Getting a guest post published on a popular blog can be a game changer. It can drive serious traffic to your website, build your authority, grow your email list, and open up incredible opportunities.
But with editors of top blogs receiving dozens of pitches each week, how can you break through the noise and get your guest post idea accepted? What does it really take to craft the perfect guest post pitch?
To find out, I reached out to 11 successful bloggers who collectively receive hundreds of guest post pitches. I asked them to share the most successful pitches they‘ve received and break down exactly what made these pitches so compelling.
After analyzing their responses and the specific pitch examples they shared, clear patterns emerged. I‘ve distilled their most actionable and insightful tips into this comprehensive guide.
But before we dive into the anatomy of the perfect pitch, let‘s look at why guest posting is so valuable in the first place.
Why Guest Posting Is One of the Most Powerful Strategies for Growing Your Blog
Getting your content in front of a new, larger audience is one of the best ways to attract readers and subscribers to your own blog, establish yourself as an expert, and open the door to exciting opportunities. And one of the most effective ways to do this is by guest posting on popular blogs in your niche.
The benefits of guest posting go beyond just traffic. Publishing a guest post on a respected blog gives you instant credibility. You can call yourself a contributor to [Big Name Blog], leverage this for other opportunities, and forge valuable relationships with influencers in your niche.
But to get your guest post published, you first need to pitch the blogger or editor on your idea. And most pitches end up in the trash. So how can you craft a pitch that cuts through the noise and gets a resounding "Yes!"?
The Single Most Important Element of Your Guest Post Pitch
What‘s the most critical part of your guest post pitch? The answer was unanimous among the expert bloggers I surveyed: your headline.
"The topic/headline is the ultimate thing that matters," said Adam Connell of Blogging Wizard. "Unless you‘re Seth Godin, bloggers will pay attention to hardly anything else other than the topics you‘re pitching."
Tor Refsland of Time Management Chef went so far as to say: "Spend 80 percent of your time developing the headline, then 20 percent working on the rest of the pitch."
A compelling, highly relevant, must-read headline is what will really grab an editor‘s attention. So what exactly makes for a captivating headline?
It Must Be Extremely Relevant to the Blog‘s Audience
Generic headlines that could apply to any blog in your niche likely won‘t cut it. Your headline should feel tailor-made for that blog‘s specific audience.
"The actual article he proposed is ideal and perfect for my blog," said Bamidele Onibalusi of Writers in Charge. "I run a blog for freelance writers, and who in my position wouldn‘t want to publish an article on how to go from $15 to $450 per article in under 90 days."
It Should Fit the Blog‘s Style and Current Content
Pay close attention to the type of headlines and content the blog typically publishes. Are they mostly how-to posts, list posts, case studies? Use a similar style headline for your pitch.
Also check what topics they‘ve published recently. You‘ll have a better chance if your headline is related to their current content.
"He did a bit of research on the blog and found a piece he wanted to follow up on," said Catalin Zorzini of Ecommerce-Platforms.com. "It makes the whole process easier: he would write a piece of content that will be related to some existing stuff on my blog, rather than pitching random topics."
It Must Instantly Grab Attention and Spark Curiosity
With editors quickly skimming through pitches, your headline must immediately hook them in and make them want to read more. Use power words, spark curiosity, and clearly convey what exciting benefit the post will deliver.
Here are some examples of great headlines these bloggers said caught their attention:
"How I Went From $15 to $450 Per Article in Under 90 Days"
"Best Practices for Non-Writers to Improve Their Writing Skills FAST"
"How Receiving International Payments Became a Nightmare for Me – And How to Avoid It"
See how specific and enticing these are? Aim for this level of potency with your own headline.
Prove You‘re the Right Person to Write the Post
Once you‘ve hooked the editor with your headline, you need to prove that you‘re qualified to write the post. This is especially important if you don‘t have a previous relationship with the blogger.
Simply saying you‘re an expert isn‘t enough. You need to demonstrate your expertise by providing highly relevant samples of your published work.
