Jeeves the butler once said, “The mood will pass sir.” He was talking about trousers. Yet, his words could easily be applied to guest posting. Matt Cutts, a prominent Google employee wrote an article titled, “The Decay and Fall of Guest Blogging for SEO.” What could be more authoritative than an article straight from the horse’s mouth? Guest blogging has to be all washed up; except it isn’t.
Guest blogging and SEO are still like ham and eggs (if done correctly, of course). The mood against guest posting has passed. Guest posting still works; here are seven handy tips for guest posters.
Know the Best Blogs to Ask
Some blogs are more responsive to guest posting than other blogs. If a blog has mentioned your business (or you) on their website, then you’re in like Flynn. Well, at the very least, you have a unique angle for your cold email. If a website asks for guest posts, that’s a good place to start. Of course, some websites accept guest posts, but they don’t advertise the fact. If you read their latest blog posts, you can check out the author bios and check for guest posters. It’s a little easier if you’re not the first, particularly if the blog is on the popular side.
Learn Useful Skills and Follow Instructions
Webmasters who solicit guest posts often have rules for guest posters. For example, they may want you to post the article in WordPress. Or they may want you to include quality screenshots or infographics. Sometimes the instructions are as simple as a minimum word count.
If you have these skills, it makes acquiring guest posts a little easier. Every website has their own set of rules, but there is one general rule that will take you a long way. The website ProBlogService says, “Your piece needs to be unique.” Many places follow this maxim. Writing unusual, unorthodox, and unconventional pieces are the key to success.
Send Personalized Cold Emails
Cold emails can be efficacious or worthless, depending on how they are used. The crux of the matter is balancing quality with volume. If you send someone a generic email, an email that doesn’t address them personally, then you are far likelier to be ignored. On the other hand, writing custom emails for every single outreach takes a substantial amount of time.
A good compromise is creating a custom template and filling that template with unique information (that shows you researched their blog) for every single outreach. Your response rates will go through the roof. Beginners should benchmark successful cold email writers. This article has well-written cold emails; it’s a good place for you start.
Avoid Blatant Self-Promotion
Guest posts aren’t advertisements. Leave the self-promotional stuff for the author bio. Instead, look to provide value with in-depth or unique info. For instance, one way to stand out from the crowd is to get an interview with an industry expert. Or you can outsource your usual blog writing to a content marketing agency, a move which will free up time for you to write your guest post. Whatever you do, be riveting. As Growth Lab says, “Put your best material into the guest post.” The website suggests video, graphics, lots of research- whatever it takes to enthrall your audience.
Link to Their Material
Webmasters love being linked to, even when you’re guest posting for them. So, it’s always a good idea to throw in a few links. That doesn’t just include their own website; you can also link to guest posts they have written, a move which should earn you some extra brownie points.
Leave a Good CTA
Provide your readers with a thought-provoking question they can comment on. As a guest poster, your writing will be read by new people. If you can get these readers to comment, then you’re on your way to building a relationship. Make sure you respond to every comment; you can even look to add commenters on social media (if they aren’t anonymous).
Social media is all about relationships, so fearlessly connect with readers whenever you can. Some far-reaching advice that will help you acquire more comments can be found on Smartblogger.
Send a Thank You Note
Speaking of fostering relationships, you should always thank the webmaster that allowed you to guest post. It keeps the line open in case you want to guest post there again. You should even check in from time to time if you don’t want to guest post. You never know what life will bring.
You Can Get Paid for Guest Posting
Did you know you can even get paid for a guest post? Take a gander at 121 blogs that lets you get paid for guest posts. For those of you that have guest posted, what’s the highest number of comments you received in a post? Share your number below.
