Yes, if you become a guest blogger you will benefit from increased credibility, branding and exposure. And, yes, becoming a guest blogger offers you SEO benefits so you can be found on top of the search engines for your keywords.

But, with that being said, guest blogging is not for everyone. In fact, out of the last 10 people who asked me to publish their article on my Article Marketing Experts Blog, 8 were rejected. If you are breaking any of the rules below, you should not be guest blogging until you decide to change.

Guest Blogging Rule #1: Do Not Offer the Same, Old Regurgitated Content

Blog publishers, like me, look to give their readers value so they’ll want to keep coming back for more. If you are offering the same old content that can be found everywhere else (in books, magazines and all over the web) without a unique spin, then where is the value? Why should we publish your article on our blog?

Us, blog publishers, are looking for thought leaders – not followers. Set yourself apart from your competition and “wow” us with your information and expertise.

Guest Blogging Rule #2: Do Not Offer the Same Article That You Submitted to Thousands of Article Directories – And Don’t Use Article Spinners

Now, even if you are submitting content that no one else is talking about, if you submit the article to thousands of websites, ezines, article directories, blogs and forums – then it becomes regurgitated. Even if your article is on worthless sites that no one is reading, your content is all over the place already – so why should we publish your articles on our blogs. I’m not saying that you need an exclusive article for every blog you submit articles to (unless the blog specifically asks for one.) I’m saying that you need to be selective and only submit your articles and blog posts to the top websites, ezines and blogs where your audience is going to every day for information you can provide.

And, don’t think about trying to trick us by using article spinners. We can tell the difference as the article spinners do not use natural language.

Guest Blogging Rule #3:  Do Not Provide a Lame Bio That Puts Readers to Sleep

If you’ve made it past the first filter that us blog publishers use and have given us an article with good content, then please don’t blow it by submitting it with a horrible, boring and lame author bio. Your bio should be clear, concise, and compelling. Make it unique in a way that gets people interested in learning more about you. For example, I would never publish an article on my blog from someone who has this type of bio box:

“John Wrong is the Author of “Article Marketing 101 for Dummies”. Check out URL for more information”

To see what a bio box, should look like – check out my bio at the end of this article. And, don’t forget, I offer Bio Box Templates with my 40+ Instant Article Writing Templates at http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Guest Blogging Rule #4 – Do Not Forget to Show the Readers Why They Should Listen to Your Advice

If you want to build a relationship with our readers, which is what we want you to do when we publish your articles on our blog, then you cannot just lecture your readers. You can’t just tell then what to do – you have to explain why and most importantly why they should listen to you. Showcase your results, talk about your experiences and successes and add credibility elements to your articles.

This is why I love when guest bloggers give me a case study article. You can get my case study article template plus my complete collection of article templates at http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Guest Blogging Rule #5 – Do Not Submit Articles That Do Not Match the Blog’s Specific Audience

One of my article marketing coaching clients, a career coach for $100K+ executives was trying to submit his articles to blogs for his targeted audience. No matter how hard he tried, his articles weren’t getting published. I explained to him that you are offering tips that anyone including recent graduates can use. You have to write to your specific audience, provide tips just for them and offer examples that resonates with the particular audience.

Now, this may mean that you have to tweak your articles and blog posts for different websites and blogs, but it will greatly increase your chances of getting your articles published.

Guest Blogging Rule #6 – Do Not Submit Articles That Are Written Specifically For the Search Engines

Now, I am not saying: “Do not optimize your articles and guest blog posts by adding your key words.”  In fact, optimizing your articles and blog posts is a must. If you take a look at this article, you will notice it’s optimized for “become a guest blogger” and “guest blogging.”

However, providing value to the readers was my first priority because I know that’s what website and blog publishers are looking for. As I mentioned before, providing value is their one and only priority. The blog publishers are not interested in helping you in your quest to trick Google, especially since Google has been cracking down on low quality content that’s only created for SEO purposes.

