Some people write a plethora of blogs and send these out to those they hope to feature on. In my experience, I find a query email works best first. Send an email with some relevant ideas on the blogs you’d be able to write for their site and ask for their feedback.

Some sites have detailed guidelines and a list of topics, and so encourage you to send the completed work. In this instance, it’s even more important that you write exclusively for the site and create a post they will be proud to share.

You should also include your biography, and, if you are doing this just to get links to your company’s website, or to a client’s business, be honest! Guest blog sites understand the value of a backlink and they’re much more likely to allow one in a post if you’re upfront about your intentions rather than if you try and slip it in unnoticed. We’re all businesses after all!

Step 6

Make it Original

My life would be so easy if I could write one blog and send it to twenty different sites but my career would soon be over. Make sure you send only original content as to do otherwise is rude and will be frowned upon. You won’t only risk your own reputation you could risk the site’s Google ranking if they publish duplicate content unknowingly. Strangely enough, Huffington Post is one of the only blogs I write for that allow articles from other sources. They won’t allow a promotional backlink though so do be careful! Which leads me to..

Step 7

Make Sure the Blog is Advantageous

The sites we want to guest blog on usually have the upper hand throughout this process but we shouldn’t forget the reason we want to be featured. You need that link, whether it’s in a profile or the body of the post (the latter is better) and so you need to know if the site will accept that. Some won’t even entertain a link of any kind (which is odd as outbound links, placed well, can be beneficial too), while others will have rules, such as, “not above the fold.”

Brand mentions can now count towards your SEO efforts (this is actually debatable) and so if the site won’t accept a link don’t despair. You are still raising your reputation as an authority in your industry and you’re still building a portfolio of sites you’ve written for. On top of this, if the site is popular, you will also be reaching an entire audience you wouldn’t have been able to target if you didn’t feature.

Step 8

Share and Share Alike

Once the post is up it’s time to share. Why? The links on social media will help you in the long run while your host will be more willing to accommodate you if they see you sharing it with your network. Now you’ve begun to build your portfolio it’s time to tackle your wish list, remember, the scattergun approach never works, get personal and spend time getting to know the publication before you pitch. These relationships could last a lifetime and if you’re a marketer or a business, you’ll realise the incredible value in this.

The better your content becomes and the wider reach it has, the less you’ll need to pay PPC Agencies for creating paid ads!

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