4 SIMPLE STEPS TO WRITE THE PERFECT GUEST POST PITCH

If you are in the business of guest posting and content marketing, have you ever received an email essentially saying “Hey, post my content on your site”? Did you say yes?

Most people are more likely to agree to a partnership and guest post exchange if the pitch includes information about the benefit of the partnership and what it will look like. Because of that, writing a guest post pitch is not as easy as asking to write content for someone and telling them what you plan on writing. You need an inviting but not spammy subject line, friendly tone, informative content, and a personalized pitch. Similarly to hosting a guest blogger, there are rules and expectations.

Below, we have outlined how to write a compelling guest post pitch in 4 steps. But before we get there, let’s talk about why you should be sending guest post exchange pitches.

BENEFITS OF GUEST POSTING

The main reason people do guest post exchanges is to get backlinks, but there are other reasons you may want to have your article posted on another site.

For starters, it boosts your visibility because it exposes your article to a new audience and sends traffic back to your site. Secondly, guest posting helps raise your domain authority and credibility because it shows search engines that other websites trust you. A backlink serves as a boost of confidence. Lastly, guest posting helps build relationships and partnerships with other people in your industry.

HOW TO WRITE A GUEST POST PITCH

In order to send out your well-written article, you need to introduce yourself, your article, and the benefits of the partnership. Here are the steps to help write the best pitch possible.

STEP 1. RESEARCH YOUR PROSPECT

Before you reach out, make sure you are contacting the right person! Contacting the wrong person may lead to your email getting forgotten.

On top of making sure you know who to contact, you need to be familiar with their blog. To do so, read a few articles, search through to see what they write about, and make sure they have some guest posts so that you know guest posting is a possibility. When reviewing their blogs, think about what content you can offer that would complement their existing content. This will come in handy for step 2.

STEP 2. CHOOSE TOPICS TO WRITE ABOUT

Pitching the right articles is very important. In order to pitch good topics, think about what content they already have on their site, what their audience might be interested in, and what you know well. Don’t offer to write about something you don’t feel confident in just because it will look nice on their site. Make sure the content you pitch has not already been covered on their blog.

When sending your pitch, you will want to include titles for the content you can write. The titles should be intriguing and informative. When your prospect reads the titles, they should feel interested to read the article, excited about the topic, and understand what the blog will be about.

STEP 3. IDENTIFY THE PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS

Before sending your guest post pitch, you need to know the benefits. Not just how the partnership will help you, but how it will help your partner as well. The exchange needs to be a good fit. Ask yourself, will the exchange help my partners SEO, broaden their audience base, diversify their blog content? And how will their work help you?

STEP 4. WRITE YOUR EMAIL

Now that your research is done and you know who you are speaking to, what articles you can offer them, and the value of the potential partnership, it’s time to compose your email! Your pitch email should include the following:

SUBJECT LINE

The subject line serves as your first impression. It needs to entice the person you are pitching to click, but should not be too complicated. Keep it professional, simple, but also try and add some personality.

INTRODUCTION

The introduction is the bulk of your email. The first part should introduce yourself and let them know you would like to partner for a guest post exchange. Tell them we can post your article on our site and include a link.

After that, it’s time to sell your offer by telling them where you found out about them. Maybe you are a long-time reader or saw one post and fell in love. If it makes sense, mention the article you found them through and then go on to why you reached out. Tell them why you want to partner with them and how it will be mutually beneficial. This is where you can draw on your research and ideas from step three.

POTENTIAL ARTICLE TITLES

Now it’s time to tell them what you can write about. Make sure to properly capitalize your titles and make them attention-grabbing. You can also include a short article outline if needed and even links to blogs you have written before.

THANK YOU AND GOODBYE

For your thank you and goodbye, let them know that you look forward to this potential partnership and emphasize the fact that you want this to benefit both of you, that is the purpose of the partnership. If you feel it will not be mutually beneficial, then it’s probably the right partner. Keep in mind that as the dialogue progresses, you will be talking about guidelines and getting into the specifics of the exchange, so end on a friendly note that shows your excitement for the future.

BEST PRACTICES

• Be honest. Just like anything in business, do not promise things you cannot deliver.
• Build the relationship. If you want to go above and beyond, before you reach out, share one of their articles on social media or sign up for their newsletter.
• Stick to your values. Guest posting, especially in the digital marketing industry, can be competitive, and sometimes people forget that guest post exchanges are built on relationships. If you are just doing it for a backlink, not because you think you could benefit your partner, don’t reach out.
• Show your previous work. Let the partner get a sense of your style and the quality of your writing.
• Edit, edit, edit. When proposing to write for someone, you need to show them you know how to write! If your email is plagued with grammar and spelling mistakes, your chances of finding a partner are slim.

TAKEAWAYS

Writing a guest post pitch is not as easy as writing a quick email to a colleague. Before you compose your email, you need to research your potential partner and their business, topics to write about ,and understand the effects and benefits of the partnership.

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