Since guest blogging is where the market is right now, we figured you might appreciate some help learning which blogs are worth submitting to—after all, there are many “dead” blogs in cyberspace, as well as many that are just too insanely popular for you to even try.

So let’s start with some common knowledge. There is no “one blog” in terms of popularity that is worth submitting to. Major publications that touch upon every aspect of life are often considered news magazines, even if they do sometimes have a blog format. Online publications such as The Huffington Post, TMZ or The Daily Beast, and so on, may occasionally publish outside submissions, but honestly, your best time investment would be spent more upon niche-focused blogs that match your writing content. Of course, this is no easy task considered how many blogs are out there—and popular blogs at that.

Start by studying the blog’s site ranking, and determining the level of competition you’re facing. Some popular blogs receive so many submissions that your chances are significantly reduced just by sheer numbers—unless of course, you have covered a topic that’s very news-friendly, relevant or “viral” enough to merit a posting.

You can also study content analytics to determine what type of topics and outlets might be appropriate for a guest blog. If you want specific blog names rather than taking your search to Google, then you might want to start with some of the most popular niche blogs online, such as Technorati, AllTop or Mashable.

Make sure to keep track of the blog’s theme and writing style. You may be rejected by an editor or blog owner if you are ignorant as to the writing style the blog enjoys; some are funny and snappy, others are more in depth and instructional in tone.

You also have to consider time commitment and whether you and the blog editor are on the same page as regards editing, keyword usage, and even scheduling. For instance, some editors will only want to publish a feature of yours every month; others will have a different time frame. Keeping track of the different guidelines is a great portion of the job.

There is the option of joining a blog network which does sort of take care of scheduling issues for you, but even so, don’t ignore the individual guidelines you receive, as these will determine your “publishability”.

Remember these two rules above all else. Make your pitch personal, whether it’s a story idea or an introduction. (And for the best results make it clear that this is a first option offering, meaning you’re not submitting the same piece to one hundred other blogs) and make sure that you are writing high quality original content that you can’t find anywhere else.