Many businesses now recognize the importance of having a well-maintained and engaging blog. When done right, this marketing tactic can help you connect with customers more meaningfully, strengthen your brand voice, and make complicated content digestible.
If that wasn’t enough, 70% of consumers prefer to learn about a company through an article rather than an advertisement. By harnessing the magic of words, audiences get to learn about your brand in the way they want to, which is sure to earn you some credit.
But your own platform only gets you so far, even if you are a talented wordsmith. To reach further than ever before, businesses need to embrace the power of guest posting. In this guide, we’ll explore what this means, why it matters, and the sites worth knowing about.
What is guest posting?
Guest posting can be difficult to do, but the concept is very simple. It’s the act of crafting and publishing content for another company’s website. The process is a win-win situation for everyone involved. While the host website gets free, revitalizing articles, the blogger gains a more extensive outreach when their branded links are clicked on by readers.
60% of bloggers write one-to-five high-quality guest posts a month as it’s a great way to build a personal brand and expand into new audiences. Businesses also utilize this tactic in their content marketing strategies. Let’s find out if you should be doing the same.
The benefits of guest posting
If you haven’t heard of this technique before, then you may be hemming and hawing about its worth. We get it. It can be a challenge to establish a relationship with the ideal host site, and having to write something engaging and informative only adds more pressure.
But if it wasn’t worth it, you wouldn’t see so many brands making the effort. So, why do they take part? You won’t find many opportunities where you get to write about your passions, maybe show off a little bit, and get your business promoted for free.
If that wasn’t enough, here are other reasons to consider writing a guest post.
- High-quality link-building and organic backlinks.
- Increase your online reputation.
- Network creatively with industry influencers and experts.
- Gain an opportunity to practice and improve writing skills.
- Better brand awareness and visibility.
- Quickly boost your website traffic.
- Improve your positioning on search engines.
- More credibility when published on an established site.
How to choose what to write about
Now you’re filled with anticipation to get started. But there’s a lot want to write about, so how do you choose?
The publisher won’t approve content unrelated to their industry or business. It could confuse their existing audience, bring in useless leads, and damage their reputation. You need to find a way to appease them while showcasing talents in your area of interest.
Below are some signs that the content you’re brainstorming will be a good choice.
- You’re able to add value to the discussion.
- You’re knowledgeable about the topic.
- You can demonstrate personal experience in the area.
- The content hasn’t been explored yet on their blog site.
- What you’re discussing solves an industry-specific problem.
- It’s easy to create a sharable graph, table, or image from the text.
Remember to write for their audience and brand. Just because you’re in the same field of interest, it doesn’t mean your usual style will resonate with their business or align with their strategy. Usually, you can still put your own spin on things, but it’s worth double-checking.
How to pitch a guest post to a company
Many of the guest posting websites we will discuss later receive hundreds of submissions each day. Imagine how many words that is to read through. You’ll likely be forgotten about if you haven’t given them something special from the first interaction.
Your pitch needs to stand out and impress from the get-go if it’s going to become a fully-fledged article. When you perfect the process, your blogs will secure publication more frequently, and the constant disheartening rejections will be behind you.
Every company will be different, so get a feel for their tone before you begin drafting. It’s good practice to find out about who you’re addressing so you can be as personal as possible. Here is some other advice that will get you in their good books.
- Mention the moderator by name.
- Research the chosen blog and explain why you would be a good match.
- Tell them about any gaps in their content you’ve noticed and how you can fill them.
- Always give a unique perspective if you’re writing about trending material.
- Include: headline, keywords, length, content summary, tone, and anchor text.
- If you’re sending an email, format carefully and add the headline in the subject.
- Be as professional but approachable as possible.
Here’s a simple example from the online marketing software company Semrush. You can see how easy it is to incorporate the tips above in a condensed and readable format.
Where can you find guest posting opportunities?
If you don’t know where to look, it can be hard to maximize your impact. Luckily for you, many highly-regarded businesses with widely-read blogs accept external submissions. Which ones you decide to pursue will depend on your niche and industry, but here is a list of guest posting opportunities to consider.
1. HubSpot
Our first choice has to belong to the champions of sales and marketing. If you’ve got experience in either, then HubSpot is an opportunity you can’t pass up.
The cloud-based platform offers customers resources and software products to enhance their marketing strategies and internal processes. If that isn’t enough, users can even try some of the most advanced automation on the web.
This company is relied upon by many businesses, which is proven by the fact their blog receives a staggering seven million or even more monthly visits! Due to the brand’s long-standing image and loyal following, they’ve limited what they will publish externally. Your guest article will have to fit into one of two categories if you want it to be accepted.
