Learn about the power of guest posting (guest blogging) and why it's an important tool for marketers of all levels to utilize. Use it for brand recognition, building backlinks to your site, sharing your knowledge and expertise on certain topics, and increasing your trustworthiness in your business niche. Discover why it's valuable for freelancers and solopreneurs to implement as well! Join Rebecca Reynoso, Senior Editor + Guest Post Program Manager at G2 for "What is Guest Posting and Why You Should Start Using it for Your Brand" on the WVU Marketing Communications Today podcast.
Amy Alyson Teller: What is guest posting or blogging?
Rebecca Reynoso: Guest posting is a way to have writers produce content for your website’s blog, and they are not writers that are employed by your company. It's usually something that either an individual or a company agrees to some kind of content swap or a one-off piece from a writer from a different company. It is a way for the writer to get their name out there, get published and show people that they’ve got the authority on this topic. It is a way to grow your own brand recognition.
Amy Alyson Teller: If I wanted to get started in this industry, how would I get started with guest blogging?
Rebecca Reynoso: There are two routes that you can take. If you are a freelancer or solo printer—somebody who works for themselves, not for a company—it tends to be more difficult. When a solo printer is pitching content they can often get rejected or ignored more frequently because they don't have the authority of being tied to a brand. You want to show your authority, and the best way for solo printers or freelancers to get started is getting people to believe that they know what they're talking about even though they're not attached to a company. Starting your own website can help you do that. You can have links to show that you’ve created similar content before. Starting off with creating content on your own page and having those links as resources to get your foot in the door is definitely going to help for those solo printer types. For people attached to companies, it is so much easier because typically these are give and take relationships.
Amy Alyson Teller: How do I write a good pitch that an editor would accept?
Rebecca Reynoso: Content marketers are going to get bombarded with guest posts pitches. The best pitches are the ones that actually have read through the guidelines that a lot of companies that do partake in guest posting will have. They often have explicit instructions listed on their blog page for people to submit pitches or some sites accept full blog drafts. If a site has guest post guidelines, those are the sites that you should be seeking out. If you see a site doesn't have explicit guidelines, but you have the contact info of someone, reach out and introduce yourself. If you're going to use an approach like that, pick out a piece of content and be authentic say what you loved about it and give specific examples of how the author listed these things in the blog.
Amy Alyson Teller: What steps could someone take to increase the chances of his or her writing getting published?
Rebecca Reynoso: The people I know I want to write for us are the ones who clearly explain their intention, whether that is trying to build link authority to their website, building up their portfolio or having a byline on their site. It's all coming back to honesty and transparency, letting the site know why you want to write for them. If you're just super passionate about whatever it is that they do that's great, too. Basically, following the guidelines and providing pitches with keywords that are going to help most sites.
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