Are you sitting on a blog that’s six months old without any comments or social shares and wondering what you can do to grow your blog?
You see other successful bloggers and wonder, how did they do it?
One quick and easy way to increase your traffic and engagement is to guest post. If you don’t know what guest posting is, it’s when you give away your best content on another blogger’s site.
You may not realize it, but by guest blogging, you can build a name for yourself, grow your list and provide links back to your blog – helping you generate more traffic.
So, how do you guest post and have your post accepted by an influential blogger with an authority site?
In order for you to have a chance at guest posting on high-ranking blogs, you have to do more than send an email to the owner asking them if it’s okay to write a post for them. Most bloggers are busy and don’t have the time to invest in people they don’t know.
You have to do a little legwork, but when you take the right steps and send the right pitch, your post has a good chance of being accepted.
In this post, you will learn the steps to guest posting and how to write a pitch letter that will get you noticed.
How Do You Start Guest Posting?
Before you write the best blog post you can muster, you have to search around for the right blogs to guest post on.
Here are three guidelines to follow when deciding to guest post.
1. The Blog Accepts Guest Posts
It’s important to find out whether or not the blog you want to guest post on is even accepting guest writers. On my blog, I don’t make it known that I accept guest posts, but a quick Google search will let you know.
In Google, just type the name of the blog you want to write for along with “write for us” or “guest post” and you will usually see if the blog accepts guest posts.
Other sites will have it on their menu.
2. The Blog Is Popular
Guest posting is a powerful tool for bloggers, especially if you guest post on a highly trafficked blog.
Wouldn’t it be nice to land a guest post on LifeHacker, Kissmetrics or even The Huffington Post and have instant credibility and popularity?
While it might seem impossible to guest post on these sites, you can still aim high by looking at blogs that are not as popular. Such blogs still offer you a great opportunity to get your name out there.
To find out if a blog you’re interested in guest blogging for is popular, you can check out their stats online. For example, you can get a view of their demographics and get a rough estimate of their traffic stats and popularity.
I like to go to Alexa because it can give you a quick analytical overview of many sites. Each site receives an Alexa rank – a metric based on the amount of traffic recorded from visitors that have the Alexa toolbar installed.
The value of a site’s Alexa rank is debatable, and it can also be manipulated. However, it is quite revealing when used as relative comparison measure between sites.
Compete and Quantcast are other similar sites that have their own traffic ranking algorithms and are useful when evaluating potential guest posting sites.
3. The Blog Is in Your Specific Industry
While it’s important to find popular blogs that have more traffic than your blog, when it comes to guest posting, it’s just as important to find blogs within your niche.
So, let’s say you have an insect farming blog and you want to attract more readers. You decide to guest blog, but you can’t find any well-known insect farming sites.
When you have a blog in a small niche, the best thing to focus on is finding other similar blogs to approach, rather than finding popular blogs to write on.
This helps in building your credibility as an expert in your industry, making viewers want to read to what you have to say.
The Steps to Guest Posting
We’ve already covered how to find the right blog to guest post on. The next thing you have to do is start to build a relationship with the blog owner.
Get Noticed By the Blog Owner
How do you do this?
- Follow their blog
- Follow the owner or blog on social media
- Comment frequently on blog posts and on social media
- Share their content on your social media channels
By engaging with the blog owner on his or her own blog, and in social media, you’ll start to develop a relationship, taking you one step closer to landing that guest post you want.
Something else you want to pay close attention to is how the blog is formatted. Studying the blog will help you out when it’s time to write a post. When looking at the blog you want to guest post on, be sure to look at:
- The size and number of images on the blog post
- If there are captions or not
- If subheadings are used liberally
- Whether they use short paragraphs or not
- How they emphasize important phrases – are they italicized, bolded or in block quote?
Many bloggers write their post in MS Word or in Google Docs. But, posts in these formats don’t always import correctly into a content management system (CMS) like WordPress.
When an editor gets a post like this, they have to fix the spacing issues and heading styles manually.
To avoid formatting issues for the blog owner or editor, when submitting your guest post, you can format it yourself by using MS Word styles or Google Docs styles.
If you are using MS Word to type your post, you can use styles for your heading and subheadings with one click of your mouse, instead of clicking three times for the font size, boldness and font name.
For the title of your post, use Heading 1. Use Heading 2 and 3 for your subheadings.
If you are using Google Docs, use the styles toolbar drop down menu to format your text.
By taking a few minutes to find out how posts are formatted on the blog you want to guest post on, you’ll save the blog owner or editor a lot of time. Since I’m on both sides of guest posting – being a guest poster and receiving guest posts for my blog – I can say that it’s always a treat to get a correctly formatted document.
Follow the Guest Post Rules
Ever since I opened up my blog to guest posters, I receive a lot of emails vying for a spot on my blog schedule.
To help me pre-screen all the pitches I receive for a guest posting opportunity, I’ve made specific rules to filter unqualified writers. Many other bloggers do the same since it helps us narrow down our choices.
