While SEO isn’t the end-all-be-all of everything, it’s still important. And one of the best SEO tactics that can improve your blog and websites is to procure legitimate backlinks. One of the best ways to do just that, while also getting your words out there in the world is guest posting on blogs that are not your own.
Getting published on other blogs is easily one of the most powerful tools you have as a writer. If you have been wondering how to get published on other blogs but haven’t made any headway yet, we have 3 tips to get you started and on your way to guest posting success.
3 Tips to Guest Posting Your Way to Awesomeness
We will look at these 3 main topics with a bit of elaboration for each.
- Find blogs in your niche that you’d like to write for and pitch them.
- Write really good articles so they don’t have to edit too much.
- Up your game and find even better blogs to write for.
When I first started blogging (a few years ago) I learned about the importance of guest posting and started doing it. I wrote at first for some blogs that didn’t give me much traction (in terms of clicks back to my blog). But then I found some better blogs – not only were they more niche appropriate, they also had more readers. I pitched them and I got published.
Slowly I started writing in better and better blogs – and now I get paid to write for some of the best of them. On the other side of the coin, I now receive guest post submissions and requests for my own blog every week. For a few months now, my blog has been publishing guest posters regularly. Not everyone that contacts me has a good pitch, and I’ve had some terrible submissions too. In other words, I can give you the vision from both sides.
Successful guest posting is a process, it’s definitely not an overnight solution. You need to apply yourself and your skills to make it happen.
Let’s get started!
Find blogs in your niche that you’d like to write for and pitch to them
For a guest post to be worth your time, you need to write for a blog or website that already has a considerable following. Writing for a blog that no one reads will not help you very much. If you aren’t very sure you can land a guest post in a higher ranking blog, then, by all means, practice with the small blogs. That is what I did at first.
How to find these blogs
The easiest way to find blogs that accept guest posts is to search on google for blogs like yours and start from there. Eventually, you will find blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. Another way is to find them on social media, especially Pinterest and Facebook groups.
(Hint: come check out our IBA Facebook groups – many IBA members accept guest posts! We’ve got open groups and groups exclusively for IBA members)
Lots of Facebook groups for bloggers have threads for people accepting guest posters and for guest posters looking for a place to write. Make a folder in your bookmarks with the blogs you found and would like to be published in.
How to pitch them
When you find a blog you’d like to write for, look on their menu to see if they already have a “write for us” or “submissions” page. If they do, read through it and follow their exact instructions to submit your pitch. Or, if they want a full post submitted in your pitch, do that. Follow their instructions – it’ll greatly increase the likelihood of you being published on their site!
On the other hand, if they don’t have a submissions page, then find the contact page or email. When you have found a way to contact them, write them a message that can look something like this:
Dear *name of blogger*
My name is *your name*. I came across your blog, *name of blog*, and found your articles very insightful and full of great content. I especially liked *name of blog post you liked* because *reason why you liked the article*.
As I was so impressed with your blog, I was wondering – do you accept and publish guest posts? If so, I’d love to contribute meaningful content and further the dialogue within your community.
Here are some titles and topics I came up with that I believe would fit great on your blog and would delight your readers.
- *Here either list four titles on their own or two titles with a little paragraph after them*
If you would like to see some of my writing, here are some links to posts I’ve written for myself and others:
- *Here add some relevant links to articles you have written, on your own blog or other places *
I hope to hear from you soon and have a great week!
*your name*
Proceed to follow the blogger on whatever social media they have linked to their site. That way you can keep creating a better digital link to them. Now, wait for them to answer your email! Most websites that accept guest posts typically respond within about two weeks, so be patient. You can work on other pitches while you’re waiting!
Write really good articles so they don’t have to edit too much
Once the bloggers that accept your pitches write back, set up a deadline with them and ask for their guidelines. Every blogger will have different specifications. If they are new at accepting guest bloggers they might not have any. If they have been accepting guests for a while then they will let you know their specifications right away. They may even have those guidelines already published on their submission page.
Write a really good article for them and make sure to check (and double and triple check!) your grammar and spelling. If they ask for visuals, make sure to send them some! Make sure they’re your images, or you’ve got the license for them to be used on the other blog. If you have some SEO experience, suggest a good headline and a meta description.
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Up your game and find even better blogs to write for
After you’ve written for a few blogs, try and find other blogs to write for. Check the site’s Domain Authority to see if your backlink on their site will be good for your own DA. If you get a backlink on a site with a domain higher than 70, then you are reaching the big leagues with your writing.
When you start blogging, your DA will be quite low so writing for blogs with a higher DA will help bring yours up too. With more and more guest posts on other blogs you will have to look for blogs with higher and higher ranking. There will be a point when you reach around 20 points DA, that writing for a blog with less than 20 will be a bad move instead of a good one. So keep that in mind.
More on Guest Posting:
The IBA’s Must-Have Guest Posting Resources:
Become an IBA Member and guest post here to your heart’s content:
Over to you
Do you guest post on other blogs? Do you accept guest posts on your blog? Why or why not? Leave a comment below, then be sure to join the conversation in our IBA Facebook groups!