Guest blogging entails reaching out to website owners outside your organization to write blog posts for their website. The author of these blog posts must be an expert in their field and have a compelling blog idea they want to share.

SEO experts recommend guest blogging as a rewarding way to build links. If successful, it helps businesses increase brand awareness and gain visibility and website reputation. It can also support link-building efforts while driving referral traffic and improving your site’s authority.

Despite its benefits, guest blogging often gets a bad reputation. It is associated with spammy and SEO black hat techniques. Guest post spammers are abundant; they are only interested in backlink exchange to improve their rankings. Legitimate guest post bloggers, on the other hand, want to add value to the reader and increase credibility.

Guest blogging may also come across as complicated. After all, finding appropriate and reputable sites in your niche that accept guest blogs is difficult. You are likely to face a tough and often unresponsive audience. The competition from other bloggers is challenging, and your message can get easily lost among unsolicited emails.

Nonetheless, a solid outreach strategy can make your guest post outreach more efficient and your pitch more compelling and engaging. Here is a list of five steps to begin your guest post outreach campaign.

Build a List of Reputable Websites in Your Niche

The goal is to leverage the time you invest doing outreach by improving the response rates. To create this list, identify your target audience’s interests and lifestyles by looking for websites that target your niche. For brands to link to your site, you’ll need to produce good content or simply submit your quality content on write for us reputable platforms and similar sites link back to your website. Inbound links should focus on quality rather than quantity.

Begin this process by using Google to search for relevant blogs. To assess the quality of these sites, pay attention to their authority (beware of spammy sites), traffic, and type of audience. Check their “about us” and “contact us” pages to verify they’re open for guest posts.
Furthermore, you can search using the below search terms:
“keyword” “write for us”
“keyword” “guest post”
“keyword” “guest article”

Lastly, keep your list updated with who you have contacted, when, and how they responded. We recommend creating a spreadsheet to keep track of your outreach efforts.

Create a Compelling and Personal Message

A generic message rarely works! Take time to understand each prospect’s interests and availability; websites often specify whether they are open to guest posts. This information will help you prune your list and include sites that willingly accept guest posts. Besides, some of these sites may still be open to other types of partnerships and collaborations that can benefit your brand.

Grab your prospects’ attention by personalizing your outreach message. If applicable, use their first name or the name of the team. Consider adding a line in your introduction mentioning specific articles they’ve created. Also consider commenting on the type of content they publish, or talking about their products or the values that resonate with you.

Make Your Proposal Irresistible

There are a few ways to accomplish this. Start by analyzing their current catalogue and identify content gaps or opportunities to update or optimize an existing post. From there, you can propose a guest post idea. Consider the target audience’s interests and the brand’s personality when you pitch new content. This practice also sends a message that you understand the brand and care about adding value.

If the lead is particularly advantageous to your company, you can offer regular guest posts. A long-term content commitment may be more compelling than a one-time deal, as you’ll learn the tone, voice, and values of the brand.

Also, mention your experience creating content and targeting a similar niche. Don’t be shy and mention your accomplishments! Show the post samples you’re most proud of, too. Finally, consider adding keyword information and the conversion potential of the piece(s) you propose.

Remember that most of these sites receive tons of e-mails; they accept only the best from the best. It is your job to stand out and present a compelling message.

Optimize Your Email and Message

There is no one-rule-applies-to-all solution, but there are best practices you can incorporate when writing your outreach messages. Here are a few recommendations:

• Be concise with your message
• Keep your tone formal and friendly
• Check your grammar and punctuation
• Don’t be afraid to make your message sound exciting and engaging

Furthermore, apply a hierarchy of content based on its relevance and impact. Your introduction should mention the purpose of the email, briefly talk about you, and establish a connection with the brand. Meanwhile, the body is where you create interest and provide important information. The closure includes additional information. Finally, ensure your message ends with a clear call to action, which should request a follow-up.

Here are additional tips to outline your email structure:

• Use engaging subject lines
• Personalize your salutation (use the recipient’s name or the company name
• Include an engaging or impactful opening line followed by a brief introduction
• Show examples of blog posts that you’ve written
• End with a professional signature

You may be wondering if you can use templates. These resources rarely adapt to your specific needs and situations, but they’re great sources of inspiration.

Monitor and Improve Your Outreach Campaigns

Track the results of your campaigns and apply your findings to improve efficiency. Conduct A/B testing to identify delivery times/dates and other elements, such as subject lines, CTAs, and different versions of the email body. Schedule your outreach emails at a particular time and day of the week. According to multiple studies, Mondays aren’t the most effective; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays produce the highest opening rates.

Bonus: Be Consistent, and Don’t Be Discouraged!

Understand you’re playing a numbers game; no matter how good you are, not everyone will reply or be open to the opportunity! Work on increasing the number of leads in your list and keep your outreach campaigns consistent.

Needless to say, part of your outreach efforts should be follow-ups. Remind the recipient about your previous offer. Sending a follow-up may draw attention to your previous email and make you recognizable to build relationships.

The previous recommendations apply to follow-ups. Be concise and thoughtful. Website managers are busy and receive tons of emails. This message should be even shorter than the original email you sent.

Now that you know the benefits of guest posts and have learned some guest posting outreach best practices, start creating your list and preparing your strategy! Remember: Understand your audience, propose a compelling pitch, write a persuasive message, track your results, and optimize your campaigns. Soon, you’ll see spikes in referral traffic as a reward for all your hard work.