A previous post talked about simple solutions for guest posts.
The best solution is –
Hook up with a great blogger.
Today, I did just that.
When I started my own business in 2008, Jennifer (Jenn) Mattern was someone I found to be a great resource for learning about a freelance writing career. Her expertise and tell it like it is attitude is a blessing I was thankful to discover.
I am honored that Jenn kicks off her Guest Post Tour right here at Simply Stated Business.
Although her guest post topic is directed at freelance writers, it is great strategy for any owner of a business blog who is trying to be heard in the massive blogosphere.
Sit back and enjoy the read.
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The Value of Guest Posts in Promoting Your Freelance Writing Business
by Jennifer Mattern
This article kicks off my latest virtual blog tour.
While blog tours can take different forms, this one revolves around guest posts.
Guest posts can be an effective way to promote your freelance writing business –
whether in tour form where you contribute to several different sites in a set period of time or even on a single post basis from time to time.
But to make it work, you have to be able to separate yourself from your normal “writer” mindset.
Let’s take a look at what guest posts are, why it’s okay to write for free when it comes to guest posting, and the types of publications you might want to target with guest post pitches.
What are Guest Posts?
Guest posts are really nothing more than a solid old PR tactic used by “experts” in a variety of industries, given a shiny new name and dragged into the blogosphere.
Basically a guest post is an unpaid one-off contribution you make to a relevant niche or industry blog in exchange for a link back to your own site or blog and the exposure you get within another blogger’s reach.
Writing for Free: Put on Your Marketing Hat
Some writers balk at the idea of writing guest posts.
They look down on any kind of unpaid writing. Yet professionals in other industries have done the same for decades with a lot of success.
Writers are different because they sometimes can’t separate their writing time from their marketing time because, unlike other types of professionals, writing is what they’re actually paid to do.
You need to be able to step outside of the billable hour frame of mind and put your marketing hat on.
If you’re paid for a contribution, it isn’t a guest post. It’s a freelance submission. It’s work that should be accounted for in your billable hours.
Anything you do solely for exposure falls under marketing or PR work — things you should set separate time aside for. Writing guest posts will therefore in no way impact the time you have available for billable work.
A lot of marketing and PR work is writing-based.
- You write the copy for your website
- You write your own blog posts
- You write for your newsletters
- You write comments on others’ blogs to get a link back to your own site
That’s all unpaid writing that you do with the intention of increasing business later or ultimately making a sale.
Guest posts fall under that same umbrella.
Yes, you’re a writer who deserves to be paid for your work. But you don’t deserve to have third parties pay you to market your own services.
When you can separate the two types of writing you do when conducting your freelance writing business, you’ll get a better feel for the benefits of guest posts.
For example:
- Guest posts can get you seen in publications that don’t (or rarely) take on freelancers.
- Guest posts allow you to reach a wider audience across many sites in a shorter period of time than if you had to pitch each site with paid contributions.
- Guest posts give you more control than freelance submissions. You tend to have more freedom in choosing article topics and most site owners (big or small) are happy to work with your schedule if you’re confined by a specific time frame for a virtual publicity tour.
- Guest posts generally allow you to include a short bio or call to action at the end of the article, with one or more links to your own sites. That doesn’t happen as often with paid freelance submissions. It’s a good way to drive new visitors to your site — some of whom may be your target clients or the target audience for your own blog.
- Guest posts usually result in you keeping the copyright to your work, unlike work for hire scenarios with freelance submissions. That means you can re-publish the guest posts you write on your own blog if you want to down the road or use them in article marketing.
In the end, “writing for free” can lead to significant income opportunities-
- Advertising on your own blog
- Product sales if you link to an e-book or book you’re selling
- Service enquiries from freelance prospects that see your work and are impressed by your writing
There’s a big difference between writing for free in relevant niche publications for the marketing and PR benefits and contributing free or cheap content directly to those who would otherwise be in your target market themselves.
One is a proven promotional technique. The other just devalues your work in the eyes of the people you want to convince to pay for it.
Where to Submit Guest Posts
Once you understand guest posts, how they differ from freelance writing projects, and how they can be a valuable marketing tool for your business or website, it’s time to think about targeting.
These days when people hear “guest posts” they tend to think about blogs. But you can go beyond the usual guest posting circuit too. Here are a few places where you might pitch guest post ideas, online and off.
Large blogs in your primary niche – These are blogs with a large audience and the potential for greater visibility. However the longevity of your post can be shorter as they tend to frequently update content, burying yours quickly in the archives. These are best for short bursts of attention, although you may get a trickle down effect for some time.
Smaller niche or industry blogs – Don’t underestimate the power of smaller blogs. They might not reach as many readers, but they tend to have more highly targeted audiences before their own site spreads to the masses. Plus, offering a guest post is a good way to grow your network.
You never know what position those bloggers will be in a few months or years down the road.
