I am getting more and more guest blogging pitches and most of them are depressing (to say at least).
It hurts me really because such a great and pure concept as guest blogging is being absolutely ruined by those spam pitches you see daily.
But that’s not guest blogging to blame; it’s the people who don’t get it.
I often do guest blogging interviews (people seem to consider me an expert) and one of the most frequent questions I am being asked is to name guest blogging don’t and dos. Here are the dos:
- DO take guest blogging seriously;
- DO value each contact you build through guest blogging;
- DO focus on relationships (not links);
- DO target long-term objective (building network and influence);
- DO personalize your pitch, personalize your content and personalize your tactics.
Guest Blogging Pitches Gone Wrong
I’ve done a quick (and hopefully funny) video discussing the three spammy guest blogging pitches you are probably familiar with (I get those daily). All the three have a lot in common:
- They are absolutely non-personalized (what do you feel when you receive an email that starts with “Dear Editor” or “Dear Webmaster”);
- They all have absolutely useless flattery inside (ala “I was impressed by the quality of your blog”);
- They simply lie (“I am your regular reader and I visit your blog daily”);
- They are simply useless (I am wondering what’s the success rate of those pitches).
The Infographic
Now, to make it easier to explain the “Guest Blogging Don’ts” to your team, we have compiled them in a fun infographic:
(click to enlarge)
Feel free to use it on your site:
<a href=”http://www.seosmarty.com/guest-post-pitch/”><img src=”http://www.seosmarty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Guest-pitch-graphic.jpg” width=”540″ alt=”Spammy guest post infographic” alt=”The Guest Blogging Fails” />
Guest Blogging Pitch Help
I am a big fan of real-life examples, but some theory and tips to back practice is always good:
- HOW TO: Properly personalize your guest blogging pitch
- HOW TO: Use social media to approach bloggers more effectively
- Good example: Outreach letter – real examples @ SEOmoz
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This is awesome, Ann… been getting a ton of these lately, too. Think I will link to this from our guest blogging page…
Love the infographic Ann. The worst is getting blog offers and the grammar is terrible.
“Dear Sir I like to publish blog”
Make sure to do a little research on the site you are going to post on!
I am always happy to see you around, Jeff!
So true, Thomas!
Sigh, I get these all the time. Obviously mass blasts to thousands of blogs. A lot of them introduce themselves with bad grammar as “SEO Companies” … at least they give me quick warning to delete the email right away!
There’s also clearly a database (or multiple databases) out there of blogs offering guest posting… I’ve gotten quite a few pitches lately that did have my name attached (as well as the site, etc.), but it was pretty obvious that this information was being plugged into a form letter. Most of the issues people mention above are still there…
Say, do you guys reply to those emails?
How about the one I always get. “I am offering this content FREE OF CHARGE as long as you link to me!” I find it funny that someone out of the blue would think I would pay them for content and so I am getting a deal by posting it with a link to them…
@Louis, I simply trash them. I don’t have time to reply to spam
@Josh, Absolutely! I probably should be happy I am going to get a spammy article absolutely FREE of charge!
Hi Ann, very informative post. I just found a minor typo error on the infographic and thought of bringing it to your attention. Under point #1, Guest blogging is spelled GUESS Blogging. Hope you would find it useful.
Robins
It’s truly great infographic, keep blogging like this.
Good infographic. I agree with Thomas, anything that starts with “Dear Sir” usually doesn’t end too well!
This video is hilarious Ann, but it also perfectly illustrates my frustration with these freaking guest blog spammers.
Man they can be so annoying!
Hello ann. Found this on Pinterest. The text is very hard for me to read 🙁
Guest posting is a great way to expand your reach, generate traffic, and build inbound links. So it’s no surprise that the spammers are getting in on the action. Blog owners need to be careful about who they allow to post on their blog. If a post isn’t good, it reflects poorly on the blog owner.
@Ivin, you mean the full version (the one you download after the click)?
He he. good stuff. In my last blog I very rarely got legitimate pitches for guest posts. It was a pretty solid, well known blog but I still had to go out and ask people to post on my site. I guess blogs with really high authority get more legitimate pitches but I found almost all of them were spammy likes the ones you describe so I ended up pretty much ignoring all of them.
Maybe there’s an idea you can pitch to the spam filter developers on WordPress, the ability to filter out spammy guest blogging pitches!
Hello,
Infographic is good but need to change font or size because its not clear to read. Its a good idea to aware new blogger’s because we always do all these mistakes and never understand the reason why blogger’s not accepted the post.
Thank You
I’m still stuck laughing at the video! I can totally understand the mishaps of receiving requests to guest blog. This is why I just ask my writer friends to guest blog if I want some new fresh content and point of views.
Liked your article, and the video definitely helps put perspective on the situation when contacting. I have been tackling different linkbuilding tactics with a couple of my clients and this is definitely a good refresher as I have been reformatting my approach.
Definitely a reshare,
Thanks
@ctmase
I wish all people who propose guest blog posts follow these guidelines.
Great infographic, Ann. We’re now dabbling into accepting guest blogger contributions and this is a relevant resource.
Had a blogging fail of my own recently, blogged about it here if you’re interested:
http://www.custard.co.uk/what-i-learned-from-my-epic-econsultancy-blogging-fail/
Thanks for the post! I am just starting out in the SEO industry and I’m glad I got this advice before I sent out my first guest blog request (hopefully my schooling served me well and I wouldn’t have made any of them in the first place). I was curious about your take on ‘follow-up’/’sequel’ posts that expand on a previous blog topic covered by the site you are targeting. Are these better done as comments, emails, on your own blog, or have you seen any success with them as guest blogs?
P.S it’s great to see women getting some notoriety in the SEO world!
That video was great lol. The third pitch was hilarious. +1 for using The Simpsons!
Ann thanks for sharing this mind blowing and conceptual infograph to make it more easy to understand the essence of guest blogging and how spammers are actually humiliating it! i don’t know when are we going to get rid of these spammers who just do not want to understand the essence of Guest Blogging!
Nice post ! It’s truly great infographic ! Guest posting is a great way to expand your reach, generate traffic, and build inbound links ! Blog owners should be careful from spammers….
Thanks now dabbling into accepting guest blogger contributions and this is a relevant resource.
Ann. We’re now dabbling into accepting guest blogger contributions and this is a relevant resource
It’s truly great infographic. Guest posting is a great way to increase your reach, make traffic, and build inbound links.
What a spot on post delivered with delightful humor. Just came across this today (June 25, 2016) and it’s just as pertinent today as when you first published it. Thanks for tickling my writer/editor funny bone. Shared with my followers on Pinterest and Facebook.
does guest posting still work, these days?
Gary