Guest Blogging Rule #7 – Do Not Waste the Blog Publisher’s Time

The minute that you waste a blog publisher’s time, you get blacklisted. All future emails will go directly to trash folder. That means you need to:

1)      Tell blog publishers in your email to them why this article is for their audience – this way blog publishers can determine if an article is for them before they even read the article

2)      Edit, proofread, format and optimize your articles as blog publishers do not want to do this for you

3)      Know the editorial guidelines and stick to them

Guest Blogging Rule #8 – Do Not Forget to Use Article Templates

Many of the popular articles and blog posts found on the top websites and blogs follow a proven article style and formula. By using article templates, you’ll be able to duplicate their success for your own industry. Plus, the article templates will provide you with structure, format and organization – exactly what website and blog publishers are looking for.

Check out my article templates at:

http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Guest Blogging Rule #9 – Do Not Go M-I-A Once Your Blog Post Gets Published

Nothing infuriates me more than giving someone a guest post slot and then watching them disrespect my audience by ignoring their comments. Also, when I introduce you to my following by publishing your articles, I do not expect it to be a one-time thing.  By accepting your articles and blog posts, I’m giving you a third party endorsement. I’m telling my readers that they should listen to you and trust your advice and that they should build a relationship with you.

Guest Blogging Rule #10 – Do Not Forget to Share Your Published Blog Post with Your Followers

Us, website and blog publishers, are not expecting you to bring all of the traffic, but at least make an effort to share your guest post with your social network. Want to really impress? Send an email to your email list too. It really doesn’t take a lot of effort to do this, but for some reason if often goes overlooked. We are publishing your articles and giving you additional exposure – the least you can do is reciprocate by giving our blogs exposure to your followers. By the way, in my Article Marketing Persuasion System, I show use how to use the 4 universal laws of influence (including reciprocation) to persuade, motivate and inspire publishers and readers.

Get this system now at:

http://www.articlemarketingpersuasion.com

Now, if you are not breaking my guest blogging rules – then great! Keep on guest blogging. In fact, you should be creating even more content using my Instant Article Writing Templates. If you are breaking my guest blogging rules – then stop guest blogging this minute until you decide to change.

About the Author:

Content marketing expert Eric Gruber creates marketplace opportunities for authors, speakers, small business owners and business leaders who want to double their website traffic, generate more leads and close more sales. And, he does this through article marketing. Now, you can grab 3 of his free article templates that will help you write articles in 30 minutes or less (including one that made Eric more than $10,000 in 2 months!). Get Eric’s 3 Free Article Templates at http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com

As business owners, organizational executives and business development and sales professionals, we are on social networking sites like LinkedIn to build and nourish relationships and to get more clients and sales. Am I right?

Then how come, when it comes to LinkedIn and blogging, most of us forget about marketing and focus solely on
educating?

Here’s what you are doing:

Since I started my article marketing service in 2004, I have reviewed thousands of articles for my clients. I have also scoured websites, blogs, and article directories looking for best and worst article marketing practices. And, of course I am always on the lookout on ways to improve my own internet marketing efforts. Therefore, I have read tens of thousands of articles. Most of the articles, I have read and reviewed are missing at least one of the elements I describe below.

Which of these 7 Article and Blog Post Elements Are You Missing?

1. The “Why” – If your article reveals mistakes that people in your industry are making, then you need to tell me why it’s a mistake. If you give me solutions to a problem, you need to tell me why I am suffering and why your solution works. If you provide steps to achieve a goal (ie. financial freedom), then you need to explain why I need to take each step. You need to prove yourself. You can’t expect me to just take your word for it. If you want to motivate me and persuade me to take instant action, then you need to tell me why! Otherwise, you can write until  your hands turn blue.

2. Your credibility points – The web is filled with articles, tips, tools and strategies. You’ll find tons of varying viewpoints. So, you have to prove to me why I should believe the advice you are giving.  Read these article to see how you can build instant credibility within your articles:

• http://bit.ly/fvoJcd
• http://bit.ly/aUHn2E
• http://bit.ly/95J0Cf

3. Real, specific results - If your article gives how-to information or provides steps toward a goal – then you need to show me specific results your clients achieved by following your advice. This will ensure that your readers take the action you desire.

4. Psychological triggers – The application of one single psychological trigger has been proven to double, triple or quadruple your article marketing response, your website traffic and your sales. Now, in my online article writing course, you can learn how to apply 30 different psychological triggers that the best copywriters in the world use in their sales letters to article marketing. Grab my online article writing course

5. What differentiates you from your competitors – In many of my articles that I write, I focus on thought leadership style article marketing which means deliver your best information and target the best websites, ezines and blogs. I tell you not to focus on just getting links, like most people in the industry. I set myself apart with the information I provide. You need to show within your articles how you are different – that means offer different points of view and create content that no one else is writing about. Show me within your articles why you are the best choice.

