To explain what guest blogging is, let’s start with the concept of blogging. Blogging is one of the main forms of digital marketing. It involves sharing content with the aim of informing, entertaining or engaging an audience, to eventually generate leads or sales. Most marketers understand the power of blogging, however, guest blogging takes it one step further.
Unlike ordinary blogging where you write posts with content directly related to your brand, guest blogging is when you write an article or blog post to be published on another website. This article should be related to the website or blog topic in some way - relevant enough so it adds value to their readers, but interesting and useful enough to draw readers to your website.
Guest blogging isn’t just about writing and placing your article on the other blog or website, however. It is about building relationships with authors on other blogs and getting to know their needs, audience and preferences. Once you've connected with an author and become familiar with their publication and audience, you can start submitting content for inclusion.
Why Is Guest Blogging So Popular?
Guest blogging is a powerful tool for growing your brand. Not only does it give you a platform for you to share your thoughts, opinions, ideas and knowledge with a wider audience, it also improves your search engine optimization (SEO).
When you write and publish a blog post on another website or blog, you will bring more traffic to your own website. This increases the chances of people viewing your content and potentially signing up to your email list. You will also build relationships and connections with other websites and can even earn yourself some high-quality backlinks - which is great for SEO.
General Guidelines and Best Practices
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1. Find the right publication: Before writing a guest post, research the publications your target audience are reading. Find publications that have high domain authority and use Google search to find other websites that are relevant to your niche.
2. Establish a relationship: Reach out to the contacts at the different publications and build a relationship. A simple introduction, some details about your blog and a few examples of your writing should be sufficient.
3. Craft an effective pitch: You should begin by understanding the kinds of articles they’re looking for and the topics their audience is interested in. Craft a concise and effective pitch and ensure you have all the elements of a good guest post.
4. Write the guest post: When it comes time to write the post, make sure you understand the publication's guidelines and write an article specific to their audience.
5. Promote the post: After the post is published, it is important to spread the word and actively promote the post. Reach out to your audience on social media and give them a link to the article.
6. Follow up: Once the post is live and you have promoted it, make sure to follow up and thank the publisher for their efforts. Also keep an eye on social media to find out how the post has been received.