Blogging has opened the opportunity for many new ideas to grow and become a steady income stream for ambitious entrepreneurs.
The idea of online business is on fire right now, and the advantage of being able to be your own boss has made it even more attractive.
I have been blogging for a little over a year now. Like many others, I was fascinated by the freedom of this side hustle. I have created an excellent resource for new bloggers where I talk about how to attract targeted traffic to your online business/blog.
I feel like I am capable of transferring my knowledge, and that was the reason behind my latest launch, where you can find all the incredible blogging resources in one place.
Why did I choose Personal Finance as my blog niche?
Being a budget-loving mama, I felt like Personal Finance is the topic where I can serve people the most. After achieving a significant financial milestone like being mortgage debt-free myself, I knew I could help people to attain the goal of being mortgage-free and living a debt-free life.
I started my debt-free journey when I successfully paid off my credit card debt in less than a year.
The first couple of months were challenging as I struggled with organizing my thoughts in proper articles.
There was so much to say, and I kept drifting from one topic to another. It took me at least two months to write my initial 20 posts for my blog.
What happened next?
I knew I had enough content to go live, and I went live in August 2018. I had mixed emotions and was unsure what would happen next. One thing was for sure I loved writing, and it was just occurring naturally for me.
I never struggled to produce content and did not feel burned out at any point. The only thing I worked with at that time was Social media, as I was not too active on Pinterest and Facebook, and I never had an Instagram account.
A Positive Change
After I committed to social media platforms, my content started getting traction, and I became familiar with more people in my niche.
I learned new things every day and corrected my mistakes by learning from others.
Being part of some fabulous Facebook Groups allowed me to grow my blog, and I knew more and more eyes were on my content.
Networking is critical when it comes to blogging.
There is one integral part of an online business/blog (in my case), and it is to be a part of an active network.
I was lucky enough to find a very supportive bunch of bloggers, and after six months of blogging, I was ready to collaborate with others.
Here is the list of my collaborations, and through my constant pitching, I landed a few top-of-the-line and many other good platforms.
1. Featured in the U.S. News, Money Section in an article about saving money.
2. Featured on CNBC in a post about Quarantine Life
3. Got featured on Creditcards.com
4. Landed a position as a contributor on reputable Millennialmoney.com that has earned spots on The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, BBC, The Huffington Post, CNBC, USA Today, Inc, Chicago Tribune, and many more. Here are a couple of posts I did for this website.
5. Featured on “Tread lightly, Retire Early.” I was honored to be a part of this blog as it has been on top of its niche and has been featured on Business Insider, Market Watch, The New York Times, and Forbes
7. Featured on “The Logic of Money.”
9. Featured on “Stepping stones to F.I.”
10. Featured on “Every day She’s Sparkling.”
11. Featured on “Cents and Family.”
12. Featured on “Live a Blissful Life.”
13. Featured on “Rich on a Budget.”
14. Featured on “Extravagantly Broke.”
15. Featured on “Stupid Young Money.”
16. Featured on “Money for the Mamas.”
17. Got featured on “She saves, she travels.”
19. Featured on “Words between Coasts.”
20. Featured on “The Kent Crew.”
How to Get Featured on Elite Publications
I will share tips on how I managed to do it in the last six months. It was all hard work and a lot of hustling as I constantly produced content for my blog site. Here are some things a new blogger can do to achieve the goal of being featured on other sites.
Be active on Facebook Groups
This is super important if you are a blogger/online business owner. Working on your blog for long periods can get lonely, and you can feel burnt out pretty quickly.
Find a community of excellent and supportive friends who are relatable and can prove to be a powerful support system. Most of the writing opportunities result from my interaction in Facebook groups.
Here are some very active and high-quality Facebook groups you can join if you want great advice and exposure.
Check the high-ranking websites in your niche.
In an online business, keeping an eye on the experts in your niche is critical. It has double benefits one, you can learn from them, and secondly, you can pitch them your ideas; you never know, they might consider you part of their successful blog.
Be fast with your response time.
Being fast with your response is very important because it shows your professionalism and work ethic. Setting half an hour every day for outreach is a perfect strategy.
Keep an eye on all the resources where you want to be featured, and if there is an opening, waste no time and pitch your idea. As soon as you get any response, try to get back to them as quickly as possible. If you cannot reply, I recommend firing off a short message to explain the delay.
Be the first in line and have a better chance of landing a great opportunity.
The Early bird gets the worm
Have your pitch ready
As a new blogger, there is a lot that you need to take care of. Many of you might be working on several aspects of your site. It could include content creation, graphic designing, social media management, and more.
It usually leaves you a short time to reach out to other blogs to create a portfolio. However, if you have your pitch ready to go, you can jump on it and might even land it.
I recommend having a few pitch ideas ready to go depending on your niche.
Always offer something in return.
Nothing is worse than you not offering anything in return for a favor regarding any business. Ensure you always add a section where you provide exposure for the other party.
Collaborations are all about mutual benefit, and if you are not bringing anything to the table, likely, you will not get accepted for quality publications.
Do some research before reaching out to an expert blogger.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you could make when trying to get featured on someone’s blog or publication. Never reach out to someone without knowing their background and their achievements.
Before trying for a business connection, try to develop a human relationship. Tell the publication/blogger why you are inspired by their work and congratulate them on their recent achievement.
Following their social media accounts will give you the inside scoop of what is happening in their lives, and the human connection always works. Have complete insight into their expertise and if you can find one thing familiar with them, try to use it for your leverage. Most times, it works.
Don’t forget to follow up.
This tip is one of the most effective tips for new bloggers. After pitching to an expert, please do not assume they have received your message. It might have ended up in their junk folder, or if they have a media team, your pitch might have ended up in the emails they get every day.
Sometimes, the email gets lost if they are on vacation or just too busy with a launch or a product design. Try reaching out a week after your first email and hope they respond.
If you have their social media, try sending a short message to make sure they got your message. Three emails are more than enough at one particular time. If they haven’t responded, then the opportunity might not be for you.
Make things clear about the fact that it is a guest post.
Always make your pitch about what you are trying to achieve from a collaboration. As a new blogger, you aim for exposure while providing value to other bloggers’ content.
After reaching a certain point in your career, you can expect paid opportunities for your content. Know the difference between sponsored and guest opportunities before pitching to other bloggers.
Follow the deadline
I am sure you all have heard about this over and over, and it is the same for blogging. However, it is not easy to practice this one habit because, as a blogger, most people do it without a boss. It can be challenging to set follow deadlines if you are not answerable to a higher authority.
Make sure you overcome this trait when working in collaboration with others. Set a few hours weekly to work on these collaborations and try to get them out as soon as possible. Delivering in time will open new doors for you, and your credibility will also go up.
Find an angle that is aligned with their niche.
Do not be afraid to pitch your idea to a publication/blogger that is not entirely aligned with your niche. However, if you are sure that the collaboration will help you get more exposure, try finding an angle that can become a point of connection between you and the other party.
Here’s an example: I was featured in a lifestyle blog in a recipe round-up post just by pitching my idea of cooking on a budget. The response was tremendous, and the blogger was eager to add my contribution because it was something that her readers wanted to see in her post.
Over to you!
I hope this post has given new bloggers enough insight into what you need to do if you want to be featured in top publications or want to work with fellow bloggers.
It is vital for a strong portfolio and can also help you gain a better google rating.
Be mindful that not everything out there is a suitable option for you, but if you think you can provide value and expertise to the readers of any publication/blog, don’t be afraid to reach out.
Let me know how it goes and leaves in the comments if you can land any opportunities after reading this post. I would love to look at those!
