Guest blogging is a great way to increase your brand awareness but do you know the effective guest posting strategies to reach your target audience?
Writing guest posts is a powerful technique for gaining backlinks, raising your domain authority, and greatly improving your other SEO metrics.
However, not many people understand how to do it properly.
In this ultimate guide on guest posting, I’ll tell you everything you need to know to promote your blog with guest posts, including how to find publishers, write high-quality texts, insert your links organically, and measure the success of your posts.
Table of Contents
5 Effective Guest Posting Strategies for Website Owners
Follow these best practices to get better results with guest posting.
Find Publishers
The first step is finding a suitable publisher.
In other words, you want to write a guest post for high-quality websites.
Do a Google search of websites in your niche that accept publication.
Create a spreadsheet and enter as many as you can before your brain starts melting.
Don’t do anything else yet — no vetting, no contacting, no writing pitches — leave it for the future.
Now that you have a lengthy list, start adding details about the websites: traffic, domain and traffic authority, target demographic and their interest, posting frequency, content quality, and any other information you think is worth your attention.
Purge the list of all undesired publishers and leave only those you deem worthy.
Study their topics and send an article pitch.
If you get accepted, make sure you study all their guest posting guidelines, including style and formatting requirements, as well as a few writing examples.
You should look at their previous guest posts to get an idea of the type of content they accept.
If you don’t want to do the heavy lifting of finding publishers, you can find a service that will manage backlink set up for you.
They typically have thousands of vetted websites and make it easier for you to contact publishers as guest bloggers.
Create High-Quality Content for Organic Traffic
Whether you find the publishers yourself or choose a service, now comes the meat of the matter — writing high-quality guest posts.
There are three main factors for creating compelling guest posts for search engines.
1. Compelling Topic
First, pick a topic that will resonate with the readers. It doesn’t have to be a completely unique topic.
However, you need to provide a fresh look into the concepts and ideas in the niche for search engine rankings.
You should also use this SEO tool to make sure your guest post is fully optimized for Google ranking.
Try to look for the pain points of your audience and give solutions that come from your experience, as well as the experiences of industry leaders.
Make sure you offer insights that align with the current trends but also try to give timeless value.
Check what the publisher wrote before.
Your content needs to supplement their existing content, not compete with it.
Use these AI tools to create content quickly.
2. Content Structure and Formatting
As part of your guest posting strategies, you need to think about your content structure and format.
This advice applies to ALL articles, not just guest blog posts.
Having a clear structure and consistent formatting helps readers digest your content more easily.
You should also understand Google’s guidelines to make sure your guest posts are optimized for search results.
So, follow these tips to make your content readable.
Divide your content with headings and subheadings.
Keep them short and sweet.
As most of us scan texts instead of reading them comprehensively, your subheading has to tell as much information as possible while staying concise.
Introductions are both the most useless and most powerful parts of your guest article.
Useless because it rarely has much valuable information, but powerful because it has the chance to hook the reader to engage with the rest of the article.
Make sure you start with a question, a statistic, or an anecdote to set up your article for success.
Takeaways or conclusions should summarize the article and give actionable advice while calling the reader to action.
The action can be related to the article or just a general encouragement to buy the product, subscribe to the newsletter, etc.
While it’s always good to have your own structure and formatting style, try to copy the style of the publisher you’re working with.
This will make your article fit more organically into their blog.
Here are more tips on writing a blog post.
3. Writing Style
You don’t need to be Shakespeare to write a good article.
In fact, it might actually hurt your article, as artistic expression rarely contributes to clear and concise style of an informative piece.
First, develop a clear and authoritative voice.
It doesn’t mean being pompous or using unnecessarily complex language. Instead, it means writing with confidence and expertise while maintaining accessibility:
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Be direct. Start sentences with strong verbs and avoid passive voice when possible. Instead of writing “Marketing strategies can be implemented by businesses,” write “Businesses should implement marketing strategies.”
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Show expertise without arrogance. Share insights from your experience without being condescending. Rather than saying, “Everyone knows that email marketing is essential,” try “Email marketing has consistently proven its value across industries, with average ROIs ranging from 300% to 400%.”
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Maintain consistency. Keep your tone consistent throughout the piece. If you start with a professional yet conversational tone, maintain it to the end. There is no shame in injecting a bit of humor, just make sure your piece doesn’t read like a stand-up script.
Modern readers are skeptical of unsupported claims.
Establish your credibility by using current statistics, citing the sources, and including visual data when possible.
Finally, your writing must be error-free.
Nothing undermines your authority faster than poor grammar or spelling mistakes.
Implement a multistep editing process to catch any typos and mistakes.
Let your draft rest for at least a few hours. Read it aloud to catch awkward phrasing.
Use grammar-checking tools like Grammarly. Have a colleague review it and make final edits based on feedback.
Talking about tools, here’s another AI tool to create content faster.
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Incorporate Links Strategically
Before you submit your article, you need to also find a subtle opportunity for blog promotion.
