picture. Once I work out things I’ll let you know.
@Chadrack, I’ll be waiting man. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Chadrack,
To know about your reader is sometime very difficult, specially if he/she don’t have any blog. But by reading their comment carefully you can guess their personality and improve your writing skills plus can get new ideas for your new post.
@Andy,
You’re right there. Of course, there are many tools out there that will help you understand your target audience but these are very simple ways and the good thing is that it doesn’t cost anything.
Unfortunately, many who want to drive traffic with their guest post never really care to understand if the readers of the blog will take their post seriously enough to visit their blogs/sites.
I think just sending a guest post for publishing without really taking the readers into consideration is a waste of time, or don’t you think so?
Loving your series about guest posting!
I know I need to start and these series are surely providing me with all the resources and vital tips I need before I get started.
I loved what you wrote that guest posting is about people or the readers and not about you. The same holds good for our own blogs and the posts we put up there, as it is meant for the readers of the blog and someway that they can learn or benefit from it.
I think what matters most and what lessons I take away from this post is to learn more about the host blog, the audience or readers that read that blog, and checking out a few of the posts, comments, and about us page of the blog.
Thanks so much for the wonderful tips. 🙂
@Harleena Singh,
Sorry for the late reply. Frankly, writing guest posts is not really much of a difference compared to writing for your own blog. The only difference is in the fact that you’re publishing the post on someone else’ blog.
Of course, if you want to connect with your blog readers you must understand what they want and give it to them in a way in which they will be happy with you. This also goes for guest blogging.
However, if you really want to make an impact with your guest post you’re going to go beyond your usual self. Remember you’re now dealing with a different group of people who may be different in many ways from the readers of your blog who, in any way, must have bonded with you.
This is where studying the host blog is very important. I’m really glad that you got that message.
Thanks for the comment and the mention on twitter.
I am really glad after reading such a informative post.
@locksmith lowell,
Glad to hear that. I’ll truly appreciate it if you’ll let me know some of the areas this post is useful to you, or don’t you think that will also help you provide more interesting tips?
Interesting post, thanks for sharing, bookmarked it.
@JamesW,
Thanks for the bookmark. Be sure to check back for the remaining post when they come live. You’re going to love every bit of it!
@Chadrack, Sure I’ll be coming back as much as can 🙂
I agree with you. The thing matters the most is only the insight for which the readers are looking for, if it has something which they find useful then they can stay there for long time and come again and again for the desired information.
@bjohn,
Yes, once you give the readers what they want you become endeared to them and of course you can achieve your desired goal! Thanks for the comment.
I have been contacted by a person offering me that he would do some guest posting for me. I had no idea what it was, so I started to do some research on the topic. But still I am not so sure, to whom this guest posting would be beneficial…hard to tell.
@Anna,
Well, it’s good thing that you find this post, right? Of course most of the questions you have about guest blogging will be answered during this series.
Anyway, to the question of who will the guest post benefit, the simple answer is both parties. You as the host blogger benefit in that you have some good content posted on your blog without you lifting a finger! And of course, you know all the goodies about have fresh, unique content, right?
And to the guest blogger, you benefits through having a link back to his/her blog and of course some traffic also! Indeed there are other benefits but these are really the main ones.
If you want that blogger to submit his/her post make sure it is unique and well written. I hope this was helpful or is it?
Hi Chadrack,
You are right,our readers dont want only solution of their problems but want a solution that is beneficial for them.It is important to read your reader’s mind for successful guest postings.
@Pete Goumas,
My glad that you resonate with the post. As a content marketer or publisher one thing you should master is how to get into the mind of your readers. Except you are able to stir up their interest and desire your content will only fall on deaf ears.
The easiest way to get into the mind of your readers is to help them perceive that you’re truly interested in their welfare! That way you will be opening up easy channels for connection. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Chadrack,
I used the same 3 ways as you mentioned to know my targeted audience and these 3 ways are very successful to know how your audience really wants from you.A guest blogger cant be successful if he/she doesnot read his/her readers’s mind and cant give beneficial solutions or tips.
@Syeda Mehwish,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. I have using these tactics for some time now and I’ve always found them to be useful. Thanks for the comment.
Really nice tips, I’ll try to work on some of these.
@Rishabh,
I’ll be glad to hear your success story! Will you care to post your results here when you finally try these tips?
Awesome Sharing.
Really it was worth reading. Thanks Chadrack.
Amit Shaw.
@Amit Shaw,
That’s good to hear. I really want to make this guest blogging series as helpful as possible. I’m glad that it resonate with you. I hope the forthcoming posts will also be helpful.
Thanks for the comment.
@Chadrack sure I will post the results !!
Great post Chadrack! Guest blogging drives most of the time higher traffic to your site, however in my opinion it’s more about quality. Quality brings you traffic in long-term.
@Niko M,
Frankly, I believe also that quality is important, in fact, it’s to be the next in the series. However, from my experience quality alone will not do anything. Search engine optimization is still the strong base of driving long term traffic to your blog/site. Search engines do not rank sites simply on quality. They look for a few requirements and it’s your seo tactics that provide those requirements.
Hope you read the next entry when it is posted and you will know that I’m also for quality.
Thanks for the comment.
The content should not only be informative but also needs to be simple and interesting. The use of catchy graphics is also a nice practice. I also agree with you that your task isn’t finished as soon as you post your content, you also need to manage the discussion which ignites as a result.
@Peter,
I agree with you on every point Peter. When it comes to content marketing you must do everything to make sure that your audience benefit from it and of course ensure that the conversation is a two-way thing.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
very informative post to read and lots of information in it makes it very useful post indeed. This tips will certainly help to increase the number of visitor in the site..
@Jasmin,
It’s glad to know that this post resonates with you. One of the reasons for the series is to help all of us become better in using guest blogging to drive more traffic.
BTW. This is series is still on-going and the latest has just been published. While don’t you check it out. I’m sure you will love it also! Thanks for stopping by.