Everyone’s rules are different – while I only ask for the headline at first, other bloggers require a detailed outline with title and subheadings laid out.
So, take the time to read a blogger’s “write for us” page thoroughly, or you’ll be stuck in the reject pile.
Rock Your Pitch
Now, it’s time to send an email to the blog owner or editor. What do you say? Aside from following the specific rules for guest posting on their blog, how do you set yourself apart so you will be the one chosen?
- Make it short. Who has time to read long emails? Impress the blog owner by making your email only have the required information needed.
- Use the correct name. Many blog sites have other people in charge of content queries. So, make sure to address them in your email.
- Keep it casual. Avoid formal introductions in your pitch.
Instead of just talking about a pitch letter, let me give you an example I use to inquire about guest posting on other sites:
Hey [Blog owner or editor],
Quick question: how would you feel about me sending you some ideas for a guest post on [topic or headline – depending on guest post rules]? I’ve been studying your popular posts like [name popular post to show you are a reader of the blog], and I have some topics I think would be perfect. Do you have a quick time to look?
Thanks,
[Your name]
Over to You
On the right blog, guest posting can be a powerful tool to grow your blog traffic, promote your posts and build credibility in your niche.
Getting your guest post on a blog isn’t rocket science either. You just need to:
- Get to know the blog
- Follow the blog or owner on social media
- Engage by commenting and sharing
- Read over the guest posting submission rules
- Send a short and thorough pitch describing what you want to write about
Now it’s time to tell me how you’re going to use this information for your next guest post that will bring a wave of traffic to your site.
Yet another Great article sue !
I love the point number 3. The Blog Is in Your Specific Industry
We should only guest post on topics related to our blog and then the incoming traffic from the backlink will be our target audience.
You are so right, Kaushik! Yet I find some bloggers who have small niches do well in complementary niches.
For example, a child’s food blogger can post guest articles on parenting blogs, finance blogs (save money making your own child’s food), etc.
Thanks for your comment today!
Sue
Great to be on Basic Blog Tips with your wonderful audience.
Thanks, Ms. Ileane!
Sue
Hi Sue,
I love guest blogging!!! I think your approach is so appropriate and your steps are very practical.
I think there are lot of things to consider when you start blogging and more importantly when you guest blog.
If you have to really make sure you’ve identified what business you are “really” in and have a solid foundation. If you know your business, prospects, customers and how to communicate to them from their perspective; then you can have more information to discover blogs that would be a good fit based on their content and more importantly their audience.
I’m always on the lookout to network with those who serve the same audience I do but in a different way.
I started blogging in May 2014. My only strategy at that time was to discover bloggers with my definition for networking and who had active blogs with comments and social shares. I would call them influencers.
I read the articles thoroughly and then wrote comments that either extended the conversation or added value by offering my perspective.
Over the course of 4 months my blog erupted. That led bloggers to start seeking me out. I remembered when you reached out to me late last fall to do an interview on your blog.
Now, I have so many requests I simply can’t keep up with them all and I have to work even harder at maximizing my time, energy and resources. So, my foundation today is even more important because I can’t be everywhere; but I can be where it’s important.
I really love this post Sue!!! Again, it’s very practical and informative.
I hope you have a great second half to your week!!!!
~ Don Purdum
Hi, Don,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! Yes, maximizing your time and energy at this point in your blogging career is key. Just guest post for the cream of the crop (like here for Ileane!)
You are a great coach and consultant because you have been through it all. And now you even have a book on Amazon. I’m so lucky to call you a friend and colleague.
Sue
Hey Sue,
Awesome post here on Ileane’s blog. I love the point you made about how to start guest posting … especially the email to send. In all of the pitches I’ve sent, I tend to send lengthy emails … which isn’t good at all. I like the template you used there and will start giving that a try for the future.
I write all my posts in WordPress automatically. It’s difficult for me to write in Word, but I’m training myself how to. If that makes any sense.
I like WordPress because I can preview it as I go … which isn’t necessarily a good thing to do.
Excellent post here. Thanks for having Sue on here, Ileane.
– Andrew
Hey Andrew,
The pleasure is all mine!
Thanks for the comment.
Hi, Andrew,
Thanks for your comment!
Yes, a short pitch is preferable because the top bloggers are so busy nowaday. I just got a pitch from you this morning and it was spot-on. Looking forward to your guest post on Successful Blogging.
I also write in WordPress directly but wanted to give directions since a lot of bloggers don’t.
Sue
Sue, thanks to you, I’m accepting my 1st guest posts in 8 years! Can’t wait to see how it goes. I’ve been impressed with the quality of writing so far.
Good for you, Brian.
Being on the side of accepting guest posts myself, it’s nice to get the break from writiing and to get new viewpoints on my blog.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Sue
I love this post Sue! Congratulations on another excellent guest post. I would also add that it’s important to check the blog’s guidelines too. There’s nothing like writing an article and having it rejected because you didn’t read the submission guidelines 🙂
Great work!
