Your vacation will be a lot more enjoyable if you know you’re regularly publishing to your blog while wiggling your toes in the sand, or letting the wind whip through your hair while tooling around the country in that pink convertible.
Do a little planning before you leave. Find other people to do the writing, and you can have several blogs posts edited and in the queue, ready to be dripped out while you’re gone.
But first, create a page at your blog that explains exactly what you want and what guest bloggers must do before pitching you. This will save you a lot of time emailing back and fourth. See the post I created on How to pitch a guest post for The Publicity Hound blog.
Here are 7 ways to find good writers.
1. Work the room at conferences, conventions and trade shows.
My friend, Joel Friedlander, was trolling for guest bloggers at the recent Author U in Denver. He approached me. I said yes. And I got fabulous response from the post I wrote for him on “Do You Donow These 9 Missed Opportunities Even Smart Authors Miss?”
2. Let people within your LinkedIn groups know you’re looking.
Likewise, put out the call on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
3. Go to BloggerLinkUp.com, an excellent site that makes it easy for guest bloggers and bloggers to meet.
Let people know what you need, and share the “Here’s how to pitch me” link at your blog.
How about letting your readers know about BloggerLinkUp.com? They’ll love you!
4. Keep your eyes open for blogs that would be a good fit.
But what if you can’t find the blogger’s email address at the blog>
Bob Baker, music publicity expert, suggests using Google search to find the blogger on social media sites. If you were looking for him, for example, you’d search for “Bob Baker on Twitter” and find him near the top of the list. Contact the blogger on Twitter and ask about guest blog opportunities.
5. Contact publishers of email newsletters you love.
I can think of at least five people who publish ezines I love, and they all blog. I’m betting that most ezine publishers also blog.
6. Ask yourself, “Who wants exposure to my audience?”
They don’t need to be direct competitors, although some of my competitors have guest posted here.
Others who might want exposure to my readers include vendors who sell publicity-related products and services like press release writing and distribution, media contact databases and PR services. Contact the the companies you’ve identified and invite them to submit a post.
7. On the sidebar of your blog, invite readers to submit a guest post.
Include the link to the other post you created that has all the “How to pitch” details.
Also include this same information on the “About Me” page on your website. (My website, where this blog is located, is being redesigned in the next few weeks. The “How to pitch me” link will be added.)
If you publish guest posts, share your best ideas here on how you find other people to write for you.
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If you like these tips, sign up for my free twice-a-week ezine, “Craigslist: A Valuable Publicity Tool.”” in the box at right. It’s a super-quick quick read, with publicity tips you can start using immediately.