- Customer story. This blog discusses how you used HubSpot resources or tools, how they solved a problem you were having, and how this impacted your brand. For example, how you used the Sales Hub to increase your deal close rate.
- Canonical posts. Bear in mind this option is only available to app producers and solutions partners. If you qualify, you’ll use relevant topics to tell readers how to solve an issue or try something new, such as how to clean up your HubSpot data.
For interested parties, HubSpot accepts ideas through userblog@hubspot.com. It’s important to note that they require all contributors to complete their 25-minute writing lesson first. You can find it here. It is free to work through, but you will need an account.
With the learning out of the way, you’re free to send your email across. Then you’ll need to wait to see if your blog has been approved. If it has, you’ll be expected to send over an outline on Google Docs and make edits before it’s published.
This is the template they recommend for customer stories.
And this is the alternative for canonical posts.
2. Lifehacker
The premise of the weblog Lifehacker is that the content teaches readers from all demographics tricks to make their daily lives easier. Many different topics can be discussed, which opens your brand up to new audiences you haven’t reached yet. Also, the site is completely free to browse, which gets more eyes on your work.
Of course, you still need to know something about your article’s subject. But we’d be shocked if your expertise couldn’t fit into one of the categories below. Any topics from the list are acceptable within Lifehacker’s guidelines, giving you a wide variety to pick from.
- Relationships
- Money
- Food
- Tech
- Entertainment
- Home and garden
- Health
- Parenting
- Life in general
You’ve got a few options when it comes to submitting on Lifehacker. A longer guest post will need to be sent to submissions@lifehacker.com. However, you can also be featured in their “How to Work” series and talk about topics personal to you. This includes your routine, workspace, and shortcuts to get through the day. Find out how through this post.
Remember, this blog requires some form of life hack if you want to get published. You’ll need to center your ideas around this. Is there a problem you’ve identified and learned how to solve? Or do you have a piece of advice that could be helpful for their audience?
3. VentureBeat
The world of technology is vast, ever-changing, and daunting. Business leaders are feeling the pressure to jump on board with the latest innovations. However, how are they supposed to keep up without a reliably updated single source of truth? Well, they don’t have to worry about that because they have VentureBeat.
The platform is a leading source for transformative tech, dedicated to providing explanations and context for the newest developments. Businesses trust the news and deep insights from this company, using it to make informed decisions.
Unlike HubSpot, this company has no specific limitations on what you can submit. However, they have posted what they’d expect your blog to focus on to ensure it aligns with their interests and industry. If you consider yourself tech-savvy or have experience in innovations, you should be a good fit. Check out what they desire below.
Beyond this, there has been an update to the VentureBeat website about what they’re currently seeking out from contributors. If you can appeal to any of these below, we’d recommend drafting your blog around them.
- Technical deep dives
- Evolving tools and techniques
- LLMs and LLM chains
- Vector databases
- Non-promotional explorations of new models
To submit a pitch for a sponsored post, you should email sales@venturebeat.com. For regular guest posting pitches, you can learn how to submit an article on their page here. Format as an editable Google Doc and expect to hear back within 14 business days.
4. HuffPost
A political, entertainment, and news hub all rolled into one website, HuffPost is our next strong contender. The platform interestingly gives a progressive spin on American media, which tends to lean more conservatively. You’ll find stories about racial stereotypes but also light-hearted horoscope readings. This channel has the perfect balance for all writers.
The best guest posts will fit into one of the categories below, as that’s what they’ve requested for a pitch. However, they do have sections for shopping, giving power to marginalized voices, and video content worth exploring for inspiration.
- National and politics
- Personal
- Culture
- Wellness
- Life (food and drink, style and beauty, etc.)
Each subject matter has its own contact information, which you can find on this page.
Submissions here need to include a headline, a couple of paragraphs as an outline to explain why the story is important, and a brief plan for how you’re going to tell it.
They also want to know more about you and why you would be the best blogger for the job, so don’t hesitate to mention your experience and knowledge as well.
5. Insider
Insider, which you may know better by their previous name Business Insider, is a website that delivers global financial and business-related news to an action-oriented audience. You’ll find stories about successful companies, stock insights, salary databases, and more.
The respected brand boasts 118 million global monthly unique views. So, if your guest post submission ticks all of their boxes, you could gain credibility and domain authority.
Regarding contributions, they seek thoughtful analysis, engaging commentary, and authoritative advice within the areas of interest they cover. Here’s a list of them below.
- Business news
- Tech
- Finances and economy
- Markets
- Healthcare
- Transportation
- Retail
- Media
- Real estate
- Leadership
- Careers
Some need-to-know policies are outlined on their webpage. Take a look at them below.
