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Guest Posting Best Practices

by blackhawkup Banned
22 replies
I want to begin writing guest posts for high traffic blogs in order to drive traffic to my site, not for seo.

But I was wondering.

Do most of these sites (huffpost and similar) prefer 100% original articles or can these be articles that I used elsewhere?

Also, write up the article first and then send it along with a request to guest post? Or do you just send your request to guest post alongside a few possible ideas?

Any other helpful tips will be greatly appreciated thanks.
#guest #posting #practices
  • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
    No need for "tips".

    Just check the guest post guidelines for each blog you want to pitch to.
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    • Profile picture of the author blackhawkup
      Banned
      Originally Posted by JRJWrites View Post

      No need for "tips".

      Just check the guest post guidelines for each blog you want to pitch to.
      thanks.. you're right!
      off i go....
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      • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
        Originally Posted by blackhawkup View Post

        thanks.. you're right!
        I usually am.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ripster
    You should try to write unique and original content when writing for other blogs/websites.
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    • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
      Originally Posted by Ripster View Post

      You should try to write unique and original content when writing for other blogs/websites.
      Why? Many sites simply want interesting, informative, compelling content and don't care if you've published the piece elsewhere first. Each site will let you know exactly what they want.

      If you're going to submit something that's completely exclusive to a website (meaning either that they get to publish it first -- even before you can publish it on your own site -- or that you can't publish it anywhere else after you've submitted it to them), there had better be a good reason. For example, your article should get a prominent spot on the site's homepage, exposure in their popular newsletter, etc. Otherwise, you're not getting as much as you can out of the article you've worked so hard on!
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      • Profile picture of the author blackhawkup
        Banned
        Originally Posted by NicoleBeckett View Post

        Why? Many sites simply want interesting, informative, compelling content and don't care if you've published the piece elsewhere first. Each site will let you know exactly what they want.

        If you're going to submit something that's completely exclusive to a website (meaning either that they get to publish it first -- even before you can publish it on your own site -- or that you can't publish it anywhere else after you've submitted it to them), there had better be a good reason. For example, your article should get a prominent spot on the site's homepage, exposure in their popular newsletter, etc. Otherwise, you're not getting as much as you can out of the article you've worked so hard on!
        Thats the type of answer I was looking for.
        I wasn't sure if I could use the article on my own site after I used it on the guest blog. Now I know it all depends on the site requirements and use of the article. thanks.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steve B
          The Huffington Post and other large and similar sites employ news aggregators that go out on the Internet and find stories/articles that they think will appeal to their readership. They are content curators. Many comment on and link to the interesting articles they find already posted online.

          For someone just starting out, I would suggest that you pick a niche, something that you are experienced with and have knowledge about, and then write articles in the niche and post them on your own site. When you are seen as a niche authority, others will come to you asking for your permission to use your articles on their site. It's a better way to start than asking others to post your content since you have no credibility, history, or "fame" in the niche early on.

          Many of the large, heavily trafficked and popular sites say they will accept article submissions; but the reality is, unless you have made a name for yourself or you have an established blog or site, they will never use your content.

          You have a much better chance to quickly rise in the online world if you focus on a particular niche and are seen as an authority in that specific subject. And of course, the monetization of your content (and products or services) is way, way easier than if you are a generalist that tries to appeal to a wide-ranging audience.

          The very best to you,

          Steve
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          Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
          SteveBrowneDirect

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      • Profile picture of the author hhiguy
        Originally Posted by NicoleBeckett View Post

        Why? Many sites simply want interesting, informative, compelling content and don't care if you've published the piece elsewhere first. Each site will let you know exactly what they want.

