Guest posting has become an extremely popular and effective digital marketing tactic over the past few years. By publishing articles on other high-authority websites in your industry, you can gain backlinks, increase brand awareness, and drive more traffic to your own website.
However, accepting guest posts on your own site can also provide tremendous benefits. Guest posts allow you to publish high-quality content from industry experts, expand your audience, and build relationships with influencers in your field.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about accepting guest posts for digital marketing, including:
Benefits of Accepting Guest Posts
There are many advantages to opening your website up to guest contributors. Some of the key benefits include:
1. Gain Access to Expert Content
By accepting guest posts, you can publish content from leaders and specialists in your industry. This expert-level content can help build your site’s authority and trust.
2. Build Relationships and Connections
Guest posting allows you to connect with influencers, potential partners, and new audiences. Nurturing these relationships can lead to future collaborations, backlink opportunities, referrals, and new readers.
3. Increased Website Traffic
High-quality guest posts can help drive more visitors to your site by exposing your brand to new audiences. The incoming links in guest posts also boost site traffic through improved search engine optimization.
4. Brand Awareness
Publishing posts from industry experts allows you to tap into their audience and increase awareness of your brand. Guest contributors will also often promote the article across their own platforms.
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Finding and Selecting Guest Posters
Reaching out to the right potential guest contributors is crucial for maximizing the benefits of guest posts. Use these tips to find and evaluate the best guest bloggers for your site:
Identify Influencers in Your Niche
Make a list of the top content creators, experts, brands and influencers in your industry. Check their previous guest posts, website traffic, social media following and engagement to assess their reach and authority. Prioritize outreach to those with the biggest audiences in your target market.
Browse Related Industry Websites
Look at websites, blogs and publications related to your niche to discover relevant contributors. Many will have a “Write for Us” section where you can find submission guidelines and pitches from writers. Reach out to frequent contributors who are a good fit.
Attend Industry Events
Conferences and trade shows are great places to connect with potential guest posters in person. Bring business cards, meet people at networking sessions, and follow up with guest posting offers after the event.
Leverage Your Network
Ask colleagues, partners and industry connections to recommend top authors or experts who might be interested in contributing. People are often more receptive to pitches from those within their extended network.
Review Your Analytics
Check Google Analytics, social media and website metrics to see which articles perform best and where your traffic comes from. Reach out to authors and site owners from referral sources that drive relevant traffic.
Assess Their Reputation and Reach
Do some digging on potential guest posters’ reputations and qualifications. Verify their expertise and number of followers. The best contributors will have an established presence, strong credentials and visibility in your niche.
Read Their Previous Work
Vetting contributors involves reading samples of their writing. This gives you a sense of their style, abilities and expertise. Strong spelling, grammar, citations and clear communication are good signs.
Guest Post Guidelines and Expectations
To attract high-caliber guest contributors, you need clear submission guidelines and expectations. Some ground rules to convey upfront include:
- Content must be original, unpublished and free of plagiarism or spam.
- Include estimated word count and any specific topic requirements.
- Outline editorial standards for tone, format, citations, etc.
- Note your target audience and guidelines for appropriate topics.
- Keep rights to reuse or repurpose the content, with attribution.
- Specify whether contributors can include links to their website/social profiles.
- State your content promotion strategy and linking practices.
- Set a schedule for submissions and estimated timeline for publishing.
- List guest post benefits (backlinks, bio details, social shares).
Having detailed guidelines sets the stage for receiving quality submissions tailored to your brand and audience. It also ensures you retain control over the type of content you publish.
Accepting and Editing Guest Posts
Once you start receiving guest post submissions, you’ll need a streamlined process for accepting and editing posts before publication. Here are some tips:
Use a Guest Post Submission Form
A submission form on your website collects all the details you need from contributors in one place. You can ask for name, bio, links, topic pitch, file upload and contact info.
Require an Outline or Abstract
Ask contributors to send a detailed outline or abstract before writing their full post. This allows you to nip any issues in the bud early on before time and effort is wasted writing a subpar post.
Have Editors Review All Posts
No matter how authoritative the contributor, have your editors or staff review every guest post submission. Check for quality standards, formatting consistency and brand alignment.
Use Track Changes for Edits
Utilize Microsoft Word’s Track Changes or Google Docs’ editing tools so contributors can see exactly what edits you make. Discuss any major revisions.
Confirm Final Approval from Both Sides
Once edits are finalized, have both parties sign off on the final post before publishing. This ensures the guest blogger approves the edits and gives final permission.
Schedule Publication Date in Advance
Give guest bloggers a specific publication date in 1-2 months so they can help promote the piece. Schedule social media, email newsletters and their website announcement.
Promoting Your Guest Posts
To maximize guest posts’ impact, you need an effective promotion strategy before and after publication. Some proven ways to get visibility for guest contributors include:
Share on Social Media
Post snippets, quotes or graphics on your social channels leading up to the publication date. After it’s live, share the full piece across your social platforms and ask your guest to do the same.
Send to Email Subscribers
Share a preview of the upcoming guest post in your newsletter. When it goes live, include it in a newsletter issue or dedicated email blast to current subscribers.
Pitch to Relevant Websites
Identify websites, magazines and blogs the post could be relevant for as additional exposure. Reach out and pitch them your contributor’s piece as a potential republished article with backlinks.
Promote on Industry Forums
Share a link to the published guest post on any relevant forums, groups and communities related to your niche. Many allow promo posts from active members.