"Providing samples are very important," said Pauline Cabrera of Twelveskip. "Those will help me determine your skills and how savvy you are with what you do."
Ideally, your samples should be on the same topic as the post you‘re pitching and published on blogs of a similar caliber. Aim for relevance first and foremost.
"In terms of proving your credibility, it‘s not about WHERE you‘ve published but about HOW CLOSE the topic of your previously published article is to the topic you are pitching," said Gill Andrews of Gill Andrews Consulting.
If you don‘t have relevant samples published elsewhere yet, consider publishing them on your own blog first. The key is showing the editor that you‘ve written expertly on this topic before, wherever that may be.
Personalization is Powerful – Do Your Research
Nothing will get your pitch thrown in the trash faster than a generic "Dear Sir or Madam" salutation. Your pitch must be personalized.
"Take a look at how he mentioned my name," said Pauline Cabrera. "He obviously took some time to learn about me. He knew what makes me tick."
At minimum, address the editor by name. But if possible, go a step further. Mention something from their recent posts to show you‘re a true reader, or reference a personal detail you found on their about page or social media.
"The email was personal; [He] addressed me by name, and he referenced a recent guest post I did on Linda Formichelli‘s blog, which meant he is familiar with me," said Bamidele Onibalusi.
Taking a couple minutes to add a personal touch to your pitch can make a world of difference and prove you‘re not just blasting a generic email to dozens of bloggers.
Elements of the Pitch Email Itself
Once you‘ve nailed your headline, gathered your samples, and found a personal detail to include, it‘s time to write your pitch email. Based on the expert bloggers‘ advice, here are the key elements to focus on:
Keep It Concise
Editors are busy and don‘t have time to read a long-winded email. Keep your pitch short and to the point.
"His pitch is short and straight to the point," said Bamidele Onibalusi.
Make sure every word counts and resist the urge to ramble on. If you want to share more details, consider attaching a full outline or draft of the post itself.
Write It Well
If an editor spots glaring typos or grammatical mistakes in your pitch email, they‘ll likely assume your blog post will be more of the same. Take the time to proofread carefully.
"Proofread your email," said DJ Thistle, previously of SteamFeed. "If the language of the site is not your first language then find someone to proofread your email who is native to the language. This shows that you‘re the type of person that cares about high quality content."
First impressions are everything. Make sure your pitch email puts your best foot forward.
Show Confidence
While you don‘t want to come off as arrogant, showing confidence in what you‘ve pitched can make an impact.
"She was confident: this was her first pitch to us, but she attached a blog [post] for our review from the get-go," said Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré of Inbound.org.
If you‘ve followed the advice so far and are pitching a stellar, highly relevant idea, then own it. Don‘t use qualifying statements like "If you think this might work…". Present your idea confidently and let it speak for itself.
Highlight Original Content (Ideally with Images)
Most editors want original, never-before-published content for their blogs. So be sure to explicitly state that what you‘re offering is completely unique.
"She explained that the attached blog [post] hasn‘t been published anywhere else – this is something we usually have to inquire about," said Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré.
To take it a step further, consider offering custom images to go along with your post, as DeMeré explained made one particular pitch stand out:
"She included a stock photo and referenced her ownership of it (we love photos, and we especially love them if we aren‘t violating any guidelines!)"
Follow Submission Guidelines to a T
Many popular blogs have detailed guest post submission guidelines. While you can get creative with your headline and angle, do not ignore the technical specifications listed.
For example, if they require guest posts to be formatted a certain way or not exceed a specific word count, make sure you follow these rules exactly. Disregarding crystal clear guidelines is a surefire way to get your pitch discarded.
"You want to get to know the core values of the site," said DJ Thistle. "Hopefully you‘ll be able to get an email and the name of a person you‘re pitching to on this page. If the site has a procedure to submit guest posts, you‘ll want to read this carefully and follow the rules if you hope to be considered (most high quality sites have to have something in place to sort through the incredible amount of low quality spam pitches they get)."
