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