In addition to this, the business adds that articles for Insider need to be exclusive to the host, so you shouldn’t send them to other sites or your blog. If you still want to go ahead, then you need to approach Debbie Strong. Find her at dstrong@insider.com.
6. CoSchedule
If you have talents in marketing, then this company is one to remember. This work management software is responsible for getting customers coordinated and organized. Tasks are put in a user-friendly space, and effective calendars can be shared with teams.
For CoSchedule to demonstrate their capability to do this, they have an impressive marketing blog covering everything from new tools, must-have digital skills, and the best email marketing strategies to implement. It’s the perfect place to show what you can do.
The brand asks that your content be an educational how-to guide that readers can follow and put into practice. What it’s about is up to you, so long as it fits within their branding. That being said, there are guidelines for other aspects of the post to be acknowledged if you want to succeed. Find these three sections on this page.
- General
- Formatting
- Editorial
On the CoSchedule website, there’s a submission form to fill in if you want to make your own contribution. For convenience, we’ll leave it here.
They stress that most pitches are ignored because the author hasn’t spent time reading the guidelines. Make sure you give everything a thorough scan before you get started. It’s worth putting together a checklist to ensure everything is covered.
7. MarketingProfs
This platform offers customers free training programs, online events, and tutorials to help them execute the best marketing campaigns. Even the world’s most iconic brands use their services, which have been around since 2000, including their articles and guides. If you want to jump on the bandwagon, MarketingProfs welcomes articles on various topics. Find the list here on their website, but generally, if you stick within the realms of content and digital marketing, social media, and B2B content, you’ll be onto a winner.
They provide some extensive blogging guidelines, including a preference for Microsoft Word formatting, articles between 800-1000 words, and a focus on how-to information.
Do yourself a favor and read up before submitting. When you feel ready, email WriteForUs@marketingprofs.com and wait a week or two for a response.
8. Mention
Are you a whizz on Instagram? Have an impressive number of followers on TikTok? Or maybe you know how to maximize your reach on Facebook. If you resonate with one (or all) of these statements, you will find a place for your knowledge on the Mention blog.
This platform is a social listening and media tool for communicators and marketers to gain valuable audience insights. Various features allow customers to monitor online sources, uncover trends in data, and easily publish posts across channels in one place.
The platform is vocal about wanting guest bloggers to join their ranks. They’re seeking individuals with experience and unique perspectives on over-saturated topics like social media. They even encourage a sense of humor, which makes this pitch even more fun.
The guest post guidelines are a bit too long to share here. Don’t panic as you read through the long list of things to remember because the advice is there for you to stay on the right track. Answers to the questions below can be found on this page.
- Who should you target?
- How should you write?
- Which assets need sending over?
- What are the publishing criteria?
- What is the minimum word count?
- Which visuals are required?
- How do you approach backlinks?
One thing to note is that Mention does not accept “link-swapping blogs”. You can still see fantastic results without them, so don’t miss out on this guest blogging opportunity by thinking it’s not worthwhile.
Besides, when your post is published, you will receive a short bio and links to your website, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You’ll still get the credit you deserve.
9. Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is an online publication that guarantees quality backlinks. Focused on web development and web design, they aim to deliver practical content that isn’t based on the latest trends but instead on the success and failures of real projects.
Interestingly, this platform gives you more freedom than the others. On some guest blogging sites, your content needs to be objective, unopinionated, and unrelated to your company. Here, those restrictions are lifted. Let’s look at your delivery method options.
So, as long as your article relates to professional web designers and developers, you have more free rein than usual.
You’ll even receive a byline, a photograph of yourself, and a biography so the readers can learn more about you from your blog. If that isn’t enough, you’ll get payment for your efforts too, which is pretty unique in the world of guest posts.
The writers of Smashing Magazine range from experts to beginners, making this blog a good one to build up your confidence.
They’ll embrace your ideas so long as they meet their primary goal: to deliver quality content. If you can do that, fill out the contact form here along with a detailed outline of your plans. Without this, they won’t reply.
10. StartupNation
Approximately 4.4 million companies are started each year in the US. Many of them will fall at the first hurdle, and others will be given up on when profits don’t come quick enough. Many people seek advice to ensure their beloved startup stands the test of time.
Have you attempted to grow a business from nothing? Do you have tips about how to get started and how to help it flourish? This is incredibly valuable information.
So, why not try your luck with StartupNation? The platform is a multimedia online resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs. With a promise of the “American dream”, customers can learn and be inspired to succeed through articles, hacks, and video series.
If you want to work together with this business, craft something empowering that utilizes statistics and demonstrates a high authority. It doesn’t need to be written, either. You’re also able to pitch a podcast or video. Industry leaders can send in their book excerpts too. Consider which method will do your work justice before committing to an article.
