Are you trying to build good backlinks for your website? Do you want more traffic for your local business's blog? You need to get guest blogging!
Guest blogging puts your website in front of more people. Even if you have an established audience, guest blogging can potentially double it. Think of what that can do for your local business!
Keep reading my Local Business Owner's Guide To Guest Blogging. You'll learn everything you need to know about guest blogging and how to get started.
What Is Guest Blogging?
Guest blogging is a great marketing technique that involves posting on another website under your name. This is a great way to collaborate with other businesses and promote your products or services to a whole new audience. And, they can help you rank higher.
How Does Guest Blogging Work?
In most cases, you have to apply to submit a guest post on a website. If you're accepted, you create a blog post as directed by their guidelines and send it back. Once it's approved, then it will be published on that website. If it isn't, it will be sent back for editing.
When you guest blog, it should be for a blog in the same niche or something related. For example, hotels and restaurants are different niches. However, they complement each other and fall under the same "hospitality" umbrella.
Why Should You Be Guest Posting On Local Blogs
Guest blogging is essential for all bloggers, websites, and even for you. Local business owners and entrepreneurs looking to grow their audience can benefit in multiple ways, the most important being:
Establishing Authority
Guest blogging on other local websites allows you to establish your expertise in your industry and community. This makes you look really good in the eyes of potential customers. It also helps you increase your domain authority. The backlinks from the high DA sites that you guest post on will improve your own rankings.
Better SEO
Backlinks are one of the most important SEO ranking factors, especially for local SEO. By guest posting on a local blog or website, you're creating localized backlinks for your website, which will improve your SEO efforts and get more organic traffic.
Building Relationships
By guest blogging, you're networking with other businesses. This helps you to create relationships and opportunities for further collaboration.
Growing Traffic
Guest blogging is your chance to borrow someone's readers to promote your local business. If you're posting on a site that gets a lot of views, a lot of them will want to learn more about your business after reading. This is also done through backlinks.
Do You Have To Have Your Own Blog To Guest Post?
No, you technically don't have to have your own blog to start guest posting on other blogs or websites. You do, at the very least, need a website, so you have something to link back to.
That being said, it is MUCH better, and it is truly recommended that you have a blog with a few posts before you start guest blogging. This is for two reasons:
A blog will lead readers coming from your guest post further down your sales funnel. Many sites won't approve of you posting on their blog without proof that you can actually write.
If you don't have a blog, but you do want to start guest posting, I highly suggest writing a sample post to send with your pitch just to demonstrate your writing abilities.
How Do You Find Local Websites In Your Industry That Accept Guest Posts?
There are several different ways to find local blogs and websites to guest post on. Before you search, I want to give you one piece of advice: Don't just write for any local blog or website. If some random offers you money to promote your business on their totally unrelated blog, say no.
I know that may sound crazy, but I'll tell you why it's not. Irrelevant blog links are not going to do your website any good. They're going to hurt your SEO. Google will spot the link, classify it as spam, and you'll just go to the bottom of the list.
Google Search
Google: "your niche/keyword" + "write for us" or "guest post." For example, if you're a photographer, you'd search for "photography" + "write for us."
You'll get a list of all the websites accepting guest posts for that keyword. Remember, this only applies to posts on high-domain websites. Then, send the website a pitch or apply through their process.
Cold Emailing Your Sources
What websites do you commonly refer to in your blog posts? List some of your sources, and send them your pitch. Tell them that you've referenced their website before and would like to write an article for them. Then, give them a few topic ideas.
Applying To Guest Blog Post On A High-Ranking Website
Once you've chosen which sites to guest blog on, you need to send them an email or go by their guest blogging application process. There are two types of application processes.
Some websites will ask you for the guest post upfront. Others will ask you to pitch an idea and they’ll approve it.
How To Write A Pitch That Gets You Approved For A Guest Post:
When you apply to a guest blog on a website, you'll have to pitch yourself and your idea. Your pitch will either be approved or denied. So, how do you get your pitch approved?
Well, you're going to have to make them an offer they can't refuse.
Seriously. Make your pitch so juicy that they have no choice but to approve it. Remember that your pitch needs to be relevant to both websites.
Your pitch needs to snag that reader's attention and persuade them to approve your guest blog. You need to state how your business or blog is relevant. You'll also need to present your ideas and demonstrate that you can write to their standards. And you have to do all of this in a really concise way.
Here's how you do it.
Start by stating your name, your business name, and what you do. Mention that you would like to contribute to their blog. Then, talk about how your business and theirs correlate.
Suggest a few ideas for blog posts that you'd like to write for them. Make sure that these ideas are unique and haven't been covered already. Or if they have, present the topic with a new perspective. Make sure that these topics are irresistible and thought-provoking.
Then, ensure that you're up to the task by listing your blog or a previous guest post in your name. If you don't have anything, create a sample blog post to send with your pitch. Finally, close off with your contact information.
Guest Blogging Pitch Template:
Here's a tried-and-true template that you can use for your guest blogging pitch.
Hi there! My name is . I'm a big fan of [Blog/Website].
I'm writing because I'd be thrilled to be able to contribute a guest post to your blog on behalf of my business . I believe that this would be a great collaboration because .
I've been brainstorming, and I've thought of some amazing blog posts that I could write for [blog].
1.
2.
3.
You can rest assured that all of my writing is 100% authentic, interesting for readers, and packed full of information that readers haven't heard a million times before.
I'm sure that once you've seen my work, you'll agree that this collaboration could be great! I'm looking forward to hearing back from you soon.
[Your name]
Pro Tips For Writing An Irresistible Guest Blog Post
Unfortunately, I can't give you a template for your guest blog post. But I can give you some tips that will help you make your guest post worthy of all the traffic you are going to gain from it.
Keep It Interesting:
Don't just make the title enticing. The WHOLE post has to be interesting. I know it sounds bad, but you have to write BETTER than you would on your own blog. Use lots of copywriting power words in your content to increase interest throughout the whole thing. Also, pack it full of details and new information.
Stick To The Guidelines
Every website has its own writing style and format. When you guest post, you need to fit that. Nail their guidelines and writing styles to the letter. And make sure that you reflect on what you've pitched. If you've promised an article on Montessori Lesson Plan Ideas, don't write about Montessori philosophy.
Optimize for SEO
Optimize your guest post for the keyword you've chosen, localized or not. If you haven't been given a keyword, research to find a good one. Remember high relevance and traffic and low competition.
Link Back To Your Website
Don't forget to link the guest post back to your own blog. You should also create an author bio that can be published with your post. Your bio should include your name, your expertise, and a bit about your business, if applicable.
Not A Writer? Not A Problem!
Hey, if you just suck at writing, there's no shame in that. But, what it does mean is that if you want to guest post, then you're going to need to find someone who CAN write on behalf of you and your business.
Hiring a content writer is your best bet to success with guest blogging. After all, why not leave it to the professionals? You wouldn't go doing your own electrical work, would you?
If you need help with your guest posting strategy or content writing, contact me. Let's chat about where your strategy is and how I can help you.
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