6. Your story – Understanding how to identify drama and how best to use metaphors means that your articles come alive in a way that 99% of the writing out there just doesn’t. There’s an art to spotting engaging drama, and I’ll show you how to do it in my 7 module online article writing course. Grab my article writing course now!

7. Next steps – This is the part that most article writers and bloggers forget,including super internet marketing star Dan Kennedy. Grab my free special report at http://www.14WebsiteConversionMistakes.com and see how Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer leaves their blog readers hanging. You will notice how they provide awesome content, but at the end they don’t tell their readers what to do next now that they read the article. There’s no call-to-action.

By ensuring that my clients’ articles include the elements above (at least a good number of them!) , I helped them experience results like:

• Having their best year in 29 years of business
• Gain $25k and $50k clients
• Build a loyal following just as I with you

Now, Do You Want to Know How to Ensure You Include These Elements?

1. Grab my 7 module online article writing course now

2. Get my instant article writing templates – when you have structure, organization and a format, you will be able to write articles that include the above elements faster! Get the article templates now at: http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Yes, it’s good to mix up your article length, style and format and to use different article templates as your readers will have different preferences. But, after talking to the top online publishers and internet marketers – and after experimenting and testing with my own article submission activities, I discovered that the sweet spot is… 500 to 750 words.

7 Reasons to Aim for 500 to 750 Words When You Write Articles

1. Google wants high-quality, highly-informative content – The days that you can write a 200 word article and post it to article directories and benefit greatly from the links are gone. Google has begun to change their algorithms to haunt internet marketers who are out there just for the link. In fact, content farms like EzineArticles.com lost a great percentage of their visibility on Google because of the changes. That’s why they made stricter guidelines and is forcing people to write longer articles that provide real informational value.

2. Your prospects are tired of being teased. Many internet marketers are giving the tiniest bit of content out. They are trying to tease the readers and make them take an action – before they even proved their worthiness. Come on – what kind of information can you really give away in a 100-200 word article. If you want to be known as a thought leader and have people following you – then you need to prove your expertise and earn your prospects’ respect and trust by “wowing” them.

3. You want to get published on the top websites. You think  top sites like Entrepreneur.com will publish an article that is lacking beef. It is very, extremely competitive to get published there = 90% of all submissions to Entrepreneur.com get turned down in fact. They only want to showcase top experts in the industry who have something valuable to say. What value can you offer in an article that is less than 500 words?

4. You want to connect with your readers- If you are writing articles that are less than 500 words, then chances are that you are just giving quick tips.  Remember, people take faster action with those they trust. So, you want to be able to tell your story, share your experiences and results you have achieved. Failure to add these vital credibility elements that will connect you with your readers, will hurt your article marketing success. Within my article writing course, I discuss profitable storytelling techniques – Learn more about it here: http://www.onlinearticlewritingcourse.com/special

5. How can you share an effective case study in 500 words or less? The case study format is one of the most effective article templates you can use. It shows that you have helped people just like your readers if you do it right.That means, you must describe the situation your client(s) faced in detail. You must explain how it was hurting themselves, their business, their family etc. Then tell the steps that you took to correct the situation – and finally the results your client(s) achieved by following your advice.

You can grab my case study article template in my complete instant article writing template collection at http://www.startwritingarticlesfaster.com

6. How can you differentiate yourself in less than 500 words? One of the greatest article marketing benefits you can gain through article writing is…the ability to differentiate yourself from your competition. Through your articles, you can show readers how you are different from others in your industry – at the same time you are educating them. If your article is less than 500 words – it tells me that you have nothing much to say and that you are just like everyone else in your industry. You are not going to make yourself stand out that way.

7. If you write too long of an article, you will overwhelm readers. Most of this article, focused on why you have to stop writing so many short articles. Here’s why you want to keep it within the 500-750 word range, and not go over (at least by much). Your readers want “beef” but once you add too much content, the article becomes fatty. No one wants a piece of prime rib with excessive fat. For every word, over the 750 word mark – you lose  percentage of your readers interest -as they can only take in so much information.