Include Visual Assets
Design infographics, charts or images related to the post that make it more visibly compelling on social media and other websites.
Link Internally
Link to your new guest post from other relevant pages and blog posts on your website to multiply internal traffic.
Guest Posting Outreach Templates
When reaching out to potential guest contributors or site owners, tailored email templates can streamline your process and improve response rates.
Initial Guest Post Outreach
Subject: Guest Post Opportunity on [Your Website]
Hi [Name],
My name is [Your Name] and I’m the [Your Title] at [Your Company]. I came across your article on [topic] and loved your expertise on the subject.
I own and operate [Your Website], a site focusing on [Your Niche]. I’m growing my site’s authority and audience this year, so I’m inviting select industry experts like yourself to contribute guest posts.
I think a post from you on [broad topic idea] would provide tremendous value for our readers. If you’re open to guest posting, I’d love to explore the option! Let me know if you might be interested in partnering on an article.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
[Your Name] [Your Website]Follow-Up to Initial Outreach
Subject: Following Up on Guest Post for [Your Site]
Hi [Name],
Just wanted to follow up on my previous email about the potential for a guest blogging opportunity on [Your Website]. I know things can get busy, so I’m checking to see if you had a chance to consider guest posting with us.
As I mentioned, I think your expertise would lend itself perfectly to a post on [specific topic idea]. Guest posts come with some great benefits too.
You’d get:
- A link back to your site
- Exposure to our audience of [##,###] industry professionals
- A short bio with contact info and social links
Please let me know if you’d be open to discussing further. I’m happy to answer any other questions!
Thanks, [Your Name]
Accepting a Guest Post Submission
Subject: Guest Post Accepted: [Title]
Hi [Name],
I’m thrilled to accept your guest post, [Title], for publication on [Your Website]! The topic and content are directly in line with what we’re looking for.
As discussed, we’re planning to run the post on [Date]. I’ll connect as we get closer to the date to iron out promotion details. Please let me know if anything comes up that affects the timing on your end.
Our team will start reviewing and editing the piece this week. Expect to see our revisions via Track Changes within 3-5 business days. Please feel free to accept or comment on any edits you have questions about.
Thanks again for contributing this valuable post! Having industry leaders like yourself contribute helps strengthen our brand and elevate the value we provide for readers. Looking forward to working together to make the post a success.
Best, [Your Name]
Guest Posting Best Practices
By keeping these proven best practices in mind, you can build a highly beneficial guest posting program:
Focus on Quality over Quantity
A few stellar, in-depth posts from experts are more valuable than lots of mediocre guest articles. Vet contributors carefully.
Provide Detailed Guidelines
Clearly convey expectations upfront on content quality, links, author bios, edits and more so contributors know what to expect.
Promote Extensively
Dedicate time to promote both upcoming and published guest posts via email, social media, PR and internal links.
Give Contributors Recognition
Allow guest posters to include a headshot, bio, social handles and backlinks so they feel rewarded for their work.
Link Guest Posts Internally
Interlink relevant guest posts from your blog and other pages to maximize visibility and SEO value.
Develop Ongoing Relationships
Nurture relationships with guest contributors by sharing their content, connecting on social media and extending additional opportunities.
Monitor Performance
Analyze guest post metrics like traffic, links gained, social engagement and conversions generated. Find ways to continually improve.
Key Takeaways
- Accepting guest posts from industry influencers allows you to tap into their audiences and expertise while building relationships.
- Vet potential contributors thoroughly, provide clear expectations, and retain editorial control over final published pieces.
- Promote guest posts extensively via email, social media, internal links, PR pitches and contributor cross-promotion.
- Allow guest posters to include backlinks, bios and recognition to incentivize high-quality contributions.
- Analyze guest post performance and connections gained to maximize benefits over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find guest post opportunities?
- Browse industry websites and blogs with a “Write for Us” or “Contribute” section.
- Attend conferences and network to connect directly with website owners.
- Google “[Your Niche] + Write for Us” and “[Your Niche] + Accepting Guest Posts”.
- Pitch websites your target personas visit with relevant post ideas.
Should I accept every guest post submission?
No, be selective about which submissions you accept. Vet each thoroughly for quality, relevance, originality and expertise. It’s better to have a few excellent guest posts than lots of subpar ones.
What if a post needs significant edits?
Use track changes and notes to suggest substantive edits. Discuss with the author and allow them to accept or respond to your revisions before publishing.
How much should I promote guest posts?
Promote guest posts heavily leading up to and after publication. Share across all of your platforms: website, email, social media, PR etc. Ask the contributor to share with their networks too.
When should I publish guest posts?
Analyze your traffic patterns to determine peak days and times. Typically Tuesday-Thursday work well. Share the date with contributors early so they can help maximize visibility.
How can I incentivize guest posting?
Allow contributors to include backlinks, bios, headshots and social media handles. Share the post widely across your platforms. Offer to publish future posts from them.
Conclusion
Implementing a strategic guest posting program can reap huge dividends for your digital marketing. As you reach out to secure contributions from top influencers in your space and deliver value to your audience through expert guest posts, you’ll see results in the form of brand authority, link building, lead generation and traffic growth.
Focus first on cultivating win-win relationships with contributors through clear communication and effective promotion. By providing an excellent guest posting experience, you can collaborate again with influencers in the future and continually amplify your digital marketing impact.