How do you become a guest blogger? Writing on another website, called guest blogging, is a great way to expand your brand and improve your SEO.
Here are some of our recommendations to make your request super appealing and irresistible to get your article published on another website.
This post corresponds to our latest podcast episode of “Russ and Randy” – a podcast on Healthcare and Medical Internet Marketing. We hope you like “Become a Guest Blogger.” You can find us on iTunes …and now, ReachMD.com!
Guest blogging requires that you be proactive. Here are some key questions and steps to begin your request to guest blog.
- Compose a list of websites
- Compare websites
- Research tone and style
- Create summaries and titles
- Make the request
List Target Websites
Make a list of sites where you would like to publish.
Search for websites which are of a similar niche as yours, that is, look for health related websites. The more similar a website with regard to subject matter, the more likely your request will be honored – you are an authority in the same area, i.e. as a retina specialist, I stand a better chance of writing for an ophthalmology blog than a sports medicine website.
Use a blog search tool to help you find potential sites.
Compare Websites
Choose sites with higher domain authority or page authority.
Use an online tool such as Moz.com and compare rankings of the target sites. You want to choose a website with a higher page authority (similar to Pagerank) than yours. Backlinks from a website with a higher page authority will improve your SEO whereas the reverse is not true, backlinks from weaker sites probably will not help your SEO.
The best backlinks are from sites with higher page authority AND in a related field (this is why purchased backlinks are generally a waste of money).
Choose Proper Tone and Style
Research popular articles on your target site. Get an idea of the style and tone of the author. You want to mimic the style and tone to be appealing to his/her audience.
For instance, does the author/webmaster write in the point of view of the first person or third person? You should expect to do the same.
Create Summaries and Titles
Create summaries with bullet points of the articles you could write and craft a couple titles for each article so that the author may choose the most engaging title.
Choose a few links to articles that you have written so the webmaster may sample your writing.
Make the Request
Once ready, craft an email. If at all possible, send directly to the webmaster or owner of the website. You may need to place a call to the office to get an email address.
Here’s a sample email template you might consider:
Subject: Guest Post | (Engaging Headline)
Dear (Webmaster’s Name),
I have been following your blog and enjoy your articles. (Explain who you are and why you are qualified to write on the website, e.g. share similar interests, occupy similar niche, provide same services).
I am writing to submit a guest post for your website (www.nameofwebsite.com).
Here are possible headlines for the post:
- Sample Headline 1
- Sample Headline 2
The article will include (outline of your article):
- Element 1
- Element 2
- Element 3
Articles of similar nature seem to be popular on your site.
Here are links to other articles I have written:
- Link to your article 1
- Link to your article 2
I look forward to working with you.
All the best!
(Your Name)
(Your Phone)
See you next week!
Find “Russ and Randy” on iTunes!
If you have questions or concerns, please leave a comment here.
Please find us on iTunes and subscribe to either the podcast or here to receive our latest episodes. Thanks for listening. See you next week!
Please download us on iTunes and leave a review.
All the best!
Russ…and Randy
Healthcare and Medical Internet Marketing
Healthcare’s Rx for Web and Social