A guest post is a type of online content that is created by someone who is not the owner of, or a regular contributor to, a particular blog or website. It is a form of collaboration where an individual writes and publishes an article on someone else’s platform.

The purpose of a guest post is to provide fresh perspectives and insights for the audience of the hosting blog or website. More than a quarter of businesses write between 6 and 10 guest posts a month.

Guest posting offers several benefits for both the writer and the host. For the writer, it allows them to reach a new, potentially larger audience and gain exposure for their own expertise or brand. It can also help to establish credibility and authority in a particular field. On the other hand, the host benefits from the guest post by receiving high-quality content without having to create it themselves. It adds value to their website, attracts new readers, and increases engagement with their existing audience. We will expand on these benefits in Chapter 1. 

The process of guest posting usually involves contacting the blog or website owner with a pitch or topic idea for consideration. Once approved, the writer will then create the content, adhering to the guidelines and requirements set by the host. The guest post is typically accompanied by a short bio or author’s note, in which the writer can promote their own website or business and provide links for interested readers to explore further. The steps to do this effectively will be discussed in Chapter 2.

Guest posts are a popular way for businesses to increase their presence online. These specific reasons are why you should consider guest posting as a part of your content marketing strategy.

1. Brand Awareness

By guest posting on reputable websites, you can expand your reach and expose your brand to a wider audience. When people see your content on different platforms, it increases brand recognition and helps to establish your presence in the industry.

2. Thought Leadership

Guest posting allows you to showcase your expertise and knowledge in a particular subject area. When you consistently provide valuable and insightful content, you position yourself as a thought leader, gaining authority in your niche.

3. Referral Traffic

Referral traffic makes up 9% of all traffic most websites receive. When you publish guest posts on popular websites, you can attract new visitors who are already interested in your field. These visitors can click on the links in your bio or within the content, driving referral traffic back to your own website or blog. Additionally, if your content is engaging and shareable, it may get shared across social media channels, further increasing your reach.

4. Audience Growth

Through guest posting, you can tap into an existing audience who may not be aware of your brand. By providing valuable content, you can attract new followers, readers, and subscribers who are interested in what you have to say. This can help to expand your own audience and grow your online community.

5. SEO Backlinks

When you include relevant and high-quality backlinks in your guest posts, it can positively impact your website’s SEO. Backlinks from authoritative websites signal to search engines that your site is trustworthy and credible, which can improve your search engine rankings.

6. Lead Generation

Research from HubSpot showed that 47% of marketers considered generating traffic and leads to be their biggest challenge. Guest posting provides an opportunity to generate leads by including a call-to-action within your content. This can be in the form of offering a free resource, inviting readers to subscribe to your newsletter, or directing them to a landing page. By capturing the attention of interested readers, you can convert them into potential leads or customers.

7. Build Relationships

Guest posting allows you to connect and build relationships with other influencers and experts in your industry. By collaborating with them through guest posting, you can form co-marketing opportunities and partnerships, and establish a network of like-minded individuals. These relationships can lead to future collaborations, speaking opportunities, or even mentorships.

Guest posts can help you rise to relevance and become part of important conversations in your industry but they can also disappear on oversaturated websites or on social media. Follow these steps to make sure that your guest post performs well every time.

Step 1: Define Your Goals for Guest Posting

The first step to guest posting effectively is making sure you have clear and well-defined goals. These goals can help you choose the publications that you reach out to, the topics you write about, and the frequency at which you guest post. 

Defining goals also helps businesses attract targeted traffic to their website. By identifying the specific audience they want to reach and the type of content that would be most appealing to that audience, businesses can select guest posting opportunities that align with their target market. This increases the likelihood of attracting relevant visitors to their website.

Step 2: Find Guest Posting Opportunities

Before you can post to a website or publication, you should create a list of opportunities that you would like to explore. To find the best guest posting opportunities, start by identifying websites and blogs relevant to your niche or industry that accept guest posts. Use search engines, guest post directories, and social media platforms to find potential opportunities.

