Blog Training and How-To Guide for Business Blogging

This expert blogging tip is courtesy of Easton Ellsworth, author of Know More Media and author of BusinessBlogWire. 

This week, we'll talk about guest posting - what it is, why it matters, how to get guest posters for your blog, and how to be a guest poster on other blogs.

Why is guest posting on other blogs important?

Well, for starters, it puts you directly in front of a new (and maybe much bigger) audience. And it's a great way to increase the number of backlinks to your blog and drive traffic to your blog. Plus, it's an easy way to establish a new friendship with other bloggers.The benefits are many.

Today I'll help you know how to find people that you can either guest-post for or have guest-post for you. Building on last week's post on how to find bloggers to network with in your niche, I'd like to share a few additional resources that can help you find potential collaborators.

1. Forums - If you haven't used forums much before, you ought to consider giving them a try. A simple Google search for "(keyword) forum" will likely turn up good results, but you should also ask your blogging buddies whatrelated forums they go to regularly.

The beauty of forums is that they're like indexable lounges. They typically offer a relaxed atmosphere in which to chat with others, and you can usually search through their archives to find lots of relevant users who may have blogs on which you might be able to post, or who might be good candidates to guest-post for your Know More Media blog.

2."Traditional" websites - Websites that aren't blogs, that is. Why not contact someone at a popular website in your niche and ask them to come post at your blog? Why not ask them if you can share a few words in front of their audience?

3. Real-life meetups - The next time you exchange business cards with someone, think: "What does this person have to say that my blog readers might find useful and refreshing?" and "What can I share with any audience they may have?"

4. Directory sites - There are many broad or niche directory websites on which you might find lots of bloggers or industry experts listed. Guest posting is all about adding value by bringing in a relevant expert voice. DMOZ.org is one of the largest general directories; Google and Yahoo! also have big directories of just about everything. You can often find niche directories through a simple Web search, like for "(keyword) directory" or "(keyword) member list."

Where else can you find people to write guest posts for or to invite to your blog for a guest post?