Molly Rider

I LOVE helping my clients get their message shared on 3rd party platforms.

 

When done right it...

• Creates backlinks to your website, improving your website's SEO standing

• Positions you as a respected expert in your field

• Brings traffic back to your website

• Increases your list through opt-ins, consultation requests, and even sales!

 

The trick is doing it right. So, let's get started. 

 

1. Research! 

 

First, you need to research and generate a list of websites where you'd like to submit your guest blog posts. Be clear with yourself on why. Why do you want to submit to each website on your list? 

 

Then, you need to research their guest blog post submission policies.  A key thing to check is if the website takes guest blog posts or if they only publish articles written by their staff. If the latter, then your strategy changes to one of making contact and pitching ideas. If the former, then in your research document make note of the following:

 

• Who do you submit to? Or, how do you submit? Some publications have you submit to a particular email address while other publications have you create an online account to submit through. 

• What is their max word count? What is their preferred word count?

• What topics do they cover?

• How are their articles generally formatted? For example, do they like personal essay stories, or how-to articles with numbered steps? Do they require that you include a quote or anything else from their website?

• What kind of article titles do they use? For example, are they big fans of shock & awe headlines, How-To headlines or Number headlines? 

 

2. Write Your Article For Submission 

 

The websites that you submit to are busy companies and the person or people in charge of reading through submissions have a huge, endless job. So, when you submit your article you want to submit everything. Most publications don't have time to read through a proposal and then again through the full article. Even if they do like your proposal, they will never guarantee that they'll publish your piece until they get a look at the full article. So, save time for yourself and the company that you're trying to impress by submitting your completed article the first time.

 

Likewise, 99% of websites out there want your article to be original, never before published (even on your blog) articles. So, as soon as you have a few ideas about what you want to write, you'll want to carve out time to write. One client of mine transitioned out of publishing 4 blogs a month on her website to publishing 2 blogs a month on her website and submitting the other 2 to third-party publications. The result was that her list grew 3 times faster than it was by just publishing on her own site and she received discovery call inquires where previously she had none. Get your content published on 3rd party sites so that it does the work for you! 

 

If you're looking for a general guideline on word length, keep your article between 800-1000 words. However, most sites will tell you their preferred length, so make sure you've done your research. You don't want to get kicked out of the running just because your article was too long! 

 

 

3. Draft Your Brief Bio & Get Your Headshot Ready 

 

When you submit your article, you will also want to submit your brief bio & headshot. Remember, these editors are busy and if they have to chase you down for your bio & headshot you run the risk of them losing interest or publishing the piece without your bio or pictures. So, you always want to submit everything all together. 

 

By brief bio, I don't mean your 3 paragraph long, half page bio. No. Most websites will only include a bio up to 3 lines long, so you've got to be brief and to the point. 

 

Your bio is usually the ONE place you can link to your website and free offer. Take clear advantage of this opportunity. This is the exchange you've made: You get to include links to your website & free offer, and they get great content to fill their website for free. 

 

So, get straight to the point:

 

1. [YOUR NAME] is a ... who helps ...

2. To get your FREE [Insert Free Gift Details Here] on how to [Insert benefit of free gift here] Click HERE [Insert link to free gift]. 

3. You can also follow [YOUR NAME] on her favorite social media platforms including [Insert your top 2 or 3 with clickable links].

 

That's it. That's all you get. Be clear. Be Benefits/Results Focused. Get Them To Take Action. 

 

4. Draft Up Your Submission Email

 

Now that you've got all the pieces, it's time to get their attention with your artistically created submission email. 

 

A. The Subject Line: 

• Your subject line needs to be clear and to the point. Be direct. 

• My recommendation is: "Article For Submission - Title: [INSERT YOUR CATCHY TITLE HERE]"

 

Inside The Email:

 

B. Opening: 

• If you know the name of the person you're submitting to, great. If not, simply saying: "Hi!" works. 

 

C. Introduce Yourself:

• My name is [Insert Name Here].  I am a [insert your title, what you do and any public notoriety you have previously attained.]

 

D. Recognize The Publication: 

• It's important that you show the publication that you've done your research. Show them that you know, understand and love their mission. Share with them your personal connection to their work. 

• Example:

  • I love the articles you publish on [INSERT PUBLICATION NAME HERE] about X. One of my favorites is Y.

  • I love the mission behind [INSERT PUBLICATION NAME HERE]. Your emphasis on [INSERT MISSION TOPIC HERE] is [INSERT WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU]. 

 

E. Make Your Ask:

• I have written an article I'd love for you to consider. Below is the title, complete article, my brief bio and headshot.

 

F. Confirm It Complies With Their Terms (Original Work/Word Count/Etc.):

• It is completely original content and under XXX words. If you choose to publish the article I look forward to the opportunity to share it with my community, friends and more.

 

G. Closing:

• Thank you so much for your consideration.

• If there's anything I can do to make this an easy yes for you, please let me know.

 

F: Underneath Your Closing:

• Title

• Article

• Bio

• Headshot