Six years have passed since Google’s former Head of Web Spam, Matt Cutts, declared the end of guest writing. Today, however, three out of four editors say they write at least one guest post weekly, proving that guest blogging is very much alive and well.
Since then, not much has changed except that we stopped attempting to game search engines by publishing a flood of low-quality content. The only plan that makes sense today is to put money into guest posts that are valuable to both publishers and readers.
Generate ideas for guest posts
Let’s begin by compiling a long list of publications that are open to guest posts on industry-related subjects. The most effective methods are follows:
Topic-based publication search
Search using your keyword + words that are typical of guest posts. To find sites that publish articles about business, for instance, you could type “entrepreneurship + write for us.”
Explore the companies that are popular with other bloggers
Even if you’re just starting out, I guarantee you can think of a few well-known bloggers just by hearing their names mentioned. When I hear “SEO,” for instance, the names of Neil Patel, Brian Dean, and Marcus Sheridan, among others, instantly come to mind.
Because of their extensive history of guest blogging, they have already done the legwork of identifying and vetting a vast pool of candidates for content collaboration.
Find the most promising openings
To ensure that the guest pieces you submit actually generate results, it is important to carefully vet the publishers who will host them. The following are characteristics of a good tip to keep an eye out for:
- The material is pertinent to your field;
- Comments and remarks from readers demonstrate interest;
- The publisher keeps up a robust presence on social media;
- The ranking for Domain Authority (DA) is above average;
- The standard of other guest posts is very good.
- If you apply them to the list of prospects you gathered in the first stage, you should have the names of at least a dozen publishers you can approach with your pitch.
Create a list of potential topics
The goal of your writing should be to attract readers. Content that is useful to both you and your audience and will hopefully lead them back to your website. That is to say, your proposal must benefit all parties involved for it to be approved.
If you’re looking for content ideas, a good way to start is by seeing what kinds of guest posts the publisher has published in the past.
Make contact with the printers
Don’t forget that there’s only so many appropriate material partners available. As a result, you can’t afford to blindly bombard them with generic communications; doing so would result in an immediate loss of leads. The goal here shouldn’t be to secure a particular content placement, but rather to establish long-term partnerships.
Create connections with prospective companies
Before making your content proposal, it helps to get to know the other person a little bit. My suggestion is to interact with the publisher’s work in various ways, such as by liking and commenting on social media posts, leaving site comments, and signing up for newsletters. After you and another person have established camaraderie, you can discuss the possibility of working together.
Provide outstanding writing
Once your proposal has been approved, the real work begins: creating a guest post that will blow everyone away. Even though I can’t give you any tips on how to become a better writer, there are some things you can do to boost the content of your copy.
Keep legibility in mind
Modern readers rarely read a piece in its entirety. Instead, they scan the article for appealing subheadings, peruse those, and then leave the page.
Include relevant inbound connections
Don’t lose sight of the point of your guest post submission: to gain exposure for yourself via inbound connections. The golden guideline is to only add links where they will truly benefit the reader. Be sure to give readers a clear idea of what to anticipate from the linked material.
Post and pursue
A month or more may pass before your submission is reviewed and published if you do not already have a working connection with the publisher.
With any luck, your submission will be reviewed and accepted promptly. However, if it’s been a while and you still haven’t heard back, try not to lose hope. It’s as easy as the editor not having time to open or read your email. Follow up with a brief and straightforward communication.
Please share your article with others
If your guest article is published, you want to make the most of the opportunity it presents. If your guest piece attracts readers and sparks discussion on social media, the publishing house is more likely to accept your subsequent contributions. If you intend to pitch to other blogs, the guest article can serve as a reference.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to promote the article using your own channels, even though it is not on your website and is not intended for your current audience.
Quantify and monitor
Don’t neglect to monitor the performance of your link building strategy after your guest post has gone live. You can learn a lot about your link profile’s health and the traffic your backlinks are bringing in with the aid of Google Analytics. You can now implement a more precise SEO plan with all this data at your disposal.