If you are writing guest posts for other websites as a way to build backlinks to your site, you are doing it wrong. It is true that you can use guest posting to earn backlinks, but that is far from being the only goal you can achieve by guest posting.
Guest posting is a powerful PR instrument and a great way to build credibility for your brand and yourself as the writer. By working with site owners – in a genuine way – you can also deliver value and connect with a wider audience.
All it takes is the right approach. Guest posting is still a powerful digital marketing instrument in 2019, and here are the best ways to utilize this instrument to your advantage.
Invest in the Relationship
Before you can start writing guest posts for other websites, you need to first establish a good relationship with those sites and the people behind them. This is the best time to invest in building genuine, personal relationships.
You don’t have to contact site owners yourself; trying to build a relationship with site owner is something that can be achieved with the help of digital marketing agencies. That said, you still need to be more involved in the process.
The next time you find a website you really love whilst searching for information, leave a comment to show appreciation. Stay true and authentic by responding to comments and maintaining the relationship after your guest posts have been published; these are small things that count.
Sharpen Your Byline
The byline – that part where the website that publishes your guest posts explains who you are – needs to be at its best for the guest post to be effective. You can stick to three rules to make the most out of the opportunity.
First, make sure the byline is NOT a sales pitch. You want readers to know you and your brand, not a specific product. Focusing on the former two actually creates a more lasting effect from the readers’ perspective.
Next, you want to be inviting without using a direct call to action. Remember that the byline comes from the site and not from you directly. Get people to interact with you both on the site and off it. This goes in line with replying to comments too.
Lastly, use a bio page or your social media profile as a landing page. When you combine these tips, you will have a byline that drives user engagement.
[Author Name] is the CEO of [Company Name] and a digital marketing enthusiast by heart. When he’s not immersed in helping customers [Goals Customers Can Achieve with Your Product] with [Product Name], he can be found on Twitter and LinkedIn, answering questions about [your business]. Say hi to him on social media or his Website.
Work on Bringing Real Value
The goal of guest posting is not to sell products or services. Sure, you can add relevant and contextual information about your products or services as a part of the article. However, a post that is entirely centered around you, your brand, or your products and services is not one that site owners and, more importantly, the users will appreciate.
You can elevate the benefits of guest posting and earn more in return by working towards delivering real value to the readers. You want readers to walk away feeling very happy with the information they just absorbed and knowing exactly what to do to make good use of that information.
In an indirect way, you are making the site owner happy too. When readers are happy with the content they consume, they are more likely to engage with that content, which means the site owner benefits from the relationship you build with the audience too.
Promote Your Content
Guest posting is a two-way street. You are posting your content on another website to expand your reach. Why not expand the reach of the site by promoting the contents you post in return?
Thanks to social media, directing attention to guest posts on other websites is easier than ever. Sharing the URL to your new article on Twitter or Facebook will bring traffic to the page almost immediately. You are introducing your followers – long-time readers – to the latest ideas you share.
Promoting the content is also an effective way to amplify the impact writing guest posts has on your (and your brand’s) credibility. That brings us straight to our next tip:
Write to Represent Who You Are
The guest posts you write will be used to measure your credibility as an expert in a particular field. The more you share about influencer marketing, for instance, the more you will be seen as someone with plenty of experience in the field.
Naturally, quantity alone is not enough. For each guest post to have a positive impact on your credibility, you have to make sure that the post is written in a good way.
The post needs to be compelling. No, it needs to be more than that. It needs to be captivating. It also needs to be recognizable; you have to write in a way that allows the audience to recognize that it is your article after reading some of your past work.
Site owners and editors love this too. The success of your guest posting efforts depends on the quality of your posts. The best topic with ideas that suit the target audience perfectly doesn’t always translate to a great article if you don’t pay attention to the quality and style of your writing.
Evaluate and Learn
Yes, guest posting is still a prominent digital marketing instrument to use in 2019. The fact that it is a fantastic PR tool – a way to establish authority in a subject or an industry – makes it even better. What you also must not forget is how the impact of guest posting can be tracked, evaluated, and improved.
Just like other digital marketing campaigns, there are ways to measure the success of your guest posts. You can learn more about the audience and be more proactive about making the necessary improvement to future posts.
It is now easier to find more websites to work with and capture the attention of an even wider audience segment. The whole process of building and investing in relationships with credible websites and working on perfecting your contents] turns it into an impactful cycle.