The Ultimate Guide To Guest Blogging

Welcome to “The Ultimate Guide To Guest Blogging,” your comprehensive resource for mastering digital marketing strategies. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, guest blogging remains a powerful tool for expanding your online presence, driving traffic, and establishing authority in your industry.

Throughout this guide, we delve into crafting compelling pitches, identifying the best platforms, and executing effective guest blogging campaigns. These strategies not only enhance your SEO efforts but also foster meaningful connections with your audience. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of guest blogging and unlock its potential for growing your brand’s visibility and influence.

Step 1: Identify Guest Post Opportunities

To effectively begin your guest blogging journey, your initial task is to pinpoint appropriate platforms for publishing your content. Here are seven actionable methods to discover guest post opportunities:

Method 1: Google Search Strings

Instead of relying solely on the common “keyword + write for us” approach, broaden your search with specific phrases like:

Your Keyword “guest post”
Your Keyword “write for us”
Your Keyword “guest article”
Your Keyword “guest post opportunities”
Your Keyword “this is a guest post by”
Your Keyword “contributing writer”
Your Keyword “want to write for”

These variations often reveal lesser-known but equally valuable guest posting avenues.

Method 2: Google Reverse Image Search

Harness the power of Google reverse image search to identify prolific guest bloggers within your niche. Start by locating their profile photos from author bios on reputable sites. By pasting the image URL into Google’s reverse image search, you can uncover a list of websites where they have contributed, providing a ready-made list of potential guest post targets.

Method 3: Twitter Search

Twitter isn’t just for social updates; it’s a goldmine for discovering current guest blogging opportunities. Use targeted searches like “[keyword] guest post” to uncover real-time requests from blogs actively seeking guest contributors. This approach often leads to finding opportunities that are not yet indexed by search engines.

Method 4: Reverse Engineer Competitor Backlinks

Gain insights into where your competitors have successfully placed guest posts by reverse engineering their backlink profiles. Tools like Semrush allow you to input a competitor’s domain and generate a comprehensive list of sites linking back to them. Filter these results to highlight sites that accept guest contributions, even if they do not advertise it openly.

Method 5: AllTop.com

AllTop.com serves as a curated directory of top blogs across various industries. While not all listed blogs accept guest posts, it serves as an excellent starting point to identify authoritative sites within your niche. With thorough research and outreach, you can uncover hidden guest posting opportunities among these top-tier blogs.

Method 6: Blog Commenting Strategy

Employ an advanced guest posting strategy by leveraging blog comments effectively. Begin by engaging with blogs relevant to your niche and leaving thoughtful comments on their posts. Identify active bloggers who respond positively to your comments and initiate further conversation. Once a rapport is established, pitch a guest post idea tailored to their audience’s interests and the blog’s content focus.

Method 7: Lists of Guest Post Sites

Save time and effort by tapping into pre-compiled lists of guest post sites. These resources often categorize sites based on their acceptance of guest contributions and provide additional insights such as site metrics and submission guidelines. Utilize comprehensive lists like those featuring 300+ guest posting sites to streamline your search process and maximize outreach efficiency.

By strategically employing these methods, you can effectively locate and capitalize on valuable guest blogging opportunities tailored to your niche and content objectives.

Step 2: Prepare Your Guest Post

Now that you’ve compiled a list of sites accepting guest posts, it’s time to move forward with your submission. This step focuses on finding the right fit for your guest post and establishing a connection with blog owners.

Differentiate Between Potential Platforms

Begin by identifying high-quality platforms suited to your guest post. Focus on blogs that:

Have a strong authority in your niche or a related field
Maintain a robust link profile
Publish only top-tier content
Attract targeted traffic aligned with your goals
Offer prominent visibility for your content, avoiding minimal author bio placements
Possess a substantial following on social media platforms

For instance, consider my guest post on the Buffer blog as an example. This platform met all the criteria listed, ensuring maximum impact and exposure for my content.

Engage Proactively

To enhance your chances of acceptance on authoritative sites, engage with them proactively before pitching your guest post:

Social Media Sharing: Share their content on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to establish familiarity.
**Thoughtful Blog Comments**: Leave thoughtful and insightful comments on their blog posts to demonstrate your engagement and understanding.
Personalised Emails: Reach out to the site owner with a brief email expressing gratitude for a specific piece of their content that resonated with you. This personal touch helps to build rapport and recognition before you make your formal pitch.

Craft the Ideal Guest Post Topic

Selecting the right topic for your guest post is crucial for success:

Explore Popular Content: Identify the blog’s most popular posts, often listed in the sidebar or discoverable through tools like Semrush. These topics are proven to attract engagement and shares.
Utilize BuzzSumo: Use BuzzSumo to pinpoint trending topics within your niche. Highlighting a trending topic increases the likelihood of your submission being accepted, as it aligns with the site’s current interests.
Analyse Previous Guest Posts: Review past guest posts on the target blog to understand the preferred content types and formats. This insight guides you in crafting a submission that meets the site’s expectations effectively.
Adhere to Guidelines: Pay attention to the site’s guest post guidelines, ensuring your content meets all specified criteria. This step avoids potential rejections due to overlooked requirements, such as word count limits or formatting preferences.

