Lets face it, contests are fun. Add in some SEO value and exposure to your blog and you get Internet marketers and SEO specialists all giddy inside. I ran across this contest through an email update from Ann Smarty of MyBlogGuest (awesome site to find guest bloggers by the way).

To find more information on how you can submit a post for the contests (entries no later than October 12) go check out Gerald Weber’s post here. Gerald’s goal for the contest is, “for SEOs and Internet marketers to showcase their awesome guest blogging skills.”

I decided to jump at the chance to enter this contest for two reasons:

1. I just started this site and would love some exposure.
2. It’s a great way to build your community.

Although this may be just a contest, being actively involved in your industry is a great way to learn and get exposure. You can never have enough friends in the social media world. The point is to find people who are active and engage with you and your carefully built community.

One of the best ways to do this (contest or no contest) is guest blogging. Sharing your skills with other bloggers helps build your credibility, and also shows someone else finds you knowledgeable on the subject of the post.

Pitching Bloggers
In the Internet world you can’t be too shy. After all, blogging is social. Go ahead and ask if you can write a guest post. However, there are some quick tips to keep in mind when pitching a blog owner.

Know their content
You might be the number one source in eco-friendly furniture, but I doubt a blog owner who only writes on social media is going to want a post on eco-friendly furniture. Unless you write about your use in social media.

Make sure you read their content, get an idea of their overall theme and make sure you are writing for THEIR audience. Remember, this isn’t your site. Be polite and write something their audience would enjoy.

Keep your pitch short
We are all busy, lets be honest. Bloggers have enough going on, such as managing multiple guest writers, managing their SEO plan and promoting their site. Lets not even get into if they have a full-time day job to pay their bills. Blog owners don’t have time to read long pitches.

High traffic blogs also may not be accepting guest posts at the time. So your first pitch should just be a few sentences (that is right sentences not paragraphs) asking if they are even accepting guest posts currently.

This does two things:

1. Shows you want to write a post.
2. Considerate of their time and jumping strait to the point.

Once they get back to you, let them ask for the next step. I’ve noticed most bloggers are willing to have posts, and also are very friendly.

It’s ok to follow up
Sometimes we get busy. It’s ok to check in if you haven’t heard back from the blog owner. I usually wait a week before checking in, but I have heard 3-4 days is a good window as well. You don’t want to come off pushy, but give them a few days minimum to respond.

So what are you waiting for! Go be apart of this awesome contest, and start pitching other bloggers. It might take some practice, but pitching bloggers isn’t as scary as you might think. Plus, this contest spells out exactly what they are looking for, so it couldn’t be easier.

Don’t forget to check out my post on SEO here.

I also would love to thank the awesome sponsors who are making this contest possible. Check them out below.

$500 Sponsors

RankPop.com Affordable SEO

$300 Sponsors

Daniel McGonagle Link Building

SEO-Peace.com Professional link building SEO Company

$150 Sponsors

Hesham Zebida Thesis Skins

$100 Sponsors

Scott Bradley Simple Weight Loss Tips For Entrepreneurs

Milan Matchev Health Directory

Jacob Share JobMob Job Search Tips

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Ileane Smith Blogging Tips

Search Engine Marketing Group

John Britsios www.SEOWorkers.com

Magento Developer

Doc Sheldon’s Clinic Critical Thinking for the Discerning SEO

$50 Sponsors

Vertical Measures Internet Marketing Services

Whitney Michael Segura Greenhouses for Sale

Butch Segura Wholesale Greenhouses by EarthCare

Whitney “WeedyP” Segura Internet Marketing Blog by Whitney Segura

Ernest Segura Greenhouse Supplies @ OurCrazyDeals.com

Raxa Design Houston Internet marketing

Ana Hoffman – Traffic Generation Cafe Web Traffic

James Brown James Brown

Anwar Barake Wholesale Herbal Incense

Understand Technology with TechFume

The Tech Blog TechnoZeast

Wilderness Aware Rafting Colorado White Water Rafting

Sales Nexus online CRM

SEO Prize Sponsors

David Harry A full years membership at SEO Dojo, a value of $250.SEO Training Dojo

Lifetime membership to: My Blog Guest. MyBlogGuest.com is the free guest post exchange community where users meet to exchange guest posts and network.

Link-Assistant.Com SEO PowerSuite Enterprise (max. functionality license) SEO tools

SEMrush.com – the best tool to spy on your competitors ($210 value) www.semrush.com

3 month Pro subscription to Raven Internet Marketing Tools ($297 value) Raven Internet Marketing Tools