Guest posting, or guest blogging, is a marketing practice where you write an article for a website in exchange for brand exposure. A vital aspect of this process is the link that directs that particular blog’s readers to your own site. This method allows both parties to win because the blog owner gets fresh content while you boost referral traffic to your website.
The process is pretty straightforward. You just need to look for sites that are in the same or relevant industry as your business and contact them through the information provided on their website if they allow guest posting on their domain. You have to have the ability to communicate through e-mail professionally.
How to Be a Contributor
Digital marketing experts like NO BS Agency suggest creating relevant content and establishing consistency with your brand. This is why the first step to guest posting is finding a platform related to your business that will publish your post so that you can gain leads. This part takes time so it’s better to do it as early as possible.
1. Look for Target Websites
It’s necessary to find websites that are related to or similar to your niche because you want to gain leads who will actually convert into paying customers once they clicked on your link and are directed to your site. You want to be associated with high-traffic websites that are related to your niche; otherwise, you won’t be reaching your prospects. This means that they should have the ones who are most likely to buy your products and services.
These are the three primary ways to find target sites:
The most common method of discovering digital places that allow guest posts is to type a relevant keyword and add tags such as “write for us,” “contributor,” or “guest article.” For instance, if your company sells clothes, you can type in “fashion” + “write for us” on the search box.
You need to look for an individual who has written a lot of guest posts in your industry. Afterward, you go to one of their articles and find their picture on the page. Then, right click on the avatar and click Search Google for Image. The results will be the sites where that person has contributed.
- Your Competitor’s Backlinks
Most of the time, you and your competitor have the same keywords since you’re in the same niche. You can uncover their backlinks through online tools like Ahrefs, Link Miner, and SEO Review Tools, among others. This way, you find where they have guest posted and you can proceed to contribute to those sites as well.
2. Know Their Guidelines
Now that you have a list of target websites, you need to check each of them for their guest posting guidelines. Ensure that your post complies with the site’s regulations so that your content gets published.
These are some of the factors that you should look out for:
Different blogs use different voices. Some have a fun, casual tone while others prefer a serious, academic-type flow. Check if you can give the same type of tone through your writing.
There are sites that are strict about the word count so you should be aware of this factor before you write your guest post to avoid rejection of your first draft.
Most blogs allow one backlink to your site. Others require the addition of a link to one of their posts.
Know if the owner wants you to provide your own images or stock photos are fine for the post.
3. Contact the Blog Owner
If you’re sure that you can deliver the quality they want, reach out to the owner of the domain and let them know what you will be posting about. Typically, you can contact them through email or through a form on their website.
Here are crucial tips to have your guest posting pitch approved:
Don’t start your email with a generic “Dear Sir/Madam.” Personalize your email by looking for the site owner’s name on the blog.
Let the recipient know who you are, what niches you are an expert in writing about, and what you can contribute to their domain. Include links to previous posts that have been published as well.
No one has the time to read huge blocks of text on your email. Keep your message short and sweet by being straightforward about your point.
Benefits of Guest Posting
Not a lot of business owners focus on guest posting. However, this is an essential part of your company’s growth especially in this digital age. Plus, it’s basically free advertising. All you need to do is to create content that provides readers with valuable information.
Here’s a list of how guest posting can be beneficial to your business:
- It Improves SEO
Guest posting is vital to your search engine optimization or SEO strategies. It is one of the best ways to increase traffic to your website by adding your content to search engine indexes and making your posts more discoverable. Being linked to high-quality websites facilitates the rise of your site’s rank in the search engine results page or SERP when Google associates you with the authorities in your niche.
- It Increases Brand Awareness
Guest posting allows you to expose your brand to people who are not familiar with your products and services to increase your traffic. You get to take advantage of the third-party site’s subscribers and introduce your company to them through your content. Plus, posting on websites in the same industry as you can give you targeted traffic. These are the readers who expressed interest when they followed that particular domain.
- It Widens Your Professional Network
Websites that allow contributors provide you with a way to connect with experts in your field. Linking with the authorities in your niche can give you valuable insight on how to engage with your target audience. Once you have reached out to them, you can look for opportunities for collaborations that can help you create more compelling content from cross-promotion to in-depth interviews.
Moreover, connecting with fellow entrepreneurs offers you a community whom you can turn to about the struggles you encountered in running your company. Guest posting also allows you to establish significant partnerships with their brands so that you can provide more value to your customers.
- It Supports Social Media Marketing
This practice not only complements your SEO strategies but your social media marketing as well. Producing excellent content can lead to people sharing your post on their preferred social media platforms for their friends and followers to see. With many potential customers reading your guest post and clicking on the link to your site, the probability of them buying your products and services increase exponentially.
Conclusion
Guest posting allows you to reach a broader set of prospects outside of your website with little to no cost. To increase the effectiveness of your content, make sure that it provides value to the readers and share the link to the post on your social media profiles. It may seem like a lot of work for just one article, but the leads you gain through this endeavor is worth every keystroke.
Gerald Moore is an SEO expert who has been contributing articles for No BS Agency for years. His articles are focused on how businesses can make the most of SEO without breaking the bank. Gerald believes that the right SEO strategies can become a business’s edge to thrive and grow in the market, even as a startup. During his leisure, Gerald loves to read books and cook healthy dishes!