You are looking for ways to ramp up your influence online and you know that guest blogging is one sure way to get there. Not just writing for any blog mind you, rather for highly appealing, influential blogs in your niche. You know, trophy blogs. Such sites include some of the more common ones such as the Huffington Post to more obscure, but still important ones in your niche. To get published to one of these blogs, you need to keep the following important facts in mind:

Fact No. 1 — Follow the guidelines. The larger and more influential the blog, the more likely you will find a bunch of rules about what types of guest posts are suitable. Visit the guest post section or contact area to pull up that information which might include a list of suggested topics, word counts, style sheets, linking rules and a host of other guidelines. If you want to get published on these sites, you will have to toe the line.

Fact No. 2 — Make contact. Use the blogger’s preferred way to make contact. Often, this includes filling out a contact form and populating it with your information. Or, it may include a dedicated email address with instructions on how to fill out the subject area to get the bloggers attention. Follow these guidelines carefully to ensure that your request gets out there.

Fact No. 3 — Popular blogs get a lot of requests. ‘Tis true — the popular sites are inundated with guest blogging requests. Check the bylines of most of the articles and you will see that the bulk of the articles published are from guest bloggers. Craft a winning appeal to get your request read.

Fact No. 4 — You have to follow up. There is just no way around it: the busiest blogs will often ignore your request. Not necessarily on purpose, but because the blogger is overwhelmed. Or, you may not have followed his instructions carefully, effectively eliminating you from the start. When turned down or ignored, send in a new request. Be polite. Be professional. Explain what your article can do to impact the blog. Perhaps you will be able to share your article with thousands of your own friends, giving you an edge in a competitive guest blogging market.

Fact No. 5 — Meet the blog’s deadlines. The blogger has reviewed your request and has decided to allow you to contribute an article. You have until a certain date to get your article in, therefore write it as soon as possible, carefully edit it and work on making it the best article possible. Get your draft out on time. If the article is rejected or sent back with mark ups, make the corrections right away and return it to the blogger.

Fact No. 6 — You need to demonstrate that you are part of a team. Guest bloggers sometimes take the approach that they’re doing a blog a favor by submitting an article. Sure, you are not getting paid for this service, but you are getting access to the blog’s tens of thousands of readers. Show the blogger that you respect what he is trying to do, by sharing your published work on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus. If the blogger asks for assistance to spread the word, then provide that help willingly.

Blogging Tips

You don’t have to be an expert in your field to get published on a trophy blog. What you need to do is provide an interesting, informative and coherent piece, one that adds value to the site. Hit the mark in these areas and you will gain a reputation for being a helpful guest blogger and should also find that future opportunities may come easier the next time you make query.

See Also – 5 Ways to Become a Better Blogger