You need to create guest posts if you want to reach your target audience, rank high in the search engine results pages (SERP), and boost your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. The importance of guest posting cannot be overstated. Guest blogging can help you reach a broader audience. And that’s just for starters.
Each guest post can put you closer to dramatically growing your audience base alongside your revenue. Also, since you are contributing to websites within your industry, you can provide credible and valuable content people would love. To ensure top blogs accept your guest posts, keep the following tips in mind:
Pick your target blogs carefully.
Find reliable and authoritative websites that accept guest posts. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of blogs that accept guest posts. However, the tough part would be deciding which blogs to approach. To narrow down your list, it would be best that:
- You don’t go for the A-list right away. Understandably, if you have never sent a guest post before, it would be best to target a blog with a decent number of readers instead of one with 100,000 or more readers.
- You find bloggers who would want some help. For example, if a blogger mentions going on a vacation, etc., they’d most likely welcome receiving some guest posts.
- You pick a blog that focuses on your niche. This not only helps ensure you reach the right audience, you will also have a better chance of getting accepted as you have a good grasp of topics related to the industry.
Read and follow the guest post guidelines strictly.
While not all blogs have submission guidelines, most massive blogs do. In line with this, look for and read the guest post guidelines before creating or submitting anything. Usually, you can find the guidelines under “Write for Us,” “Guest Post Guidelines,” or “Submission Guidelines.”
From the guidelines, you will learn:
- The ideal length of the post. Most blogs would opt for a minimum of 1200 words.
- Whether you should submit a pitch or a complete post. Some prefer you approach them with an idea, while others prefer receiving a completed post.
- What you are allowed and not allowed to include in the content. Can you link your blog to the body of the article? Are affiliate links accepted?
- How and whom to submit the post? This can include the file format, who to send the article to, and other important submission details.
Brainstorm several blog post ideas.
When creating a blog post, you will have a better chance of getting accepted if you develop a strong idea or concept. Therefore, don’t always settle for the first topic that comes to mind. Instead, play with several topics and decide which among the topics will give you a better chance of getting accepted.
Some of the ways you can generate compelling blog post ideas include:
- Mindmapping. Write down a specific topic or the name of the target blog in the center of the page. Jot down ideas as they come to you and create links if you see any connections.
- Creating a list. This is an old-school strategy but still very effective. Write numbers 1 until 10 on a sheet of paper and come up with ideas for each.
Create high-quality content.
If you want to create a high-quality post, keep the following basics in mind:
- Ensure your post has a great introduction, main body, and conclusion.
- Ensure the introduction will catch the interest of your audience and entice them to read the article in its entirety.
- The main body should be easy for the readers to read. In line with this, make sure you use lists, headings, and subheadings. Doing so can also help improve the readability of the content.
- Your conclusion should round things off and provide a good call to action to help the blog (i.e., encouraging readers to comment or share the content with others).
Include a short bio.
If the blog requires them, submit a short bio and a headshot with your post. Your bio must conform to the guidelines provided. If you can’t find any guidelines, check the other guest post bios on the blog. Typically, you will be allowed to do the following:
- Provide a sentence or two about yourself or your blog.
- Provide a link to your site.
Send the Guest Post
When you are done writing your guest post and it is time to email the article to the blog, it is important to bear the following in mind:
- Have a file or folder where you have a bio picture or graphics for the guest post. Blog owners prefer to copy images from Google Drive than from the article itself as the quality is much better.
- Write a pleasant email to the blog owner and include all the information they have asked for, give them everything that they want to make it a seamless experience.
- Once you have sent your post, then you have to wait for it to be published. Blog owners have a schedule of when posts are published and sometimes you have to wait for your turn in the schedule.
Conclusion
Getting your guest post accepted can be tricky at first. This is especially true if you are still starting out. However, the process gets easier once you get the hang of it and create an effective guest posting system.
