How to Write a Successful Guest Blog Post [Ultimate Guide]

When your content provides value to the blog owner’s audience, they will give you their attention (and your content will resonate much more powerfully).

2. Align with Their Brand

Every Author has a brand. Your brand tells readers, “Here’s what I have to offer, and here’s how it can help you.”

In order to create the strongest brand possible, you need to know who your audience is, what your message is, and what you have expertise in—all the things that went into your outreach message!

Just like every Author has a brand, so does every blogger. They have a specific audience, message, and expertise. They have a certain tone, angle, and way of approaching ideas.

The best guest posts are the ones that align the Author’s brand with the blogger’s brand. In other words, your content should help them expand their message.

Your post should fit the tone of the blog. If the site is written from a light-hearted, humorous perspective, don’t jump into the conversation with a dense academic post.

All of us have multiple sides. We can be funny at times and somber at others. You would never go to a funeral and start cracking jokes (or at least, most people wouldn’t). You would behave in a way suitable to the context.

When you write guest blog posts, think about the context. What’s your best foot to put forward on that particular site?

You should always be yourself. But being yourself doesn’t exempt you from also being intentional about how you align with the blog’s brand.

3. Align with Their Blog Format

Any guest post you write should align with the blog’s typical format.

In some cases, the site owners will give you explicit guest posting guidelines. Break your post into 3 sections. Keep your post under 1,000 words. Include 5 internal links. Here’s how to enter the information into WordPress.

Whatever they tell you, follow it. ​

Your objective as a guest poster is to fulfill everyone’s needs: yours, the blogger’s, and the audience’s. That means you should listen when the blogger—who is an expert in their audience—tells you what to do and not to do.

You should also be aware of any unspoken norms. For example, every blog has a characteristic writing style. You don’t have to mimic it, but don’t stand out like a sore thumb.

Or, if the blogger doesn’t give you a word limit, don’t take it as an opportunity to write a 5,000-word essay. Match their average post size.

Try to be consistent and respectful with your contributions. That’s the best way to build a lasting relationship with a blogger and get invited back!

4. Provide Actionable Content

Don’t just give readers the 10,000-foot view of your topic. Give them something that’s actually tangible and actionable. Give them something they can walk away from the article with and do. ​

What’s more likely to stick in your mind? Some large idea you encountered? Or a brilliant nugget of wisdom that you use on a daily basis?

The more practical value your readers can take away from your article, the more frequently they’ll think of you. Every time they use your tactics to hook a new client, write an effective email, or whatever else you’re teaching them, you’ll be top of mind.

They’re much more likely to seek you out and follow you if you can give them a concrete reminder of how your knowledge can change their lives.

5. It’s Not About You

It’s great that you’ve published a book, but your post should never be about your book.

You’re not there to say, “Hi, I’m so-and-so, and this is my book. Buy it.” You’re not even there to necessarily mention your book. You’re there to provide content that is so educational, interesting, or meaningful that readers immediately want to click through to your website and learn more about you.

Then you can sell your book, online course, products, or whatever else you want to sell.

Guest posts are one of the best examples of content marketing.

Content marketing is a type of marketing that involves creating online materials like articles, blog posts, social media posts, etc. that don’t explicitly promote a brand but still spark a person’s interest in your products or services.

The key to great content marketing is that it shouldn’t feel like marketing. It should feel like useful, actionable content.

Yes, you’re writing guest posts for publicity, but remember that providing value to readers is the best form of publicity you can get. The more value you provide, the more readers will want to connect with you.

No one wants to read articles that sound spammy or self-promotional. An overt sales pitch is always a turn-off.

Remember: lead with value, and follow up with your byline. I’m the author of this book, and you can learn more at my website.

6. Include a Killer Byline

Now it’s about you!

You’re going to get one opportunity to say what you’re about and give people a call to action (CTA), so make sure you get it right. Spend time coming up with a great byline.

Your byline includes 2 components:

1. the choicest tidbit about who you are
2. where readers can find out more (your CTA)

Your tidbit is not necessarily your most prestigious achievement, although it may be.