Great point, Stacey!
It does irritate me when I send my guidelines and the person doesn’t even follow them.
Thanks for you comment.
Sue
Hi Sue
Wonderful guide!
I just did my first 2 guest posts last month: from the results I can confidently say that Guest posts are really very important.
You get targeted subscribers, and more importantly, the SERP boost is substantial for new blogs.
Great point made about choosing a popular blog. Otherwise the effort is not worth it. Next time, I will use your Alexa based method. Thanks!
BTW, if I know that the host blog is WP based, I just write the posts in WordPress editor and submit the “text” version as a .txt file. I will try using Google Styles next time round.
Shared it with my followers!
Regards
Neil
Hi, Neil,
So glad that you are also guest posting to popular blogs. Yes, Alexa really helps to focus your effort.
I like getting a post in text style the best. So you may want to stick to that method, Neil.
Thanks for commenting!
Sue
Hey Sue!
Great tips!
I think that people who’re new to the blogging world should have no problem pitching their guest articles after reading your detailed “how to” 🙂
And do you know what’s the best part about your guide? 🙂
If you thoroughly follow all the aforementioned tips for a few dozen of your first guest articles….
…
…
… you’ll soon find out that you can ignore all of them and still land guest articles successfully!!
Because you’ll earn yourself an intuition, that will tell you how to pitch bloggers in the best possible way!!
And the fact that you already have a lot of published guest articles will help you a lot more than a perfectly polished email pitch!
Agree? 🙂
TOTALLY agree, Tim! Have a reputation as a wonderful guest blogger with lots of engagement and shares gets you your next gig.
I appreciate your comment today.
Sue
Such an awesome, thorough post, Sue!
I love the fact that you mentioned that you shouldn’t be hyper-focused on only getting on the big blogs. I’ve actually leveraged posts I’ve done for smaller blogs to get on bigger blogs. I simply showed the bigger blogs that I’d already written some great posts elsewhere that were getting a great response (lots of comments, shares, likes…)
I also think it can be less intimidating and more of a confidence-boost to start out with the smaller blogs and work your way up. You’ll probably still get a good response – like getting more subscribers and starting to develop a positive reputation as an expert – but there’s less skin in the game so it’s slightly less scary 🙂
Thanks again for the great post! I’ll definitely be sharing this with my community.
Hi, Jenna,
I totally agree with you – I find that a smaller blog that has great engagement and comments and shares will work as a place to guest post.
I started that way and have now moved up to great blogs like Ileane’s here today,
Thanks for your comment, Jenna.
Sue
Glad to hear that it worked out for you too, Sue. Happy to comment. It’s a great post 🙂
All terrific points. I like the one about not advertising you TAKE guest posts, but having a “hidden” page that will appear in Google if someone is savvy enough to search. Seems to me this immediately weeds out anyone and everyone. Also, I agree that aiming high and submitting a post to the very popular sites can result in hitting the jackpot if your topic happens to be exactly what they are looking for. Great tips!
Hi, Laurie,
I so appreciate your comment – aiming high really does work once you build a relationship with the blog owner. Commenting, sharing on social media and asking them to be on a roundup post of yours always helps before you send a pitch for a guest post to the blog owner.
Sue
Good stuff, Sue / Ileane! It’s amazing how many people send pitches without even reading the guest post guidelines. Reading posts on the blog you want to guest post on also helps as it allows you to form an understanding of what type of content the audience likes.
Hi, Brian,
It’s amazing how many bad pitches I get – and I’m sure you can say the same! It’s not difficult to do but it does take some research of the blog that you’d like to pitch.
An hour of research will get you the guest post opportunity!
Thanks for your comment,
Sue
Hi Ileane and Sue Anne,
What a pleasant surprise and what a wonderful guest you have today Ileane. You always pick the best my friend and of course Sue Anne shared a wonderful topic because it has to do with guest posting.
I admit when I came on the scene I hadn’t heard of guest posting so I ended up going the blog commenting route. Of course because I started being seen everywhere I started to get invitations to guest post but I will admit to you, I was a nervous wreck. I turned most all of them down. Finally Steve Roy convinced me and I bet it took me forever to write that post but he just wanted my story of where I was in corporate America, why I left it and came online. That was a lot easier so I was more comfortable sharing that story.
I know that guest posting is a great way to get in front of a new audience, you are SO right about that Sue Anne which is why I have guests on my blog as well. I do mine a little differently though, it’s by invitation only because I like to give my readers a shot before anyone else. Just a way for me to say thank you for being so loyal to me.
I love your outline though of how to write a great guest post and I have one coming up this month as well so I might use some of your suggestions. I’m always nervous still writing for someone else’s audience but I hope to get over that some day.
Thanks for the great share ladies and I hope you both have a rockin rest of your week.
