In last week’s post, I gave you 6 Reasons to be a Guest Blogger. Now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you that it’s worth your while, this week I’ll keep my promise of letting you know where you can find potential hosts, and how to approach them.

1. Your Organizing Colleagues

If you know other professional organizers who blog, ask them if they would be interested in having you as a guest – you can even offer them the same opportunity in exchange! If you’re concerned about sending potential clients to your competition, talk to someone in a different region or who offers different services than you.

To connect with other organizers who blog, see who has been participating in the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival or join the Blogging Organizers group on Facebook.

2. Just Google It!

You probably use Google to find information about everything from where to buy comfortable dress shoes to how to install shelving in a closet, and it can be equally useful when searching for blogs who welcome posts from guest bloggers. Simply enter “be a guest blogger” in the search box, and you’ll get millions of matches. To narrow it down, add another keyword to your search, e.g. “be a guest blogger” productivity or “be a guest blogger” organizing.

3. Sign up for My Blog Guest

It only takes a few minutes to sign up for this free service. Once you’re a member, you can search the database for blogs that might be a good fit for you, check out any blogs of interest, and get in touch with the owner through the private messaging system. There’s also a message board where you can let others know what you have to offer in terms of expertise.

This service is also useful if you’re looking for guest bloggers, but that’s a story for another day!

No matter where you find a potential host blog, take the time to check it out and make sure that:

• the blog is good quality and one you will be pleased to be associated with
• the audience is a good fit for you
• there actually is an audience – look at Alexa for traffic statistics, and check the blog itself for comments and other signs of engagement

Once you’ve decided that you’d like to write a guest post for a particular blog, there is a right and wrong way to approach the owner.  In some cases, you can submit your post through an online form, but in others you must go through a screening process first. Always check the blog for any submission guidelines, and follow them to a tee.

When contacting a blog owner about writing a guest post, introduce yourself but instead of making it all about you, focus on how your post will benefit their audience. Provide a link to your blog so they can get a sense of your writing style.

It’s a good idea to have a few posts pre-written before you make contact, and suggest some topics for them to choose from. Keep in mind, however, that in most cases guest posts should be original content, and not just a reprint of something you’ve already published on your own blog or that is readily available on article directories such as EzineArticles.

Feel free to check out my Guest Blogging Guidelines, then complete the form at the bottom of the page  if you’d like to be considered as well!