How to Submit a Guest Post (The New Trend)
If you are a writer who wants to submit a guest post and do not know where to start. Viva One Digital, Bangkok web design agency, is here to help. We made a guideline to help you prepare and submit a guest post.
In this article, we will take a look at what a guest post is, why we should submit a guest post, and what to do when you want to submit a guest post. We will take you through each step of the process while giving you some tips and things to keep in mind when submit a guest post.
Guest post and its benefits
Guest posts or guest blogs are the posts that you created and published on other websites. It is usually the websites with the same niche as your website. It is done mainly to reach more audiences.
Guest posting also helps build website authority, helping you rank better in the search engine result pages as well. Posting on other websites will make your brand become more well-known, more recognizable, and bring more traffic to your website. Plus, it is a great way to get backlinks to your website too.
How to submit a guest post
Now, let’s move on to the steps of how to submit a guest post.
Step 1: Find guest post opportunities
The first step to submit a guest post is, of course, to look for websites for guest posting.
Finding posting opportunities, you need to look for websites that are relevant to your brand, products, or services. It has to be in the same business field as your website. Look for the websites that you think have a similar target audience to you or websites that their audience are likely to be interested in your niche.
It will make your job finding a guest post opportunity easier, if you look for websites that are looking for guest posts or websites that have published guest posts. The websites that advertise for guest posts and already receive and publish guest posts are usually more likely to give you an opportunity to submit a guest post and publish them on their websites. Also, if you find out that other websites mentioned your business on their websites or social media platforms, it is a good time to contact and ask them for guest posting opportunities as well.
Step 2: Prepare your pitch email
If you now have a list of websites that you will try to submit a guest post to, you will need to do some preparation.
Here are what you need to do:
1. Get to know the websites
To get to know the website is to know what kind of content each website usually posts. Answer questions like do they produce content that is general topics, specific topics, tutorials, or reviews and who they are usually writing for.
2. Read the submission guideline from the websites
Now, if the website is advertised for guest posting, they usually provide a guideline or instructions that you must follow in order to contact them and submit a guest post. You should study and follow the guidelines strictly. It will better your chances of getting the opportunity to submit a guest post, and also make it easier and faster to make a deal as well.
3. Check out their previous posts
Another thing you should do before sending an email to each website is to take a look at their previous posts. You may need to suggest some topics for a guest post in the email. You need to know what topics they already cover, so you can get some ideas for the guest post.
Step 3: Send your pitch email
Now that you have studied about the websites and their content, it is time to write your pitch email. Basically, this email is to ask for an opportunity to post a guest post on their websites. Here is what you need to do when writing a pitch.
1. Personalize your email
You should personalize your email for each website. Mention their website name or editor name (if you know). It is good to talk about their previous posts that you have read as well. Let them know how much fun and benefits you get from reading their works. You can also express why you want to write for them as well.
When you personalize your email, it makes the editors know that you care and have done your homework to study their website. The editors will be pleased to know that you really want to write for them. It will better your chances of getting the guest post opportunity.
2. Introduce yourself
When writing your pitch, it is a must that you introduce yourself well. Tell them what your name is and who you are. (Which company do you represent? and what is your position?) And most importantly, you should mention your writing skills. You may talk about your experience like how long you have been writing and what you usually write.
3. Provide options and benefits
Now, to really get their attention and persuade them to give you the guest posting opportunity, you will need to show them what they could get from you. As mentioned before, you will need to come up with some blog ideas for the editors to choose from. You can also talk about what your posts can bring to their sites, such as more audience, new and up-to-date content, or engagement rates on social media.
4. Show your work
When submit a guest post, you want to show them some of your previous posts as examples of your work as well. If they get to read your work, then they may be convinced that you will be able to provide good content for their websites.
You should select your work carefully, pick the ones that are your best works. It should represent your skills and talent. Also, pick the topics that are similar to their niche as well.
Linking them to two or three posts on your website should be enough. If you are a new writer and do not have works to show, you could use your team’s works as well. It will show that you have a team to help create great content. However, if you have some guest post experience, you could use that as well. It will reassure them that you are qualified and have experience in the field.
5. Be brief
Another thing that you should do when writing a pitch to submit a guest post is to be brief. The editors of each website will definitely have tons of email sent to them every day. You will not want to be ignored just because you ramble on in the email. Instead, be concise and straight to the point, so they can go through your email quickly.
Introduce yourself briefly, talk about why you are writing this email, what do you want to ask for, link them to your recent works, and persuade them a bit.
If you still can not picture what the email will look like, you can search for email templates and adapt them to fit your style the most.
Step 4: Send a follow-up email
After you send your pitch, you may need to send a follow-up email. Most of the time, guest post pitches will be ignored. It is normal, so please don’t get discouraged.
Now, for follow-up email, you may need to wait at least 2 weeks before sending a follow-up email. It is just good manners, you will not want to seem needy when asking for opportunities. Remember to only send the follow-up email once to not annoy the editor. Also we recommend you send follow-up emails in the early morning, since people tend to be more relaxed and happy in the morning compared to the end of the day when they are tired and just want to rest.
In the follow-up email, use the same thread as your original email to help them find your last email easier. Be straight forward and brief. The content can be asking if they get your email or convince them not to lose the benefits they could get. It could be anything to have them reconsider their decision.
Step 5: Write a guest post
If you are accepted to submit a guest post, you will need to do your best to please the editors. Since being accepted does not guarantee that your post will be published. Keep in mind that there will be lots of editing and rewriting along the way.
To make your guest post as close to perfect as it can, you will need to follow the guidelines if they have one. If not, you can try to write in the same fashion as their previous posts. Apart from that you just need to make sure your grammar and spelling is correct and follow seo writing guidelines as well. Use some visual media to attract attention. And most importantly. Don’t forget to include internal links to their websites and external links to your websites as well.
Step 6: Thank for the opportunity and response to comments
When your guest post is published, show your gratitudes. Do not forget to send a thank you email to the editors. It is a sign of good manners and also companionship. And if their website has a comment section, don’t miss the chance to connect with the audience by responding to comments as well.
Final thoughts
To submit a guest post is not a quick and easy process. You will face many challenges and discouraging situations. However, the benefits of guest posting are worth working hard for. You will get more audience and it also contributes to better ranking as well. Guest posting is a way to grow as a community. It is when websites help each other to become more successful together.