Effective Guest Post Outreach Made Easy [+ Free Email Templates]

Guest posting is the act of writing content for another company's website. Ideally, a guest post is written for a company in a similar industry, which helps businesses increase visibility, expand their territory, and achieve vital goals.

When done correctly, guest posts offer a host of benefits for businesses. Companies can bring traffic to their websites, boost domain authority, and increase brand credibility and awareness. Additionally, it enables businesses to share their expertise on another company's website, which makes it easier to tap into new markets and increase conversions.

How Does Guest Posting Relate to SEO?

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is a vital aspect of business success. When businesses create an effective SEO strategy, it becomes easier to meet a variety of business goals.

But improving off-page SEO will rely on a variety of tactics, and guest posts are one tactic that businesses should be prioritizing if they want to succeed in their off-page strategy.

Guest posts allow businesses to build relationships, increase exposure, establish authority, and help companies build quality backlinks. These links are especially useful since backlinks are a primary factor that Google uses to determine a website's relevancy and authority. Websites with high authority are trustworthy, high-quality, and relevant.

By prioritizing SEO efforts, businesses can also increase web traffic. The more web traffic your website has, the better your conversion rate is likely to be. According to research, the number one spot in a search engine results page sees the highest CTR with the number one spot in Google getting roughly 27.6% of all clicks.

Guest Post Outreach That Stands Out: Key Elements & Best Practices

Writing a guest post pitch requires a few key elements to be successful. Once mastered, businesses will be able to write a winning pitch that gets them through the door. A winning pitch will:

1. Include an effective subject line that attracts the recipient's attention
2. Include a clear and personalized message that aligns with the host's blog
3. Express kindness
4. Show your expertise

5 Successful Subject Lines for Guest Post Outreach

If you want to get started with guest posts, then you'll need to successfully craft a subject line that garners attention.

While many people believe that the subject line plays a small role in their outreach efforts, 85% of editors say they open a pitch based on the subject line alone. This is why it's important to put a lot of effort into coming up with interesting subject lines that will get your email opened.

Here are 5 examples of winning subject lines:

1. Guest Posts Add Value to Your Readers. We've Got a Great Post For You
2. I Bet You Haven't Covered This Topic Yet, Right?
3. I've Prepared a Blog Post Specifically for [Blog Name]
4. Let's Discuss a High-Quality Guest Post to Drive More Traffic
5. Take a Look at These [X] Blog Ideas for Your Next Post

There are many ways you can go about creating a guest post subject line, but the ones that are personalized, spark curiosity, or are backed by statistics tend to have the highest CTR.

You want to ensure that your subject lines are directly related to the content of your pitch. Your guest post outreach should also include personal information that you've discovered about the writer via his or her digital footprint. This will let them know that you care about the content they're already creating, which means they will be more inclined to look over your outreach email.

Tips For Guest Post Outreach [+ Free Email Templates]

Are you ready to learn how to write a winning guest post? Luckily, successfully writing a guest post doesn't need to be a challenge. With the right strategies, you can create effective guest posts that will establish your business as a thought leader, help you tap into new networks, increase brand awareness, and improve your SEO efforts.

Craft a Clear Message

Every blog consists of varying topics with each blogger having a certain way of passing along information. Even so, your guest post must have a clear message that aligns with the host blog for their audience to understand the message.

Companies won't be interested in guest posts that contradict the main concept behind their blog. For this reason, most guest posts that are declined are either irrelevant or are not in harmony with previously published articles.

If you've already researched who you would like to collaborate with, then you should already have a few ideas of what type of content would best serve your audience. But spending time ensuring your message is clear will improve your delivery and increase your results.

Clear messages help you establish a trustworthy relationship with your audience, improve the users' experience, and increase engagement. When sending a pitch email, companies will be basing the value of your guest blog post on these factors.

Example:

Hello [Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company]. I'm reaching out to see if you were interested in guest bloggers for your website. At our company, we discuss topics related to [topics] and thought an article about [relevant topic] would be an excellent fit for your blog.

Here are some examples of our latest guest posts that we have contributed to other sites:

[Link 1]

[Link 2]

[Link 3]

‍

Thanks so much,

[Name] from [Company]

When sending your pitch email, be sure that you are clear and concise, and that the recipients can quickly see how your guest post would benefit them.

Personalize Pitches

Have you ever received an email that wasn't relevant to your needs or interests? You likely disregarded that email rather quickly and moved on to other matters. This is why sending personalized pitches when doing guest post outreach is so essential.

Personalized pitches yield more positive responses with 83% of emails sent with personalized information receiving feedback with a positive sentiment. Personalization shows how much work you've put in. It also shows that you understand and care about the content that will be published.

Tips for Writing a Personalized Guest Pitch

What things can you incorporate to make your guest pitch more personalized? Here are three tips to help you get started:

1. Mention Their Name

The easiest form of personalization is to simply mention the person's name that you're pitching to. What makes this great is that it doesn't require much effort, but it does show that you are familiar with them. Your recipient wants to be talked to directly and not feel like they've been included in a bulk email list.

2. Mention a Previous Blog Post

Another simple way to personalize your guest post email pitch is to mention a previous blog post that they've written. You might decide to reference a certain statement or mention a previous post that you liked in general.

This shows that your familiarity goes deeper than just knowing their name and makes the pitch more authentic. After all, it's best to practice getting as familiar as possible when doing any type of collaboration. This will increase your return on investment and ultimately ensure that you get the most value out of guest posts.

