Opotiki, New Zealand
(Updated 6/16/2022)
Figuring out how to pitch a guest post makes most bloggers shudder.
Most bloggers fear rejection. Some bloggers fear wasting their time.
Few bloggers know how to successfully land pitches to place guest posts on authority blogs.
Do you reach out to as many bloggers as possible every day? What should you include in your pitch emails? How should you convince bloggers to publish your guest posts? Should you even try to convince them? Would it be easier to befriend bloggers who invite you to guest post or accept your pitch?
Earning the right to guest post on credible blogs takes time, patience, skills and genuine blogger outreach.
Mainstream blogging tactics usually involve teaching bloggers how to convince strangers to place guest posts. Highly skilled pros do this quite successfully but with ample wasted motion.
Why would you spend 5 hours daily trying to convince 100 blogging strangers to:
- know
- like
- trust
your blog content?
How to Submit a Guest Post
Why not help bloggers freely to build strong blogging relationships? Why not publish detailed content to your blog to show your friends that inviting you to guest blog is a smart idea?
Skilled, connected bloggers place guest posts at will.
For example, I landed 13 guest blogging opportunities within 24 hours after asking my blogging friend network
“Who wants a blogging tips guest post?”
In truth, I engaged in blogger outreach for years to build my blogging friend network. But since I planned to be around for years doing anything else would have been foolish.
Landing 13 guest post opportunities on credible blogs run my blogging friends who push the posts to highly targeted communities with a *5 second work investment* sure beats a 100 – 200 hour work investment to place 13 guest posts on less than credible blogs run by strangers who do not push the posts to highly targeted communities.
Literally, it took me 5 seconds to land 13 high quality guest blogging opportunities. Consider that before you email another generic guest blogging pitch to a blogging stranger.
Engaging in a genuine blogger outreach campaign quickly convinces most bloggers that cold pitching does not work too well as a guest blogging strategy.
Keep these ideas in mind to successfully submit and place guest posts on trusted blogs.
1: Cold Pitching Largely Does Not Work
Reaching out to a stranger typically does not work because if someone does not know you they generally do not trust you.
Highly skilled professionals may land a few guest posting gigs based on pitching their famous name but most bloggers fail at trying to convince strangers for the keys to their blogs.
Consider cold pitching from a different perspective: Would you offer a complete stranger you do not know or trust a guest post on your blog? Would you let a stranger write for your readers? Will the stranger publish SEO-optimized, in-depth content to solve reader problems? Bloggers work patiently for years to build their blogging reputations. Why would any blogger in their right mind risk their reputation for a stranger?
Learning how to pitch a guest post starts with releasing a cold pitching strategy. Let go poor returns. Engage in effective blogging strategies.
Pedasi, Panama
Pitching blogging friends and acquaintances tends to work effectively. Pitching strangers largely wastes your time and their time because attempting to convince strangers of your blogging worth is like trying to sell a vacuum to a pig.
2: Warm Pitching Generally Works
Warm pitching blogging friends tends to work successfully over the long haul.
Building relationships with bloggers goads them to either invite you to guest post or to accept your pitches.
Over the long haul it is easier to field a high volume of guest post invites through your writing skills and friend network versus trying to pitch strangers.
Allow bonds to form organically.
After spending a few months befriending bloggers feel free to ask some friends about guest blogging opportunities. A few blogging friends will accept your offer.
3: Follow Guest Blogging Rules
Read guest blogging guidelines before submitting a guest post.
Follow regulations regarding:
- word count
- writing voice
- promotion policies
Bloggers tend to advise:
- a minimum and maximin word count
- a blogging voice per prior blog posts (not directly through rules but indirectly through their brand)
- a link promotion strategy; for example, one business link allowed in the author resource box
Follow guidelines to establish repeat guest blogging opportunities.
Help readers by giving them – and fellow bloggers – what they want.
4: Submit Your Best Work
Practice writing to become a skilled blogger.
Submit your best guest posting work via pitches to establish credibility on the guest blogging circuit.
