Why Your Guest Post Should Suck

Okay, maybe it shouldn’t suck, but I have noticed something lately. I have been reading a lot of guest posts on some of my favorite blogs. What I have found is a bit alarming. So, while this post is not really about why your guest post should suck; it is about why you need to guest post with caution.

Your Guest Post

You all know by now guest posting is an amazing source of free traffic, subscribers and customers. It’s a way to get your name out there, your blog noticed and again—-free traffic. Any traffic that is free is worth it in the cutt throat world of  Internet marketing.

The other day, I read this fabulous guest post. I will refrain from details to protect the individual I’m about to slam. 🙂 It was phenomenal. I completely understood why one of my favorite bloggers published it. So, as I do when I read any guest post, I hopped over to that person’s blog. Of course expecting the same ingenuity I found in the guest writing.

Man, did I slam my forehead into the keyboard. What I found was a poorly designed site, horrible posts that seemed redundant; most of all, no spark. No genius…..and typos out the wazoooehy. Why would you go through all the trouble of guest posting only to send people to some garbage content?? Made no sense to me. Hence, the birth of this post.

I know that some bloggers have pretty stringent acceptance guidelines for guest posters, so it is only natural your post would be exceptional in order to get published. But don’t you think the content of your post should match the quality on your own blog? It makes no sense to give your best work to another blogger. See, guest post traffic is momentary.

Your Guest Post Goal

Yes, you will get traffic, some subscribers and make some new friends. But that only happens when you continue to guest post on a regular basis. One guest post is not going to propel you to the top. So you have one opportunity to impress your new visitor. And if they do not like what they see, the next guest spot they see from you ends right there. At the guest post. They will remember what they saw when they visited you last and not even bother to go back.

THAT IS NOT YOUR GOAL HERE. Your goal should be to tease the reader with your fabulous guest post, then draw them in when they get to your place. So no, your guest post should not suck, but it sure as heck better NOT be better then the content you produce on your own blog. That is a total counter-productive move. And one that will only increase your bounce rate and cause you to have unproductive work time.

Give your blog the same love and attention you give to guest posting and you will reap rewards greater then you ever imagined.