Guest blogging is a powerful tool for growing brand awareness, unlocking new opportunities, and even earning valuable backlinks. If you want to thrive in today’s digital age, you need to improve your chances of ranking on the search engines for the terms that your customers search for most.
Guest blogging can support your SEO strategy in many ways. First, it associates your brand with another market-leading company in your niche. Secondly, it demonstrates credibility by giving you a chance to showcase your knowledge on important topics. Finally, guest blogging earns you natural backlinks from authority brands.
However, a guest blogging strategy also comes with some challenges to consider.
1. Not Having Linkable and Shareable Content
The first thing you need if you want to boost your chances of a successful guest blogging campaign is the right content. Remember, anyone you email asking for an opportunity to appear on their blog will want to see what kind of content you have to offer. No authority brand wants to risk sending their audience back to low-quality blog pages.
When sending an email asking for a guest post opportunity with a specific brand, make sure that you can suggest several high-quality blogs or resources that you might link back to.
Linking to fantastic posts that share useful industry insights and unique information will show the domain owner that your company has real value to offer.
You might even find that companies are more likely to present you with collaboration opportunities in the future if you have the right quality of content.
2. Setting the Bar Too High
If you know anything about guest blogging, you’ll know that quality matters more than quantity. Having hundreds of backlinks from websites that Google considers spammy or low-quality will only get your business tarred with the same brush.
When developing your SEO strategy, you need to focus on getting the right connections with brands that can improve your reputation.
However, it’s important not to set your standards too high. Find a nice middle ground where you stand good chances of successfully pitching a guest post. Sites with years of experience and high domain authority are less likely to link back to you if you’re a new business without much content to share.
Target sites with a similar or slightly higher DA than yours until you develop a more reputable presence online.
3. Producing irrelevant content
When you post on another company’s blog, you’re getting an opportunity to show your value to a new audience that might not have seen or heard of your company before. This is your chance to demonstrate your value to a targeted audience.
That’s why you should always start your search for blogging opportunities by thinking about what clients you want to reach.
Once you find a website that seems to appeal to a similar audience, you’ll be able to produce content that speaks to that target market. For extra help about what kind of content readers are interested in, look at some of the top trending articles on the website already.
Keep in mind that guest posting is a two way street where both sides benefit. You gain exposure and a backlink. In exchange, the blog editors will want you to produce something of high-quality that speaks to and helps their audience.
Remember, you’ll also need the topic you write about to connect well with the page you’re going to link back to. The last thing you want is an anchor text that looks promotional, irrelevant to the blog’s topic or confusing to the reader.
4. Finding Companies that Accept Guest Posts
Although many websites out there would jump at the chance to have someone else produce their content for a while, some companies are less likely to accept guest blogs. Many leading websites are very cautious about what they’re willing to share and support online. On top of that, not all of the companies accepting guest posts will be relevant to your niche.
To get started, consider looking for a keyword on Google with the term “guest posting” or “guest post guidelines” attached. As you’re prospecting potential sites to pitch to, create a list of companies that may be willing to accept your content, and include as much detail as you can.
Your list should highlight the web page’s domain authority, a link to their post creation guidelines, and a handful of ideas for topics you’re going to pitch.
5. Writing the Perfect Pitch
Finding the right site to publish your content on is just the first challenge you’ll need to consider. Once you’ve tracked down the perfect space for your guest blogs and posts, you’ll need to figure out how you’ll convince the marketing team and editors to publish your content.
Start by making sure that every email you send is personalized to the person you’re writing to. Find the name of the marketing expert you want to reach, and comment on the work they’ve done already to let them know you’re paying attention.
Site admins and editors are probably busy people who get tons of pitches daily. Keeping your pitch succinct and personal will help you stand out in their crowded inbox.
Address the benefits you think your post or blog will have for the audience that the company is trying to reach. Remember to provide some examples of the blogs that you might link back to with your post and consider including some details on things like the number of visitors you usually get. Make a note on your calendar to follow up if you don’t hear back after a while.
Making the Most of Guest Posting
Guest blogging and guest posting are some of the best tools any company has for SEO, brand awareness, and link-building. However, just like any solution for business growth, guest posting also comes with a fair share of challenges to consider too.
Before leaping into your new strategy, take the time to think carefully about what content you’re going to link to and what type of websites you want to connect with. Choose businesses that accept guest posts wisely, and never rush into your pitch.
You’ll be on the path to success in no time.
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Michelle Laurey works as a VA for small businesses. She loves talking business, and productivity, and share her experience with others. Outside her keyboard, she spends time with her Kindle library or binge-watching Billions. Her superpower? Vinyasa flow! Talk to her on Twitter @michelle_laurey.