~Adrienne
Hi, Adrienne,
Thanks so much for your guest posting story. Your method of blog commening also works well but I like to teach my clients to also guest blog post in order to build their traffic and subscriber list.
I also get nervous when a guest post goes live! I don’t think that will ever go away.
I appreciate you taking the time to comment, Adrienne!
Sue
Thanks for stopping by Adrienne and adding your 2 cents!
I turned down a few guest post at first too. I remember way back when – Hesham from Famous Bloggers invited me to write for his blog. There was no way I was going to turn that one down! After the first one, it’s pretty easy to keep going though!
Great, comprehensive post, Sue! I’m going to refer to this again before I submit my next guest post. Thank you for sharing this info. Very helpful!
Thanks, Jody! You do some great posting in the pet niche and I’m glad this was of some help to you.
I appreciate your comment.
Sue
Sue,
Great point about following the blog or blog owner before you want to guest post. This helps a blogger or writer out before they write their guest post!
I like your guest post pitch too. It’s short, but to the point. As long as you can convey to the owner or editor how your piece is relevant to their blog, I’m sure they would consider you!
Thanks,
Elna
Hi, Elna,
Thanks for coming by to see me today! Yes, Jon Morrow taught me that trick of a short initial email to the blog owner. It’s works really well for me and Ileane can verify that for us 🙂
I appreciate your comment.
Sue
Sue, another super write! Great detail and information on finding the top blogs in your own niche or industry. A month into my new blog (before I was self-hosted) I was asked to guest host on someone’s blog about a day in the life of a city I lived in. This bloggers has over 55K followers. It was fun and a good learning experience, but because it was OUTSIDE my niche, I didn’t receive much traffic. I thought it was odd, until now! DUH, what you say makes sense; stay in your niche for guest blogging.
This post discusses logistics and has increased my clarity on how to accomplish the task and meet this goal during our 1-1 coaching time. Thanks for ALL the help, encouragement, and focus you have brought back to my blogging endeavor; which is now 3 month old. I was truly at a stopping point and did not know which direction to focus on. I also didn’t completely understanding the computer technology involved and was ready to throw in the towel. Just like you have told me, here’s a game plan, let’s follow it. I learn something new everyday with you, and that is one of my base goals in life. Before my head hits the pillow, WHAT did I learn that was new today. I never had any idea there were Virtual Assistants (VA’s) out there or knew a thing about that niche? That is so cool,,,,,,which reminds me, I need to email one right now and start my research on Alexa. 🙂
Ms. Ilene, your blog looks great, super easy to navigate and find info. I look forward to watching some videos! Good luck!
Hi, Darie,
Your new blog looks great – I love your name “Hate Cooking? Love cooking!”
Ileane has incredible resources for the beginning blogger here on Basic Blog Tips that you’ll enjoy.
Thanks for coming over and commenting, Darie, and good luck with your new blog.
Sue
Hi there Darie!
Glad you like the theme I’m using. It’s called Playcast Pro from Appendipity and I just love it!
I love the guys at Appendipity, Ileane. They do great themes.
Sue
Great article Sue! I especially love your point about developing a relationship with blog owners/editors FIRST, before sending a pitch. It’s something I also emphasize in my public relations work, encouraging newbies to engage with reporters first before sending them a pitch. After all, who wants to hear from someone the first time only when they need something???
Great point, Irene!
You cannot be all “me, me, me” when doing this search for guest posting spots, right? You are correct – give first and then ask for a small favor.
Thanks for commenting on the post,
Sue
Sue – thanks for the great insights.
Regardless of how Google reacts to it, guest posting is ALWAYS a great way to promote a site and networking. I believe your article is a good refresher to those who have forgotten how to guest post the right way.
Some additional info on judging a blog’s popularity (if I may) – I seldom look at a blog’s Alexa numbers nor the link scores (DA/PA) when searching for a blog to guest post. Instead, the number of comments and social share counts are what matter the most to me. IMO, getting read and communicate with the people in my industry is far more important than anything else.
Hi, Jerry,
I totally agree – guest posting is NOT dead (even if Google says it is). You get a great backlink and build your credibility as a blogger.
I also agree that engagement is a metric that ranks high in making a decision to guest post.
If a blog gets no comments, you usually won’t get anyone clicking over to your website and it usually a waste of your time, unless it builds your reputation to blog there.
Thanks for your comment!
Sue
Hi Sue Anne,
Guest posting is one of the best ways to get some juice to your blog. I love all the examples you have given above of how to do it. I seem to go to alexa a lot, to check someone out.
Basically the best practice you have given here is to go to that person’s blog, comment and share it. Do it several times or sign in thier RSS feed. You have a better chance to get that person on your blog.
Believe me, I get emails all the time asking me to have someone guest post. I don’t even know the person so my answer is “sorry…” However, if that person was on my blog a few times and we build a relationship, of course I will consider it.
Thanks for the best advice!
