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There’s a myth out there in the blogosphere. One which has guest blogging nailed down as a time-consuming strategy, and it’s perhaps the main reason why guest blogging hasn’t caught on in a big way. In amongst all the over-hyped get rich quick schemes the art of approaching bloggers, carefully crafting an interesting/informative post, and giving it away for simply a link in return doesn’t seem particularly enticing.

Sure, there are other downsides of guest blogging. There are risks associated with it if you don’t fully understand your audience (although some would argue that controversy is far from a bad thing), but the benefits - visibility, enhanced reputation, high quality links, relationships - far outweigh the disadvantages.

With all these benefits there’s one central myth surrounding guest blogging which is holding it back. The myth that has tarnished guest blogging as a strategy which HAS to be time-consuming, a strategy which as a consequence only semi or full-time bloggers can realistically consider. And these full-time bloggers often don’t even need the extra exposure.

Of course you can always link to your guest post from your blog, replacing what would have been a normal post, but this can create a sense of abandonment amongst your readers. It also reduces the effectiveness of your guest post as people who click through from your guest post to check out your blog are simply presented with a link to the article they’re just come from. Preparation is one of the keys to getting the most from guest blogging.

Guest Blogging Swaps

However, guest blogging doesn’t have to be time-consuming when you participate in guest blogging swaps:

Guest Blogging Swaps is the strategy of swapping posts with other bloggers, thereby introducing yourself to a new audience whilst simultaneously keeping your readers at home up-to-date with new content.

Guest blogging can be time-consuming but why not suggest a guest blogging swap? You can guest post on a blog whilst the recipient blogger guest posts on yours. There’s very little extra time commitment required and you still get all the benefits of guest blogging.

Blog Review Swaps

There’s already a service which allows you to meet bloggers who are interested in swapping reviews… ReviewBack allows you to find like-minded bloggers with blogs covering similar topics as yours.

There’s a large selection of blogs to choose from but it can be argued that swapping blog reviews is a self-centered strategy - good for bloggers but bad for readers. It’s unlikely your readers want to read review after review of faily popular blogs, so you run the risk of widening your reach whilst simulataneouly losing some of your regular readers.

Swapping posts on the other hand… well, that’s a more reader-focused strategy. A win-win strategy for both readers and bloggers.

Finding Guest Blogging Swap Opportunities

Firstly, you’ll need to identify blogs which may be suitable, taking the following criteria into account:

• The size of the readership
• PageRank
• Type of content
• Writing style

Bloggers with a similar traffic level and PageRank are likely to be most receptive to a guest blogging swap proposal. Similar content also almost goes without saying, although often blogs with a slightly different, yet complementary, topic coverage work best.

A similar post style is also essential. If you tend to make short snappy posts it’s not worth approaching a blogger who writes in-depth content. The match just isn’t there.

With the above criteria in mind you’ll at least know what to look for. Assess other blogs in your niche to see which ones would be suitable, and depending on the topic of your blog our list of 52 blogs which accept guest posts may be of help.

So go on, start guest blogging today - it’s one of the best ways to gain instant visibility and now there’s no excuse not to start!

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Related Posts:

How To Polish Your Blog Before a Guest Blogging Gig: 7 Strategies To Make it Shine

Q&A: When Should I Start Selling my Guest Posts

Confessions of a Guest Blogger