After all, this is why you’re writing a guest post, isn’t it?
First, ensure your links prove actual value to the readers or potential customers by either clarifying complex topics or providing additional context.
If they read about starting blogging, it’s safe to say they’re new at this.
Therefore, you can include a link to tell them about legal pages for websites and blogs.
Learn more about them here.
On the other hand, linking to your favorite pancake recipe is a delicious way to ruin your credibility.
Before including any link in your guest post, ask yourself:
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Would this content be incomplete without this link?
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Will readers benefit from clicking this link?
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Is this the best resource for this particular point?
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Does the link provide additional context or just repeat information?
Choosing a link is only part of the job. You also have to create anchor text that sounds natural and fits the topic.
Try to avoid any references to clicking or leaving the website.
It looks spammy and can annoy the user. Instead, try to incorporate your link into the text without changing it too much.
Finally, you should limit the number of times you link back to your website to one or two times.
It’s the publisher’s blog, not yours, so it will look sketchy if all links in an article point to a different website.
With this in mind, select your most valuable pages to link to. You can also use this tool for interlinking.
A landing page, a lead magnet, or a high-traffic evergreen article are good picks.
Share the Guest Post on Your Social Media Channels
As part of your guest posting strategies, you should also offer to share the guest post on your social media and with your audience.
This not only helps you secure guest posting opportunities but also helps promote the host site and increases the chances of them promoting your guest post as well.
By sharing your guest post, you also establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
So sharing the guest post with your audience truly has long-term benefits for both parties.
Measure Success of Guest Posts
The success of your guest posting strategy isn’t measured by the number of articles you publish but by the impact each post creates for your website.
There are plenty of metrics you need to track after the post hits the publisher’s website.
Luckily, there are plenty of tools to track valuable metrics without much hassle.
Traffic
When analyzing traffic from your guest posts, consider the complete picture of how readers interact with your valuable content.
While total visit counts provide a basic metric, the real value lies in understanding the quality of that referral traffic.
To do this, consider including UTM parameters in your backlinks to better understand whether the traffic is coming from the guest post or other sources.
The geographic distribution of your traffic can reveal surprising insights about your content’s reach.
You might discover unexpected pockets of engagement in regions you hadn’t considered part of your target market.
This information becomes particularly valuable when planning future guest posting opportunities or adjusting your content strategy to better serve these new audiences.
Engagement
Engagement metrics are the vital signs of your guest posts, indicating how well your content resonates with readers.
Comments, in particular, offer deep insights into how your ideas connect with the audience.
A post that generates thoughtful, detailed comments and sparks meaningful discussions has achieved something more valuable than one that simply attracts high view counts but minimal interaction.
Social sharing represents another dimension of engagement, but it’s important to understand that not all shares carry equal weight.
A single share from a respected industry leader might bring more value than numerous shares from less relevant sources.
Pay attention to where and how your content is being shared — LinkedIn shares might be crucial for B2B content, while Facebook engagement could be more relevant for B2C topics.
Leads
Converting readers into leads represents the practical business value of your guest posting efforts.
A guest post that generates five highly qualified leads might be more valuable than one that produces a hundred views.
Track how these leads engage with your content over time.
Do they open your follow-up emails?
Are they engaging with your content?
Do they eventually convert into customers? This long-term perspective helps evaluate the true impact of your guest post.
Long-Term Impact
Remember that the true value of guest posting often reveals itself over time.
While immediate metrics provide useful feedback, track how posts perform months after publication.
Some articles become evergreen resources, continuously driving traffic and leads.
Others might spark important professional relationships that yield benefits far beyond measurable metrics.
To effectively measure this long-term impact, establish a consistent monitoring system.
Regular monthly reviews of key metrics help identify trends and patterns, while quarterly deep dives can inform your decisions about future guest posting efforts.
Is your online business legal? Make sure to post these legal pages.
FAQ on Guest Posting
Below are answers to common questions on guest posting strategies and writing quality guest posts.
What is a guest blogging strategy?
Guest blogging strategy is a planned approach to writing and submitting guest posts on relevant websites to increase website traffic, gain exposure, and establish oneself as an authority in a particular niche.
The strategy involves identifying the target audience, researching relevant websites, following their guidelines, creating high-quality content, link building, engaging with readers, and tracking and analyzing results for future improvements.
A well-executed guest blogging strategy can greatly benefit both the blog hosts and the guest blogger by providing valuable content to readers and driving traffic to both websites.
So it’s important to carefully plan and execute your guest blogging efforts for maximum effectiveness.
How to approach a guest post?
When approaching a guest post, it’s important to keep in mind that you are essentially pitching your idea to the website owner or blog owner.
Here are 6 tips on how to approach a guest post in the most effective way:
- Personalize your pitch: Avoid sending generic emails to multiple websites. Instead, take the time to personalize each email and address the recipient by name.
