Guest Blogging:

An increase in online sales of 18% is both desirable and significant in any given year. However, such growth is nothing short of amazing in a historic year like 2020, when markets all over the world teetered on the verge of a depression. And yet, in spite of the shaky economy, high growth enterprises succeeded in achieving that.

What provided them an advantage? Like ducks to water, they adapted quickly to the digital world. Many of them put on the hat of a digital publisher and created useful, optimised content that they delivered through both their own digital channels and earned media as the epidemic altered the needs of their target consumers.

We are aware of the advantages of regular blogging, including increased online traffic, credibility development, distinction, and conversions. What about guest blogging, though? A guest blogging strategy continues to provide advantages that each subject matter expert needs, despite a few eulogies made about it:

1. Increasing your standing as an authority figure
2. Increasing the audience’s size
3. Increasing traffic via referrals
4. Presenting chances to generate backlinks

The final two advantages render a guest blogging plan essential to a company’s SEO success. Writing excellent content for external blogs or publications with a lot of authority helps you create backlinks that will boost your search engine rating. Additionally, you can develop a readership and direct high-quality traffic to your own website by consistently contributing articles to specific publications.

Being invited to guest blog is difficult, especially as more and more professional services companies enter the digital content market. Because of this, there are less openings for a greater number of pitches. So how can one move through such a packed space? You can start down the road to success by taking the ten steps below.

Step 1. Find out where your audiences are looking for solutions.

You must conduct some research on the best periodicals covering your field or sector. They frequently have the strong reputation and high visibility you need to boost your search engine rankings. Next, keep track of the websites your peers and colleagues visit to find articles to share on Twitter or LinkedIn. Last but not least, Google your subject plus “guest blog.” For instance, if diversity, equity, and inclusion are your areas of expertise, you may search for “DEI guest blog.” Use the keyword “pandemic building commissioning” if that describes your area of expertise. Such a search may occasionally turn up useful information.

Step 2: Look for publications with more authority.

Targeting articles with a Domain Authority score of 50 or higher is ideal. Obtaining links from these well-known websites is one of the quickest ways to increase the authority of your own website. These websites are more picky, though, and many only let much less beneficial “no follow” links. However, there is still a way to proceed. Any publication with a higher Domain Authority than your own site can help you if the Domain Authority score of the website for your company is poor. If you don’t know a publication’s Domain Authority, you can research the publication’s website or ask for a media kit to learn more about its audience reach. This information can be found with a little investigation.

It’s equally crucial to do some research on the guest blogging locations used by your rivals. You can learn more by visiting their news sections on their websites, following them on social media, searching Google News for their company name, or setting up Google Alerts for their businesses. Additionally, you can use specialised tools, such as Semrush, to do a full examination of your competition, including the keywords they are bidding on.

Also Read: Effective Local Restaurant Online Marketing Tips for 2023

Step 4: Conduct pertinent topic research.

According to our research, customers of professional services are just as likely to look for solutions to their work-related problems online as they are to consult dependable peers. This means that if you want your audience to find you online, choose topics that connect your area of expertise with what’s important to them. Your sweet spot is there.

Discover what subjects your target media have covered recently and what subjects they intend to cover the rest of the year. This will offer you a sense of how your subject has been handled, how to distinguish your content, and which pieces you may quote or link to in your own piece.

If they have a publicly available editorial calendar or content plan, you might be able to gather some of this information from those. This research takes time, but it is necessary and will increase the likelihood that your pitch will be successful.

Step 5: Create a concise, clear pitch.

Each day, hundreds of pitches are sent to some editors. There is no assurance that they will read yours, but the factors listed below will help an editor’s weary eye notice and stay on your email:

• A compelling subject line (which can serve as the title of the article)
• Your plans to post a guest blog
• Why your post will be of interest to their readers (explained succinctly)
• What qualifies you as an expert on this subject?
• The key ideas of the article and any research that supports them

Avoid giving busy editors a verbose, convoluted, or, worst, both, long, tedious pitch. Shortness and simplicity that don’t seem generic will go a long way toward grabbing their attention.

You should customise your pitch, therefore you’ll probably create numerous iterations of the same pitch for various publications. Create a mechanism for maintaining such versions and make it apparent to which section of your list each one corresponds.

Step 6. Follow up.

Less and less editors are open to phone follow-ups. Email-based gentle reminders are most popular. 1-2 weeks should pass before you follow up, regardless of the method you employ. If you still don’t get a response, try approaching the subject from a different angle or propose a completely unrelated subject. If that doesn’t work, give it another try in a few months. Sometimes the timing is the issue rather than the subject. Keep the magazine on your list and wait a while. You can always come back at a later time with a new pitch.

Step 7: Add keyword phrases to your article.

Optimize your post for whatever keywords you want to target, even if a publication doesn’t ask about them. After all, if your readers cannot locate your article, it is meaningless. Many editors value writers who streamline their content and facilitate their work. Your chances of getting future pitches accepted by these editors increase as more people read your piece. Make sure you at least optimise your title. You also don’t want to veer too much in the opposite direction. Don’t overuse keywords in your article. It’s poor SEO technique and might damage your rapport with an editor.

Step 8: Include links to additional, related articles in the publication.

Why? It first demonstrates to the editor that you have a sincere interest in their work. It’s also a terrific method to network with other professionals, who each have their own audiences and may be willing to share your post with them. Frequently, the reading you conduct for Step 4 will turn up items that are relevant to your subject.

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Step 9: Hire or outsource a harsh editor.

An editor is essential for all writers. Editors will at the very least find embarrassing typos and misspelt words. Good editors also correct stylistic problems without changing your style to fit their own. They substitute more direct words that give your writing life for overused business jargon.

Step 10: Share your post with others. Over and over.

Sharing your guest post demonstrates your support for the magazine. Give the guest post a link from your website, and share the direct link with your email list and social media followers. Share it as often as you can. Include a hearty shoutout to the publisher or editor when sharing on social media.

A lot of professional services companies don’t have a clear guest blogging strategy. Experts in the field who frequently feel pressed for time must conduct study and make a commitment to get it done correctly. However, guest blogging is a fantastic method for professionals to establish their credibility and expand their readership. And that is very valuable for your professionals and your business. There are ways to implement a potent guest blogging strategy even if your team doesn’t have time to undertake all the work. You could, for example, delegate some or all of the work to a third party who is knowledgeable about your sector or niche. In truth, a lot of businesses employ outside writers and strategists, and they frequently get excellent outcomes.

If you keep going, you’ll develop into what experts in the digital age should be: Visible Experts. Additionally, the rewards for you, your company, and your clients will much outweigh the effort you put in.