        If you're going to submit something that's completely exclusive to a website (meaning either that they get to publish it first -- even before you can publish it on your own site -- or that you can't publish it anywhere else after you've submitted it to them), there had better be a good reason. For example, your article should get a prominent spot on the site's homepage, exposure in their popular newsletter, etc. Otherwise, you're not getting as much as you can out of the article you've worked so hard on!
        BAD IDEA. According to Matt Cutts much of what you say would penalize the writer and the website that posts it.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Originally Posted by Ripster View Post

      You should try to write unique and original content when writing for other blogs/websites.
      Not necessarily true all the time. Some sites ,with some selling and persuasion, will accept syndicated content.

      When you do this you start to really see the power of leveraging your time and potential earnings and traffic to your own Site ').

      By the way Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Yahoo accept syndicated material from AP and Reuters.
      Signature

      Nothing to see here including a Sig so just move on :)

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  • Profile picture of the author businesslegions
    I'm one of the editors for a blog called digitalsignageblog.com that focuses purely on the digital signage industry.

    I just wanted to give you some feedback coming from someone who receives and reviews guest posts. We receive lots of emails from people (some are from agencies some are individuals - freelancers) who want to submit a guest blog. We do have a set of very basic but strict guidelines for guest bloggers to follow but I can generally pick out the intention of the guest blogger.

    There are two types of guest bloggers. One that just love writing, want to get their articles out there for exposure and at the same time they want to drive traffic to their website. For me I don't mind these type of bloggers as long as the content is unique and is relevant to the website. For example I always tell them it needs to be related to digital signage. If they don't even know what digital signage is, then I won't even consider it.

    The second type of guest blogger is one that is writing on behalf of another company and just want to embed links to the article to their website. When I review these articles I get back to the guest blogger and ask them whether they got paid to write and publish this article. Generally, they would be upfront and I tell them there is an ad placement fee for this.

    But to answer your question, I do some quick research to make sure that the article they provide is unique and engaging. I generally try not to change any of their content otherwise it doesn't make it "theirs". I do ask for some images to go with the blog article and I make sure that the images are not copyrighted or taken from istock

    Sometimes it is good to ask the website owner what you should write about. That way it gives them confidence that you're able to provide content based on their topics.

    Another tip, is to start with small sites and work your way up.
    There are some website that aggregate our content (without permission) but we don't mind. As long as they have referenced the articles and link back then this drives traffic back to our website.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean DeSilva
    With guest posts It helps to go deep instead of broad. For example, you may want to have a central theme of website optimization, and focus one article on optimizing the button, another article on the headline, another one on just picture captions, etc. This makes you unique and also makes the partner website owner feel like he got very high quality, advanced article.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradVert2013
    Originally Posted by blackhawkup View Post

    I want to begin writing guest posts for high traffic blogs in order to drive traffic to my site, not for seo.

    But I was wondering.

    Do most of these sites (huffpost and similar) prefer 100% original articles or can these be articles that I used elsewhere?

    Also, write up the article first and then send it along with a request to guest post? Or do you just send your request to guest post alongside a few possible ideas?

    Any other helpful tips will be greatly appreciated thanks.
    If you're just starting out, it might be easier to build a reputation with some smaller blogs first. Find a niche you're passionate about and go from there.

    My blog had an occasional guest poster and they always had some credentials within my niche.

    Contact the blog first before writing anything. They might want a story with a specific angle or have an idea in mind. But also bring your own ideas to the table too.

    Last but not least, read the blog you want to write a guest post for. What is their style? Who is their target audience? What topics do they cover a lot (maybe too much???)? The more you know before contacting them, the better your chances.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author workoutstuff1
    Its best to use 100% original content if you are doing guest posting. You are building up a reputation, and you are going to kill that rather quickly if someone were to find out that the info you are giving them for a guest post was also being posted somewhere else.

    You can write about similar ideas somewhere else, but the post should be different in each place.
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  • Profile picture of the author GlenH
    Originally Posted by blackhawkup View Post

    I want to begin writing guest posts for high traffic blogs in order to drive traffic to my site, not for seo.

    But I was wondering.

    Do most of these sites (huffpost and similar) prefer 100% original articles or can these be articles that I used elsewhere?

