Have you considered guest posting to complement your existing content strategy?

No?!

Or maybe you did but aren’t sure where to start?

It’s your lucky day, then: that’s exactly what I talked about as a guest on this episode of SEO On-Air, a podcast by Stan Ventures.

Listen to my episode, Content Writer’s Guide to Guest Posting, or read the summary below.

Content Writer’s Guide to Guest Posting - Transcript

Haroon: How do you include guest posting in your overall content calendar?

Giada: Guest posting can sound like another task on top of all the other things that you do, but if you think how useful it can be, it only makes sense to include it in your content calendar. You can start by doing it once a month and then see how it fits in your existing content and SEO strategy. I think it would be a good start, to begin with.

Haroon: So, maybe you can contribute 80% of your work timing to your own content strategy and allocate the rest of the 20% to guest posting, to begin with. You can gradually increase when you start seeing positive results.

Well, my next question is, how do you get started with guest posting as a content writer?

Giada: First, you need to look for websites in your niche because that’s where your target audience is going to be. As you sort guest posting sites by niche, it takes away a lot of other guest posting websites from your list. Then you can reach out to the shortlisted website owners with your pitch.

Haroon: How do you suggest a topic to a webmaster for guest posting?

Giada: You have to go through their website to see what they have already published and then come up with topics that you think are unique to the site and will also interest the audience.

Haroon: Do you think it is necessary to focus on topics that are seasonal or in trend for guest posting?

Giada: I think it is a good idea to suggest trending or seasonal topics for guest posting because it sometimes helps to get the topics approved and is also timely. You can also focus on evergreen content that can make it sort of cornerstone content.

Haroon: Once the topic is shortlisted, is there any research that you go through?

Giada: Absolutely, I go through similar articles to see what is already out there and then try to add more information that is missing from those articles. I think that the “People Also Ask” section is also beneficial to create a content structure and understand what type of topics you should cover in your content. 

Haroon: What are your best practices to ensure that the readers found your content compelling?

Giada: You should write content like you’re explaining it to your best friend. You should avoid jargon and keep the content simple. The most important thing is to remember to write content that is easy to read for both humans and search engines. SEO content is not about using keywords in the content over and over again. Google crawlers and human readers want the same thing, a compelling piece of content that is understandable and easy to follow.

Haroon: Is reviewing a content copy necessary?

Giada: It is vital if you want to send a good pitch and an excellent article. I’ve seen articles that have a lot of spelling mistakes, and that can really undermine your whole strategy. So, I think you should ensure that your content is free from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, and it should be able to deliver the information that the topic promises. You want to make sure that your structure follows the outline that you originally envisioned in order to answer all the answers that your target audience is looking for. 

Haroon: When it comes to publishing and promoting the content, what are the practices you follow for maximum exposure? 

Giada: I think the best way to get maximum exposure for a piece of content is to ensure that it complements your social media strategy. Make sure you are true to the medium and don’t post the same thing on various social media platforms just for the sake of getting clicks. So, make sure that your content is optimized for different social platforms so that people actually take an interest in reading them.