A. Use Search Engines: Use search engines like Google to search for terms related to your niche, along with keywords such as “write for us,” “guest post guidelines,” or “submit a guest post.” This will help you find websites that regularly accept guest posts.

B. Guest Post Directories: Explore guest post directories to discover blogs or websites that accept guest posts. Some popular directories include My Blog Guest and AllTop. These directories categorize blogs based on different topics and provide details on their guest posting guidelines and opportunities.

C. Social Media: Use social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to discover guest posting opportunities. Follow influential bloggers and industry leaders in your niche, join relevant groups or communities, and engage with people there. Many bloggers share guest posting opportunities on their social media channels, so make sure to keep an eye out for any relevant posts or announcements.

Step 3: Evaluate Each Guest Posting Opportunity

Remember to carefully evaluate each opportunity based on factors such as website credibility, traffic, relevance to your niche, and the engagement of their audience to make sure your guest posts reach your target audience. Analyzing the quality of the websites you choose to contribute to is essential for maximizing the impact of your guest posts.

You should also take into consideration the kinds of guest posts that have been hosted by the publication in the past, asking questions like:

• Do we share the same audience?
• Do they allow backlinks? 
• Do these backlinks have to follow a specific profile? 
• What other requirements do they have? 

These questions can help you evaluate if the time and effort you put into pitching them and crafting the post is worth it to you. 

Step 4: Generate Guest Post Ideas

Generating guest post ideas involves thinking about topics that would be relevant and valuable to the target audience of the blog or website you’re targeting. Start by understanding the niche or industry of the site you want to write for and identify common pain points or interests of their readers. Research the blog’s existing content to find gaps or areas that could benefit from a fresh perspective. 

Consider trending topics or current events related to the industry. Brainstorm unique angles, tips, or solutions that you can offer as a guest writer. Ultimately, the goal is to come up with ideas that align with the blog’s content and audience, while also showcasing your expertise and providing valuable insights.

Step 5: Submit Your Guest Post Pitch

There are two steps to take note of when submitting your guest post: pitching and following up. When pitching your guest post, make sure to personalize your message and highlight the value you can provide to the blog or website’s audience. Clearly outline your topic, expertise, and why your article would be a good fit for their platform. Don’t be discouraged if your first pitch isn’t accepted — 50% of businesses regularly send up to 10 pitches per month and 27% of businesses send up to 25 pitches a month. 

If you don’t receive a response to your initial pitch, it’s important to follow up. Wait an appropriate amount of time (usually about a week) and send a polite follow-up email, reminding them of your initial pitch and expressing your continued interest in contributing.

Step 6: Write Your Guest Post

Now it’s finally time to write your guest post. Follow these steps to maximize the chances of your guest post being accepted by the publication and to ensure that it’s engaging, informative, and entertaining for your audience: 

A. Check Posting Guidelines: Before starting to write the guest post, carefully review the posting guidelines provided by the host site. This includes understanding the preferred word count, formatting requirements, and any specific topics or themes they are looking for.

B. Write the Article: Begin by outlining the main points and subtopics you want to cover in the guest post. Then start drafting the article, making sure to follow a logical flow and provide a clear structure. Use concise and engaging language to captivate the readers’ attention.

C. Provide Original, Specific, and Valuable Data: To make your guest post stand out, conduct thorough research and include original, specific, and valuable data or insights that are relevant to the host site’s audience. This will increase the credibility of your article and make it more compelling to readers.

D. Provide Links to Back Up Your Data Points: Include relevant and reputable sources to support the data and information you provide in your guest post. This adds credibility to your content and helps readers verify the information. However, avoid linking to direct competitors of the host site.

E. Use an Appropriate, Consistent, and Engaging Tone: Adjust your writing tone to match the style and audience of the host site. Maintain a consistent tone throughout the post, whether it’s informative, conversational, or professional. Keep the readers engaged by using storytelling techniques or asking thought-provoking questions.