- Introduce yourself and your blog: Start by introducing yourself and your blog, mentioning any relevant accomplishments or credentials that make you a suitable candidate for a guest post.
- Explain why you’re reaching out: Let the website owner know why you are interested in writing for their website specifically, whether it’s because of their niche, audience, or past content.
- Offer a topic: Instead of asking the website owner for topic suggestions, offer them a specific and well-researched topic that you think would be a good fit for their website.
- Provide writing samples: If you have published guest posts before, provide links to those as writing samples. This will show your experience and writing style.
- Follow-up Email: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a response right away. It’s okay to follow up with the website owner after a week or two, but don’t spam them with multiple emails.
The most important thing is to be polite, patient, and professional to increase your chances of getting accepted for a guest post opportunity on authoritative websites.
You should also use this guest blogging agreement to protect both parties, especially if you are paying for guest posts.
What’s a guest blogger agreement?
A guest blogger agreement is a written contract between a website or blog host and a guest blogger outlining the terms and conditions of their collaboration.
This agreement includes details such as the topic, length, and deadline for the blog post, as well as any compensation or promotional opportunities for the guest blogger.
It also establishes ownership and copyright of the content being submitted.
Having a clear guest blogger agreement in place helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures a successful partnership between both parties.
So, it’s important to have this agreement in place before submitting your content for guest posting opportunities.
Here’s a proper Guest Blogger Agreement template (written by a lawyer).
It also comes in our VIP legal bundle here at a bigger discount!
What is a guest posting example?
A guest posting example is a published blog post or article written by a guest blogger and featured on another website.
This could be in the form of an informative article, opinion piece, or how-to guide related to the niche of the hosting site.
The goal of a guest post is to provide valuable content for readers while also promoting the author’s own website or brand.
An effective guest posting example would have high-quality content, engage with readers through comments, and potentially drive traffic back to the author’s website.
Overall, it serves as a mutually beneficial collaboration between the hosting site and the guest blogger.
Real-life examples of guest posts
Check out different guest post examples on this website on specific topics from blogging, business, and social media platforms to get an idea.
Do guest bloggers get paid?
It depends on the guest author and the arrangement between the website owner.
You could get paid to write high-quality guest posts every month.
And sometimes the website owner could charge you a guest posting fee for publishing an article on their website.
So it all varies from one site to another.
Even without any monetary compensation, guest blogging provides valuable exposure and benefits for both parties.
Remember as per Google guidelines, paid guest posts should be marked as “no follow” links.
What is the difference between blogging and guest blogging?
Blogging refers to creating and publishing content on your own website or blog.
On the other hand, guest blogging involves writing and submitting a blog post on someone else’s website as a guest author.
While both involve writing and sharing content, the difference lies in who owns and publishes the content.
Blogging allows you full control over your content, while guest blogging gives you exposure to a new audience and helps establish yourself as an authority in your field.
Additionally, guest blogging often follows specific guidelines and may require pitching ideas or getting approval from the hosting site before publishing.
So while both can be valuable for building an online presence, they serve different purposes and should be approached with different strategies.
That’s why it’s also important to use a proper Guest Blogger Agreement so both parties are clear about the ownership of the content.
How do I become a guest blogger?
Follow the guest posting strategies above to get started.
As a recap, to become a guest blogger, you start by researching potential sites and blogs in your niche that accept guest posts.
Look for their submission guidelines and follow them carefully when pitching ideas or submitting your post to reputable websites.
You can also reach out to fellow bloggers or website owners and offer to write a guest post for them.
Networking and building relationships within your industry is an excellent way to get potential guest blogging opportunities.
It’s important to have a strong portfolio of writing samples and be able to provide high-quality content that will benefit both the hosting site and their readers.
Is guest posting bad for SEO?
No, guest posting is not bad for SEO.
In fact, it can have positive effects on your website’s search engine rankings if done correctly.
However, it’s important to avoid certain practices that could potentially harm your SEO efforts, such as using keyword-stuffed anchor texts or publishing low-quality content on irrelevant websites.
It’s also important to ensure that the backlinks in your guest posts are from reputable and relevant websites.
Overall, guest posting can be a valuable tool for improving your website’s SEO when executed properly.
So make sure to follow best practices and guidelines to get the most out of your guest blogging strategy including using this Ranking tool.
Final Thoughts on Guest Posting Strategies
Now you know about the top guest posting strategies to promote your blog.
Guest posting remains one of the most effective ways to promote your blog, but as we’ve seen, success lies in the details.
They’re the result of careful publisher selection, thoughtful content creation, and strategic high-quality backlinks, all measured and refined through comprehensive analytics.
Start small but think big. Begin with a few carefully selected publishers and focus on creating exceptional content that serves their audience while advancing your goals.
Most importantly, don’t forget that behind every metric and strategy, there are real readers looking for valuable information.
Take what you’ve learned from this guide and start building your guest posting strategy today to become a successful guest blogger.
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