My favorite thing about blogging is that there are so many opportunities everywhere. So many that taking advantage of them all becomes the problem – not a lack of them.
The fact that there are so many is also what is so overwhelming. While I love a good challenge that gets the blood pumping and keeps the mind sharp, too many challenges can give you high blood pressure and cause your mind to lapse.
There’s always something going on- if you listen carefully, not a day will go by that you won’t read about opportunities such as freelance blogging job alerts, joint venture and teaming opportunities, giveaways and guest posting contests.
But it can become extremely frustrating trying to keep up with all of the opportunities floating around in the blogosphere. The solution, however, is not to let yourself get so overwhelmed that you no longer pay attention to those opportunities. You don’t want to get to a place where you’re ignoring everything, but you do need to find a balance.
You’ll need to select your opportunities wisely and respond quickly before they evaporate into thin air. You need to select them carefully so you won’t over-commit your time or miss out on a chance of a lifetime. Most of the opportunities I’ve snagged came when I least expected them, some of them I almost let slip away.
No one can say exactly when these things are going to happen – I don’t wake up everyday knowing which opportunities will come my way. But I do know that I, at least, need to make sure I’m ready to respond when those opportunities do present themselves.
Here are some tips that may help you snag more awesome blog opportunities:
1. Planned Exploration –
Set a time of day when all you do is search around for potential opportunities that you’re interested in. Some days you may find nothing and other days you may find too many – but if you’ve got your eyes open, you’ll at least have a chance to make a choice about which opportunities you’ll pursue.
2. Tap into the Power of “Now”
There will be times when you’re trying to focus on something entirely different when an amazing opportunity will present itself. You may be tempted to ignore it just so you can stay on task. While avoiding unnecessary distractions is definitely a strong skill to have, don’t let it hinder you and squash your chances.
One day while I was working on a blog post, I just happened to catch a tweet from one of my favorite bloggers (Ileane) about a guest posting contest on a personal finance blog. I would have never found about the contest any other way. I was tempted to ignore it, because I thought it would throw my progress off for that day.
However, when I learned that they’d be giving away a $1000 prize and 2 $500 prizes, I quickly stopped what I was doing and churned out a post. I’m glad I did because I got to take home a cool $500 (Ileane won the other $500 – how cool was that?)
3. Subscribe to the Right Blogs
You could also add: follow the right people. Interact with them, connect and get to know them. I won’t give a giant list here, but a few blogs you should follow if you aren’t already are:
(check the blog roll in the right sidebar for more)
If you aren’t already a member of blog voting sites, you should make sure you have accounts at:
You’ll want to spend a few minutes browsing the latest submissions at each of these sites – I’ve made awesome connections with bloggers I discovered at these sites that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
These are just a few ways to snag more blog opportunities, but I’m certain there are more – so it’s your turn to add #4… #5… #20?
While you’re here, don’t miss out on an awesome opportunity to join our Guest Posting Contest! If you’re not up for participating, you can still get in on the action by becoming a sponsor. Contact me for details.
About Kiesha Easley
Thanks Kiesha for some good tips. Ilike Your blog and Your advice are always good.
Ben Molder recently posted..Repossessed Cars
Twitter: favorcreative
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Thank you for this info! As a newly revamped blog on green living, herbs and eco crafts, I am so inspired and learning so much!
Vicki recently posted..Where’s the Fat? Natural Food Recipes for Extra Protein
I love blog opportunities, great tips with many information and lessons to learn. I am most particular with opportunities when it comes to blogging. Thanks for the tips!
Elizabeth Jackson recently posted..Best Used Car to Buy
Blogging about news can really drive some traffic to your blog…
James recently posted..firestone oil change coupons
Yeah, just writing and blogging would not give bloggers full freedom for social networking. Commenting on other blogs, subscribing, getting updates for other blogs, guest post writings would definitely give bloggers a worthy online appearance..
It’s the best way to get your blog out there and noticed – it also helps to create a sense of community between fellow bloggers.
It seems that more and more bloggers are interacting through twitter/fb pages too. Seems that you can’t have a “big” blog anymore without really pushing it through social media.
David recently posted..Otoplasty information – is otoplasty right for you?
That’s not a bad thing though – social media is the future of the web :)
Very well said. Social media is a great way to expose your blog to users and to the blogosphere.
Kiesha, thanks
I gonna spend some time visiting the blogs offered by you.
I do have a problem of devoting some definite time for searching something new. I can be caught by this activity and can spend several hours just surfing and very often without any special result. Now I think I should follow your advice and devote 1 hour a day for this.
So all blogs are not equal then, I think i’ll keep twitter open more often also :)
Joining the blogging community has opened a great deal of opportunities for me, Kiesha. It made me discover a number of bloggers whom I’ve learned from immensely, one of them being you. Now, you’ve shared these blogs and I bet I will get something from them as well. So, big thanks!
Wes Towers recently posted..The Ultimate Referral Machine
I often find great opportunities by commenting on other blogs and investigating the people that are also commenting — which is how I found you Kiesha — from your comment on Copyblogger.
Nice to meet you and great post!
Russ
Russ Henneberry` recently posted..The “Chutes And Ladders” Guide To The Simple Sales Success Formula
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Hi Russ! Now that’s awesome! I just finished reading your comment a few moments ago! Was that not one of the most thought-provoking audio clips, or what?
It was a great audio and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Copyblogger!