-Donna
Hi, Donna,
Great seeing you here!
I get the same lame pitches from people I’ve never heard of. They have never shared my content or touched base with me in any way. They get a “no thanks” quickly.
But someone who comments on my blog and shares my content – I remember them and am happy to entertain their pitches when I get them.
Thanks so much for your comment!
Sue
Hi Sue Anne,
Once more, thanks for those great tips! Keep them coming…:)
Through your blogging I have found 2 great travel blogs, Blogging from Paradise (Ryan Biddulph) and Goats on the Road (Nick and Dariece).
I now have to find their equivalent in french, 🙂
Thanks,
Regards to you and your host, Ms Ileane.
Hi, Brigitte,
You found my two favorite travel blogs. Check out Annabelle Candy’s Get In The Hot Spot.
You are on your own searching for French travel blogs 🙂
Thanks for your comment.
Sue
This is one more amazing post from Sue Anne. Her posts are always very well written, well researched and extremely useful.
I am proud to say that my blog is finally getting in “shape” due to her help, support and professionalism towards my questions and everything I need to know regarding blogging.
This post in particular was exactly what I was looking for at this time and seeing Sue Anne as the author of it was a great surprise, as I love the fact that I can read it and think “Oh I know her and I really like her work!”.
Btw, the topic of this post was something I learned from her =)
Hi, Giuliana,
Thanks for stopping by! Thanks so much for the compliment – you are learning so quickly and will be an awesome blogger.
Ileane has great resources for you here on her blog. Check it out!
Thanks for commenting,
Sue
Great post, Sue, and succinct summary of all the relevant points. Thanks for sharing these with the blogging world! I’m pleased at how your blogging career has taken off, and it’s by taking actions on steps like guest posting.
Cheers,
Marsha
Hi, Marsha,
I so respect your opinion and your guidance, so thanks so much!
I appreciate your comment,
Sue
Hello, Sue and Ileane!
What fun – seeing you two working together. Love it!
Great article, Sue.
I agree with all of your points, and especially like the ‘follow the guest post rules’ as that is so very important and makes for building a solid relationship with the owner. Plus a potential second invitation, woo hoo! 🙂
Thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks!
˜Carol
Hi, Carol,
Ah, yes, the great 2nd invitation! I always love them.
Thanks so much for taking the time today to come over and read and comment. i so appreciate it!
Sue
Great read, Sue! I like how you use popularity rankings. They’re a useful data point, but certainly not the only one out there. Good to remember that relationships with other bloggers go a long way in getting noticed in front of YOUR people, not just LOTS of people. Thanks for the insight!
Hi, Anne,
Great point – guest blogging builds credibiilty in the eyes of your readers.
Thanks for pointing that out and for commenting.
Sue
Hey Sue,
I can definitely appreciate this article. I want to write more ghost posts and this was an informative post that gives some great guidelines on how to present yourself to the blogger.
So far I’ve only written one guest post and it went pretty good. I didn’t have to pitch, but for future reference I can reference back to this post to keep me on track!
I do follow a lot of bloggers and I do comment an share their posts. I got this part covered well! So I just have to go to the next level!
Thanks for sharing Sue! Have a good one!
Hi, sherman,
Lucky you! I’ve always had to pitch my guest posts 🙂 But that’s how I do at least 2 guest posts a month, which is my goal.
I recommend to my beginning bloggers to try and get 4 guest posts a month for 3 months because it catapults your list and readership.
Thanks for your comment and it’s great to see you on Ileane’s blog.
Sue
Hi Sue Anne!
This was a great easy-to-follow, but comprehensive, guide to guest posting. I like that you added info about formatting. it’s something that I don’t see mentioned often, and honestly, something that I don’t think about enough. Thanks for pointing it out and for the reminder 🙂
The tips about checking ranking are also helpful (and yes, wouldn’t it be awesome to land a guest post on KISSmetrics?) I’ve checked Alexa before, but will check out Compete and Quantcast as well!
Thanks for your kind words, Corinne!
Formatting makes a difference when you receive a guest post – I know from experience 🙂
I appreciate your comment.
Sue
Hi Sue Anne,
Excellent write up of what it takes to pitch a guest post! Well done. As always, you break things down really well (and the images help make the post more accessible to beginner bloggers). 🙂
Illeane: I don’t think I’ve visited your site before. It looks great! And you picked a wonderful guest contributor. 😉
Hope you both have wonderful weeks!
-Kevin
Hi, Kevin,
I so appreciate you stopping by Ileane’s blog. She’s terrific.
Thanks for your compliment and for taking the time to comment!
Sue
Sue,
Thanks again for such an amazing and informative post! I am sure this information will be more than helpful to both new and more seasoned bloggers. What a tremendous resource of knowledge and information your are. Love the formatting tip too. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom!
Horace Williams Jr.
Hi, Horace,
You are so welcome!
Thanks for commenting today.
Sue
Great post Sue!
