For all of us in the Internet Marketing world know by now, guest blogging is one of the few ‘white hat’ activities left we can do to gain high quality links and anchor text from sites that may not initially think to link to us. The reason webmasters are willing to link to our sites is because of the time and effort we put forth in order to produce an interesting, informative or entertaining piece of content for their site. How long this marketing strategy will be considered ‘white hat’ only time will tell. Google could easily change their algorithm to discount these links one day based on how many people decide to abuse the privilege of getting these ‘free’ links or the content becomes spammy enough like it did with article directories.
For now though, I believe as long as the person behind the computer is putting some thought into their writing and giving readers information they want to see, this is still a win-win situation for both parties involved. But now with the basic knowledge that guest posting works and the mass amount of marketers fighting for space on others’ blogs, it’s not as easy as it once was to get a post published. And while there are many posts out there with guides on how to guest post, many are lengthy and wordy to show off their college educations.
Here is the quick, yet ultimate, guide for guest posting.
Research
- It is important, imho, when researching to find blogs that are in your niche. I don’t find the value on posting your 12 favorite recipes on a cooking blog to get links back to your advertising agency.
- Twitter is a great way to find guest post opportunities and tools like Ethan Lyon’s Guest Post via Twitter make it that much easier!
- The ‘best of’ or ‘top 10’ lists in your niche are another great way to find opportunities.
- Follow the path of other guest authors by simply searching their name ‘+ guest’ or some other combination of keywords in Google.
- Find a blog you like but can’t figure out how to contact them…reach out to them on Twitter or their favorite form of social media.
The Pitch
- After compiling a list of potential blog matches, it’s key to take some time to get the overall feel of the site. Read some of the most recent posts, determine what they like to talk about and the tone they use.
- If guest post guidelines are posted, READ THEM. The easiest way to get rejected is to overlook the guidelines. The easiest way to get your post picked up is to READ THE GUIDELINES.
- If you are asked to contact someone, DO NOT just ask them if they accept guest posts. BE POLITE! Tell them how much you enjoying reading a specific piece or compliment them on the overall design of their blog. Give them a concrete idea of what you plan on writing about and why it would be beneficial to them and their audience.
Writing
- After your pitch has been approved, again, FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES! If no guidelines were provided, you should have a pretty good idea of how they like to write anyways based on reading prior posts.
- Don’t half ass it. This is a great opportunity to gain a couple free links and usually the one and only opportunity to pick the anchor text you would like to use. Write something you would be proud to post on your own blog.
- If possible, provide supporting links to other articles on their blog. It shows that you’ve made the effort to do a little research on your end and helps them with internal linking.
- Provide supporting pictures to go along with your post. Screenshots of actual data or examples of real websites do so much more for a reader than stock images.
- And please DO NOT get greedy with links in the byline. You should never put more than 3 links in the byline. Most webmasters won’t allow it and it’s bad for SEO anyway.
Follow Up
- After you’ve sent your initial draft to the editor, DO NOT assume that it will get posted. Assure them that if they need any other information, edits or revisions you’d be happy to provide them.
- When the article is posted, be active in the comments. People like to interact with the author and give the page more authority.
- SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! Yes, I know it’s not your blog, but you wrote it. Share your work with your audience. The webmaster will appreciate it and it will give your audience something to read until you get around to your next blog post.
Any other suggestions to help getting guest posts picked up? Please feel free to leave them in the comments
By Guest Author – Matt Powers does Internet marketing for Blue Soda Promo, an eCommerce promotional products website based in the Chicagoland area. BSP imprinted company logos onto items like promotional sunglasses. We make your brand POP!