Russ Henneberry` recently posted..The “Chutes And Ladders” Guide To The Simple Sales Success Formula
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Every time I see a blog post like this I feel guilty because although I make up my mind to participate in some guest blogging contest etc I never get around doing it :(
Nishadha recently posted..Email marketing in Sri Lanka- how to capture leads and build your mailing list
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Hi Nishadha,
I know the feeling… However, I try to practice this: if I tell someone I’m going participate, then I make sure I keep my word. That’s why I’m careful about what I accept – sometimes you just don’t have time to do these things. You have to choose wisely, and then once you commit, just dive in and do it :D
So… can I expect an entry from you? :D
This is good way to use blogging.You have written a 3 points.
Yes, I feel overwhelmed right now! The thing with me is that I have problems with short term memory loss so it’s kind of important for me not to get distracted. One tool I use that helps a little is the ReadLaterList extersion for Foxfire. It wouldn’t have helped in the case of that contest but it helps for things that can wait a little bit.
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Glynis Jolly,
Sounds like you’re using your resources and tools wisely. I have write things down for later, otherwise I would be all over the place.
The list of blogs that you have putted here is very good. They are the most influencing blogs on the net.
Bit Doze recently posted..Build My Rank Review
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Bit Doze,
Yes, they are and you can find out about some pretty amazing opportunities if you read them regularly.
Hello Kiesha,
Usually opportunities are called opportunities, because if you miss them, they are as good as gone.
But, there always should be a balance between how many challenges you take and how much free time you have.
Oh, and great job on winning the 500$ prize, that was an opportunity well taken!
Alex recently posted..Vanatoarea de fantome
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Hi Alex,
You are so right! Thanks for your congrats!
From these 3 ways i like #2 more because is so simple, you need just to follow your instinct. Personal i browse blogs to find some opportunities and when i find one i go to action.
Angela recently posted..Frontline Plus FAQ
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Angela,
Yeah, the best thing to do when you discover an amazing opportunity is to go for it right then while it’s still fresh in your mind and before too many other people catch on :)
Tip #1 always works for me! Thanks for the added information on #3 and for providing the list as well. :)
Aybi recently posted..Solar Log Home Community
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Hi Aybi!
Glad to hear it!
Kiesha, you will not believe how timely this post is tfor me today.
I love blogging and have really enjoyed keeping up with opportunities and the latest blogging news from blogging experts (you are one of them, may I add), but I was becoming so overwhelmed with the info. In my excitement to learn more and to improve my blog, I just seemed to be bookmarking everything and when I returned to previous opportunities, I became frustrated as I had missed the deadlines.
My PC has been down over the last two weeks and I was taking time out to complete some inspirational study. I am now back online and today, yes today, I made a decision to formulate a plan, that would enable me to monitor the best opportunities. I didn’t know where to start.
I decided to catch up with your postings, and lo and behold you have given me the perfect solution to my problem.
God is soooo good! Thank you :)
Blessings .
Carole in the UK recently posted..Our Identification in the Death- Burial- and Resurrection of Christ
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Hi Carole!
Yes, God is good, indeed! And I’m so happy that my post was sent to you right at the perfect time. I hope it will help you find a less overwhelming way to approach blogging. I used to find myself all over the place – hours and hours spent when I should have been doing other things. Staying organized like this really helped. It also took the pressure off, because now I don’t feel like I have to do everything, just the important things :)
I like the power of now part. Yeah, we should act as now since the opportunity may be only appears now.
Dana recently posted..Follows Time Warner Cable- Cablevision Brings Live TV into iPad-iPad 2
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Hi Dana!
Yes, I definitely believe in taking advantage of doing things now – because I’ve got a terrible memory, I won’t remember to do it later :)
I find the Power of Now is where I get my best ideas. I like to free write before then edit down so I have the best ideas. I also have a voice recorder on my iPhone using Evernote so it updates to my computer. I’ll go to town or on a day trip for inspiration and just take voice notes, if I’m feeling really lazy I’ll use dragon dictation and have my notes written down on paper for me.
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Hi Kate,
Sounds like you’ve got an awesome system! I use the voice recorder and the memo feature on my phone a lot too. It allows me to capture things before they slip away. This is especially important since most of my ideas come when I’m away from my computer.
Great post! It’s really easy to pass over opportunities. I like your idea to set time aside specifically for looking for opportunities. Instead of just focusing on producing content, it’s great to get out and see what you can do with it.
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Brittany!
Yes, if you set a time, and look for those things on purpose, you’ll have a better idea of what’s going on and will have more control over what you want to choose as opposed to feeling like you’ve got to jump on everything. You can waste a whole day that way – only to find an even better opportunity the next day, but by then it’s too late, you’ve wasted too much time and energy on less important things.
Nice to find that I do follow all the blogs listed here, I guess its time to dive into blogger social networks.
I have been active only on Blogengage till now.
Nice tips, thanks.
:D
karan recently posted..Backlinking and Promotion – How to Start Building up a Successful Blog
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Hi Karan,
I definitely suggest joining them all. Even if you won’t be present on them everyday, it’s nice to know where the right places to browse when you do get time.
I think I’ve seen you on BlogInteract – hope to see you on the other sites.
Twitter: pegbaron
says:
Hi Kiesha,
I like your three ways to snag blogging opportunities. #2 is fun – no planning involved really, just drop what you’re doing and stick your foot through that little crack in the door. Heck, the blogger might not even know he cracked the door open but if you’re observant it can be a huge opportunity.
Of course, #3 often ties into #2 because following the right blogs can lead to the opportunities to tap into the power of now.
Thanks for laying this out, Kiesha.
Peggy
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Hi Peggy,
I’m glad this was helpful to you! It really does help you take the pressure off so you don’t feel like you have to jump on everything.