Guest Posting
Guest posting is a way of increasing your exposure and your blog’s traffic by publishing an article on someone else’s website with a backlink to your blog. It is beneficial for both sides: while the writer introduces themselves to a new audience, the host blogger gets high-quality material for free and provides a fresh perspective to followers.
To make it flawless, it’s important to only cooperate with bloggers who are able to match your website’s topic and style, and write an informative post. Usually, guest bloggers send a proposal with a few suggestions of article topics first and then deliver the post. Consider these points when networking:
- Relevancy of the author and their suggestions to your niche
- Credibility of the author
- Guest post should match the quality and style of articles on your blog
- It should in no case be an advertisement of the guest blogger’s product or services. There is a bio section to give credit to the author
How can you find guest bloggers? If your blog is well-known, set up a “Write for us” page to let the world know that you accept guest posts. Next, explore guest blogging networks, such as BlogDash or MyBlogGuest, where you can find authors looking for cooperation. Alternatively, research other websites in your niche who might also be accepting guest posts to get the authors’ contact information.
Launch a Joint Project
You can also find blog writers on a collaborative basis, meaning they work together with other authors on the same post or topic. For instance, other writers collect the necessary material and you use it to write a post, or you write separately and then combine materials together. In this case, both you and your partners can use the outcome of the collaboration.
Remember to partner with reputable bloggers only. To find blog contributors, explore blogs in your niche and try to find topics at the interface of your expertise and their’s. You can also find opportunities for partnerships on such networks as MyBlogU, uniting bloggers from various niches. Some bloggers host collaborative posts on a regular basis, and one such example is Travel is Life.
Should a joint project be longer than usual ones? It all depends on the topic. For instance, this post was created jointly by a few bloggers, and its broad topic requires writing a long-read.
User-Generated Content
You can easily find writers without paying if you open your blog up to user-generated content. A great example of such a website is Reddit. Users share news, leave comments and participate in discussions. Alternatively, you can build a website for collecting reviews, the way TripAdvisor works. You can use the content both on your website and social networks.
On the flip side, your audience will have a chance to share their opinions, collaborate with their favorite brand and receive discounts or prizes. Finally, user-generated content helps build credibility for your company and establish its authority.
Here are some ideas of ways to encourage users to post on your website:
- Ask followers to share what they like about your product
- Create attractive and easy-to-use feedback forms, add visual elements such as stars and emoji
- Initiate discussions
- Reward feedback with bonus points, prizes, free content, etc.
It’s also possible to devote only one part of the website to user-generated content, as is the case with Nomadic Matt, where the author set up a forum to let followers voice opinions.
Some programs such as Podium allow you to automatically collect reviews on your product, improve your ranking on Google search results, earn the confidence of customers, analyze their feedback and improve your business accordingly.
Check Free Content Resources
If you fail to hire a blogger, there are free sources for blog posts, visuals, audio and more. Sometimes, you might be required to post a backlink to the author’s blog.
Need to find free writers for your blog? Here are some platforms to explore:
- EzineArticles. Choose from 30 categories ranging from travel to product reviews
- Articles Factory. Another versatile resource with articles added on a daily basis
- Amazines. This might be one of the biggest libraries of free materials with over 300K posts on travel.
Naturally, these articles can be published on several blogs, and to avoid plagiarism, it makes sense to only work a little bit on the content and add a few changes.
Where to Buy Content
Certainly, free blog writers might not equal top-notch quality content. If average materials are not in line with your strategy, consider investing money into your blog posts.
One of the cheapest ways is to contact authors directly on freelance platforms like Upwork, Fiver or OnlineJobs.ph (non-native speakers). The average price of a post is $30, and you don’t have to pay commission to intermediaries.
Another way is through article writing services. They deliver content in your time frame and guarantee it’s of high-quality:
- One of the quickest services is Textbroker (from 1.5 cents per word)
- Word Agents delivers premium quality materials, but requires longer deadlines
- Content Development Pros has an “all-inclusive” approach, delivering blog posts with images (from $12.95/page)
- HPD is a versatile service, creating content, improving ranking and backlink profile, getting traffic and more
How to Find Free Writers for Your Blog
To find writers for your blog that meet your expectations of both the quality and quantity of content, consider your objectives and budget. Free resources provide unlimited material on various topics, but you’ll most likely have to link back to the author or rewrite the text to make it original.
Naturally, unique and high-quality materials are worth paying, and you can find affordable services in any niche.