Guest posting, also known as guest bloging, is simply writing and publishing an essay on somebody else's site ideally in your own niche with the objective of reaching a broader audience, boosting search engine rankings, and cementing your online brand as an expert. The concept is simple enough - submit a guest post to a blog or website in your industry and include a link back to your own website or blog. The idea is to build links pointing back to your sites while building your reputation as an expert in your field. But how do you go about it?
First, decide who you are pitching to. It could be your company or a person related to your company such as an investor or sales person. Decide whether you would like to write an article or pitch a product. If you want to write an article, brainstorm several topics that you can discuss in your guest post to ensure that you are providing value and not just pushing a product.
Next, approach the blogs or websites that you have chosen to write for. Email them your proposal. Always include a link to your website in your email. Most blogs will accept guest posts, but some won't. This is because not all blogs allow advertising or selling.
So what do you do if you aren't accepted? The first step is to get in touch with the owners or managers of the blogs or websites. There is usually an "Contact Us" page somewhere on the blog itself. You can use the web form to set up your own profile and tell them why you would be interesting in writing a guest post and how you can help their blogs gain more traffic.
The next step is to write a guest article that is relevant to the topic. Write a quality, relevant article rather than a sales pitch. Don't try to sell anything in your article. In fact, you should never try to sell anything, even if it fits in with your subject. Just write an article that provides great insight and value to the readers.
Once you get in contact with the owner of the blog or website, make sure you respond to their queries promptly. Don't make them feel rushed to hire you, but instead, take your time getting to know them before pitching your services. If you take this step seriously, then the chances of getting that guest post become very high.
Finally, post consistently to popular blogs to build your reputation. Find a few prolific guest bloggers who seem to have a high rate of success. Approach them and let them know about your request. Usually, they will be happy to say yes, as long as you don't post anything too soon. When you do finally get that guest post, make sure you follow up on it regularly, as it helps to establish a good relationship.
After your pitch has been declined, then you have two more things to do. The first is to ask the editor why they did not accept your request. The second is to find another editor who was willing to submit a guest post on the same topic, and pitch to that editor. Chances are, the editor you pitched to will be willing to grant your request, but you may need to send a couple of follow ups. This process can take some time, so be patient!
While you are waiting for your first post to be posted, you might also want to start participating in other guest blogging communities. Some of these communities allow you to invite others to your community by making a post on your wall. If at least one person takes you up on your invitation, you will be more likely to get your first guest blogging spot.
Now that you have completed your profile, started writing guest posts, and got those initial rejections out of the way, it is time to focus on building your backlinks. One of the most effective ways to build backlinks is through sharing links with other webmasters who are relevant to your niche. The way to do this effectively is to give them anchor text links to their articles. The problem is that search engines love links that are placed inside text, but they love links that are placed inside the body of the article. It is best to write your own article, but if you are not an expert writer, then it would be beneficial for you to freelance for someone who can provide you with useful backlinks.
Another way to use guest posts effectively is by using social media. Social media can make a powerful tool when it comes to SEO, and you should definitely consider adding guest posts to your existing social media accounts. To build your backlink portfolio, you should start building your network on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Once you have built up some decent relationships on these sites, you can use them to pitch your products and services to them. By pitching products to people who follow you on social media, you will get a lot of free advertising as well as backlinks to your website.
