Digital marketers know how guest blogging is a perfect method to open several opportunities in expanding your audience reach and online visibility. An effective guest blogging strategy helps you contribute to authoritative websites related to your niche.
Guest blogging helps increase web traffic, build website credibility, and increase SEO ranking. However, it is challenging, especially when top blogs receive thousands of pitches daily. So, how can your proposal win among thousands of others?
Here are some of the effective guest blogging strategies to maximise your chance of having the opportunity to contribute to top blogs and authoritative websites.
Guest Blogging Strategy for Pitching
Building your guest posts and having them accepted successfully by authoritative blogs or websites take time and effort. As mentioned, popular websites receive a lot of submissions and inquiries. Thus, maximise your chance with these strategies.
1. Set Objectives for Guest Posting
Guest blogging has several potential benefits. If you want to get the most of these opportunities, you have to set an objective or goal for each post. Once you have set a goal, use it to guide how you should write or approach your blogs.
Some of the potential objectives or goals for guest posts are:
- Increase authority or online visibility within your niche.
- Gain more website traffic.
- Inform target audience about a new product, service, or any update on key developments.
However, you have to be cautious when writing guest posts for the third objective. Editors of authoritative websites are sceptical about content that sounds too promotional.
In this case, it is better to mention your product or service naturally. Do not create the content entirely about your product or service that sounds like a review or tutorial.
2. Choose Target Blogs/Websites Carefully.
Now that you have set objectives for your guest blogging, it’s time to find the right blogs or websites. Choose a target blog or website carefully.
First, create a list of potential target websites. You can search on Google by entering your “relevant keyword + guest post by” on the search bar. Add the potential websites you found to your list.
After this, narrow down your list by checking off your least favourite websites. Most of these websites have a dedicated “Write for Us” page, or they state it in their About or Contact pages.
Now that you have a solid list of website candidates, it’s time to write your guest blogging email pitch.
3. Create Brief and Concise Email Proposals.
You might feel excited to start writing, but there’s something you should do to ensure your target website is interested in the topic.
It’s time to write your email proposal. The email proposal has to be brief and concise, and its purpose is to let the website editor or blog wonder what you would like to write about. However, there are elements that you should not overlook when writing your email proposal.
Include your proposed article title, summary, and concise outline of the article in the email. Keep it brief. Moreover, if you have requests or clarifications, make it straightforward to ensure these are addressed efficiently.
Do not forget to check their guest posting requirement to ensure that you know all the needed information. Some websites have a list of acceptable topics.
4. Write Relevant Guest Post.
When you receive a reply indicating their interest in your guest post proposal, it’s time to start writing. Well, you probably know how to create quality and relevant content for your guest post.
However, we have some reminders for you:
- Ensure you are following their blog post requirements. Requirements include font size, style, images, and such.
- Word count. Some websites or blogs do not specify the length of their guest post contributions. If you are to decide, consider the length carefully. Overly long ones might bore the readers. 1,000 to 1,500 words are often the effective length for a guest post.
- Write for their audience, not yours. Do a quick research and find out what their audience is interested in. You can find it based on the comments from their other blogs.
- Avoid making your content promotional. Maintain a neutral tone when mentioning your website, products, or services. Focus on giving informational content than making a sale.
If the content satisfies you, you can submit it through their preferred method. Most websites prefer email.
5. Submit Guest Post.
Do not attach the document to the email when submitting your guest post. Some email clients filter out attachments to avoid malware. Meanwhile, other users are doubtful when seeing a “.docx” attachment.
Instead, attach the link to the Google Docs. It is easier to create your content in Google Docs and set the share settings to “anyone with the link can view.” It is best to have this share setting to let anyone with the link view your content because when your article piques the editor’s interest. It gets sent around to their content marketing team before it is published.
So, rather than restricting your content to a specific email recipient. It is better to allow anyone to view and prepare it for publishing.
Do not forget to attach your email signature. Emails with customised signatures at the end are impressive and professional to look at. It even sparks interaction.
6. Promote Published Post.
If your submitted guest post is published, it does not stop there.
You have to make the most out of it. Thus, the last step. Promote your content once it is published. Promote your content by:
- Create a short post on your blog and share the link with your readers.
- Send out a newsletter to your email subscription list.
- Talk about it on social media.
Monitor your post while it is recently posted. Ensure you respond to reader comments as many as you can. Audience engagement is the best way to extend the longevity of your guest post.
Bonus Tips for Guest Blogging Strategy
Here are some bonus tips to make your pitch more effective.
Do Not Ask for Backlinks
Asking for backlinks ruins the purpose of guest blogging. Editors might misunderstand you. Some article marketers ask for backlinks in exchange for low-quality content. Thus, do not ask for one.
You will definitely receive your desired backlink if you submit a relevant guest contribution. There are other ways to build a strong backlink profile.
Refer Previous Guest Contributions
When you are applying for a job, mentioning your previous work experience helps get you hired.
Refer to your previous guest post contributions on authoritative websites to increase your chances. You can provide links to your previously published guest articles in your proposal email.
Prepare for Rejections
You have to accept that not all pitches are accepted. Rejection is always there. However, if you consistently use these strategies, your chances of getting accepted improve over time.
Pitch Guest Blog Posts Now!
Guest blogging needs a lot of time, effort, and practice. Continue using these strategies, but do not lose sight of your blog as you focus on guest blogging. Create more quality content and get them published on authoritative websites.
Once you have successfully garnered opportunities from your guest blogging efforts, it may be time to look into giving the possibility of accepting guest posts on your website.