10 Apps That Every Guest Blogger Needs to Succeed
No marketing strategy is complete today without blogging. However, if you're strapped for time, creating and placing high-visibility guest posts can be a real challenge; having the right tools in place can make a big difference. Here are a few top tech tools that can help you as you prepare a winning guest blogging strategy.
Guestpost
Before you can expand your reach via a guest blog, you’ll first need to find the right influencers. Guestpost connects bloggers with the sites that are currently accepting guest posts, along with contact email addresses. There are also several other features that can be helpful with idea generation, tracking submissions, and writing emails to potential hosts.
CoSchedule
In order to stay organized and on time, you need an overview of all the things you have coming up. CoSchedule is an editorial calendar that helps you plan your upcoming content marketing efforts, coordinating them with your employees. If you regularly host guest bloggers on your own company blog, you can also use this tool to line up your upcoming posts.
Feedly
Coming up with ideas can be even more challenging than finding places to post. Feedly delivers the latest content in your predefined topic areas directly to your mobile device. The feed constantly updates, letting you keep up with the latest news relevant to your target audience.
Writer
Sometimes the best ideas strike when you’re away from your computer. Writer lets you work on blog posts from your smartphone or tablet without all of the distractions that come with other word processing software. Developers promise to include integration with Dropbox in a future release.
Idea Organizer
If you’re writing on a notepad or using a Notes app on your phone to capture ideas, there’s a better way. Idea Organizer is an iOS app that helps you organize all your ideas in one place. Best of all, the notes can be in the form of text, photo, voice memo, or a combination of all.
Copyscape
If you want to make sure your content is 100 percent original, Copyscape can help. The free version lets you enter a website URL and look for duplicate content anywhere on the web; a paid version lets you paste your own content for review. You can also use it to determine whether your content has been copied without your permission.
ProWritingAid
Most busy professionals don’t have an editor reviewing everything they write. Whether you’re guest blogging on your own site or someone else’s, it’s important to have it checked before you submit. ProWritingAid can analyze your text to identify problem areas. In the process, you’ll eventually find your own writing eventually improves.
Boomerang
When you’re ready to begin reaching out to possible guest hosts, consider a Gmail add-on like Boomerang. You can schedule emails to send at the best times, and set reminders to alert you if you haven’t received a response within a set period of time. You can also use the tool to send yourself reminders about the little things you tend to forget.
Rapportive
While you’re considering Gmail add-ons, review this tool, which works alongside the emails you’re already reading. Rapportive provides a contact’s LinkedIn profile in your Gmail inbox, including connections you may have in common. This gives you the opportunity to mention those commonalities when reaching out to potential blog hosts.
Followerwonk
Once you’ve established an online following, Followerwonk will provide the insights you need about your audience. You can also use this app to find influencers who fit your existing niche, helping you grow your network and increase your sales. With built-in reporting tools, you can take this information to investors and business partners to demonstrate your brand reach.
As you begin to build a guest blogging strategy, first take a look at the many apps you could have at your disposal. With the right set of tools in place, you can accomplish more without a considerable amount of extra effort, and you may even find that you’re able to reach even further than you would have without the tech in place.