Guest bloggers make the common mistake of saving their best work for their blogs. Submit your best work for other blogs to:
- expand your reach quickly
- gain authority
- build relationships with professional bloggers
Publish detailed content. Place a premium on quality. Re-read your guest post a few times to edit multiple drafts before submitting.
Do your best work to see optimal results from your guest blogging campaign.
Two of the most popular blog posts on Blogging From Paradise are highly-detailed, in-depth offerings published by seasoned pros who always do their best work whether blogging or guest blogging.
- How Do Bloggers Earn Affiliate Marketing Commissions?
- 5 Powerful Steps that Will Help You Build a Loyal Blogging Community
Donna Merrill and Moss Clement prove how submitting high quality guest posts benefits everyone from the:
- guest blogger submitting posts
- blogger accepting and publishing guest posts
- community reading and benefitting from guest posts
5: Find the Blogging Voice
Submit guest posts that fit the blogging voice.
Bloggers tend to write in different voices.
For example, some bloggers embody a playful, informal voice while others blog in a serious, formal tone.
Match the blog voice through your guest post to place posts effectively.
Read a few prior posts before submitting a guest post. Learn how the blogger writes. Spot the blog tone. Does the blogger write compassionately? Or does the blogger write with brutal honesty to shock readers out of their delusional stupor?
Mimic the voice but do so with your own style. Find the blogging voice but do not copy the blogger who runs the blog. Guest bloggers offer a different perspective, not robotic parroting.
Quepos, Costa Rica
Admittedly, honoring the blogging voice with your writing perspective takes time, practice and careful observation. Practice writing and reading blogs to submit guest posts effectively. Find the blogging voice but deliver guest posts in your style to avoid outright mimicking fellow bloggers.
6: Engage in Genuine Blogger Outreach
Promote bloggers:
- on your blog
- through Twitter
- through Facebook
- through LinkedIn
Comment genuinely on blogs from your niche.
Be generous. Help bloggers. Expect nothing in return. Get connected. Gain trust. Land guest post opportunities.
Following a blogger outreach campaign conditions blogging strangers to become blogging buddies.
Help bloggers without asking for anything in return. Earning their trust makes it easier to place guest posts on their blogs.
7: Be Patient
Landing guest posts takes time.
Be patient.
Blogging friends gradually accept and publish guest posts based on your:
- blogging skills
- in-depth blog content
- genuine outreach campaign
Don’t quit pitching friends if 10 blogging buddies do not respond to your guest post offers. Patiently reaching out with in-depth content eventually yields guest post placements on authority blogs.
8: Publish Detailed Blog Content
Publish in-depth, SEO-optimized blog posts.
Bloggers whom you pitch read your blog to vet your work.
Publishing detailed, long form blog posts convinces bloggers to publish your guest posts.
Think of each blog post as part of your blogging resume. Prospective clients, customers, loyal readers and bloggers you pitch judge you based on the quality of your posts.
Be thorough. Set aside 2-3 hours or more to publish:
- 1500 words
- detailed content
- in-depth content
- effectively formatted posts
- posts centered on long tail keywords from your blogging niche
Creating quality content is perhaps the quickest way to get guest posts accepted. Bloggers happily place guest posts submitted by highly skilled writers.
Video
Organic, high quality blog traffic is important.
Here’s why:
Why Organic Blog Traffic Is Important
9: Personalize Pitches
Personalize guest post pitches.
Address your blogging friends by name to show a deeper level of care for fellow bloggers.
Ubud, Bali
Personalizing pitches makes a powerful impact in a world of largely generic pitches. Chat with bloggers personally to stand out from pitchers who copy and past generic email templates.
Create a sense of intimacy. Personalize interactions. Bond deeply with blogging friends. Place guest posts by adding depth to your blogging friendships.
Conclusion
Pitching guest posts successfully is a skill.
Develop the skill through patient practice.
Establish relationships with bloggers. Publish detailed blog content to establish your reputation.
Slowly but surely, landing guest posts on respected blogs will seem easier because of your patient efforts.
