Guest posting is one of the most effective online marketing strategies. Also known as byline articles, these are posts written by you that get published on a different site. A guest post allows you to establish yourself across other platforms.
Guest posts will help increase your exposure to a wider audience. A byline is a segment in the article that talks about the author. It often includes a link to the author’s page.
Are you looking to add guest posts to your marketing strategy? Here are some tips on writing a guest blog post, and fifteen ways you can earn more backlinks to your website.
1. Know Your Goals
The first step to any successful business venture is knowing your goals. This will allow you to understand what steps you need to take to progress. Your goals can range from reaching a larger audience or building credibility.
Your business website may aim to increase email subscribers or promote products. Whatever your goal is, having a clear purpose will serve the foundation of your strategy. It will give you a sense of direction on how to formulate your guest posts.
2. Find Opportunities
Before writing a guest post, look for potential partners. Look for a site that accepts guest authors and is looking to build content. This site must be able to help you reach your goals.
When looking for blogs that accept guest posts, you can use Google. Google is the most powerful search engine, catering to over 90% of users around the world. If you’re looking for a site to accept your guest posts, Google is a great place to start.
First, determine your topic keyword phrase. In the search bar, try adding some of the following queries.
– Guest article
– Become a contributor
– Write for us
You can also use these search queries on Twitter. Take note of these sites accepting guest posts. Consider checking out your competition to see which sites they’re posting on.
3. Bond with the Site Owner
Before pitching your idea to the site owner, try forming a connection. Many site owners won’t sway at seeing guest post pitch templates online. Many will only accept guest posts from people or other businesses they already know.
Know the site and what type of content it shows. You can find website information through Twitter or Feedly. Subscribing to accounts on these platforms will give you updates on their sites.
Understand what they want to prioritize as a business. Determine what matters to their audience. Then, you can contact these site owners on social media.
You can sign up for email newsletters and comment on their blogs. Strive to form a genuine bond with the site owner.
4. Find the Right Topic
Choose the right topic to pitch to the site owner. Based on what is popular on the site, you can find topics that add value to their content. You can provide new information on a popular topic or introduce a new one that your audience may like.
Buzzsumo is a great marketing tool app that helps you narrow down your choices.
It allows you to find popular content that is already present on the site. It helps you create a new topic and prevent yourself from writing a topic already published on the site.
5. Conduct Keyword Research
Using effective keyword phrases can bring value to your guest post. Adding keywords and keyword phrases will allow your content to rank well. You may build your credibility with the site owner by driving more traffic to their website.
Take the time to conduct keyword research like you would for regular blog posts. Using the right keywords will allow web browsers to find your content and website. Keywords can range from short, medium, to long-tail.
One way to find the best keyword is by understanding user intent. Tie your keyword as close as possible to what a regular browser would put on the search bar. Seed keywords are phrases that don’t include a modifier.
Consider using keyword tools to help you find the best keywords. Some great tools include Google AdWords and SEMrush.
6. Use Relevant Links
An effective guest post contains relevant links. A great link profile will help you build brand authority and helps with the post’s SEO. While writing your guest post, ensure to include relevant internal and external links.
Look for content or blog posts on the site you’re writing for. Find posts that are relevant to your current topic. Ensure to talk to the site owner to find out their linking guidelines.
7. Use Your Bio to Your Advantage
If possible, link your guest posts to a landing page with a lead magnet. Doing this will allow you to improve lead generation. You can increase the number of subscribers with signups from users who like your content.
OptinMonster is a great tool for building lead magnets. You can use it to deliver the lead magnet through a link, email, or success theme.
Prioritize writing an effective bio on your website. Your bio gives readers and site visitors the chance to understand the author. Take this as an opportunity to market yourself.
Your bio allows readers to get an idea of the type of person you are. Provide links to any of your available channels and resources. This can range from a personal website to your social media profiles.
8. Write More Guest Posts
To reap the benefits of a guest post, you need to write more. You can continue to build your online presence as you write more articles. With a good guest posting strategy, you can maintain the quality of guest blog posts.
More guest posts offer more invitations to a large audience. When more people see your content, they are more likely to see you as an authoritative site. It can lead to more web traffic, conversion, and sales.
Writing a lot of guest posts can require some organization. You can manage your guest posts by using a blogging calendar. Google Calendar gives you a platform to schedule documents.
You may add titles and due dates for any of your scheduled blog posts. If you’re new to writing blog posts, you need to keep track of your progress. This will allow you to see your best strengths and weaknesses that can help you grow your business.
9. Track Your Progress
After posting your guest blog article, you can get feedback by going through the comments. Consider responding to these comments. Even a simple “thank you” will help you build a strong customer rapport.
Use Google Analytics to see if your guest posting strategy is effective. Measure your success and use the reports to determine which points you need to improve on. You can also use SEMrush to see how well your guest content ranks on search engines.
