A lot of people ask me how I ended up writing for Pronet Advertising and landed a guest blogging position at CopyBlogger and how they can follow the steps to emulate the success. In fact, many of you may even be wondering what I’m doing here, well let me explain.

Blogging means different things to different people. For some it is is merely for entertainment, for others it is purely a business venture, but for most people (including me) blogging is about sharing your ‘expertise’ with others, meeting new people, and building relationships. With that in mind, here are what you will find to be quite straightforward steps you can follow to strike a conversation today and build a relationship tomorrow.

1. The Gift of Linking

The easiest way to get someone’s attention is to send them a link. A link to someone else’s content right away signals not only that you are paying attention to what they have to say but also that you respect their opinion enough to either respond to it (doesn’t matter if your response is positive or negative) or incorporate it into your content as evidence or background information.

Furthermore, whenever someone links to you, make it a point to acknowledge the link, thank the person, and keep in touch.

2. Joining the Discussion

Want to make yourself known and your presence felt? Why not participate in the discussions started by others that you are interested in (i.e. topics that are relevant to you/your niche)? Go to the sites you enjoy and have your say. Don’t forget to enter your site’s url in the comment information field so when people want to know who you are, they can head on over to your site and thank you or reciprocate.

Whenever someone comments on your content, respond the that person on the blog but also try to communicate off the blog (via email or instant messaging).

3. Get in Touch

We are all mortals and we all have to start somewhere. So what if Darren Rowse has 50,000 rss subscribers and you just have 50? Send him an email, talk to him, show your interest and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

4. Go Visiting

Don’t limit yourself to reading and writing, or even linking and commenting. Make the extra effort and offer to guest write on other blogs. Bloggers are always looking for fresh insight and new opinions, without which even the best blogs can become stale.

5. Welcome Guests

Just as important as offering to write on other people’s sites is inviting them to write on yours. Not only will your readers appreciate the change but the guest writers will appreciate the opportunity to connect with your audience.

6. Offer a Helping Hand

The easiest way to build a rapport with someone? Offer a helping hand. This can be in the form of any of the things mentioned above or something else that you’re good at. For me, it was often helping people reach the social media audience with their content.

There you have it. If you’re still wondering how Ben and I got to know each other and how I ended up writing for this and other blogs. Read the steps again and you’ll find that I just followed the steps you’ve just read.

As he mentioned, Muhammad Saleem has written for several high profile blogs and is, in my opinion, an authority on guest blogging and networking. He and also maintains his own blog, muhammadsaleem.com, which is a fast growing authority on social media. Make sure you’re subscribed.

Related Posts