I don’t mean just listening to them (it’d be pretty weird if you only listened to your own). I’m talking about guesting on them. Or guest-posting on other people’s blogs, for that matter.
Our digital landscape offers entrepreneurs and marketers a lot of really great opportunities. Having your own blog, podcast, or YouTube channel is a great way to market yourself and your business by creating interesting and valuable content for your audience. If you’re reading this blog post, you’re likely already exploring the world of content marketing.
But how often are you popping up on other people’s outlets?
And why should you bother?
Showing up on other people’s blogs, podcasts, and videos can do a few great things for you (and your business):
- It introduces you to new audiences who may not have even HEARD of you before
- It helps position you as an expert, and people LOVE experts
- It’s super good for networking and building goodwill in your field
Unless you’re a Russian hacker, it’ll take a little bit of effort to actually get yourself onto someone else’s webpage or iTunes feed, but that’s okay. I’ve broken down the process into three easy steps. Go get ‘em, tiger!
1. Research, research, research!
Set aside a few hours and look for blogs, podcasts, or YouTube channels that talk about topics in your field. They don’t have to be Top Ten or have millions of listeners, either – remember, quantity isn’t quality. You want to find outlets with audiences who are most likely to be interested in what you have to say or in buying what you’re selling, even if there are only a few hundred people. Try to find blogs, podcasts, or channels that feature guests, either through guest posts or interviews. Your favourite narrative story podcast probably isn’t going to make the cut (sorry, Welcome to Night Vale!)
2. Reach out and make your case.
Once you’ve come up with a shortlist of suitable outlets, come up with a list of relevant topics that you can talk about. Remember: these topics have to be relevant not only to the audience you want to cultivate for your own business, but also to the blog or podcast that you want to guest on. That quirky and popular digital marketing podcast isn’t going to care about your deeply-researched spiel on the quality of soil that your gardening business offers, no matter how much worm poop it contains.
Once you’ve figured out which topics are a great fit for your target outlets, send them a pitch. Let them know what you have to offer, why you’re the best person to talk about it, and why it’ll be interesting to their audience.
3. Quid pro quo is the way to go.
Why should you return the favour when someone agrees to let you guest on their outlet?
- It’s generally a nice thing to do, and you’re a very nice person.
- Having someone else write a guest post on your blog or featuring an interview saves you from having to brainstorm and write up new content.
- Featuring guest posts on your blog can get you on someone else’s shortlist when they’re in the aforementioned research stage. That can lead to more people reaching out to YOU for guest posts, and offering quid pro quo in return. It’s the circle of life!
Best of luck with your guest-posting adventures!
