There are few things as rewarding as having our words and thoughts validated. We can write for ourselves all we want, but until someone claims to relate, to understand, to agree with our ideologies, then we cannot know blogging bliss.

What better way to experience this than through a competitive blog in your niche? Can you write a guest post? Do you know what it takes? I’m here to tell you it takes time to do a little homework. I’ve outlined each step I take before pursuing a guest post.

1. Read the archives - Every blog has a history. I read through topics to get a feel for the blog’s voice. As a writer, I’ve been trained that magazines and literary journals seek out similarly themed material. Every writer, who submits work to these institutions, reads the journal’s back issues to get a feel for their particular interests. It makes the likelihood of a submission’s acceptance climb much higher than a blind submission. The archives give an idea of the breadth of topics a blog engages, while the comments on each post give an idea of the audience (see number five).
2. Write as if - As a freelance writer, I’ve had the opportunity to write content on varying topics such as auto insurance, online education, stairway creation, wood types, Google applications, computer problems, travel stories, and so much more. When I write content, I focus on writing as if I’m an expert. Are any bloggers experts? Do experts even exist anymore? It doesn’t matter, because we write as if. Eventually we will be.
3. Write to the blog owner - When possible, write the blog owner a quick message to let them know you’re interested in a guest post. Certain situations dictate different approaches. If you are familiar with a blog, then you likely know the pace of the writing, the voice, and the topics that have been covered. So when you write the blog owner it may be a good idea to give them the post topic. Don’t just say, ‘I’m going to write about nuclear energy and wheaties.’ Tell them how you will tie in other posts from their blog. It will let them know you’ve done your homework.
4. Use our voice - It can be quite easy to slip into someone else’s writing style. This can happen transparently after we’ve spent hours reading past posts of another blog. We can set out to write and find ourselves falling into their idiosyncrasies without thought. I challenge you to purge other writer’s ghosts and use your own voice. While we can keep the tone and approach similar to a blog’s owner, we should ultimately use our own rhythms, idiosyncrasies and syntax.
5. Know the readers - This is one case where we can get a “read” on the readers of a blog. We literally read their posts. We can ask ourselves several questions while we do read the posts.
   • Do the readers engage the author or each other?
   • Do they compliment the post or seek to argue points?
   • Do they respond more to factual writing, emotional, or something else?
   • What topic seems to always draw out comments?
   • Do certain posts always have “0 comments”?

When we reach higher altitudes, we sometimes have to fine tune our machinery. The thing to remember on guest blogging — write with a strong, knowledgeable voice. Do it with gusto. Do it with pride. Fine tune our writing so it speaks to a new audience, for whom we may be writing in the coming months.

The most important thing, though?

Leave our flavor behind, so they know where to come when they are hungry for more.