F. Place SEO Terms in Natural Places Throughout, Including Headings: Optimize your guest post for search engines by including relevant keywords in a natural and organic manner. Incorporate these keywords strategically in headings, subheadings, and throughout the body of the article to improve its visibility and search ranking.

G. Add Author Bio: Include a brief author bio at the end of your guest post. This bio should be concise and provide information about your expertise, any relevant credentials, and a link to your personal website or social media profiles. Ensure that the bio aligns with the host site’s guidelines.

H. Add Backlinks: Where appropriate, add backlinks to relevant content on your own website or other reputable sources. This can provide additional value to the readers and help drive traffic to your own content.

I. Edit Carefully and Submit on Time: Before submitting your guest post, go through a thorough editing process. Check for any grammatical errors, logical inconsistencies, or areas where your writing can be improved. Respect the host site’s deadlines and submit your guest post on time to show professionalism and build positive relationships.

Remember, while the order of these steps is important, it is also crucial to adapt and tailor the process to suit the specific requirements and guidelines of each host site.

Step 7: Promote Your Guest Post

Even when you’ve written and published your guest post, the work is not done. You should promote your guest post! Here’s how to promote your guest post effectively:

A. Share on Social Media: Social media and blogs were ranked the two most important marketing channels in 2022. Share the guest post on the company’s social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Provide a brief introduction or teaser and include a link to the full article.

B. Email Newsletter: Include a snippet or summary of the guest post for use in the company’s regular email newsletter. This will help to reach existing subscribers and can also lead to increased engagement and traffic.

C. Repurpose Content: Creating a guest post requires extensive research that can often be used more than once. Transform the guest post into other formats like infographics, videos, or podcasts. Promote these alternative formats on different platforms to attract a broader audience.

D. Peer-to-Peer Sharing: Encourage employees and colleagues to share the guest post on their personal social media accounts or through word of mouth. This can help extend the reach and credibility of the content.

E. SEO: 53% of online searches are completed on websites that are optimized using SEO. Every business should optimize their guest posts for search engines by using relevant keywords, meta tags, and internal/external links. This will help drive organic traffic to the guest post over time.

F. Paid Promotion: Consider investing in paid promotion through platforms like Google Ads, social media advertising, or sponsored content to increase the visibility of the guest post.

G. Monitor and Engage With Comments: Regularly check and respond to comments on the guest post. Engaging with readers will encourage them to share the post and promote it to their networks.

Step 8: Track Success

Businesses can track the success of their guest posts through various methods. 

First, they can monitor the website traffic to see if there is an increase in visitors to their own website after the post is published. They can use web analytics tools to analyze the source of the traffic and determine if it’s coming from the guest post. 

Second, they can look at engagement metrics such as comments, social media shares, and likes on the guest post. These metrics can indicate the level of interest and engagement generated by the post. 

Furthermore, tracking the number of backlinks generated from the guest post can provide insights into its impact on search engine rankings. 

Lastly, businesses can also track conversions and sales generated as a result of the guest post using specific tracking URLs or discount codes. By diligently monitoring these metrics, businesses can assess the effectiveness of their guest posts and make informed decisions for future content marketing strategies.

With LeadsPanda, businesses can streamline the guest posting process and maximize their exposure to new audiences.

One of our key offerings at LeadsPanda is building a list of high-quality blogs and websites that accept guest posts. We provide businesses with access to a curated list of platforms across various industries, making it easier to find suitable opportunities for guest posting. By connecting businesses with relevant and authoritative websites, LeadsPanda ensures that their guest posts reach the right audience and contribute to their overall marketing goals.

In addition to the targeted list, LeadsPanda assists businesses in crafting compelling guest posts. We have a team of outreach specialists, content creators, editors, and project managers that ensure your guest posts hit the mark every time. 

LeadsPanda simplifies the guest posting process and empowers businesses to effectively reach new audiences and establish thought leadership in their industry. We offer a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to leverage guest posting as part of their content marketing strategy.

Find out how LeadsPanda can help you with your guest posting needs.