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If you’ve ever taken a crack at guest posting (or guest blogging), then you know it’s not as easy as it may seem. A general definition of the term is writing content for another company’s website, and generally, the blogger writes posts for blogs that are similar to their niche or industry.
The tricky part is getting a “yes” from sites when you pitch to them, right? It’s been said that guest posting is the equivalent of door-to-door salesmen… digital ones nonetheless, but still, it’s no easy task. With guest posting, bloggers will knock on the doors of as many websites as they possibly can, deliver the same type of generic pitch, and hope that at least one website will accept their tired pitch and say yes. That’s not only the sign of a terrible salesman but it’s also the sign of a lazy guest blogger.
As a guest blogger, you want to knock on the door of different websites and really show them what you have to offer. You want to follow the website’s specific submission guidelines and give them a pitch that they can’t turn down… that’s the only way to not get a digital door slammed in your face, which is also the equivalent of a big, fat, NO.
You obviously don’t want to be THAT guest blogger that is lazy in your approach but still expects major results… You want to be the blogger that’s welcomed with open arms whenever you knock on someone’s door…
This, of course, is easier said than done, but there is hope, and where there’s a will, there’s a way. It may even take practice. Reading up on guest posting tactics can be part of your daily rituals that can actually change your life.
But to answer the question of how to leverage your content marketing plan, there are indeed ways to use guest posting to add bulk to your content marketing plan… you just have to know how to effectively approach guest posting.
How to Effectively Approach Guest Posting
1. Determine Your Objective For Guest Posting
When you submit a guest post, you have to have a goal in mind, or else why do it in the first place, right? So, just as you would with any other marketing strategy, you have to know where you’re trying to go and what you’re trying to achieve.
Some common reasons people engage in guest posting include:
- Building brand awareness
- Obtaining inbound links through SEO
- Drive more traffic to your own site
- To establish yourself as an expert and build trust in your brand
By having a goal, you’re going to be able to shape your bio in a way that truly represents who you are and what you stand for. When people come to your site as a resource, they’ll be able to see that you will deliver what was initially promised… this is definitely going to build the trust you want.
2. Find Sites That Accept Guest Posts
This is an especially important factor to consider. Not every site accepts guest posts, so you don’t want to take the time out to submit a well-thought pitch to a site that doesn’t even accept them… that would be a huge waste of time.
Some websites make it very clear that they accept guest posts because they have it in there navigation bar. Look for these phrases in the navigation bar or in the search bar of a website or you can do a basic Google search with those phrases and the name of the website:
- Write for me/ Write for us
- Contribute
- Become a Contributor
- Guest Post/ Guest Article
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Those are some typical phrases that let you know a site accepts guest posts. Now, in finding those sites, you want to also make sure if the sites are even worth your time and energy. Take a look at the current content they already have… Are the blog posts poorly written? Is the site difficult to navigate? And will the site help you accomplish the goal you set in the first place?
All those things matter because it’s not just about how many sites you can guest post on… it’s also about whether or not those sites are a good representation of your brand as well.
3. Build a Connection With the Owner of the Website
Think of building a connection with the site owner like dating… When you first meet someone, you’re not just automatically going to say you two are seriously dating and bring them to meet your parents… You have to get to know the person first, and the same thing applies to guest posting.
A site owner isn’t just going to tell you that you can write for their site without having an understanding of who you are, your intentions, and how you both can help each other. Building a connection with them isn’t going to be an overnight thing either… it’s going to take some time. According to searchenginejournal.com, this is going to help you to get links by helping others. A good rule of thumb is to build links in your posts to the next site that you plan on guest posting.
In building your relationship, consider following them on social media platforms and actively engaging with them. Subscribe to their site so you’ll know when they’ve posted something new, and share their content. The whole point is to be genuine with your approach because they’ll know when you’re not.
4. Give It a Shot and Make Your Pitch!
Once you’ve established a genuine relationship with the owner of the site and know what their site is about, this is the time for you to find the perfect topic and make your pitch. If you really did your homework on the site, then it will be easy for you to come up with a winning pitch that doesn’t fit into that stereotypical generic topic category.
- You want to make the pitch short and sweet and straight to the point.
- You want to make sure to use their name. If you can’t take the time out to use this common courtesy, don’t even bother wasting your time or theirs.
- Include the topic of your post.
- Give a brief description of your post. Tell them how your content will benefit their readers and why you’re the perfect person to write content to represent their brand.
In doing this, you might be a little nervous because you want a “yes” so bad, but remember, site owners are human just like you so be genuine yet informative. It’s okay to show them a bit of your personality as well.
Ask For Help If You Need It
Now, it’s also important to know that there are guest posting services out there if you feel like you may not be the best fit for guest posting. The expert team at Stellar SEO has taken blogger outreach and produced real results for many years.
So if you want to incorporate guest posting to leverage your content marketing strategy, you don’t have to go it alone or even worry about getting that virtual door slammed in your face… leave it to the experts to get your content strategy where it needs to be.