Other niche websites – Not all content-oriented websites take the chronological blog format. Look for webzines or more general information sites in your niche as well. Also consider online versions of traditional print publications. Many have unique content on their websites these days.
Email newsletters – Many sites and businesses now offer email newsletters. Some have large subscriber bases. And they all need content. Pitch a guest post to one of your favorite email newsletters in the niche, and your content might reach your target audience directly through their inbox.
Print publications – I mentioned trade magazines earlier. This is the traditional platform for unpaid guest contributions from industry experts (although they frequently do pay for freelance contributions when they solicit work to fill space – the difference being the marketing angle).
Are you an expert source in a subject area where this could expose you to your target market? Then consider the print route. You won’t get a link, but you may be able to have your website address included so readers can still visit your site.
- Do you use guest posts in your freelance writing marketing plan?
- Have you ever run an all-out virtual blog tour?
- What kinds of sites do you tend to target?
- How many posts have you contributed?
- What kind of results have you seen?
Leave a comment below to share your own stories and tips about using guest posts for promoting your freelance writing services.
About Jennifer Mattern
Jennifer Mattern is a freelance business writer and professional blogger behind blogs on freelance writing, indie publishing, social media, small business, and more – namely AllFreelanceWriting.com and AllIndiePublishing.com. She also publishes e-books for freelance writers and is scheduled to publish her first nonfiction book, The Query-Free Freelancer, early next year.
Thanks for the kind words Cathy.
You are absolutely right. Guest posts and virtual blog tours in general are great for many groups — not just freelance writers. They can be used by authors, webmasters, bloggers, or really anyone trying to promote anything at all (as long as they’re willing to share something informative and not solely promotional).
Thanks for having me!
Jenn-you are most welcome. Thank you for contributing! I have personally seen what you are talking about. I did a guest post on a trade publication and have received more emails and calls from that single post than many other marketings.
Since so much of my work is ghostwritten, it is nice to see what can happen with a well-placed guest post.
Thanks again for your contribution to my humble abode.
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On a related note, this is a freelance service I see being under-promoted by writers. Many clients out there want to use guest posts (in trade publications like you mentioned, online or off). But they don’t want to write the articles themselves. So they hire freelancers. You can make as much as you’d make with other magazines this way ($1.00 per word or more easily), plus you get paid much quicker from the business client than you often would be from a magazine publisher. If freelancers are willing to ghostwrite features, guest posts can also be a lucrative gig when you handle them for someone else. And if they didn’t work, these companies and professionals wouldn’t use them (nonetheless pay for them).
Great point. That is my ghostwriting in a nutshell, Jenn. I have an ongoing feature article that I ghostwrite for my client that is published in a trade publication and multiple ghostwritten guest posts on online niche sites.
I love it and rarely have to deal with the whole queries process. Typically, my clients come to me with the idea or topic although I also have gigs where I create the topic. As a freelancer, you have to put your ego aside and learn how to write in the “voice” of your client.
My clients have received positive feedback and leads from their efforts. To use an overworked phrase – it’s a win-win for all.
This is a great plan for using guest posts as a promotional tool, Jenn. I hadn’t thought of offering them to newsletters, but I will now!
I always mean to write more guest posts than I actually achieve. However, your example of setting up a tour is a good one, because once I’ve promised a post I always deliver. Great start – can’t wait till it’s my turn!
Sharon Hurley Hall recently posted..Anatomy of a Writer Site Upgrade
Wasn’t that a great idea, Sharon? Wish I thought of it, but then I can always steal it.
With full disclosure, of course.
You could start your tour at my site, Sharon. I could become known as the site to start Guest Post Tours. Any other takers? LOL!!
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon.
Cathy – You sound like a perfect example.
And I’m always surprised by how few freelancers think to pitch magazine features to non-magazine clients. I understand the desire to receive a byline. But you don’t need one for every article you write (and you might be very qualified for some where you wouldn’t even want one). Why not take advantage of a client’s credentials and contacts to have a piece placed, and get paid well in the process?
And steal away. lol But don’t limit yourself to guest post tours. You could start all kinds of virtual publicity tours — interview tours, guest post tours, excerpts for authors, etc. (Speaking of which, I have a guest post going out later this month on that topic too!)
Sharon – I’m with you. I’ve been telling myself I need to do a serious virtual blog tour for well over a year now. But at most I do occasional interviews or guest posts or I’ll run a tour for a single week. So I announced this. Once I was committed publicly and had the host bloggers lined up, I knew I’d follow through. Sometimes you just need to jump right in. And I can’t wait to stop by your blog on the tour on the 21st!
*twiddles thumbs*
Commenting again just so I can subscribe to the comment feed via email. Sorry.
Twiddles away, Jenn.
Thanks again for a great guest post-and for all the great marketing ideas.
Looking forward to hosting, Jenn. And Cathy, if I do this tour, you’re definitely on the list.
Sharon Hurley Hall recently posted..How To Write A Winning Blog Post
Would love to have you, Sharon! No pressure