Writing an article for a popular blog has long-term value that far outlasts the effort, and offers an engaged audience within a focused niche. But my favorite perk is seeing my own work alongside that of an influencer in my niche that I’ve come to respect and admire!

It’s true, blog readers don’t turn into the cross-traffic they once did, but it will still bolster your credibility and SEO from the affiliation with these influential, established websites.

I still get comments on social media and even email about articles written years ago that were helpful or inspiring to readers. I’ve even been queried for events based on the guest posts I’ve written on the topic they’re looking for. And best of all, I get to put my favorite skillset to work (writing, hello) for my author platform.

All in all, I still find a few hours of effort to draft a post to offer years of value (think evergreen topics, not timely hooks, for the best results).

So how do you get guest blogging opportunities? For me, a simple query template has done the trick over and over, for years, consistently scoring me opportunities, even before I had any credentials to back up my request.

Here’s the tried-and-true method I use for guest blogging:

Step 1: Identify your target websites

Consider your audience. What is your book about? What type of readers are you trying to reach? Research blogs that focus on these topics and align with this target audience.

Hopefully, you already know some of them, because the topics in your books likely align with your own personal interests. Bonus points if you’ve commented on posts on the blog in the past or tagged the blog in shares of its content—showing your support for a blog in these ways can help you build rapport even before you pitch.

If you’re looking for new opportunities and feel stuck, look at the other recommended blogs cited in the content of your favorites—some even have a list of recommendations in a sidebar. Or, ask your social media community!

Step 2: Read the guidelines

Before pitching, make sure the blog you have in mind accepts guest posts. Many do—in my experience, more do than don’t. But always confirm before pitching.

To do this, look at the blog’s recent content and see if any are by guest posters. A blog that accepts guest posts on a regular basis will likely also have a page with its submission guidelines. That’s where you’ll find important information about who to address in your pitch, what information to include, and what types of content they accept.

Read them. Know them. Love them. Double-check them.

Step 3: Brainstorm possible topics

When I send a guest post pitch, I always include a few topics for the blogger’s consideration. The magic number is generally three unless the guidelines specify otherwise.

Why three? It keeps the email short but allows for some variety. That way, you’re not all in on a single topic. What if the blog just accepted another post on your one big idea? There’s no way for you to have known, but they can’t accept a second post on the same topic. Sharing a few different ideas gives you more opportunities to pique the blogger’s interest with that perfect idea.

I package each topic with a catchy title—something designed to match other titles on the blog’s recent posts! You want it to be easy for the blogger to see your work fitting into their usual content. Under the title, I share one to three sentences of descriptions about what the post will include: A personal experience that demonstrates a lesson learned? Top tips? An expert perspective? Be clear and specific, and let your natural blogging voice show.

Step 4: Write your email

Finally, draft your email. Be professional, friendly, and concise. Introduce yourself, and be sure to mention anything that gives you particular expertise on the topic. Make your ask clear and mention that you’ve included a few initial topic ideas below, but are open to feedback to make sure it’s of value to their readership.

Before sending, check those guidelines again and make sure your pitch aligns with them.

Then, you wait! If you haven’t heard back in a couple of weeks, it’s generally appropriate to check back.

Guest Blogging Offers Value

When reaching out to blogs, remember: blogs need you too! When you approach a blog with quality content, you’re offering them something of value. After all, blogs need content—constantly!

When you show up in their inbox professionally and articulately, with well-aligned ideas ready to go, you’re showing that you’re not just another person trying to get in front of their audience—you’ve got insights and value to share. You might even make the blogger’s job a little easier.

Follow these steps and I’m confident you’ll be on your way to guest post bylines in no time. Good luck!

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever tried guest blogging? How did it go? Any words of wisdom to add?

By day, E. J. Wenstrom is a digital strategy pro with over 10 years at communications firms. By early-early morning, she’s an award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author of the Chronicles of the Third Realm War novels, starting with Mud. She believes in complicated characters, terrifying monsters, and purple hair dye.

The post Start Guest Blogging to Build Your Author Platform appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I’m interviewing the awesome Zachary Petit. Zac is the editor of the National Magazine Award-winning publication PRINT. He is also a freelance journalist, a lifelong literary and design nerd, and a friend. Formerly, he was the senior managing editor of HOW magazine and PRINT, the longtime managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and executive editor of the newsstand magazines Writer’s Workbook, Writer’s Yearbook and Writing Basics.

Zac is the author of The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Write, Work and Thrive On Your Own Terms (which is out now) and co-author of A Year of Writing Prompts: 366 Story Ideas for Honing Your Craft and Eliminating Writer’s Block.

In addition, Zac has written thousands of articles, both as a staff writer and editor, as well as a freelance writer. This means he can speak about freelance writing from both the editor and author perspectives. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about freelance writing, this is the podcast episode for you. Listen up!

In this episode Zac and I discuss:

• Why a writer would want to freelance.
• How and why to adapt your voice when freelancing.
• How to break into freelancing.
• Debunking major myths about freelance writing.
• How to expand your professional network.
• The pros and cons of pitching an idea versus pitching an article on spec.

Plus, Zac’s #1 tip for writers.

About Zachary Petit:

Zachary Petit is the editor of PRINT magazine, which is the major magazine in the design realm. (When I worked in design, PRINT was synonymous with “bible.”) Formerly Zac was the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and later PRINT, and HOW magazines as well. In addition, Zac has an active freelance writing career.

Alongside the thousands of articles he has penned as a staff writer and editor, covering everything from the secret lives of mall Santas to creative legends, his words also regularly appear in National Geographic Kids, and have also popped up in the pages of National Geographic, Melissa Rossi’s What Every American Should Know book series, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and many other outlets.

Zac’s wonderful book, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Write, Work and Thrive On Your Own Terms is out now. I’ve started reading it and boy do I wish I had gotten my hands on this book sooner because already I have learned so much. He is also the co-author of A Year of Writing Prompts: 366 Story Ideas for Honing Your Craft and Eliminating Writer’s Block.

Zac is obsessed with all things writerly (even down to his nerdy tattoos), and is a firm believer that anyone can break into any facet of the writing world—they just need to know the appropriate way in. Once that has been demystified, anything is possible.

To learn more about Zachary Petit, follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter or visit his website.

Link to Episode 77

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 77: Build Your Freelance Writing Career – Interview with Zachary Petit appeared first on DIY MFA.