24 Sep Fire UP Your Blog Without Burning Out #FireMeUp11

We have all heard it.  

WE. MUST. CREATE. CONTENT.  

It buzzes in our ears we hear it so often.

I know we get it… creating valuable content is definitely an important part of building a solid personal brand (what we write about and share shows what we are passionate about) and a prosperous business (when we blog about what we do, it shows our expertise in those areas).

However, remember, writing great content doesn’t always come easy week after week; and we are not the only person on the planet who shares our passion for the movements we write about/promote.  Hmmmm….  Not only that, but we also have to get people to our site to see and read the content… and then hopefully like, comment and share it!  OUR current community knows about our blog, our vision, and they likely get our emails/social media updates promoting new posts… However, what about finding people OUTSIDE our sphere to visit our site? How do we do that?  

In this post, I want to focus on a inspiring a fun way to build your content AND audience up that also includes a bonus of you not having to do all of the writing either. Yes, you read that right… I am talking about infusing GUEST BLOGS into your site. (Yes, you can also be a guest blogger on someone else’s site, but that is another post in the queue!)

For the record, I adore guest blogging.  It allows you to achieve multiple goals with ease (well, relative ease).  

First, think about this–> You can be the FABULOUS opportunity knocking on someone’s door! :)  Asking business heroes and key influencers (aka Your Dream Guest Blogger Team) to write a guest post for you is a fantastic reason to connect and build relationships with them.  It also throws the doors of possibility WIDE open!  You never know where these conversations may lead. Imagine how wonderful it would be if they turned into a mentor relationship, business opportunity, or new friendship… with someone you truly admire.

Second, guest blogging also extends the awareness of your brand and blog into your guest bloggers community! When their blog is posted on your site, they share it out with their sphere… and voila – a whole new community is visiting your site.

Two ways you can infuse guest blogging into your blog immediately:

1. Invite “Dream Guest Bloggers” to write a post.

Put a list together of the people you most admire and would like to invite. You can be specific about what topics you would like them to blog about or give them freedom to highlight what is on their heart at the time. I definitely suggest giving some guidance. The less they have to “dream up” the topic, the faster you will get a completed post back. :) For instance, if they recently wrote something that really fired you up, ask them to dive deeper into that topic.  

Remember, many of the people on your list will be flattered.  (I mean, really, who doesn’t LOVE to be highlighted as a leader, master of their industry… as someone truly making a difference?)  However, PLEASE do not take it personally if they are not interested or able to participate.  Keep them on your radar, keep building your relationship, and there may be another opportunity in the future.

Take it to 11 Tip:
Create a pinboard on Pinterest that highlights your Dream Team. In the description, include WHY they are on your list/board. Be sure to tag them, if they are a Pinner. Always go back and add their post link once it is up!

2. Interview influencers to highlight on your blog.

I not only love reading these types of posts, this is one of my favorite things to do on my own blogs. I recently started a new series here on the d11 blog called “Enterprisers” to highlight “Captains of Industry” who are embracing change, leveraging social media, and truly leading by example. (The next one will be published on Friday this week, so stay tuned!)

Consider interviewing one of two ways:

1. Schedule A G+ Hangout/Skype To Do A LIVE Interview

Be sure to have your questions prepared ahead of time to show respect for their time. This option is great when you have never met the person in real life. You will “virtually” get a flavor for who they are and, of course, be able to connect a bit more “face to face”!  Do your best to schedule a video chat, however, if you must do a phone interview, go for it.  

2. Email Your List of Questions

This option is great if you know the person or they have a wickedly wonky schedule since it allows them to answer the questions whenever they are available.

To give you an idea of how I do mine, here is my  with the questions I ask and/or send to my Enterprisers.

Finally, once you have the blog post or interview answers together, here are some tips:

• Format the post the same way – every time.  Your audience will start to recognize the style and look for it.
• Create a special hashtag for those posts so that you can easily track them online.  Use this in the title of the post – for example: #Enterpriser Highlight: Peg Fitzpatrick – Fun * Positive * Smart
  
• Don’t assume guest bloggers will promote their post and then get disappointed when they don’t.  ASK them to assist you in promoting it to their community.  
• Be sure to tag them when YOU promote the post. Getting it on their radar, in this manner, nearly guarantees they will amplify it to their community!

As always, it is my heart’s desire to inspire you to infuse new tips, tricks, and truths into your day.  I am excited to see you implement new content, new voices, and a whole lotta FUN into your blog.

Feel free to include a link to your blog when you comment below so that we can all follow along on your journey to FIRE UP YOUR BLOG!

pssst… want even more inspiration?

Check out this great BreveTV conversation Kelly and I had with Tim Osborne (@youngstapreneur), a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit from the UK.  Right around the 36:00 mark we talked about his strategy with wrangling guest bloggers…  Always learning, always being inspired by others successes, ALWAYS SHARING! :)  

Be sure to connect with the BreveTV Facebook Page to keep up to date on our latest chats!