How to Write a Dynamite Pitch For Your Guest Post
By: Frank Mckinley
Tags: Marketing, Personal Development, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Writing

How to Write a Dynamite Pitch For Your Guest Post

Get your words in front of thousands at lightning speed

Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash

Do you want to be famous?

I’m not talking about being so famous you can’t go to the grocery store without a team of bodyguards. But if that’s what you want, more power to you!

I’m talking about credibility. You get that by being known as an authority in your niche. When you achieve that status, you become a go-to guide people turn to when they’re looking for the latest and best insights in the business you’re in.

Wouldn’t that be great?

Guest posting is a fantastic way to give your message the boost it needs.

So how do you approach an Influencer?

You might be thinking, “Who am I to ask the biggest blogger I know to let me write for them?”

What I’m about to say will encourage you and maybe even shock you.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

If you have a great idea for a post that will make an Influencer look good, they’ll be glad to hear it. And more importantly, if your idea lifts their audience to a higher level of performance, you’ll have your best shot ever of getting your foot in the door.

Just make sure it’s original, inspiring, and useful.

Here’s what most people do wrong.

If you want to get ignored, do this.

Talk about yourself. Focus on your own needs. Tell the Influencer that using her platform will really help your career take off.

She doesn’t care what you want.

What she cares about is her agenda.

Do you know what it is?

It’s easy to figure out.

Ask yourself why you read her blog every week. Think about some of the wins you got reading her posts. Are they inspiring? Useful? What is her writing style? Does she have a lot of other voices contributing to the conversation?

The more you know, the better your pitch will be.

Think about it. This blog is big and popular because the Blogger was intentional about it. She has a clear mission and she dedicates all her efforts to promoting it. She’s not going to let just anybody come in and blow it all. Writing for her is a privilege, not a God-given right.

Remember that, and you’ll be much more successful getting a guest spot.

Use This Template and You’ll Maximize Your Chances of Getting a Yes.

Make sure your pitch is short, friendly, and direct.

Influencers are busy. They probably have assistants reading their emails. And if you think your inbox is crowded, multiply that times a thousand for them.

So you’ve got to stand out.

First and always, follow the guidelines.

Most bloggers who accept guest posts will spell out what they want. They’ll tell you what topics they’re looking for, how long the posts should be, and what style of writing they publish.

I know sometimes it’s okay to break the rules when you write. Don’t make it these rules.

Rules are a screen as much as resumés are for job applicants. If you satisfy enough of the criteria, your submission won’t get tossed out. If you exceed what’s expected and offer something that wows them, you’re almost assured of getting a shot at a guest post.

Use a proven template to pitch.

We said before to make your pitch short, friendly, and direct.

Short means 3 paragraphs max. No more than 5–6 sentences total. Any longer and everything you did to make them happy before won’t mean a thing.

Line 1 — Compliment them.

Don’t be vague here. Tell them something specific, like,

“I loved your post last week on how to break bad habits for good. It was a game changer for me, helping me quit smoking after being hooked for 30 years.”

And be sure you’re honest here. If you can give them a specific example of how it helped, that’s much better than the generic phrase everyone uses:

I love your work.

So dig deep if you must, and be specific. It will make you stand out from the other form submissions they’re getting.

Line 2 — Make your proposal.

Do you see a gap you can fill with your wisdom? Is there a question in the comments somewhere that didn’t get answered well enough? Can you see something on the horizon in your industry that no one else is seeing or talking about yet?

Make your proposal in a sentence or two. Only make it longer if the guidelines specify that you should. The point here is that if you can capture your idea in one sentence, the rest of the writing will come a lot easier.

And more importantly, it will be laser-focused.

Be sure to make your proposal clear so the reader understands it as well as you do. In fact, it should be so clear that it can pass the test of a casual glance. Remember, the person who reads your email is busy. She won’t work to figure out what you meant. So be clear right from the start.

If you’re not sure its clear, ask your friends and colleagues if they understand what you want to write.

Line 3 — Thank them again.

This is simple courtesy. Tell them you appreciate their consideration and hope to hear from them. But even if you don’t, you’ll still be a fan.

That’s it.

What to do if it’s rejected.

Sometimes you might offer something they have enough of already.

That’s okay. Read the blog every time they publish something new. Go back as far as you can into the archives to see where they’ve gone over time. See what the blog owner is doing on Twitter.

This kind of research will help you more than anything. When you know what the Influencer really wants, you can use her own desires to gain a hearing.

After all, the best way to make a friend is to make that person feel important, right?

Now Do This

Find the biggest blog in your niche and offer to write something that compliments their mission. Once you get a yes, tell me about it.

If you’ve guest posted before, what strategy did you use to get a chance to write?

When you lift an Influencer’s audience, you lift yourself. That’s the only way you’ll ever grow your audience long term.