One really good way to get targeted traffic to your site is via guest blogging. The reason this works so well is because having your content on an influential site is akin to getting an endorsement from the site owner. As such, any traffic that clicks through tends to be warm and open to your offers.
So, with that in mind, check out these 17 tips for getting your content on the best blogs in your niche (and making the most of each guest-blogging opportunity)…
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1. How to Find Guest Blogging Opportunities
The first thing you need to do is scour the web looking for blogs in your niche that accept guest content. You can do this by searching for your niche keywords (such as “weight loss”) alongside the following types of words:
For example: “golfing guest articles” (without the quotes).
2. What to Look for in a Guest Blogging Opportunity
The above search is likely to return plenty of guest-blogging opportunities, but not all these blogs are created equally. Do your due diligence by taking the following steps:
- Check that the blog has high-quality content. Would you be proud to have your content appear on this blog?
- See if the blog has active visitors. Do real people comment on the blog and share the content on social media?
- Check that the blog isn’t inundated with advertising. You want to publish on blogs that focus primarily on good content with a minimal number of tasteful ads.
- See if the blog is updated. Does the owner post frequently? Is the web design current and professional?
- Research the blog and owner. A quick Google search will uncover any potential red flags with the blog, such as an owner with a lot of customer service complaints.
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3. Take These Two Steps Before You Submit a Single Guest Post
Once you find a good guest-posting opportunity, then take these two steps:
Step 1: Read the Submission Guidelines
Read them carefully, as some busy blog owners will insert obscure instructions into the guidelines just as a way to weed out guest authors who can’t be bothered to read the guidelines.
Step 2: Review the Archives
If you want to get a sense of what type of content the blog owner likes, then check what sort of content they post on a fairly regular basis. For example, if you see plenty of “Top Ten Tips” list articles, then you may consider submitting a fresh article using this preferred format.
4. How to Become a Repeat Guest Author
Your goal isn’t to land a guest author spot ONCE. Instead, your goal is to be able to publish multiple articles on the very best blogs in your niche. To that end, be sure that you create content that provides a lot of value to the host site and its readers. This means providing a unique article with a fresh viewpoint that solves a problem.
5. 3 Ways to Create Unique Content
When you guest post, you’re probably writing about many of the same topics that everyone else is writing about. So, how do you make your content unique? Here are three ways:
- Create a case study. Even though others may do case studies, no two case studies are alike. You can create an article around a case study, or you can include information about a case study as part of a bigger article.
- Share personal stories, examples, and tips. Not only does this build rapport with the reader, it also makes your content unique.
- Develop a fresh perspective. For example, instead of sharing how to create a sales letter, instead you might compare a sales letter to a love letter. This is a fresh take on an old topic.
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6. 2 Tips for Create Titles That Get Clicks
The titles of your articles can make or break the success of your guest article. To get more clicks, follow these tips:
Create Benefit-Driven Titles
What will readers get if they read the article? Your title should answer that question.
E.G., “How to Housetrain a Puppy in 48 Hours or Less”
Arouse Curiosity (Whenever Possible)
Use your title to create curiosity, and people will have to click on it (and start reading the article) in order to satisfy their curiosity.
E.G., “The #1 Trick for Doubling Conversions (It’s Not What You Think)”
7. 5 Titling Templates You Can Swipe and Use Today
It’s a good idea to start creating a swipe file of titles from around the web. Then you can use them as inspiration for creating your own titles. Here are five templates to get you started:
How to [Get a Benefit] in [Short Amount of Time]
The Surprising Way to [Get a Benefit]
What [Type of Person] Doesn’t Want You to Know About [Some Topic]
The Top 10 Secrets of [Getting a Desired Result]
How to [Get a Benefit] Even If [You Don’t Possess Some Desirable Characteristic]
8. How to Create Content That Readers Really Love
You need to first impress the blog owner and then the reader in order to get good results with guest blogging. You can do this by creating engaging content. Check out these tips…
Write Using a Conversational Tone
Avoid stuffy textbook writing, and instead write as if you’re writing to a good friend using an easy, conversational tone. This guide is an example of how to write with that sort of light tone. J
Tell Stories
A good story builds rapport with the reader, draws them in emotionally, and makes your content more memorable. For example, if you’re writing about weight loss, share a story about how you struggled to lose weight for years (along with a tutorial of what you finally did to start losing weight).
