Guest blogging
is a great way to increase your blog's exposure and drive traffic to
it, and getting your guest post published on a high-quality blog is a
major coup that can lead to a lot of traffic. However, getting your
guest post published on a popular blog can be difficult, and if you're
making any of the 10 mistakes listed below, it could be impossible. Make
sure you avoid these mistakes, and instead, follow the top tips for guest bloggers.
1. Don't Ignore Guest Post Directions
Never send a guest post pitch until you visit the blog and thoroughly read all of the guest posting guidelines and submission instructions. Many popular bloggers won't bother reading a pitch if it doesn't follow the published guidelines. Think of it from their point of view. If you can't take the time to read their guidelines, why should they take the time to publish your post? See a great example of guest post guidelines.2. Don't Send a Form Letter
Never send a form letter that begins with something like "Dear Blogger" or "Dear Blog Editor." That's a guaranteed way to send your email pitch to the trash. Also, don't use a mail merge file that inserts the blog URL into the pitch. For example, don't send your pitch if it reads something like, "I've been reading www.BlogURL.com and you have great content." This is a huge red flag that your pitch is a form letter. Popular bloggers get dozens and dozens of guest post pitches each day, and they can detect form letters before they finish reading the first sentence.3. Don't Include a Random Link from the Blog's Archives to Fake Readership
Don't include a random link to a post on the blog in an effort to show that you read the blog. For example, don't write something like, "I really enjoy reading your blog and found this post www.PostURL.com to be really interesting." It's obvious that you don't actually read the blog, so don't try to pretend that you do. It's insulting and will relegate not only this pitch to the trash but any future pitches you send, too.4. Don't Explain the Benefits of Publishing Your Guest Post
Established bloggers and high-quality blogs know the pros and cons of publishing guest blog posts. By explaining the amazing benefits that a popular blog will get by publishing your guest post such as free content, incoming links, and so on, you're simply demonstrating your inexperience and relegating your pitch to the trash.5. Don't Send a Pitch with Spelling and Grammar Errors
If you can't create a well-crafted pitch, then it's not likely you can create a quality guest post. Your pitch needs to be error-free or don't bother sending it.6. Don't Include Too Many SEO Links in Your Guest Post
Including the actual post you're pitching with your pitch email is great, but if that post includes more than one or two SEO keyword links, most high-quality blogs aren't going to publish it. That's because a link-heavy post looks like link-building spam and could damage the user experience on their blogs.7. Don't Pitch Content that is Irrelevant to the Blog
One of the most important rules of successful guest blogging is that you need to read the blogs you pitch. Get a feeling for the type of content already published on the blog, what content is missing, and the tone and style of that content. Pitch a useful guest post that doesn't reiterate content that already appears on the blog and is written in the style most appropriate for the audience.8. Don't Forget to Say the Guest Post Will be Original and Not Published Elsewhere
It's critical that you state the guest post you provide will be original and not published anywhere else online. However, don't hype this fact like it's special. No guest posts should be duplicate content, but inexperienced writers and spammers submit duplicate content as guest posts all the time. You're not offering a special benefit by submitting original content, so don't hype it as such. Instead, you should simply show that you know what you're doing and understand how guest posting should work by mentioning your content is original and not duplicated elsewhere online at anytime.9. Don't Send a Post that Takes More than a Few Seconds to Upload and Publish
Popular bloggers are busy. If you want them to consider publishing your guest post, you need to make it as quick and easy for them as possible. Posts with a lot of special formatting, poorly written HTML, or lots of images take time to publish correctly. Therefore, omit extraneous elements and make sure you submit your post in the manner the blogger requests, making it a snap for them to publish it.10. Don't Try to Butter Up Popular Bloggers
If your pitch says anything like, "I found your blog through a Google search and your content is great," or "I've had a chance to read your blog and you really know your stuff," don't bother sending it. This type of buttering up will have the opposite effect that you want it to when a popular blogger reads it. That's because many content mills and spammy link-building companies use this exact technique when they send bulk guest post pitches to their email lists. Don't do it.10 Things to Avoid if You Want Quality Blogs to Publish Your Guest Post
