Guest blogging has become a common link building tactic. The concept is a good one. Provide a blogger with something they can use (content), and in return, they give you a link.

In practice, it’s not always that smooth. Good blogs get approached all the time with free content offers. They are learning fast that the content is often not the kind they want or need. Face it, unless you’re a well-known figure or have something extremely interesting to say, good blogs don’t want your content.

The solution? Offer bloggers and their audience value beyond the written word. Here are seven “better than content” ideas to get you started:

1. Hold an event for bloggers in your (client’s) area that will interest bloggers. A client of mine in the finance industry (i.e. boring) is scheduled to hold an event for Sydney mommy bloggers about "personal finance and planning for the future." Response rate for this event has been huge.
    
2. Offer a discount (or better yet, something free) to the target blog’s audience. For an ecommerce website, you can generate a promo code specifically for a blog. Otherwise, offer (or have your client offer) a discount to anyone that mentions the blog's name (e.g. one month free storage if you mention “Bob’s travel blog”).
    
3. Let the blogger try your product for free. A local hotel I work with consistently offers free nights to travel bloggers, which in return generates great interest and links.
    
4. Offer bloggers a custom graphic to enhance any post. Perhaps a comic, infographic, or a simple stock image. Anything that can make their blog prettier.
   
   
   Image credit: jonnjonnz on Fiverr
   
    
5. Hold a contest and notify bloggers. Bloggers are often happy to let their readers know about fun contests out there, especially if the competition and prize relates to the blog in some way.
    
6. Send the blogger free stuff. Everyone likes free stuff. "Hey photography blogger, here is a free mug in the shape of the new Canon lens." If it’s cool enough, they will write about it.
    
7. Help bloggers out with something. Help them with that coding error you spotted on their site, or how to set up a captcha to minimize their comment spam. I love giving bloggers SEO advice, as well as pointing them in the direction of tools they might find helpful (e.g. Google Trends, Like Explorer, SEOmoz). How does this get a link you ask? It might not right away, but once you get on the blogger’s good side, working with them in a way that will lead to a link will likely be much easier.

There are many ways to offer value to bloggers that will result in a link. Get creative and think beyond offering just content, and before you know it, bloggers will be approaching you for more.

Have more ideas?

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments below.

About Daniel Bailey - Daniel is the Head of SEO at Switched on Media, a digital marketing agency in Sydney that specialized on search and social. You can connect with Daniel on LinkedIn or Google.