Hey there! Guest posting is all the rage these days in content marketing. Simply put, guest posting (or guest blogging) is when you create and publish articles and blog posts on other websites as a contributor. It’s a great way to tap into an existing audience and promote your own brand.
Many blogs and websites are eager for high-quality guest posts because it provides fresh content for their readers. In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about guest blogging successfully in 2023.
I’ll share tips on finding opportunities, getting accepted, writing great posts, promotion strategies, and avoiding pitfalls. I’ve also included a table of 50+ top sites accepting guest contributors along with their links.
Let’s get started!
Benefits of Guest Blogging
There are so many advantages to guest posting as part of your content marketing strategy:
- Build credibility by sharing your expertise with established sites in your niche. Guest posts act as social proof of your knowledge.
- Score high-quality backlinks that can improve your website’s SEO and drive more organic traffic.
- Access new readers by leveraging the host site’s existing audience. Tap into their email list and social followers.
- Make valuable connections with influencers, partners, and affiliates in your industry.
- Boost overall SEO through backlinks, promotion, and optimized content.
- Drive new visitors to your site by including links back to your content in guest posts.
- Position yourself as an authority by writing for respected industry publications.
- It’s cost effective as most guest posting is free other than some paid opportunities.
As you can see, guest blogging offers so many perks! Let’s look at where you can find opportunities.
Finding Guest Posting Opportunities
Here are some of my favorite places to find great guest posting opportunities:
- Your dream list of target blogs and publications to write for in your niche. Start by identifying ones with audiences that align with your brand.
- Influencer blogs – see if thought leaders and celebrities in your space accept contributions.
- Content marketplaces like Contently, Skyword, or NewsCred where you can apply for paid gigs.
- Facebook Groups for your niche where site owners promote their blogs.
- Follow major sites and influencers in your industry on LinkedIn. Watch for guest submission opportunities.
- Use Google searches and the “inurl” operator to uncover recent guest post offers.
- Check ProBlogger’s job board for both paid and unpaid guest posting gigs.
- Join Blogging Facebook Groups where members share leads, like Create and Go or Blogsy.
- Pitch guest post ideas directly to site owners through a blog’s contact form or email.
Spend time cultivating a list of publications and contacts you can reach out to when you want to guest post. Note submission guidelines, topics, and any pay rates.
Getting Accepted as a Guest Contributor
Nailing the process for getting your guest post accepted takes a bit of strategy:
- Carefully review the submission guidelines so you can follow them perfectly.
- Read several articles on the site to mirror their style, tone, and brand voice in your post.
- Brainstorm captivating ideas that provide value and align with topics the publication covers.
- Write an awesome guest post their audience will love while limiting self-promotion.
- Format your post and bio according to their specifications.
- Pitch your contribution to the editor in a compelling email summary.
- Politely follow up if you don’t hear back after 1-2 weeks.
- Be open to editor feedback requesting revisions before approval.
- Promote your piece once it goes live to maximize reach.
- Thank the site and discuss future guest post opportunities.
Deliver top-notch value through your writing and editors will gladly work with you again and again.
Writing Engaging and Effective Guest Posts
Writing compelling guest posts that appeal to editors takes skill. Here are some tips:
- Provide useful takeaways, insights, or advice readers will appreciate. Help or entertain them!
- Know the audience inside out and cater content specifically to them.
- Structure your post in a logical flow with good organization and headings.
- Limit self-promotion to just 1-2 natural mentions of your expertise or products.
- Include stats, expert opinions, real world examples and case studies to make your post more credible.
- Use a conversational tone and “you” language for easy reading.
- Add engaging elements like stories, humor, questions, analogies, images, etc.
- Cut any unnecessary fluff. Make every word count.
- Check spelling and grammar thoroughly before submitting.
- Format your article in the publication’s preferred style and font.
These best practices will ensure your posts appeal to editors and align seamlessly with their brand.
Promoting Your Guest Posts
Get the most mileage from your guest post by promoting it:
- Share on your social media channels, website, and email lists. Ask your audience to check it out.
- Promote on the publication’s social channels and interact with any online discussions.
- Leverage your professional network by asking colleagues and influencers to share your piece.
- Monitor and engage with any comments on the post. Keep the conversation going.
- Link to it from your other content like newsletters and articles.
- Repurpose it into a podcast, presentation slides, or video.
- Consider a small paid promotion through social media or email if it’s a really important post.
- Update your professional profiles and bios to include a link to your published article.
- Track analytics to see how much traffic and social engagement it drives. Report back on the results.