Avoid making the mistake of referencing their most recent blog post. This can come off as disingenuous and feel more like a ploy to get their attention. Be sure to go through previous blog posts and find something that truly resonates. By doing this, you not only come off as more authentic, but it shows your interest in what they're saying.

3. Mention Their Products or Services

Another effective strategy when personalizing your guest post email pitch is to mention a product or service that they offer. Although your primary goal is to do a guest post, it doesn't hurt to make yourself familiar with more than just their blog content. This extra effort can go a long way in getting your pitch heard.

Example:

Hi [Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company]. I was emailing to see if you were accepting new guest bloggers at this time. Our company writes about [topics]. I read your company's blog post on [insert information]. I enjoyed the statement that you made about [insert information], which sparked a great idea that I thought you would enjoy.

Here are some examples of previous posts that I've written for our company:

[Link 1]

[Link 2]

[Link 3]

I would love to discuss the original idea that I came up with in further detail. If you're interested in this type of collaboration, feel free to email me back.

Best Regards,

[Name] from [Company]

An example of the above template written out in an email.

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This short example provided two key opportunities for personalization. For starters, the person's name is mentioned in the very beginning. Next, there was a reference made to a previous blog post. The pitch also included a particular statement that resonated, making it easier to make a connection.

Come Up With More Than One Topic Idea

When doing your pitch, it's essential to come up with more than one topic idea. Having a variety of topics can bring you one step closer to them saying yes because you never know which one they'll resonate with.

Your pitch ideas should be brief but concise. No one wants to read an extensive email where they have to weed through the information to find the most important parts. But you should also be careful not to be too vague in your pitch. Be sure to explain the blog idea thoroughly enough to help them decide whether the topic is interesting enough to consider.

Example:

Hello [Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company]. I'm reaching out to see if you were interested in guest bloggers for your website. At our company, we discuss topics related to [topics]. I read some of your blog content and believe that I have a few blog ideas that would be an excellent addition to your blog.

Here are a few blog ideas that I came up with based on your blog content and what I believe your readers will enjoy:

[Idea 1]: [Brief Explanation]

[Idea 2]: [Brief Explanation]

[Idea 3]: [Brief Explanation]

All the best,

[Your Name] from [Company]

‍

This example pitch is straight to the point but provides a few blog ideas to spark interest. Your brief explanation may include information on why you chose this particular topic or in what ways the topic may add value to readers.

Kindness Goes a Long Way

While you may be eager to share your pitch ideas, it's essential to be kind before anything else. You're not entitled to a response, but expressing kindness in your pitch can go a long way.

With that said, be sure to reference the knowledge you've gained from the blog and why you want to be a contributor. Other companies will appreciate the time that you've taken to engage with their blog and will enjoy the fact that you've learned something valuable. Explaining why you want to be a contributor shows your investment in the pitch and will make companies feel more inclined to check out your ideas.

Example:

Hello [Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company]. We write blog content about [topic]. I was sending an email to see if you were interested in guest bloggers for your website. I've been following your blog for a while and have gained a wealth of knowledge about [topic]. I would love to be a contributor because [insert reason]. If you're interested in a collaboration, I have a few blog ideas that I would love to share with you.

All the best,

[Your Name] from [Company]

‍

This example is brief and concise, but it also shows that you've been keeping up with their content and have learned something useful from it. There's also an opportunity to talk about why you're interested in collaborating in the first place. Companies will appreciate this when you're making a cold pitch.

Prove You're the Right Person

Just because you reach out to offer a guest post doesn't mean that they'll assume you're the right person for the job. Even if you know you're the best person to write the post, you have to prove you're an expert in the field.

When you're writing a guest post, you're already tapping into an established pool of readers and companies have a responsibility to deliver their readers high-value content. This means they'll only be interested in guest posts with writers who can show their expertise.

Example:

Hello [Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company]. I'm reaching out to see if you were interested in guest bloggers for your website. I work as a [insert role] and have extensive experience related to [insert experience]. I've been keeping up with your blog and would love to be a contributor. If you're interested, I would like to discuss a few blog ideas.

Here are some examples of the type of content we write:

[Link 1]

[Link 2]

[Link 3]

Best Regards,

[Your Name] from [Company]

This example mentions your role and details of your experience. It also provides links to previous content to add to your credibility.

Collaborating with Confidence: How to Choose the Right Guest Blogging Sites

Winning the pitch is important, but it won't matter if the collaboration doesn't serve your business as well. With that said, there are a few things you want to consider before deciding who to guest blog with.

• Find reputable guest blogging sites - You want to find reputable guest blogging sites. That is, sites with high authority. High authority sites provide you with quality backlinks and will improve your ROI.
• Evaluate the site's target audience - It's essential to evaluate a site's target audience to ensure it matches yours. Otherwise, you won't see much return on your guest posting efforts.
• Dive into other blogs and guest posts on the site - It's a good idea to see what other blogs and guest posts have been shared on the website. This will help you see what type of posts are most effective and help you align your ideas.
• Take a look at their analytics - Pay attention to their site analytics. This gives you an idea of their current visibility and what type of traffic they're driving to ensure it is the best fit for your business.

Grow Your Business with Steel Croissant

Guest posting won't provide you with immediate results, but consistency and persistence will lead to success. At Steel Croissant, we help brands grow by making marketing more accessible. Every project we work on is a collaborative opportunity to match our digital marketing expertise with our partner's knowledge.

Guest posting is one of the best digital marketing tools to increase business visibility, tap into new markets, and increase conversions. Our team can take on the outreach for you and assure you of consistent backlinks every month. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.