Writing guest posts is a great way to promote your own blog – and some blogs will even pay you. Despite Google’s crackdown on guest posts done solely for link-building (and therefore page rank) purposes, there are still a number of legitimate guest post opportunities. Finding those opportunities can be somewhat daunting if you don’t know the ropes. Use these methods to find those opportunities and pitch them.
Do an Internet Search
Google is great, but chances are you aren’t using it to its fullest potential. If you don’t know how to construct and use search strings, now is the time to learn. For instance, placing a term or phrase in quotes tells the search engine to look for that exact term or phrase. Adding a plus sign (+) will connect keywords or terms. A minus sigh (–) followed by a keyword or term will omit it from the search.
Use a keyword from your industry and add terms like keyword +
- “submit a guest post”
- “guest post”
- “guest post by”
- “accepting guest posts”
- “guest post guidelines” and any other similar terms you can think of.
Your search term would look something like keyword + “accepting guest posts.”
Another search string you can use is inurl:guest-post + keyword. If there are terms you want to omit from your search results just include the minus sign and the term. NOTE: If you want to add or omit more than one term you have to include the appropriate sign for each term.
Use Social Media
You can use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to ask for guest blogging opportunities. You can often make second tier connections that can prove very valuable. Twitter is a great place to search – and probably the easiest – because they actually have a search feature. Just plug in terms like:
- “guest post”
- “writers needed”
- “write for us”
- “blog for us”
- “guest blogger.”
LinkedIn is also pretty good. You can network with others in your industry, join groups and put your availability on your profile.
Check out Some Blogger Communities
Did you know that there are entire online communities that are specifically for helping blog owners and guest writers connect? Sites like My Blog Guest (myblogguest.com) help members build a profile and get connected. My Blog Guest also offers a free five-day course on guest blogging when you sign up.
Blog Synergy (blogsynergy.com) is another site that connects guest bloggers with blog owners. Both sites are built similar to the social media platform, allowing for interaction and ease in searching. They are well worth your time to join and explore.
When You are Ready to Pitch
Once you have found a few blogs you are interesting in writing for, it is time to make your pitch. The first thing you need to do, before you send the first query, before you do anything, is read the guest post guidelines. Do not proceed until you have read them.
The next step is to read some posts in the blog. Get a feel for the tone and style that the owner prefers. You want to know the blog’s content, the audience and preferences the owner has.
When you are ready to reach out to the blog owner, make it personal. That means no form letters, no Dear Sir or Madam and definitely no To Whom it may Concern. Speak directly to the blog owner. This may require a bit of sleuthing, but you should be able to find information on the blog’s about page or on its social media accounts.
Be friendly, polite and professional. Tell the owner who you are. If you are a blogger, tell them and provide a link to your own blog. If you are an expert and have a website, provide that information. Tell the owner why you should be a guest blogger on their site. If you have been a guest somewhere else, make sure you let the owner know and provide links.
Now pitch your post. Don’t make the post about you and definitely do not advertise. Format your post so that it looks like the other posts on the blog. Show off you content prowess by including some internal links as well as source links. Wind it up with a call to action.
Guest blogging can be a lot of fun and it can bring you lots of traffic and even new customers. It takes a little effort and some time, but the results are well worth it.
