When you run a blog, you’re essentially running a self-made magazine. There are a lot of unspoken rules. Between formatting, how many pictures per post, subject matter, the keywords you should use, and more. If you’re looking for consistent blog readers, you’ll need to keep a high level of content.
One of the best ways to maintain quality content is by guest bloggers. But, who do you pick to blog for you? First, you need to make sure the guest blogger adds value to your blog. They need to be a part of your niche community, or they need to have something of value to share.
One big misconception about blogging is that a guest blogger and a thought leader are the same thing. They’re not. A guest blogger can be anyone with an unusual perspective or a tip they’d like to offer to your readers. Maybe they have a blog that gets a lot of readers, and they want to expand their audience.
A thought leader is a proven guru in their field of study. A thought leader provokes insight or explains processes that are deeper than what you could offer. A thought leader needs to have credential that vaults them above the crowd.
These four bloggers are sure to add value and substance to your blog:
Technical experts
Maybe you run a blog dedicated to Nintendo and old school gaming culture. Why not hook up with someone who knows the in’s and out’s of the hardware? A total pro who can help readers understand why games work a certain way or offer a solution to a machine that’s stopped working. Maybe this blogger can teach your readers tips and tricks to clean their Sega Genesis or keeping their Turbografx 16 in working order when parts are scarce.
Everyone loves How To’s or a niche-related pro-tip. Expert advice is an easy win and always gets a lot of readers. If you play your KEYwords correctly, a blog that offers evergreen content will always rank because the value never diminishes.
Essayists
In years past, newspapers and magazines swore off the long form, kicking it down to two or three pieces per issue. Now that everything is digital, writers have complete freedom to go as long as they like. If in your adventures of gaming, you stumble upon a blogger who can offer a deep cut into gaming history, readers love learning about their niche. If you can mix up the usual content with a few longer pieces, the effect can satisfy many readers tastes because of the options.
As long as the essay adds value and the writing is solid, adding long form could be an excellent way to separate your brand from the pack.
Celebrities
There’s famous and then famous to particular groups of people. Sure, would getting a piece written by Brad Pitt get you some readers? You bet it would. But, let’s be realistic, if you run a blog dedicated to a niche community, it’s best to find the people who stand out, and everyone knows them.
By tapping that celebrity culture, it brings an instant gratification that your blog is cool. No one with a following will just blog anywhere, or so it’s perceived. If you can land a popular gamer or someone who’s well known in the industry, people will view your blog in a much different light. Despite actually not having any significant bearing on your content’s quality, this move works best for gaining awareness with a whole different set of people who didn’t know your blog existed.
Thought leaders
We touched on them earlier, but thought leaders are a crucial score for the success of any blog that deals with a particular community. A thought leader, like a celebrity, lends a different level of credibility to anyone’s blog. Because they’re considered an expert in their field than just famous, the degree of respect is different.
Negotiating terms with a thought leader can be lengthy, but most of the time, having their name attached to your blog is a worthy pursuit. If you want to have a more professional, critically-minded tonality to your blog, working with thought leaders is an awesome way to access knowledge and get content people are excited about.
If you put in the work and mix these personality types in with your content, there’s a great chance you’ll see unique visitors to your blog each week. Just remember to keep the quality high and the reader’s value in mind.
If you’ve got any blogging pro tips, we’d love to hear them. Shoot us a Tweet or leave a comment.
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