Laura’s Blog

One of the best ways to build traffic to your Website/blog is to get incoming links from popular sites. And one of the best ways to generate incoming links is to submit guest articles to other blogs or sites in your industry.

I recommend three excellent, free resources for learning about and submitting guest articles:

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

Three times daily, you receive an e-mail digest that lists freelance writing opportunities. This free services matches reporters, producers, bloggers, and authors who are researching stories/books with experts in a particular area. The experts provide quotes, background information, and may even end up writing the story. Deadlines are usually same day or next day, so respond instantly to queries that interest you.

I blogged about one of my own writing opportunities via HARO here: An Easy Way to Get Quoted in Tons of Media Outlets

HARO is a great way to feature experts in your own stories, as well as to build your portfolio of published writing. To subscribe: www.helpareporter.com

Reporter Connection

Started in late December 2009 by Bill and Steve Harrison, this daily e-mail digest connects reporters seeking experts to interview with sources.It works the same as HARO.

To receive free media leads: www.ReporterConnection.com/JoinNowFree/

Blogger LinkUp

Created by Cathy Stucker, this free service functions the same as Reporter Connection and HARO, only it’s exclusively for bloggers. You can request guest posts, request sources for interviews & roundups, offer guest posts to bloggers, and offer products (such as your newly-published book) to bloggers for review.

To join:  www.bloggerlinkup.com

*Feel free to reprint this post on your own blog. I’ll be happy to e-mail you the HTML, so all you have to do is copy & paste, and the formatting will remain intact. If you reprint it, please include the following byline:

Laura Christianson, aka The Blogging Barista, owns Blogging Bistro (www.BloggingBistro.com), a Seattle-based social media marketing company.