Now, your challenge…

If you are writing articles and blog posts that are less than 500 words – then it’s time right now to push yourself and start writing articles that provide real content. If you need help, my instant article writing templates will help you write 500-750 articles in 30 minutes or less. Grab them now at: http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

If you are writing articles that are too long, then see look for redundancies and extra unnecessary wording. By simply changing passive phrases to active phrases, you can cut your word length by 10%. And, look to see how you can turn your 1 article into 2 articles that you can submit online.

In my Article Marketing Persuasion System, I reveal 7 different ways to  use the power of reciprocation to convert more readers into prospects and lifelong clients.

One of the ways is showing empathy

Empathy simply means that you can see a situation, issue or problem from someone else’s point of view as if you were standing in their shoes. Empathy is perhaps the most powerful skill you can develop as an Internet marketer. As Dianna Booher writes in her book, Communicate With Confidence: How to Say It Right the First Time (Every Time!), “People tend to trust people who show concern for them. When they bleed, they want to know others bleed with them. ”

Show your readers and prospects with your words that you understand their situation, needs, wants and desires. Give them sympathy and let your readers know that you were once in their situation. And, because you know how it feels, you are providing them with this vital information for free. Later when you ask your readers to go to your website and give you their names and emails in return for giving them amazing information – your readers will gladly accept and take instant action.

This is exactly why it’s important for you to…

1.  Show your scars and turn them into stars.  To learn how read this article: http://tinyurl.com/6d893gy

2. Create articles using the case study format. You can grab the case study article template here: http://tinyurl.com/6yurt8j

And, don’t forget you can grab all 40+ article templates at http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

So you’re writing articles (hopefully using my instant article writing templates) and you are regularly posting them to your blog. You have joined groups on LinkedIn that your targeted audience belongs to -and you are starting conversations that end with a link to your blog to learn more. You may even have your own LinkedIn group and built your own community in which you are sharing content with. And, your blog posts are automatically added to your Facebook fan page and Twitter lists.

So, when you look at your Google Analytics, you are seeing your blog traffic increase regularly. But, the size of your list and your amount of sales tell a different story. Why are you building blog traffic but not getting more leads and sales?

Why Your Blog is Not Converting…

You are driving traffic to your blog as people want your information. And, if you are following the advice I give in my 7 module  online article writing course at: http://www.onlinearticlewritingcourse.com/special, then you are educating prospects with tons of real value they can use.

And, all this is good!

But, you are letting readers and prospects  grab your valuable information and run as you fail to add a next steps or call-to-action. If all you do is provide informational value then you are limiting your  opportunity to grow. All you are doing is educating your LinkedIn connections, Facebook friends, Twitter followers and those reading your blog.

Now, the question is: Are you a marketer trying to sell your products and services or are you an educator?

If You Are A MARKETER and Not Just an Educator, Then Here’s What You Need to Do

You need to start inviting people to grab a special free report (like the ones found at http://www.GetLinkedInHelp.com and  http://www.14websiteconversionmistakes.com)– or challenging them to take the next step and buy one of your products. Even the best internet marketers are forgetting this concept.

For example, Dan Kennedy always talks about making sure you add calls-to-action on your website, sales letters ads , yet, we don’t see any at the end of this blog post. Now we understand that his blog has many guest authors, but there should still be calls to action. Look at a screen shot of his blog post below to see what I mean…

Notice how Kennedy leaves readers hanging. You cannot expect people to say, “Wow! Now I am going to check out the rest of their site.” You need to tell people where you want them to go next – otherwise they may leave your site (and you don’t want that especially if you did not capture their information.

Now, because I follow my own advice, I am giving you a call-to-action. Actually, I’m giving you…

2 Calls-to-Action For You to Take Right Now…

• Grab my14 website conversion mistakes report now — Failing to include a call-to-action is just one of the top mistakes that the biggest internet marketers, corporations and companies are making. You’ll find mistakes made by GoDaddy, Hilton, Trump, Aflac, Ali Brown, Dan Kennedy and more. Get the report now at: http://www.14websiteconversionmistakes.com

• Get a live website review and see what mistakes you are personally making before you send traffic to your website and blog through article marketing, LinkedIn marketing, Facebook marketing, social media marketing and any other type of marketing you engage in. Uncover your mistakes now at:   http://www.livewebsitereviews.com