The Magic of Guest Blogging

How to get your posts published on high-traffic blogs

Alexis Grantalexisgrant.com

#alexiswebinar

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What We’ll Learn Today

Two components of guest posting: Your pitch – what to say in that email Writing the post – what to include so editors

say YES to your submission

PLUS… One technique that works for me (go ahead,

steal it!) Q&A

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Why I’m Qualified to Teach You

See pitches from both sides:

Guest post for a variety of popular sites, including Mashable, Lifehacker, Problogger and Copyblogger

As Brazen Careerist’s blog editor, review at least 30 pitches each week

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Gain credibility Reach new eyes Drive traffic to your blog Boost your SEO Leads to other opportunities Make money

Why Bother?

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How to Choose Blogs to Pitch

Which blogs does your target reader enjoy? Look on Facebook or Twitter or just ask

Google “top 10 blogs on [niche]” or simply “top 100 blogs”

Use sites like alexa.com

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What to Say in Your

Pitch Email

(hint: don’t beg)

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Pitch Tip #1

Address it to the right person

Which means, of course, that you have to find them.

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Pitch Tip #2

Say you’ve read the blog, like it and understand

its audience (flattery doesn’t hurt)

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Pitch Tip #3

Explain what you want to write about

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Pitch Tip #4

Tell why readers of this particular blog will care

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Pitch Tip #5

Say why you’re the right person to write it

(plus links to your work)

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Pitch Tip #6

Keep it SHORT

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Why I Delete Most Pitches

Not addressed to me Too long and rambling Fails to tell me why it matters to my readers Not even about the topics we care about

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Huge opportunity for YOU

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Most pitches are terrible, which means…

Great Example A

Hi XXX,

I am sure you get pitched on guest posts on a daily basis so I’ll keep this short. I am a long time reader of your blog and have been meaning to contribute – but I held back because I didn’t have a great idea that I think you’ll love.

 Well, now I do. I stumbled upon an interesting topic on 5 Problems Turned Into Solutions:

How To Make Career Setbacks Work For You. Would you be interested in a guest post about the topic?

 And if you need it, here is a sample of my writing: [link here]

I look forward to your reply and I can't wait to get started! Cheers,XXX  PS: I read your article entitled, “Hey, Have You Seen This? Job Applicant Explains How He Got

a Job He Wasn’t Qualified For” and it was really encouraging. Hard work really is the key to success.

Shows he reads my blog ----

Anticipates what I want----

Keeps it short & respects my time ----

Great Example B

Hi Alexis!

I'm XXX from The Do-It-Yourself Degree. My website teaches students how to earn a bachelor's degree in 1 year by taking exams instead of classes. Exams cost $80-$200 apiece, versus $3,000+ for a class. Total cost of graduation: around $5,000. Essentially, you can "test out" of your degree (while still earning the credential) and jump-start your career with zero debt. 

I'd love to write a concise overview of the process for Brazen Life's readers. Degree-by-examination is the ultimate education hack, but I can tell you (based on many conversations with students) that most people have never heard of it!

Let me know if you're interested, and I'll send over a draft for review. 

Cheers!

- XXX

PS: I wrote a guest post for I Will Teach You To Be Rich last month that became a pretty big hit. Check it out! 

Gives himself social credibility ----

Shows why it’s unique ----

Explains his mission concisely ----

Now for the actual writing…

5 Tips for Writing Guest Posts That Will Make Editors Say

YES!

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Writing Tip #1

Write an awesome intro (don’t bury the lead)

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Writing Tip #2

Write in the “YOU” voice, not the “I” voice

(and write TO the reader, not ABOUT the reader)

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Writing Tip #3

Offer a headline, even if the editor doesn’t ask for one

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Writing Tip #4

Follow the blog’s guidelines perfectly

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Writing Tip #5

When in doubt… create a list

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Top Brazen Life Posts in 2012

A System That Works for Me

Google Doc Strategy Blog Topic What I want to promo Editor Approached? Response? Submitted? Ran? Outcome

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#alexiswebinarhttp://facebook.com/writeralexisgrant

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QUESTIONS?