Format for Skimmers
While we want everyone to read every single word of our article, it doesn’t always work that way. That’s why you’ll want to format your article for people who skim it. This sort of formatting gives skimmers the highlights, while also working to draw them back in. Here are three formatting tips:
- Use bulleted lists instead of long paragraphs. This list you’re reading right now is an example. J
- Insert benefit-driven subheadlines. Imagine a reader just read the subheadlines – would they get a good idea of what the article is about?
- Highlight important text. You can use bolding, italics, underlining, different font colors, image captions and similar elements to showcase the most important parts of your article. Just don’t overuse this tactic, as if you highlight everything, then nothing will seem important (and your article will look like a mess).
Again, look at this guide you’re reading now to see examples of how it’s formatted for skimmers and highlights the important parts.
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9. The #1 Key to Creating an Effective Byline
A byline (AKA “author’s bio”) sounds like it should be about you, the author. However, if you want an effective byline, then you need to create a byline that’s about your prospect. In other words, it should be more like a mini-ad with a call to action.
E.G., “Now you too can lose the weight and keep it off for good. Click here to watch a free video that shows you how…”
10. The Secret to Getting Better Results With Clickthroughs
When someone clicks through to your landing page, you want them to take some specific action, such as joining your list. Here’s the secret to getting a better response: personalize the landing page.
This means two things:
- Greet the blog visitors. For example, “An Exclusive Offer for John Doe’s Readers…”
- Offer something highly related to what the visitor just read. You can offer “Part 2” of your guest blog article, or you can offer related content in a different format. For example, if you just shared golf drive information in an article, then you might offer a video that demonstrates the tips from the article.
Here’s the next idea…
11. A Simple Way to Add Value to Your Post
Both readers and blog owners tend to love high-quality content. And one good way to add value to your content is by insert relevant graphics.
For example, you can insert:
- Photos
- Illustrations
- Infographics
- Screenshots
- Memes
- Comics
- Charts/Tables
- Mind maps
For example, if you’re writing about how to create a PayPal payment button, then you’d include screenshots of each steps of the process.
12. Get Better Results With This Tip
Getting your guest article content published on a busy blog is an awesome way to get traffic. Here’s how to take it to the next level: create high-quality, emotionally driven shareworthy content that’s bound to go viral.
For example, if you’re writing for a runner’s blog, then share a really inspirational story of how a woman didn’t start running until 40, when she used running as a way to cope with her mother’s death.
13. How to Get on the Best Blogs
The very best guest-blogging opportunities in your niche get a LOT of article submissions in any given week. Obviously, you need to create really high-quality, fresh content to get published on these sites.
Now here’s another tip: develop relationships with the blog owners BEFORE you ever submit anything. For example, spend time commenting thoughtfully on their content and share it on social media. The blog owner will come to recognize your name (and they’ll have a positive association with your name), which makes it easier to get accepted as an author when you later submit guest content.
14. Return the Favor
When a blog owner publishes your content, return the favor by promoting this piece on your own platforms. In other words, send your followers, subscribers and blog readers to the guest blog to read your article. The blog owners will appreciate this, and they’ll remember it the next time you submit content.
TIP: When someone publishes your content, send a thank you note. When someone rejects your content, thank them for their time. These niceties all go towards developing a good relationship with blog owners, which in turn will help you get more content published.
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15. Expand Your Reach
Here’s a simple way to get more mileage out of every piece you publish: optimize the content for the search engines.
You do this by finding out what words your audience is searching for in your niche, and then using these words in your blog title and within the content. Be sure these words appear naturally – don’t “stuff” them in, or the blog editor and Google will both reject you.
Bottom line: write for readers first, but sprinkle in keywords when you can do so naturally.
16. Test and Track Your Results
Be sure to keep track of your guest blogging campaigns so that you can determine which blogs get you the most clicks and warmest traffic. Once you know which blogs return the best results, then you can focus on getting more content published on these blogs. (See the Optimization Guide for more information on this topic.)
17. Don’t Limit Yourself
While we’ve focused on getting your content published on blogs that solicit guest authors, don’t limit yourself to these blogs. You can also approach blog owners who don’t solicit content and propose a joint venture where you provide free content for their blog. Alternatively, you can offer to swap content, where you each write an article for the other person’s blog. See the Joint Venture Guide in this series for more information on how to find and recruit joint venture partners.
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Conclusion
Guest blogging tends to produce high quality traffic, as being published on a high-quality blog is like getting an endorsement from the blog owner. That’s why you’ll want to create your guest-blogging strategy as soon as possible, being sure to put the above tips and strategies to work for you!
Keep Reading: 17 Tips, Tricks And Ideas For Leveraging Other People’s Traffic
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