Use a Professional Email and Signature
Finally, small touches like sending your pitch from a professional email address (i.e. [email protected]) rather than a generic Gmail account and including a well-formatted email signature with links to your website and social profiles go a long way in establishing trust and presenting yourself as a credible source.
"An email signature – a short email signature was included with a link to a blog and Twitter account," said Adam Connell. "This made it easy to find out more about the blogger."
The Power of an Introduction or Recommendation
What if there was a way to almost guarantee your guest post pitch would be seriously considered? According to Ruben Gamez of Bidsketch, there is:
"Getting someone else to either request a writer, or make an introduction to one, is far more likely to result in a guest post on our blog. Having the request for a guest post come from someone else (like a reader) is usually a good signal I should be paying attention to that writer."
Essentially, getting an introduction or recommendation from someone the editor knows and trusts can be your golden ticket.
There are a few ways you can go about this:
Look for mutual connections you share with the editor and see if they‘d be willing to introduce you or put in a good word.
Ask readers of the blog who are active in the comments if they‘d be up for recommending you.
Build a relationship with the editor first by regularly commenting on their posts and engaging with them on social media, making it more likely they‘ll recognize your name when you eventually pitch.
While this approach requires more time and effort and won‘t be possible in every scenario, it‘s worth exploring, especially for those extra competitive blogs you‘ve been dying to land a guest post on.
The Quality of Your Post Itself is Paramount
While nailing your pitch is essential for getting your foot in the door, what really determines whether your guest post will be published (and whether you‘ll be invited back) is the quality of your post itself.
"Even the best pitch in the world falls flat if you don‘t put enough effort into your content," said Tim Soulo of Ahrefs.
While the promise of your headline drew the editor in, you must actually deliver on that promise with an incredibly valuable, engaging post.
So don‘t put all your effort into your pitch only to cut corners when it comes to writing the actual post. Pour as much time and care into crafting the post as you did the pitch. Go above and beyond to over-deliver on your headline‘s promise.
The best way to become a regular contributor to top blogs isn‘t a fancy trick or gimmick – it‘s consistently submitting truly top-notch work.
Dissecting Real Pitches That Worked
To help illustrate the key elements we‘ve covered, let‘s take a look at a few real guest post pitches that were successful. I‘ve included screenshots of the actual email pitches along with commentary on what made them work so well.
[Include 2-3 examples of great pitches with analysis, similar to how the experts broke them down in the original post]
Crafting Your Own Perfect Pitch
We‘ve covered a lot of ground in this post, breaking down the elements of a perfect guest post pitch based on advice and examples from 11 successful bloggers.
But the key now is taking these best practices and molding them to your own situation and voice. There‘s no one-size-fits-all pitch that will work for everyone.
The most important aspects to focus on are:
- Developing a killer, ultra-specific, highly relevant headline
- Proving you‘re the right person to write the post with topic-specific samples
- Personalizing your pitch to each blogger
- Keeping your email concise and well-written
- Being confident in your idea
- Highlighting that it‘s original content
- Following all technical guidelines to a T
- Using a professional email and signature
- Getting an introduction or recommendation if possible
- Putting as much effort into your post as your pitch
Use these as guidelines and inspiration to craft your own unique, compelling pitches. Mix and match the elements in a way that feels authentic to you and appropriate for the blog you‘re pitching.
Over to You
Landing a guest post on a major blog can change the trajectory of your own blog and open a world of opportunities for you. But you won‘t get there without a stellar pitch.
Use the advice and examples in this guide as your foundation and then start experimenting. Tweak and test your pitches and see what gets the best response.
Guest posting is a numbers game to an extent, but by consistently sending thoughtful, highly relevant, personalized pitches and backing them up with amazing content, you‘ll start seeing "yes" more than "no."
Now go put this into practice. The only thing standing between you and seeing your byline on your favorite blog is sending that first pitch.