I never really considered such a small thing like formatting to make such a difference but being a graphic designer I know how much I appreciate people who send me their content formatted properly when designing collateral like brochures & menus etc. It saves me so much time, so, it makes a lot of sense.
It just goes to show attention to detail is always a great practice.
Renee
Hi, Renee,
Formatting really does make a big difference in how your post is received by the blog owner. It makes their lives easier – and that makes for a good chance that you can return and guest blog again.
Thanks for commenting!
Sue
Hi Sue,
I just saw this incredible post by you and couldn’t resist sharing my feedback. You did an excellent job of describing the secrets and best-practices to avoid landing in the “reject pile”. I currently am working on a pitch for Huff Post Parents and spent more hours than I would like to admit to researching the type of information you provided in this concise yet informative post. If only I had read this just a few days ago, I wouldn’t have scrambled all over the place looking for this information. I thought I was the only one who spied on other blogger’s Alexa ratings! I also use SEO Quake and installed the Mozbar for quick ranking stats. This is great for SEO backlinks! Finding the best places to guest post as well as identifying the best people to use as guestwriters is certainly a process. A process that you have descriptively laid out in such a helpful manner! Thanks again for lending your knowledge to empower us to succeed as bloggers.
Jackie
Hi, Jackie,
So wish I could have told you this to save you time! Next time, drop me an email 🙂
Good luck with the Huff Post pitch. You’ll do great and let me know when you get the gig.
Thanks for commenting.
Sue
We have done a lot of guest posting in the past and we are still active. It has been very effective for us. It is amazing how many people approach me wanting to guest post without even reading our guest posting requirements on our own website.
Hi, George,
How nice to see you here at Basic Blog Tips!
Yes, it amazing just how bad guest post pitches are. I’ve heard Jon Morrow say that if you follow some simple guidelines – like ones I’ve covered in this post – your pitch will be better than 98% of the pitches most influential bloggers get!
I truly believe that ,based on some of the bad pitches I receive. Hey, Ivan, you should do a post for me on bad guest post pitches! I’ll send you some that I get and I’m sure Ileane will kick in some also 🙂
Thanks for commenting.
Sue
Hi Sue,
I loved the way you’ve explained how to validate whether a Blog indeed popular using Alexa, Compete and Quantcast.
It’s important to establish that the Blog to which you are making a Guest Blog pitch will really add value to you as a Blogger. Knowing that the Blog is popular is a vital piece of information for you when you are deciding on which Blog to make a guest blog pitch to.
What’s as important as Blog popularity is ensuring that Blog on which you want to guest post delivers content supportive of your business, hence attracts readers that are looking for your kind of business offers either products or services. The insect farming analogy you’ve used is a really nice example.
While no one will accept a guest Blog post that is a blatant marketing spiel, you do have to craft a guest Blog post that adds value to their readers. However, if you have an attractively crafted Signature, which indicates what your website delivers, most Blogger will accept that.
Engaging with the Blogger and mapping to their Blogging style are two really pertinent pieces of information.
There have been numerous times when I’ve received Emails out of the blue with a Blog post attached and a request for it to be published. The common thread that I’ve noticed is that most these sort of guest Blog post requests, deliver a Blog post that just does not fit in with the content that my Blog delivers my readers.
If you’ve engaged with the Blogger either via comments and/or social media you will never make this sort of gaffe. Engaging with the Blogger indicates that you’ve invested your time with the Blogger before asking for a guest Blog post to be published. This engagement helps a ton and the Blogger usually says yes.
Your suggestions of using MS Word or Google Docs for formatting your Guest Blog post before submitting it to the Blog site is perfect.
Most Bloggers that accept guest blog post do not want to invest their time and energy formatting a badly formatted and submitted guest Blog post. It’s more likely that they will just not publish the guest Blog post.
Thank you for sharing your insights Sue. There was a lot of great learning I got from reading this Blog post.
Thanks so much, Ivan, for your instructive comment! Great points by someone who has guest blogged twice on Successful Blogging – he knows what he speaks of!
I really appreciate you taking the time to share with the readers here at Ileane’s blog, Ivan.
Sue
Sue Anne – how did I never notice that Word offers Heading tags?! The number of times I have sent a guest post to someone and it has ended up getting published without my intended formatting – I think you just solved my problem! 🙂
Hi, Richard,
I didn’t know it for the longest time myself! I was surprised by formatting on a guest post last year and asked a writer friend of mine and he explained it to me. Who knew?
Thanks for your comment and glad I was able to share a tip you liked!
Sue
Hi Sue,
Amazing post! Topic #3 is so important. When I first started my blog I was lost and knocking on every door, in every niche. Focusing on your specific industry is highly important and essential to achieving goals. Thanks again for another awesome and helpful blog!
Shellie
Hi, Shellie,
I think we have all done the useless knocking on different niches’ door! I wish I knew that when I was new, also.
Thanks for your comment today.