Smart promotion will give your guest post maximum exposure and authority which can lead to more contributor opportunities.
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Guest Posting Best Practices and Ethics
While guest blogging has many advantages, there are a few practices to avoid:
- Don’t cram posts with too many backlinks or keywords. It looks spammy.
- Always write fresh, original content for each publication. Never copy existing posts.
- Provide true value vs. overly self-promotional content. Give more than you get.
- Be transparent by using your real name, credentials, and contact info in your bio.
- Respect the publication’s editorial guidelines and timelines.
- Express gratitude publicly on social media when your post goes live. Tag them!
- Don’t pay or swap links just for guest post placements, as this violates Google’s rules.
- Respond helpfully if contacted with questions about your article.
By sticking to ethical tactics, we keep guest blogging a win-win strategy between reputable writers and publications long-term.
Top Sites that Accept Guest Posts
Ready to start guest posting? Here is a list of 50+ amazing sites that accept and appreciate high-quality guest contributions:
50+ Top Guest Posting Sites List
As you can see, top publications in every niche want expert writers. Take time to research the options and pitch those whose audience and topics most closely match your niche or expertise.
Let’s Guest Post!
Alright, you’re ready to start landing bylines on top industry sites! Remember to be patient and persistent as guest blogging takes consistency over time to build relationships and authority. But it’s worth it for the backlinks, referral traffic, and new readers you’ll gain.
Start researching target blogs and publications you’d like to write for. Brainstorm valuable post ideas to pitch. Before you know it, you’ll see your guest posts grow your brand’s reach and establish your reputation as a thought leader!
Promoting Your Guest Posts
To maximize the impact of your guest posts, be sure to promote them through various channels:
- Share the post on your own social media channels, as well as the publication’s channels. Ask your followers and the publication’s followers to check out the article.
- Send the article out in your email newsletter, or even a dedicated email just about your guest post. Ask your email subscribers to share and help promote your guest post.
- See if the publication will share some snippets or quotes from your guest post on their social media. Or ask them to link to your author bio.
- Connect the guest post to your website and other content. Link to it from your blog, other articles, email signature, etc.
- Repurpose the post into other formats like a podcast, video, or slide presentation. Get more mileage from your hard work!
- Mention the guest post on related forum and groups for your target audience. Direct interested readers back to the post.
- Outreach to co-marketing partners, brand ambassadors, influencers to request they share your new guest post with their audiences.
- Monitor comments on the post even after the initial promotion, and keep engaging with readers and answering questions.
- Track results and report performance back to the editor – highlight impressive metrics like pageviews, shares, etc.
- Thank the editor and publication team on social media and when interacting with them. Express appreciation for the opportunity.
With persistence and creativity, you can extend the reach of a guest post well beyond just the publication’s own audience. A thoughtful promotion strategy is key to guest blogging success!
Optimizing Guest Posts for SEO
As an added tip, be sure to optimize your guest posts for search engine visibility:
- Include target keywords in your article title and headings (but don’t overdo it).
- Work keywords naturally into post content in a conversational way.
- Include relevant internal links back to the publication’s content as well as links to authority external sources.
- Add alt text descriptions to any images and videos included in your guest post.
- Incorporate related LSI keywords and semantic synonyms throughout your article.
- Get strategic with anchor text links directing readers back to your own website or specific pages.
- Properly interlink sections within your post to enhance on-site SEO for the publication.
- Suggest meta descriptions and titles with keywords to editors for social shares and search snippets.
- Leverage keywords in your author bio and any calls-to-action within the article.
- Format guest posts properly with text formatting, headers, bullet points, and easy scanning.
Optimizing guest posts for SEO will help them rank well and be found by searchers long after initial promotion. The host site will appreciate this added value too!
Guest Posting with Impact
At the end of the day, focus on providing genuine value through your guest posts above all else:
- Take time to research the publication’s niche, audience, and past articles before pitching and writing.
- Ensure your topic and angle is a good fit that adds something new and useful for readers.
- Craft posts to be truly engaging, helpful, entertaining or educational – not just self-promotional.
- Express gratitude to editors for their time and feedback. Meet all deadlines and guidelines.
- Promote guest posts ethically without spam tactics or link schemes.
- Follow up with editors about repurposing content or contributing again in the future.
- Share guest posts sincerely with your audience as part of the relationship-building process.
The impact of a guest post comes down to the quality of information you provide to someone else’s audience. When your posts deliver consistent value, you become a trusted voice. That builds brand awareness and authority that can’t be bought through artificial or shortcut means.
So be patient!