How to Write a Killer Guest Blog Post

Guest blogging is one of the best and easiest ways to spread the word about your business. When done right, it’s highly effective. When done wrong, you risk losing your opportunity with the readers.

Here are a few tips to help you write a killer guest blog post.

Get to Know the Audience

Before you put the pen to the digital paper, you’ll want to research. Get the back story on the blog and the audience who will read your guest post by researching prior posts. Look for the posts that received the most comments and shares. Find out what questions the readers had and what answers they were looking for from the posts.

Knowing what made the blog’s audience excited will teach you a lot about what information these folks are looking for. It’ll show their motivations, their struggles, and it will expose where you fit into their story.

Consider the Formatting

When writing for another blog, you want to take a similar approach in the format of your post.

• How long are most of the posts?
• What types of headings are used?
• What images are found in the posts, if any?
• What types of headlines are used?

Formatting your blog post in a similar way will make it easier for the audience to relate to it. The people who land on this blog are used to a specific approach.  Maintaining that approach will help you establish trust with the readers from the get go.

Link to Relevant Articles

You’re the new kid on the block, which means you need to show that you know your stuff. You only have one shot to write a guest blog post but you have a wealth of information to convey.

Use links to boost your credibility and continue the conversation on your blog. There are three types of links that you can and should incorporate into a killer blog post.

The first are links to other posts on the site you’re contributing to. The blog owner wants to keep traffic there, so it’s a bit of a good faith effort to link to articles on the site to keep readers there. Then, you’ll want to link to outside sources, such as studies, research, or statistics. These links are your credibility boosters. They’re the links that show that you’ve done your due diligence and you’re giving your reader the facts she needs.

And finally, include a link to your blog. Usually editors will only allow one link back to your website, so make it a good one. Don’t link to your homepage. Link to a relevant blog post you’ve written on the topic to continue the discussion with the reader.

Write a Killer Call To Action

You don’t guest blog post for the fun of it, usually. There’s a goal in mind. Most guest bloggers write to establish credibility, boost readership on their blog, or encourage email list signups. At the end of your guest blog post, tell your reader what you want him or her to do next. Don’t assume they know how to engage with you on the best level.

Takeaways

Before you write your next guest blog post, make a plan. Get to know the audience, define what topic will stir up the most interest, and write in a way that’s familiar. At the end of the post, make it crystal clear what you want your reader to do next.

What would you add to this list? Any tips that you’ve found to help write a killer blog post?