If you have your own blog and do any guest blogging at all, you’ve probably wrestled with this one.
You want your own blog to shine, but you also want to get your name out there. So when you write a blog post to beat all blog posts, where do you put it? Do you keep it onsite or try to place it on a bigger, more-trafficked blog?
As in most areas of life, there’s a delicate balance to content marketing. You do want to publish great articles on big-name blogs. But when people click through to your blog, you don’t want to disappoint. You want them to find the same great quality there—so they’ll opt in to your mailing list and come back for more.
Here’s how I handle it
Let me begin by answering the question. Then we’ll talk about the issues at stake.
If you ask, I’ll tell you that I put my best writing on other blogs.
But then, I also try to make my personal blog the best I can, so visitors will see more of the same when they come to check me out.
What that means is this: I’ve raised the bar on all my writing. I try never to write shallow, junky content. Shorter pieces, like this one, may go on my own blog. Quick think pieces I’ll generally publish here. But sometimes, I write a really nice article and can’t find anywhere else to place it, so I publish it here too.
Great content increases the value of your own blog too—and even if you don’t have the traffic of a big-name blog, it’s worth setting up for increased traffic in the future.
How do you decide where to publish?
Each blog has a core message and topics they cover. They also have a certain style and format. That’s key to deciding where to publish your blog posts.
You always want to place your articles where they fit perfectly into the existing content, where they’ll wow the readers and leave them begging for more.
Here’s an example…
My C4 Report articles used to range from 500 to 900 words, usually coming in around 750 words. I wrote an article, originally intending to put it on my blog, but when it was done, it came close to 2000 words.
I was really pleased with the article, and I didn’t want to cut it down. But it was too long for my blog. My readers were used to finding quick reads here, so I decided to find it another home.
The length was right for The Daily Egg, but the readership wasn’t right. So I researched other blogs and settled on Firepole Marketing. There, the length and content were right, and I knew their readers would enjoy the article.
Even as a writer and content creator, you need to think like a publisher. Your article should benefit the readers of whatever blog publishes it, and it should meet their expectations. So length or subject matter may decide the matter.
But that’s not all you should think about.
As a content marketer, you need to think of the PR value in publishing on big-name brands. You want to get your name out there, so you can develop credibility and name recognition. And when you publish on a respected blog, your own brand equity goes up. Now your name is associated with that big-name brand.
Having said that, remember that not any big-name blog will do.
You need to know who you’re targeting. If you publish on a big-name blog that focuses on gardening—but your target audience is car enthusiasts—you’re wasting your energy. When looking for where to place your articles, always consider who you want to be seen by.
Let’s summarize
Where do you publish your best articles—on your own site or another blog? And how do you find the right blog for your content? Here are a few of the things you need to think about:
- Length should be in the usual range of the blog.
- Topic should fit within the core message of the blog.
- The blog’s readers should be your target audience.
- For your best content, seek the best-trafficked blogs you can.
- Only put great content on big-name blogs.
- Put good content on your own site, so new readers will come back for more.
It’s always hard to know whether you should put your best content on your own blog or another, and you may never settle on an answer you’re happy with. So shoot for a balanced approach.
I generally try to put my best work on big-name blogs, so I can increase my own brand equity. I also try to keep the quality of my own blog high, so its traffic will increase over time.
Your decision may be similar. But you need to start with your goals, and go from there.
Thoughts? Additions? How do you decide where to publish your best blog posts?
