Article directories, where you paste the same article for a link, stopped being useful years ago. Guest posting is different: you write an original article for a relevant publication, its editors approve it, and its readers see it. When done properly it earns visibility, referral traffic and links that make sense.
Step by step
- Define your topic area. Guest posts work best on sites your target customers already read.
- Build a short list. Look for blogs and publications with an active audience, recent posts and real editorial standards.
- Read before you pitch. Learn what they publish, what they have already covered and how long their articles run.
- Pitch three specific ideas. Each should have a clear angle for their readers, not a thin excuse to link to you.
- Write something original. Add examples, data or first-hand experience. Never recycle an article you have published elsewhere.
- Link sparingly. One or two contextual links to genuinely useful pages is plenty. Use natural wording instead of exact-match keywords.
- Promote the post once it goes live and answer reader comments.
Sample pitch
Hi [Name], I read your recent piece on [topic] and especially liked [specific detail]. I would like to contribute an article on [angle], including [what is original: data, example, case]. Here are two other ideas: [idea 2], [idea 3]. My work is at [link]. Would any of these suit your readers?
Red flags
- “Write for us” pages on sites that accept every topic
- Sites that sell guest posts openly with a fixed price list for dofollow links
- Blogs with no real audience, copied content or obvious link farms
- Any offer to place your link on many sites at once for a flat fee
Paid placements: if you pay for a link, it should be labelled with rel=”sponsored”. Google lists buying links to pass ranking value, and large-scale guest posting with keyword-rich anchors, as link spam. See our explainer.