How to Be a Great Guest Blogger, and Be Invited Back

     Being a great guest blog writer is important to your blogging career. But it's not easy to do well, especially the first time.  Once you worked on building your network of "blogger friends" you should be able to write on someone else's blog periodically (btw- reciprocate to them).  There are many points to consider, such as how to best blend your post into the host's blog, impressing & pleasing them and making the most of potential new traffic that you can receive from your guest post.  Below are some tips that you can use to improve your guest posting skills (let me know if you have other ideas/tips).

• Know the blog you’re posting on
  By far the most important point.  Just as you spend time continually learning about your blog's audience, make sure you know the audience of the blog you're posting on. Once you know them, make sure that you adapt your writing style so it appeals to the right audience.  If you’re going to write on a blog about advertising, don’t go on about blog design.  Don't lose your personality or blogging style, just adjust so that you conform to the blog’s style and audience.

Be considerate, don’t give the host blogger more work.
Do not submit a post that requires hours worth of editing/formatting work by the host blogger. Before you submit your post, make sure your article is free of any spelling errors, typos and grammatical errors.

Verify that it’s truly worth reading.
Being asked to guest post means the blogger thinks that you have something unique to say. This should be obvious, but write a post worth reading or you may just find that your guest post never gets posted. If your post is not interesting, it’s not going to help the other blog. Most bloggers don’t ask you to guest post without a reason. They feel you have something worthwhile to contribute to their blog, so show them you do!.

Make the most for your site and the visitors you can gain.
This tip might not be important to you initially but it is. When writing a guest post on a popular blog, your blog will then get noticed no matter what, just watch. You need to optimize your blog to make sure that the visitors you receive from the guest post stay on your blog and hopefully become regular readers.  Do this by having a post that links to the articles you wrote. In the post you should link to your top articles and your most recent articles and provide an simple way for the new readers to subscribe. And make it's at the top of your blog so its the first thing the new visitors see!

Have fun with the experience!
Guest posting on another blog should be enjoyable to you!  If you are, it will be noticed, and all readers like that. If it's a hassle and you're not enjoying the experience, it will show too !  Don't stress over it, just relax and do a great job.

Thank the host blogger afterwards.  Acknowledge the guest experience to the host blogger thanking him/her, both in an e-mail and on your blog.  Good business manners go a long way !

These pointers should give you an start on being a great guest write.  Keep in mind that a guest post will give you a chance to add readers to your blog and expand your group of business associates and help grow your good reputation.  And, return the favor.  As your blog grows, ask others to guest write on your blog.  Use the experience wisely and BlogToGreat!