Guest blogging

Do you write guest blogs?

Over the last six months I’ve written a couple of guest blogs. It’s been an interesting process and I’ve learned a lot about how I work and what works for me when I’m trying to create a blog…

Back in March Rachael Chiverton asked at a networking meeting if anyone would like to increase their organic reach by guest blogging on her website. That seemed like a great idea so I volunteered!

I asked Rachael what she was looking for and she told me she liked my blog Not Enough Time in the Day!

“Could you write on procrastination and how to avoid it?”

Interesting topic!

The Easter holidays were approaching and, knowing what I had on and that I’d be away over the school holidays, I agreed to have a draft blog ready for the end of April…

Where are you the most creative?

Having agreed to write about procrastination for Rachael, my mind wandered during the car journey to the ferry terminal (I wasn’t driving!) and I started to form the basis of the blog.

While on the ferry I captured my thoughts on the Notes app on my phone and then put it to one side during the holiday.

On return from holiday, it was then easy to write the blog up properly, and I was able to use my experience of writing the blog, in the finished article Tackling Procrastination:

“Perhaps you need the right environment?
If it’s a creative task e.g. writing a blog – when is the best time of day for you to be creative, what is the best place for you to think (maybe it’s in the shower or on a long drive)?
If a blank page or a blinking cursor on a blank document is overwhelming, what could you do to take the pressure off?
(How about making brief notes in a small notepad or on your smartphone first?)
How could you make it fun?”

Where are you most creative?

One blog leads to another…

Rachael had good feedback on the procrastination blog and asked if I would write another:

“How about one on delegation?”

Another interesting topic!

At around the same time, I was chatting to Alison Wren at a networking meeting about guest blogging and how sometimes the words just flow if it’s the right topic or we’re in the right environment.

She said she’d enjoyed my blog Networking for Introverts and wondered if I’d like to write a guest blog for her Wedding Business Success website.

Learning what works and repeating it

Knowing that it had been helpful to have a topic suggested, I asked Alison what she would like and she suggested:

“10 ways to look after yourself in business.”

So now I had 2 blog topics and, as it turned out, a plane journey during which I could let my mind wander and then capture thoughts for both blogs – again using my phone…

Planning the 10 Ways to Look After Yourself in Business blog helped me write the blog on Delegation:

“Find your support team.
You don’t have to do it all alone.
What can you delegate?
Who can give you advice?”

“You can do anything but not everything” – David Allen

I posted the 10 ways to look after yourself in business blog in Ruby McGuire’s Facebook group Rock Your Fabulous Biz and Rebecca Claxton asked if I would like to submit a guest blog to Savvy Mums Business.

Where does your inspiration come from?

This time I had no suggested topic, although I knew the demographic of the blog readership, and so I just let my mind work on that in the background over a few weeks…

Then, on the first day of the school holidays, I had an email from fellow Bird Table coach Sarah Veall, mentioning the juggling of the school holidays – and I knew I had my topic for guest blogging: Surviving The School Holidays as a Savvy Business Mum!

“Six (or more) weeks with no school run – but also no school which can mean no childcare!
The school summer holidays have always been a project management challenge for me, but now that I’ve moved from employment to running a business the challenge is even more interesting!”

Taking advantage of opportunities

After these positive experiences of guest blogging I took advantage of a couple of opportunities:

I received an invitation from The Coaching Academy to submit a case study for publication on their website, at about the same time that one of my clients gave me permission to share the results of her sessions with me to demonstrate The Impact of Coaching.

Noticing that 4Networking were also inviting members to submit articles for their website, I wrote about Overcoming my trembling knees when having my 4Sight filmed for 4NTV! – The finished video is now available on 4NTV.

I also wrote about my networking experiences and how Finding valuable collaborations through networking is as powerful as finding new clients.

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What about you? Where are you most creative? Where does your inspiration come from?

What are your strategies for getting started on a creative piece of work? What works for you?

Let me know your thoughts by adding your comments below…

To find out how I can help you understand how you work at your best, please get in touch via the contact form or call me on +44 7526 740486.

Best wishes!

Sian