    Also, write up the article first and then send it along with a request to guest post? Or do you just send your request to guest post alongside a few possible ideas?

    Any other helpful tips will be greatly appreciated thanks.
    Please don't think that just because you find a site in your niche that you're shoe-in to get one of your post published. Owners of high ranked sites works hard to get their site ranked highly in the SE' and I guarantee you they won't be falling all over themselves to get your posts.

    It doesn't happen

    Any high ranking site owner is going to put your proposed 'content' through the wringer.

    So you had better be prepared to write 1000 plus word high-quality content posts.

    Personally I don't do 'guest posting'. I seek, find and develop content syndication partners. And when I find the right syndication partners, I'm assured of high quality targeted long term traffic.

    For me that's better that wasting my time 'guest posting' all over the place.

    But that's my opinion
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    • Profile picture of the author Resource9
      Apart from the quality of content you feature, the way in which you approach the guest blogging websites or the blog owner also matters a lot. In your introduction email, it is important to be straight forward and keep the mail as short as possible for getting the best response.
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    • Profile picture of the author blackhawkup
      Banned
      Originally Posted by GlenH View Post

      Please don't think that just because you find a site in your niche that you're shoe-in to get one of your post published. Owners of high ranked sites works hard to get their site ranked highly in the SE' and I guarantee you they won't be falling all over themselves to get your posts.

      It doesn't happen

      Any high ranking site owner is going to put your proposed 'content' through the wringer.

      So you had better be prepared to write 1000 plus word high-quality content posts.

      Personally I don't do 'guest posting'. I seek, find and develop content syndication partners. And when I find the right syndication partners, I'm assured of high quality targeted long term traffic.

      For me that's better that wasting my time 'guest posting' all over the place.

      But that's my opinion
      Mind explaining more on these partners.
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      • Profile picture of the author agmccall
        What would you want on your own site

        Original articles or articles that are all over the internet already?

        al
        Signature

        "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by blackhawkup View Post

        Mind explaining more on these partners.
        For any given commercially viable niche, there may be thousands or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of potential "syndication partners" - publishers with reading audiences who are already targeting your niche prospects. Using articles to directly drive such highly convertible traffic from syndication partners to your funnel system beats the "SEO" crowd all-to-hell. This is particularly effective in the most competitive (ie lucrative) niches.

        Because of the tremendous amount of resources used in producing articles, it is not cost-effective for me to write exclusive articles for anyone. The cost of articles are amortized over my network of syndicated partners. Beside blogs, my syndicated partner network includes niche ezines, websites, and offline outlets such as trade journals, targeted magazines, newspapers, business/association newsletters, etc. New articles are submitted on a weekly basis to my network, or "syndication partners".

        If a website or other outlet demands content to be original (unpublished), I usually will just submit a previously published article anyway. Quite often, it's just a ruse by publishers to discourage key-word content spamming. Articles do get published if they're timely, relevant and engaging. I have found that including an article along with a link to my portfolio on EzineArticles.com in the query helps to clinch the deal.

        An excellent classic detailing this proven marketing model, and which I have often recommended here on the WF is: Turn Words Into Traffic, by Jim and Dallas Edwards.
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  • Profile picture of the author Resource9
    First of all make sure that you are contacting an authoritative website related to your niche. In the first email that you send, be clear and mention that you would be posting a link in the content or in the author bio and if some charges are required for that, you are ready to pay them. This saves a lot of time for the guest blogger and for you as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author littledan
    I am not 100% sure of Google's rule on guest posting, but then again who is (certainly not Google!).

    However, from experience of writing guest posts and accepting guest posts on my own blog I have found it best practice to use only nofollow links. The topic is debatable and rather big (too big for one reply) but there is plenty of discussion of nofollow verses follow links on this forum and elsewhere on the internet. This is one particular article I came across which maybe be useful. Google: Guest Blogging For Links? You Better Nofollow Those Links
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