We know guest posting is all about creating content for a website that is not our own, but do you know how an influential guest post is been created? Many companies these days use guest posting strategies to increase content, build connections and increase website traffic. The benefits for the guest bloggers include the creation of brand awareness, exposure to new readers and backlinks. Hence, any guest post you create must be done in a way that maintains authenticity
When writing any type of material, you should consider your target audience. While writing for your own website, this may seem obvious, but when you write for different guest posting sites, you need to pay particular attention to it. For example, find out who the website’s target audience is by taking the time to browse the types of material that are posted there. For more tips, read the below-mentioned points to create a good guest post.
Set your goals
Before you start writing your guest posts, you must develop a strategy and goal concerning why you want guest posting. Understating goals will help you pitch suitable hosts with your ideas. Raise brand awareness, and increase exposure besides developing steady website traffic before you start approaching guest blogging sites.
Whatever your goal is, always focus on well-researched, useful, original content which is thoughtful and influential enough to lead potential readers to your site. This means, your aim should not be limited to creating backlinks but making it impressive so that readers crave to visit your site.
Look for guest posting opportunities on reputed sites
One of the easiest ways to find guest posting opportunities is to search for guest posting sites on Google. You can try using different keywords such as ‘write for us’ or ‘submit a guest post’ on Google. Apart from it, target reputed blogs or sites which publish good content, have traffic and are active on social media.
If you fail to provide good quality content, to might get penalised by Google and thus, you must always look for unique and well-researched content. Good websites look for engaging content other than good quality which means, you need to create engaging content to attract readers that might further land on your webpage through a backlink.
Doing an extensive research
Once you find a suitable site for guest posting, become familiar with their content style and strategy. Look for any particular topic they focus more upon or the kind of audience that visits their page often. You must also study the other guest post on the company’s website and how comments or views are shared in their posts. Make sure that the topic you choose to write on is not been published on your host’s site or else, they might reject your piece. Finally, ask for any kind of guest posting guidelines or format to ensure you cover all necessary points, said DailyHawker .
Add value to your post
Guest posting just does not mean creating backlinks on another website only rather it is a thoughtful process and requires intense planning. You must look for ways that may add value to your guest post failing which readers might not show any interest in reading your post. When you provide high-value content, it is feasible that more companies may approach you or invite you to share your content as a guest writer. As more sites reach you, you get good exposure while your impressive blogs get genuine readers.
Connect with host sites personally
Before you send a pitch to host websites to publish your guest post, try making connections with the site owners. This can be useful in the long run and can influence them to publish the post on the front pages. However, you have to build an impressive site for this and follow the host company’s blogs on social media besides sharing and commenting on them occasionally. Leave a thoughtful message on their posts or email them for certain content to publish.
Writing a good pitch for guest posting
Once you have created a base before pitching, you must write a good and influential final pitch for guest posting. How well you write a pitch will determine your chances of getting a guest posting opportunity. Your pitch must be always personalised and brief while addressing the blog owner’s name and why you want to write a guest post for them. Introduce yourself and mention what kind of article or the topic you seek to write about.
Share their post ideas and give them an outline of yours. Tell how your post might help the readers but do not forget to provide a few links showcasing your previous outstanding works. You might get their answer within two weeks but if they fail to do so, just send a gentle reminder. Never be pushy but remind them of the first email.
Write a meaningful content
Once your guest post idea is accepted, it is time to think and create engaging content. Your primary aim should be to build original content with high-quality research and data. Pay close attention to guest posting guidelines or any other instructions they have sent you such as word count, format, references, paragraphs, etc. The general rule is to write short paras with small sentences which makes it easier for the readers to understand.
Your article must contain italicized, bold and bulleted lists with proper heading and sub-headings to look informative. You can consider using images or videos to break the text into easy-to-read parts or put external sources to add value to the text provided the blog owners allow you to do so. Add a short bio at the end of the article which is linked to your website or social media pages so that readers may reach you. Proofread entire content multiple times before you send them.
Sell yourself
Guest posting means that the guest post writer will include a backlink that can take readers to their website. This is mentioned in the agreement as well. To capitalise on this aspect, you must link back to your site once you have written something about the topic that adds to your guest post. However, do not fill the post with many backlinks which might look cheap and repetitive.
Selling yourself means adding your story to the post which readers might relate to themselves and ultimately show a desire to visit your page to get to know more about you. This does not mean writing biographical lines rather you can share your experience on the topic at hand. To make your guest post look influential, you may include words or lines that intend to make a positive impact on society or a particular community.
Promote your post
Once you have written meaningful content and your post has been published successfully, you must help the site drive traffic which can further lead more readers to your page. You can share the post across your social media connections as they would do to their own. Develop a relationship with readers by answering their comments on your post or start sending personal emails to your contact list asking their feedback on the post. And yes, do not forget the host website or the blog owners who have given you the opportunity for guest posting.