Sue
Sue, you’ve put together a really great post here.
Awesome that you mentioned formatting in Word and using those heading tags – I always love it when people send me posts and they’ve used them. Makes things so much easier!
Hi, Adam,
Thanks for popping by! You and I both appreciate the extra service of formatting the postso I just had to add it here.
I appreciate your comment,
Sue
Hi Sue Anne,
Personally, I feel using social media and particularly Twitter are the easiest ways to connect with other bloggers. We get so many canned (and usually bad) guest pitches that we rarely answer them. But if you talk to us on Twitter or elsewhere you can get our attention.
Another way to evaluate sites for popularity is to use the free Moz toolbar for Chrome or the free SEOBook toolbar for FireFox. Both provide useful metrics including DA (domain authority), mR (mozRank) and PA (page authority). The higher the numbers the stronger the site.
Here are a few examples:
BasicBlogTips PA: 60 mR: 5.24 6,400 links DA: 52
GrowMap PA: 60 mR: 5.38 6,906 links DA: 52
Ileane and I have both been blogging over five years. My site is older so hers is doing extremely well. By comparing these numbers for other sites you will be able to tell if they are stronger or weaker.
Sites with a DA of at least 30 are likely to have an audience large enough for you to invest time in writing for them; however, if a site is very relevant to yours you might consider sites with less than a DA of 30.
Hi Gail! Great insights. I totally agree about connecting on social media. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your expertise. Chat soon!!
Hi, Gail.
Great tips! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell the readers your super ideas.
I appreciate it very much!
Sue
JUST the guest posting book juice I needed to kick my arse and get on my much put off guest posting efforts! If there is one person to learn the art of guest posting it’s you, Sue Ann! You’ve been crushing it with guest posts on some of my favorite blogs, including the wonderful Ileane’s Basic Blog Tips.
I LOVE the tip about using the heading formatting in Word to get the post all dialed in on my side. That’s a great way to save the publisher a ton of time fixing stuff.
It all really goes back to building relationships. If you do that well this strategy will pay off big time. You’re proof of that, lady! My relationship building hero you. You ROCK!! 😉
So glad I could kick your bootie, Dre!
Thanks for reminding all of us that it’s about relationships. They are so important – even more important then how great a writer you are 🙂
Ileane’s blog is wonderful. Thanks so much for your comment today.
Sue
Hi Sue,
great post!
Guest posting is definitely key on how to bring massive traffic to your website, subscriber list, outreach with the blog owner and brand yourself at the same time.
I know you are rocking this area.
Thanks for the great tips.
I´m using the tips you are writing about, and they work like a charm 😉
Tor
Hi, Tor,
Thanks for your comment.
You are also rocking the guest post action – Evan Carmichael was a big “get” for you. Keep up the great work, my friend.
Sue
In my early years of blogging, I wrote a lot of guest posts for my blogs but nowadays I don’t write a single guest post.
However seeing that some of my older blogs are still going strong, mostly from the power of guest posts, I am now thinking of applying the same strategy on my newer sites and hopefully I will be able to get featured on some top blogs.
Hi, Arbaz,
Yes, you are write. When you are a beginning blogger or have a new blog, you can boost traffic by guest posting regularly.
I know you’ll be able to get featured on some top blogs with your newer sites!
Sue
Hi Sue Anne,
It was so great for me to read this article today. Guest posting is something that I’ve been thinking about this week. I’ve taken some time to consider the purpose of my blog, the niche, and I realise that I have some things to say but that my blog is not the place to say them. For example, although I deal with infertility and that is a topic that I discuss on my blog, I would not clasify my blog as an infertility blog as such. The purpose is more to do with how we respond to life’s challenges, both our own and those of other people. It’s been good for me to clarify that, but then I see that I actually have material inside me that could be useful on blogs which are specifically infertility related. You’ve given some great tips here and so now I’ll start to work on some ideas and consider approaching a couple of people.
Hi, Rachel,
First of all, I’m glad the post gave you some more insight into guest posting.
I believe what you are realizing is that you need to ask yourself “What problem(s) am I solving for my readers?”. When you know that, then you know what to write.
Good luck with your next guest post!
Sue
Great post Sue. What tips do you have for searching guest blogging in a niche which is not well known?
Hi, Vishal,
Thanks for asking. The first thing I do is search “your niche” + guest post in Google. Then try variations of that, like “your niche + guest blogging”; “your niche + guest opportunity”, etc.
That’s the easiest way to find them.
I appreciate your comment and question today!
Sue
Hi Sue Anne Dunlevie,
It’s a good post to get attract the bloggers. I think I will do guest post again. Thanks for your thoughts here in this post. I also check out your blog. Thank you again.
Hi, Romjan,
Thanks for your comment and for checking out my blog.
Sue
Hi Sue,
Thanks for the detailed post. I have made a mental note of ‘how to send your word document’.
Cheers,
Cent
You are so welcome!
