26 Powerful Tactics For Writing Hugely Successful Guest Posts

Do your research when writing a guest post. Don't just spew out a bunch of fluff that anybody with typing skills could have written. Research your topic well and provide unique facts and information that the readers will be interested in.

Contributor: Kaili Killpack from smartlydonewebsites.com

While it might be tempting to take every guest posting opportunity you receive, sometimes it is better to stick to what you really know. Pick a few subjects you consider yourself to have advanced level knowledge in and stick to writing on those topics. This will establish authority for you as a writer within specific subject areas.

Contributor: Alexandra Bohigian from enolalabs.com

It’s good form to make the first link in the article be an internal link to another page on their site. It’s the most powerful link and they will appreciate that you aren’t being greedy. It’s not mandatory though.

Contributor: Eric Bowlin from idealrei.com and huntingforbinoculars.com

As a business owner, it can be difficult to spend the amount of time I'd like writing an in-depth guest article on a subject about which I'm passionate. Thankfully, members of our staff are willing and able to provide valuable feedback. 

I talk to members of my management team about the higher points, get editorial support from our outstanding writers, and get subject-specific input from employees who specialize in specific areas like website design or SEO. We are a very fluid office, and teamwork really does help the writing quality and the information I deliver come together.

Contributor: Dan Goldstein from page1solutions.com

While many guest authors are writing to promote themselves or their brand, this only will create a weak article. Save your author byline for the about you, and keep the content within the blog focused on the subject and useful for the blog's audience.

Contributor: Alexandra Bohigian from enolalabs.com

Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible. Follow George Orwell's advice:

• Never use a long word where a short one will do.
• If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out.
• Never use the passive where you can use the active.

Contributor: Gina Hutchings Digital Marketing Expert and owner of The Treatment Tester

The most important, relevant and eye-catching information should be as high up the page as possible.

Embrace the line break. There are few easier ways to make online copy more readable.

Break up longer copy with: 

• Sub-headings
• Bullet points
• Images

Contributor: Gina Hutchings Digital Marketing Expert and owner of The Treatment Tester

Readers love numbered lists. 

Lists break up content. They help readers pick out the most important information quickly.

Contributor: Gina Hutchings Digital Marketing Expert and owner of The Treatment Tester

Research other topics that are link-worthy. Write it as if you were in their shoes. How will it make his or her life better or job easier?

Contributor: George Schlidge from matrixmarketinggroup.com

Use tools like MOZ, SEMRush, or Ubersuggest to find keywords that you may rank for. But don't write too much for Google bots. Write great content your readers will consume and share.

Contributor: George Schlidge from matrixmarketinggroup.com

When writing don't worry about perfection in the first draft. I suggest my three step process. (1) Get all your thoughts down in the first draft; (2) take a chainsaw to it and reorganize that content so that it flows and there is a nice cadence. And, (3) is the fine-tuning. Go through it and be sure paragraph structure is great and grammar is correct.

Contributor: George Schlidge from matrixmarketinggroup.com

I use tools like Grammarly and Hemingway App.

Contributor: George Schlidge from matrixmarketinggroup.com

Write a clear and compelling SEO title (60-65 characters) and description (150-160 characters), both of which should be optimized for your target keyword phrase or phrases.

Contributor: Eagan Heath from getfoundmadison.com

Focus on providing value to the host site. Always make self-promotion secondary to providing extraordinary value. In many cases, you can spend 12 to 18 hours writing a single post. Make it more comprehensive than even the other articles on the host site, and they will welcome you back any time. 

I would also recommend getting to know the blog owner as much as possible. You should be familiar with the site's content, their audience and the normal writing style required. It's better to take it a step further and engage with the blog owner and get to know them prior to your guest post submission. 

Contributor: Nedelina Payaneva from asianabsolute.co.uk

Different websites have different rules for pitching your idea. Some may want you to submit a completed article in the body of your email. Others may ask for two or three possible headlines and a brief description of what each post would be about. And some may ask for specific subject lines. 

Follow the guidelines exactly, because this demonstrates that you are a professional who is easy to work with, pays attention to details, and understands the website and its audience. Many websites have filters set up that weed out pitches that don't follow the site's guidelines and your article may never be seen. 

Contributor: Nedelina Payaneva from asianabsolute.co.uk

To create information noise around your brand, it is desirable that the topic deal with something new, controversial, outstanding, unusual. We are trying to make the guest post become viral.

Contributor: Boris Goncearenco from nyfurnitureoutlets.com

Common phrases, banal truths and self-glorification are unlikely to arouse the interest of the audience. Try to make the material useful, practical and solve the specific tasks of the readers.

Contributor: Boris Goncearenco from nyfurnitureoutlets.com

Vivid pictures will increase the viral potential of the material. A competent description (alt-tags) will work for promotion in social networks.

Contributor: Boris Goncearenco from nyfurnitureoutlets.com

Promote your theories, talk about your cases, doubt the generally accepted statements, tell us about your story. Write an article so that it unequivocally increases your credibility in the eyes of readers.

Contributor: Boris Goncearenco from nyfurnitureoutlets.com

To do this, you need to call for comments, and then carefully respond to them. The appearance of fresh replicas can be tracked in Google Alerts or in special monitoring services: IQBuzz, Wobot, Babkee.

Contributor: Boris Goncearenco from nyfurnitureoutlets.com

It is important that the text of the link does not contain commercial signals (buy, price, order, go). Ideally, if the anchor is the name of your brand, company or site.

Contributor: Boris Goncearenco from nyfurnitureoutlets.com

I've found that one of the best ways to create awesome guest posts is to create an outline of sub-topics around that one particular topic. Long gone are the days where you can just slap together five hundred words and have it accepted as a guest post. People are pickier now and they want higher-quality content, which means it needs to be more in-depth. 

One of my secrets is to look at the table of contents of books related to the topic I'm writing about. For example, I recently did a guest post about Disney World for 2 year old children (very specific, I know). My sub-topics included best stroller for Disney World, best shoes for Disney World, best kid-friendly hotels in Orlando and more. 

Another guest-posting trick that I use is to look in the forums related to my niche and see which topics are getting the most views and replies. If this is happening, I know it's a topic that my niche is passionate about. I would much rather write a guest post about something like this because it's more likely to gain traction. 

Contributor: James Pollard from TheAdvisorCoach.com

Too many guest posts fail to speak directly to the audience of the blog or site on which they are featured. If you don't talk to the audience, you're not going to capture the interest and attention of blog owner, and certainly not the reader. For example, if you're promoting a food delivery service, your guest post must address the benefits of the product for that blog's specific audience. 

Busy Moms and college students are both great targets for a food delivery service, as long as you address them appropriately. The good news is, blogs by their very nature already are targeted, so most of that work is done for you. As the writer, your job is to see the opportunity and tailor your post to it. 

Contributor: Jerry Haffey Jr., President of Business Development at Ambrosia Treatment Center

The blog post itself shouldn't be self-promotional; provide quality, expert advice, and insight to a niche topic that will educate and inform the audience instead of sell to them. Add value to the conversation and promotion/brand awareness will take care of itself.

Contributor: John Baker from deploybot.com

Who says guest posts have to be text heavy? Adding GIFS to emphasize the story you're telling can make content stand out and resonate with readers. Just make sure the GIF is relevant and will more than likely get approved by the editor.

Contributor: Chelsey Moter from cannack.com

Don't forget to include some sort of call to action at the end of your guest post by encouraging readers to discuss the article in the comments or share the post on social media.

Contributor: Sarah Hancock from bestcompany.com/solar