10. Understand Your Audience
Understanding your audience is one of the primary steps to writing a good guest post. Avoid guessing what your target audience needs or wants. To write an effective guest post, use data-driven information and statistics.
You can also conduct industry research or analysis on your competitors. Analyze your product or service and its current customer base. Why do your current customers buy from you?
Determine and common characteristics and interests among your target audience. Write down a list of each feature that your products have and the benefits they offer. This allows you to understand your customer’s needs and demands from your industry.
Consider listing down any common demographics among your customers. You may also include psychographic and other information like:
– Gender
– Age
– Location
– Education
– Income level
– Occupation
– Family or marital status
– Ethnic background
– Attitudes
– Personality
– Hobbies and interests
– Behaviors
– Lifestyles
– Values
This information will allow you to understand how your product helps your target. It can help you push your customer’s drive to take action.
11. Learn How to Write Headlines
The first thing a web browser sees is a blog post’s title or headline. Without a compelling headline, you are less likely to gain visitors. Writing a good headline will allow you to attract users to a website.
While writing a guest blog post, take some time to formulate a good headline. Draw attention from your readers by writing an engaging headline. “How to” blog post titles are a popular and safe choice.
Keep your titles straight to the point to let your readers know what to expect. Limit your blog titles to eight words or less. Consider incorporating a keyword into your title.
If you’re not sure where to begin, check out what your competitors are doing. Look for similar articles that relate to your industry or product.
12. Break Up Your Paragraphs
Formatting is essential when writing blog posts. Readers don’t like long blocks of texts. If your article has little to no breaks between paragraphs, you might be losing visitors.
In the modern age with plenty of distractions, people prefer to skim through the text. You can convince your reader to keep reading by breaking up your paragraphs. Use subheading to organize and separate your content.
Make it easy for your reader to scroll through your content. You can also use bullet points to highlight the most relevant information on your posts. Bullet points can be mini-headlines to express clear benefits.
Make sure to keep your bullet points short though and limit your points from one to two lines each. Writing paragraphs in bullet points will only build clutter.
13. Optimize Posts for SEO
Site owners love content optimized for SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Many search engines use algorithms to rank and retrieve the best results.
Keywords are one of the fundamental things to building a website’s SEO. It focuses on a user’s search intent to find related content. Try looking for keyword gaps with little competition.
Aside from using keywords and proper links, you can build SEO by using alt-text. Alt-text allows you to adjust your content to users with visual impairments. Google ranks blog posts with alt-text enabled higher than other types of content.
14. Consider Using Visual Content
Visual content is an effective tool in a digital marketing strategy. More people prefer visuals like pictures, infographics, and explainer YouTube videos.
You can add engagement to your blog posts by adding visual content. Our brains tend to be faster at comprehending images and videos. A creative image can keep your marketing campaign more interesting.
Adding visual content to your posts can also lead to more conversions. You may post this content on any of your social media like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It can entice viewers to come to check out your website and what you’re offering.
Visual content is also more likely to rank high on search engines. If you want to increase visits to guest posts, consider adding visual content.
15. Write an Effective Call-to-Action
A CTA or Call-to-Action is the final and one of the most important elements of a blog post. In a CTA, an author usually asks readers to leave a comment or check out other blog posts. You may also use this segment to invite users to your social media or purchase a product.
Think back to your goal in the beginning. Whatever your goal is, ensure that you cite this clearly in your CTA. An effective CTA is distinguishable and can stand out.
Be clear and concise in your CTA by using a strong command verb. Get a strong response from your viewers by offering vouchers or limited offers.
The Most Effective Guest Post Strategies
If used right, guest posts can become a valuable type of content. An effective guest post will help you drive sales and gain more web traffic. If you want to start building your online credibility, use these fifteen guest post tips.
Using the right keywords and knowing your audience are only some of the things you can do to build your website. Are you looking for more ways to build your brand? Contact us today to find more tips in making an online marketing strategy.
Owner and Chief Marketing Officer, Jason Hall, and his team specialize in creating brand awareness / traffic and lead generation / marketing funnel and conversion optimization, while utilizing the appropriate marketing channels available within your industry. With diverse clients throughout the world, Jason's team is well connected within many industries to assist with your marketing strategies. With no long term contracts and various levels of service, Jason's team will increase the quality of your online traffic, leads, and sales.
About the author...
Located in the heart of the Emerald Coast - Destin, FL, founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Jason Hall, and his team specialize in creating brand awareness / traffic and lead generation / marketing funnel and conversion optimization / and PR campaigns, while utilizing the appropriate marketing channels available within your industry.
With diverse clients throughout the world, Jason's team is well connected within many industries to assist with your marketing strategies. With no long term contracts and various levels of service, Jason's team will increase the quality of your online traffic, leads, and sales.