Thanks for commenting today,
Sue
Hi Sue,
Really nice post. The guest post pitch is just awesome and I have saved it for future.
Cheers
Thanks so much, Dina!
I so appreciate your comment.
Sue
Hello Sue Anne Dunlevie ,
Well I agree with your about guest blogging and its benefits. I guess most of the bloggers stopped guest posting when google released an update regarding it.
Thanks
Which just makes it easier for all of us that stil guest post, Christy.
It still works to bring in subscribers and traffic – that’s what counts, iin my opinion!
Thanks for your comment!
Sue
Great, great, great information here!
As someone who has just started looking into the benefits of guest posting, this information is a wealth of information for me. While some of these things appear like it should be common sense (following the guidelines), it’s alway good to reiterate those things.
I especially like the example you provided in rocking your pitch. It seems like there is so much information out there, and I really like this because it’s straight and to the point (and it’s obviously worked for you Sue Anne).
Thanks for the great information Sue Anne.
Hi, Craig,
Thanks so much for your lovely comment!
Yes, it has worked very well for me – I learned guest posting from Jon Morrow (the guest posting guru) and it has worked as a traffic source for me and a great way to sign up subscribers by getting new ‘eyeballs’ on my site.
Sue
i haven’t tried guest posting yet, but i guess this post will surely help me to create the guest post. I also heard that guest posting is one of the important source for getting the traffic. If this is true, then i should start creating now. Thanks for the post Sue Anne.
Yes, Swapnil,
It’s one of the best, if not best way to get free traffic and I highly recommend it! It’s extra work so just cut back a little on posting on your own blog and do at least 2 guest posts a month up to start.
Thanks for your comment!
Sue
How to find our related topic blogs? where can i submit for guest posting. i am a good writer. but i just need to know what are the steps to do that.
Thank You
Hi, Aamir,
Related topics are blogs that your ideal readers read but aren’t exactly your niche.
For example, a gardening blog. The blogger guest blogs on finance blogs about saving money by growing your own vegetables. Or on a parenting blog, telling parents that growing vegetables with their kids in their own garden helps the kids like to eat vegetables .
Make sense?
Thanks for your question!
Sue
thanks for response and your suggestion 🙂
You are so welcome!
Sue
H! Anne Dunlevie,
Very detailed and informative article. But i have a simple question that what would you say about Matt Cutts statement about guest blogging? He also mentioned that you shouldn’t accept random guest post. So should be continue doing guest posting?
Regards
WAQAS
Hi, Waqas,
Good question! Matt from Google was warning against the spammy “guest posts” that people were doing where they spun the article into a dozen different articles and posted them all over the internet.
A well-thought out guest blog post still gets you traffic and subscribers, just like this one on Ileane’s site did for me!
Thanks for your comment.
Sue
Hi Sue Anne!
I LOVED this post. You walked us through every step of the guest blogging process, from finding the right blogs to how to pitch them. This is a great post that I will refer back to when I want to pitch another blogger to guest post on their blog. Totally actionable. Thanks so much. Just one question: Do you HAVE to build a relationship with a blogger before pitching them, or is it ever okay to “cold pitch” so to speak? Thanks!
Daniela
Hi, Daniela,
Thanks for your comment and question.
You can “cold pitch” but I don’t recommend doing it unless there is no possible way to connect on social media or blog commenting first. (I know some bloggers have turned “off” comments and it’s hard to get their attention.).
But try to send them a comlimentary email at least a week or two before pitching them.
Warm pitching is always better!
Sue
Hi Ms. Ileane and Sue Anne!
1. I love this article on how to guest post considering I just guest posted for Ms. Ileane.
Ms. Ileane, we have over 53 comments on our Infographic post, I’d say it was a hit!
2. Thanks for the information Sue Anne. I try to keep it in mind when I guest post. My concern is that I don’t really write for business people but I guest post on big blogs that do cater to business people. Do you think I can expect to get new followers that way or not? Guest posting is supposed to be the way to get new followers. Thanks for the advice.
Janice
Hi, Janice,
What a great job on your guest post! I really enjoyed it.
With regards to your question, where do your ideal readers hang out? Some probably hang out on Huffington Post, some here on Ileane’s blog and some on my blog.
If you aren’t sure where they hang out, do a survery (Poll Daddy is free and I like them a lot)
Find out what they read and what forums they hang out in.
I hope this helps!
Sue
I would like to do guests for anyones blog but I will highly appreciate if you recommend me some website for whom I could write.
Hi, Mudasir,
The best way to find out is to Google “guest blog + (your niche)” or “guest writing+ your niche.
Good luck and keep in touch!
Sue
I have one doubt, Even We do guest posting, how can we rank our site, do we have chance to give links to our site?
Hi, Abhiram,
Yes, you’ll be usually allowed at least one link to your site in your short bio at the end of the post. I recommend sending the traffic to a landing page so that you capture their email address.
Hope this helps!
Sue