By following these steps, you’ll optimise your approach to guest blogging, increasing your chances of securing valuable placements on reputable sites within your industry.

Step 3: Submit Your Pitch

Put yourself in the shoes of a busy authority site owner. They have articles to write, social media to manage, and an overflowing inbox. How would they react to a generic guest post pitch? Likely, it’s a quick trip to the delete button.

Instead, use this proven email template:

Hi [Name],

I’ve been following your site for a while and recently commented on your post about [Article] (great read, by the way).

I’m reaching out because I’d love to contribute a guest post to [Website]. Here are a few topics I believe would resonate with your audience:

– [Idea #1]

– [Idea #2]

– [Idea #3]

I’ll ensure the content is exclusive and packed with valuable insights.

To give you an idea of my writing style and expertise, here’s a guest post I recently published on [Other Website].

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Best regards,

[Your First Name]

What makes this template effective:

Starts with a specific reference to their site.
Concise and to the point (under 150 words).
Offers three topic ideas to choose from, easing their decision-making.
Soft sell approach that highlights your experience and previous contributions.

Now, it’s time to move on to…

Step 4: Write Your Guest Post

Congratulations on getting your pitch accepted! Now it’s time to deliver.

Introducing the “2-Tier System”:

Time is limited, so divide your efforts wisely:

Tier 1: Focus on top-tier authority sites in your niche—sites you actively engage with. Your content here should match or exceed what you publish on your own blog. Aim for comprehensive, pillar content that demands publication.

Ensure your Tier 1 guest post includes:

Systematic Approach: Provide a clear, step-by-step system to achieve a specific outcome. This adds substantial value and practicality to your content.

Length Matters: Longer articles are perceived as more valuable. Aim for a minimum of 2500 words, packed with actionable insights and devoid of unnecessary fluff.
Visual Aids: Enhance your post with custom screenshots, flowcharts, and images. These visuals not only differentiate your content but also enhance its informational depth.
Internal Links: Boost SEO by integrating relevant internal links to the host site’s content. This demonstrates your commitment to enriching their site’s value.

Tier 2: While not top-tier, these sites still deserve quality content. Although not as extensive as Tier 1, ensure your Tier 2 content is informative and valuable to their audience.

By tailoring your approach to each tier, you maximize your guest posting effectiveness and enhance your reputation within the niche.

Step 5: Follow Up

To maximise the impact of your guest post, follow these steps:

Engage with Comments: Stay active in the comments section. Reply promptly to comments, starting with an initial comment upon publication to encourage interaction.
Social Media Promotion: Share your guest post across your social media channels. This drives traffic to the host site while expanding your content’s reach within your community.
Send a Thank You: After posting on Tier 1 sites, send a brief email expressing gratitude for the opportunity. This thoughtful gesture helps maintain a positive relationship for future collaborations.

Blog Comment Strategy: Reach out to those who commented on your guest post. Propose a guest post exchange on their site, leveraging existing engagement to foster new opportunities.

Bonus Step 1: The Expanded Guest Post

While traffic and links are valuable, guest blogging also offers an opportunity to grow your email list through the Expanded Guest Post method. Here’s how:

Create a Relevant Bonus Resource:

Develop a supplementary resource related to your guest post topic. This could be an ebook, video, or PDF checklist, providing additional insights or tips. For example, alongside my Buffer guest post on list building, I included bonus tips and checklists:

Set Up a Dedicated Landing Page:

Design a webpage specifically for readers of your guest post. Offer your bonus resource in exchange for their email address. Here’s an example of what your landing page could look like:

Promote Your Bonus within Your Guest Post:

Conclude your guest post by promoting your bonus resource. Encourage readers to visit your dedicated landing page to access the additional content, thereby converting guest post traffic into valuable email subscribers.

This method has proven effective, helping me gain 188 new email subscribers from my Buffer guest post alone, with a conversion rate of 37.8%.

Bonus Step 2: Guest Blogging Pro Tips

Let’s wrap up with some practical tips gathered from years of experience.

Use Comments to Gauge Referral Traffic

Estimating traffic from a guest post isn’t just about the size of the site. It’s about engagement. For instance, despite publishing on a massive marketing site, I received significantly more traffic from a guest post on Pat Flynn’s blog. Pat’s blog attracted more comments per post, indicating higher reader engagement. From over 200 guest posts, I consistently find: more comments = more traffic. The lesson? Engaged readers translate into higher traffic.

Include Contextual Backlinks

Google largely ignores links in author bios. To enhance SEO impact, include at least one contextual backlink within your guest post.

Use Infographics in Guest Posts

Using infographics can elevate your guest posting strategy. This advanced tactic has helped me secure features on authoritative news sites and blogs.

Utilize Author Bio Footprints

Discover hidden guest post opportunities by leveraging author bio footprints. Identify prolific guest posters in your niche, extract a snippet from their bio, and search it on Google.