Consider the audience and think, What’s going to make this specific group of people want to click through? Will they be impressed by your graduate degree? The value of your company? How many people you’ve helped through your consulting work? The names of other publications you’ve written for? Your status as a public speaker?

Whatever you choose, make sure it speaks directly to your audience.

If you’re stuck, I recommend looking back at your Author bio and narrowing it down to the best pieces.

Your CTA should be the best place readers can reach you.

Ask yourself, Assuming I’ve nailed the first impression, what do I want my second impression to be? That’s where your CTA link should lead. Are you on Twitter all the time? Link there. Do you have a great website? Link there. Do you have your own blog? Link there.

You should also make sure that you have a great Author photo. It should be a high-quality, professional photo that conveys the tone of your guest content.

If you’re speaking to entrepreneurs, you might choose a more formal Author photo. If you’re speaking to aspiring comedians, you might choose something more light-hearted.

Your photo should fit your Author brand.

7. Consider a Landing Page

Instead of sending readers directly to your homepage, consider sending them to a landing page on your website with a specific offer. That way, you can immediately provide them even more value and get them into your sales funnel.

For example, your landing page could offer a free PDF of your book or a free chapter in exchange for a visitor’s email address.

Or, you could emphasize that subscribers to your newsletter receive actionable tips on a monthly basis.

Or, you could offer a free mini-course that, eventually, might persuade visitors to purchase your full digital course.

The more value you can provide to readers, the more likely they are to keep following you. Your guest post should be an appetizer, and whatever you serve next should keep people at the dinner table wanting more.

8. Include Internal SEO Links

Bloggers will love you even more if you can help them improve their SEO. One way to do that is to include internal links to content that’s already on the site.

Internal links not only connect the content on the site but also give search engines an idea of the site’s structure. That helps establish a hierarchy, giving the most important posts more link value.

When you include internal links, it also invites visitors to go on a deep dive into the blog. That inevitably improves the blog’s metrics.

Think of it this way. One of your Twitter followers has never heard of the blog you’re guest posting for. They click your link to read your content, and along the way, they find a link to another interesting idea.

So, they click it. Then, in that post, they see another internal link they find interesting.

Now they’re deep in that blog’s ecosystem, and they’re much more likely to subscribe. This is pure gold for a blogger since they’re also always looking to build their following.

Backlinks (when a link takes you to another website) can be helpful for SEO, too, but chances are, if you’re a guest poster, you don’t know which sites will benefit the blogger the most.

Including internal links is a simple but effective way to provide value for the site owner.

9. Provide All the Images the Blogger Needs

When bloggers provide you with a guest blogging spot, don’t make them do extra work. Give them a ready-made post with everything they need.

That includes images.

Your images should be high-quality, professional images; no low-quality screenshots, off-kilter iPhone photos, or blurry, low-resolution photographs.

It’s even better if you can avoid stock images. No blogger wants to feature the same image that’s appeared on thousands of other websites. They want their content to stand out.

Your images should also be appropriately sized and compressed. You need a high-quality photo, but you also need a photo that will load quickly. If you don’t know what the ideal resolution or size is, check with the blogger.

Finally, create an appropriate name for the file. Don’t give it a generic title like “myphoto.jpg” or “maninsuit.jpg.”

Think about how the name of the image can impact the site’s SEO. For example, if your post is about how to create an effective meeting agenda, and your photo features people in a conference room, you’ll probably want the word “meeting” in the photo’s title.

10. Be Yourself

You want to fit in with the style, tone, and content of the blog you’re writing for. That’s the key to keeping any influencer or blogger happy.

But you also want to stand out. You want to make an impression on readers that encourages them to seek you out. The best way to do that is to be your authentic self.

Be mindful and respectful of the blog’s norms and conventions. But don’t drown yourself out.

You’re a guest poster, not a ghostwriter. The reason the blogger chose you over all the other possible guest posters is that you have a unique solution, expertise, or story to share.

Fit in but make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process. Authenticity will go a long way when it comes to creating effective guest posts.