Let’s face it. It’s no longer possible to hit the first results page on Google just by putting together hastily some random content with 1.000 words.
Do you know what’s ranking this year? Long-form media-rich posts with high-quality backlinks from high-authority websites.
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to build your credibility thanks to the audience and domain authority of well-established and trusted websites that will host your posts.
This strategy allows you to gain exposure to a much broader audience and also improve and build up your profile.
Top Benefits of Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is the process of writing content for another website. Ideally, you should aim for websites with high domain authority and offer to write content for them.
In return, you should be able to increase not only backlinks to your website, but also referral traffic.
Here are the top benefits of guest blogging and reasons why you should definitely consider guest blogging as a viable strategy to improve your overall credibility.
1. Relationships
Creating and maintaining a healthy relationships with other bloggers in your niche is the most important aspect of guest blogging.
Make amazing content, be responsible and valuable, keep your promises and deliver on time.
This will make you a prospective partner and increase your opportunities to publish posts on others’ websites.
2. Traffic
Try to find website with high traffic and ask the owner to guest blog there.
With high traffic chances are that readers of your post would like to read more from you.
Add a bio section below your guest post with link to your website to direct readers to your content.
3. Backlinks
When you link from one website to a specific page on another website, you create a backlink also known as inbound, incoming or one way link.
Backlinks work as votes that tells search engines that you content is useful.
More backlinks you have, the better your website will rank in search engines.
When you write a post for other websites, always include a link to the page on your own website that will work as a backlink.
4. Domain Authority
Domain Authority (DA) is a ranking score developed by Moz and it predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine result pages.
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to increase DA of your website.
While posting content to other blogs with high DA, include a link to your website.
This will help you increase your DA and traffic.
How to Pitch Your Content to Sites with High Domain Authority
Now that you know the main benefits of guest blogging, let’s take a look at how to promote yourself and win an opportunity to write content for websites with high domain authority.
As Adam Enfroy points out, there are four main criteria for the perfect topic pitch:
- Offer content that does not exist yet on the host’s site. To scan whether your guest post idea already exists on their website, just go to Google and search for “site:sitename.com topic”.
- Offer topic that has SEO value. Learn which organic keywords are driving the most traffic and search for gaps in the content that you can fill with your guest post. The best way is to use Ahrefs analysis.
- Offer topic that matches your expertise. Always write about things you understand so you can bring value to readers. Guest blogging will help you build more influence in the niche of your expertise.
- Offer topic that matches the interests of your host’s audience. Before you reach out, read a few posts on your host’s website to better understand what kind of topics and titles might be interesting for his audience.
Email Outreach Template
https://blog.lemlist.com/guest-post-outreach-templates/
Email outreach plays one of the most important roles in your guest blogging strategy.
There are plenty of cold email strategies, but these are the best tips with an 80% open rate and 50% response rate recommended by Adam Enfroy:
- keep your email short
- provide value right away
- showcase your previous work
Guest Post Template #1
This guest post template featured on Lemlist.com is based on the initial email and one follow-up email:
Subject line: Editorial Inquiry
Hi {{First name}},
I’m a huge fan of your content! To prove it, here’s the image:
Anyway, to keep this short. Could you please let me know if this is a right address for an editorial inquiry?
If not, I would appreciate if you can direct me to the right one.
Thanks,
Jan
This template is strong, original and catchy. Personalized image is the most important part as it builds a stronger bond and engagement.
But if you get no answer, here’s the follow-up email template that should help:
Subject line: Editorial Inquiry
Hi {{First name}},
I’m not sure if you got my last email, but I’ll get back to the point.
As I mentioned, I’m a huge fan of your work and I especially enjoyed your post about {{Article Topic}} and the way you {{Article Benefits}}.
I was wondering – do you accept guest blog posts?
My name is Jan from smartproftischool.com and I’d like to write a comprehensive tutorial for your readers about {{Desired Topic}}.
If that’s not something you’re interested in, here are three other topics I have on my mind:
– {{Topic 1}}
– {{Topic 2}}
– {{Topic 3}}
If you want to check the quality of my content, read my latest post here {{URL of your blog post}}.
I’m looking forward to our collaboration.
Jan
This email outreach might sound too informal and personalized, but Alan, the author of the original email, got these results with similar outreach template:
- 69% open rate
- 51% reply rate
- 35 opportunities created
That’s quite impressive!
Guest Post Template #2
Here’s another template that starts with a positive attitude and subtly points out the crucial topics your prospect is missing on his website.
This way you will create an opportunity he won’t be able to resist.
Subject line: The Missing Piece of Puzzle
Hi {{First name}},
I’m a regular read of your blog. I must admit that you have a great content, especially {{something unique or worth mentioning}}. However, I believe I could bring some extra value to your readers since I saw that you’re missing a detailed tutorial about {{Topic You Want to Write About}}.
If you’re interested, let me know and I will write a comprehensive, in-depth and highly-actionable tutorial for your website.
I’m sure it will be a huge value addition for your readers.
Let me know if you’re interested and I will start working on outline right away!
Thanks in advance.
Jan
Guest Post Template #3
Now, this guest post template is quite silly in my opinion, but that’s exactly why it has on average:
- 82% open rate
- 45% reply rate
- 35% conversion rate (it builds 70 backlinks from 200 prospects)
Subject line: Super Quick Question
Hi {{First name}},
you don’t know me because we’ve never met (yet).
My name is Jan and I’m running multiple websites including Smart Profit School.
You probably know by know where it leads – yes, I want to ask for a guest blog post opportunity, but with a little twist to make it more interesting for you 🙂
Here’s the three posts with an in-depth, comprehensive and insanely actionable content I have on mind for your blog:
– {{Topic 1}}
– {{Topic 2}}
– {{Topic 3}}
In return, here’s what I’m willing to give you – choose only one of these 🙂
– a backlink from some of our other guest posts
– mention in our newsletter
– my eternal gratitude
Hope we will talk soon!
Jan
There you have it. Writing cold emails for guest post outreach does not have to be hard or boring.
Here’s what your emails need to be:
- Personalized. Always learn about your prospect and write about his specific blog.
- Relevant. Stay up to date. Don’t reuse old and irrelevant content.
- Engaging. Don’t be boring. Write the copy you would like to read yourself!
- Funny. We all like to smile. Try to come up with something funny.
- Catchy. You don’t have much time. Deliver the gist of your message in the first sentence so the prospect want to read the whole email.
