Engaging in a discourse about guest posting within a room full of marketers is like lighting a match. The opinions ignited are fervent and diverse. Some dismiss guest blogging as an ineffective use of time, while others consider it a vital cornerstone of their marketing endeavors.
As is often the case, reality finds its dwelling place between the extremes. Yes, guest blogging can devolve into a wasteful expenditure of time and resources. However, when orchestrated with precision, it can emerge as a formidable catalyst for growth. Beyond heightening brand awareness, guest blogging also holds the potential for the ethical and sustainable creation of high-value backlinks, contributing to enhanced SEO performance.
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Successful Strategy for Guest Posting
With this perspective in mind, I’ve created a comprehensive guide to guest posting that extends its applicability to all industries. This guide outlines the fundamental steps necessary for a successful strategy:
- Identifying specific, attainable goals.
- Selecting topics aligned with individual business objectives.
- Identifying reputable platforms for guest blogging.
- Executing strategic outreach for guest blogging.
- Crafting compelling guest posts.
- Monitoring and assessing post-performance over time.
But before delving into these steps, let’s establish a clear definition of what precisely constitutes guest posts.
Understanding Guest Posts: A Simple Explanation
At its core, guest posts, or guest posting, involves sharing an article on another person’s website. The objective is straightforward – individuals pursue this strategy to enhance brand recognition and drive more visitors to their own website, often referred to as referral traffic.
This tactic is designed to generate exposure and direct traffic, thereby increasing the visibility of one’s brand. If you’re curious about optimizing your approach to guest posting, I have a valuable video offering tips on leveraging this strategy. You can find the video below for a comprehensive understanding, you can also delve into the detailed insights provided in the article.
Discovering Guest Posting Opportunities: A Step-by-Step Guide
To initiate your guest blogging journey, your foremost task involves identifying suitable guest post prospects. Your objective here is to locate platforms that seamlessly align with your niche or industry. When seeking potential blogs to contribute to, consider the following criteria:
- Relevance to Your Niche/Industry: Prioritize blogs that center their content around your specific niche or industry.
- Alignment with Target Audience: Opt for blogs that cater to an audience genuinely interested in your industry.
- Active Reader Engagement: Look for blogs that boast an engaged readership, evident from social shares and comments on posts.
- Blog Owner’s Social Activity: Opt for blogs owned by individuals who are actively present on social media. This ensures that your work will be actively promoted on their platform.
For instance, if you specialize in selling plant seeds, your ideal guest posting opportunities would lie within gardening blogs that boast an enthusiastic community of gardeners. By adhering to these guidelines, you can efficiently pinpoint the most suitable guest posting platforms for your objectives.
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Notable Guest Bloggers in Your Field
Are you familiar with prominent guest bloggers within your industry? If you’re actively engaged in reading blogs within your field (which is highly recommended), you’ll likely recognize recurring names that consistently contribute to guest blogs.
In the realm of influential marketing guest bloggers, some noteworthy figures include Neil Patel, Jeff Bullas, Mark Traphagen, Tony Right, Jenny Halasz, Brian Harnish, Kevin Indig, Adam Riemer, Robyn Johnson, Benji Acciola, Kevin Rowe, Anna Crow, and Kirk Williams.
Employing a Google search strategy, look up the names of prolific guest bloggers in your industry, appending the phrase “guest post by.” This query will unveil a plethora of websites where these guest bloggers have shared their insights. These platforms can serve as valuable opportunities for you to contribute guest posting as well. A valuable bonus arises if you happen to have a personal connection with a guest blogger within your industry. Such a connection could facilitate an introduction to the blog owners to whom they have previously contributed guest posts.
Understanding the Landscape of Blog Content
Comprehending the content landscape of your intended target blog is a pivotal stride. Beyond affirming the content’s relevance to your keyword search for guest post possibilities, delving into the intricacies becomes indispensable. Explore the following facets when navigating their content universe:
1. Audience Proficiency Levels
Discern the intended proficiency levels of the readers – whether the content caters to novices, intermediates, or advanced experts.
2. Audience Segmentation
Identify the precise audience type that the blog caters to. If your business operates within the B2B realm, ensure that your guest post speaks to enterprises rather than general consumers.
3. Content Style and Emphasis
Familiarize yourself with the predominant content style on the blog. Does it lean towards overarching concepts or does it predominantly offer comprehensive tutorials? Does the blog exhibit a preference for structuring posts as lists?
By immersing yourself in these subtleties, you empower yourself to adeptly customize your guest post to resonate with the blog’s content identity and effectively connect with its readership.
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Examining Guest Bloggers on the Platform
Certain blog proprietors exhibit a predisposition toward accepting guest posts from specific profiles. Take a moment to review several guest blogger bios featured on the blog.
This exploration will help you ascertain whether they are fellow bloggers, freelancers, consultants, business proprietors, and so forth. This insight becomes instrumental when crafting your introduction to the blog owner as part of your pitch. For deeper insights into the efficacy of guest posting outreach, delve into a comprehensive study conducted by SEOmoz.
How Do I Get Started With Guest Posting?
Before you get started with guest blogging, make sure you’re clear about what you’re looking to get out of the guest blogging experience. Look for industry blogs by non-competitor companies where you can deliver real insight to readers.
Guest blogging for your partners is a great place to start. At New Breed, we write guest blogs primarily for our partners as part of our co-marketing strategy. We also tend to use guest blogging as a way to develop relationships with companies we hope to partner with in the future.
Key Considerations Before Engaging in Guest Blogging
Prior to entering into guest blogging arrangements, it’s essential to assess a few crucial factors:
- Audience Engagement: Evaluate whether the blog or blogger has a substantial following actively engaging with content through comments, shares, and interactions.
- Social Media Presence: Check if the blog maintains an active presence on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, consistently sharing their blog posts.
Understanding the Advantages of Guest Posting
Guest posting stands out as a robust marketing strategy due to its mutual benefits for both parties involved – the contributing company (writer) and the hosting company (publisher). This approach entails offering valuable content in exchange for exposure, circumventing the need for payment or solicitation.
Before delving into the best practices of guest posting, let’s highlight the primary benefits:
- Building Backlinks for SEO: Guest posts often allow the inclusion of backlinks to your website. This practice fortifies your backlink profile, bolstering domain authority.
- Expanding Reach and Traffic: Guest posting extends your brand’s reach to a fresh and targeted audience, showcasing your authority and familiarizing industry enthusiasts with your company.
- Network Expansion: A byline on another publication can spark connections, potentially leading to valuable business opportunities and partnerships.
- Amplifying Social Media Following: Including links to your company’s social media in your contributor profile or bio can foster social media growth. Additionally, many publications tag contributors when sharing articles on their platforms.