Here are topics they’re hoping for content creators to cover. Bear in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive; if other startup-related subject matter is better suited to your style, go for it.
- Funding
- E-commerce
- Branding and marketing
- Social media
- Storytelling
- Business planning
To offer your services, there’s a form to fill in first. You’ll be asked to give a Twitter handle, website link, and LinkedIn profile. The pitch also needs to be 250 words or less, so pay close attention to the style guideline provided to ensure you make the most of them.
11. The Conversation
The Conversation is a non-profit and independent online organization that publishes research-based news and analysis. By working with experts, academics, and researchers, the business has become an open source of quality and thought-provoking journalism. This great cause believes in restoring trust in information and making it easy to access.
Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Well, if your post gets accepted, then you can. This platform accepts guest posts but is quite strict about who can submit some. You will need to be a researcher, Ph.D. candidate, or academic. While this can be a barrier to some, you’ll benefit from the esteemed site’s reputation if you have these credentials.
In terms of guidelines, there’s not much to read through on their website. They do, however, stress the importance of three pivotal points, which you can see for yourself below. Other than that, submissions are down to the blogger’s judgment and style.
Pitching without signing in or creating an account with the Conversation is impossible. You can do so on this page. The form might take a bit longer than usual as they need your institution name, your current job title, and your educational history to verify your position.
12. SitePoint
Last but not least, let’s dive into the website SitePoint to find out what they have to offer. This platform is an online publisher for web developers with content ranging from books, courses, and articles. Each is designed to be easy to understand, so even if you haven’t done technical writing before, you’ll be welcome to try as long as you have the passion.
Here is a list of what SitePoint is currently engaging in and has written about recently. If you can think of an emerging trend, different opinion, or similar topic, it would be a good idea to pitch it while their interest is piqued.
Don’t be disheartened if your attention is elsewhere; it’ll be refreshing for them to hear about something not on the list too. As long as it represents one of their core areas, which we will describe below, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting it published.
- Web development and design.
- Entrepreneurship and digital marketing.
- No-code and low-code tools.
- Development tools and environments.
Researching, writing, and editing for guest posting can be a long process. However, sites like SitePoint make it all worthwhile. Not only do the best articles get paid but they’ll also get promoted on the brand’s social media channels and newsletter to really get it out there.
A pitch form is available when you decide to move forward. Some things will need to be prepared for it, such as a description of your idea, an outline of your experience in the chosen field of tech, and a couple of links that lead to your previously written content.
Our top blogging tips
It’s vital that the content you produce when guest posting is the highest quality possible. Even more so than when you’re blogging on your site.
Spending time to perfect your article increases the likelihood that it’ll get published, brings you further opportunities on different websites, and makes readers more likely to actively seek out your business.
But blogging is not an easy skill to master. We wouldn’t rely so heavily on our talented content writers and copywriters if it were. Whether you’re starting from scratch or sharpening existing skills doesn’t matter. These tips will ensure everyone is impressed with your work.
- Link subtly to your own content. Guest blogging is the perfect chance for some self-promotion. But make sure it’s done tastefully and the links or references you make add value to the piece.
- Consider search engine optimization (SEO). The best way to demonstrate your value to the site owner is to get your blog to rank well. Do this by conducting keyword research and looking at the best-performing articles on the same topic.
- Include videos, GIFs, and images. What you include will be subject to the website’s guidelines. But incorporating something engaging, humorous, or interactive will make your blog more memorable and user-friendly.
- Develop a content promotion strategy. Experiment with both paid and organic channels to attract your target audience to the blog post and, eventually, to your page. Your relationship with the host will also improve if you increase their traffic.
- Be picky about who you contact. Some blog sites or guest posting services might feel spammy or post harmful, offensive content. You don’t want your name and brand associated with this, so do background checks before establishing a relationship. Look at things like reviews, FAQs, and social media.
- Optimize your bylines and bios. Aside from the article itself, this is how audiences will familiarize themselves with your brand. Even if you’re only given a few words, make sure they reflect your image, values, and tone.
Time to get started
If you have any experience with blogging, then you know it takes practice and patience. But if you’re willing to put the time and effort in, then we guarantee utilizing these guest posting sites will be a good investment for the future of your brand. You’ll find so many bloggers who swear by this tactic. Hopefully, now you have the resources to find out why.
To make the most out of the experience, look at this as a long-term strategy, not a one-off. By consistently publishing several posts a month on an array of different websites, it’ll be easy to prove your value to your network. And who knows, soon enough, these big brands might be asking you to contribute to their site.
