How to Blog a Book

Inspiring You to Build Visibility, Boost Authority and Become an Author Post by Post

Inspiring You to Build Visibility, Boost Authority and Become an Author Post by Post

  • Home
  • About
    • Vote This Blog One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers
    • Resources for Nonfiction Authors and Bloggers
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
  • The BOOK!
    • Table of Contents
    • Page One
    • NEW! Revised and Expanded–2nd Edition–of How to Blog a Book
    • How to Blog a Book (Revised and Expanded Edition) BLOG TOUR
    • Previous Virtual BookTours
  • Services
    • Blog Services
    • Coaching
      • Blog and Blog-to-Book Coaching
      • Author Coaching
      • Writing and Book Coaching
  • Courses
    • The Productive Writer Course
    • Inspired Creator Community
    • High-Performance Writer Group Coaching Program
    • Turn Your Blog Into a Book Production Machine
    • Build a Business Around Your Blog
    • How to Blog a Book Audio Course
    • How to Blog a Book eCourse
    • How to Blog a Book Audio Recording
  • Contact

November 21, 2017 by Nina Amir Leave a Comment

How to Cold Pitch a Guest Post at a Powerful Blog

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

Writing guest posts for polar blogs remains one of the best ways to increase the reach of your work. But how do you pitch a guest post (and land the gig) when you dont’ have the same kind of success as the sites for which you’d like to write? In this post, freelance writer and ghostwriter Dan Kenitz (@buildwithwords) offers strategies for pitching guest post ideas to more successful bloggers.

You put a lot of work into your blog. Each little gem you published is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge, hard-won insight, and neatly-edited wordsmithing—all polished up to a fine sheen.

But at some point, if you’re ever going to be successful as a blogger, land a publshing deal or produce a bestselling selfpublished book, you’re going to need to get your writing in front of more eyes.

One of the most powerful ways to do that is to write a guest post for a blog more powerful than yours. But if you don’t have connections with such bloggers, you have to write a cold pitch just to earn the right to provide them with some free work. How do you do it—and how do you make sure it’s worth your time?

Research: Get to Know the Blog

I know; you want to get your blog up and running as soon as possible. You want to write the guest post right away, and you don’t want to be told you have to wait a little while to get a sense of the blog’s audience.

But you do. A little time spent reading and commenting on a blog will go a long way. When you write a cold pitch for a guest post, you should be able to point to specific comments you’ve made, insights you’ve offered, or similar posts in the past you found particularly valuable. These examples won’t only show that you have genuine insight and knowledge, but that you care about the blog’s audience.

You’re going to need to get your writing in front of more eyes.

Click To Tweet

Focus on Providing Value First

Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, used to say that for most of us, the sweetest sound possible is the sound of our own name.

You emphasize that in your writing, where you focus your content on providing value for readers. Why not do the same when you write a pitch?

“I, me, my blog” are the big no-no’s here. You want to talk about their blog and readers. If you mention yourself, only do it in the context of how you can bring value to those readers with a guest post. These bloggers are busy—everything else but building up their blog will just sound like noise to them.

Show, Don’t Tell

As Ramit Sethi, author of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog (and book), once wrote: “If you have an interesting technique for saving, earning, automating, or investing money, show us how you did it.”

In other words, don’t just tell this prospective blog about what you’re going to write for them. Share a little tidbit or even a sample of the guest post. Demonstrate that you have value to offer them.

The “show-don’t-tell” rule is one of the most fundamental pillars of effective creative writing, and for good reason. If you’re writing a book on money management, but you can’t even show off one unique tip you would include in a guest post, who’s going to trust your word that you’ll write a great guest post?

A little time spent reading and commenting on a blog will go a long way.

Click To Tweet

Keep it Brief

Finally, make sure your initial cold pitch email is brief. Bloggers are busy—they don’t want to read War and Peace just because it showed up in their inbox.

Write a few sentences, show a tip or two you might include in the post, and ask their permission to send over the full post if they’re interested. It might seem like a lot of work to put into one email, but if you get just one “yes,” it could change the audience at your blog forever.

And with a bigger audience, your blog might attract the attention of a publisher or agent. If not, your increased reach and patform will help you self-publish successfully.

How do you build community around your blog?

About the Author

Dan Kenitz is a freelance writer and ghostwriter from Wisconsin who helps individuals and companies build their brands through valuable content. www.empirewriter.com

Image copyright: yupiramos / 123RF Stock Photo

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Building Community, Publicizing Your Blog Tagged With: blog post pitch, blogging, guest blog post, guest blogging, pitching bloggers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Nina Amir

Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, inspires writers to create published products and careers as authors as well as to achieve their goals and fulfill their purpose and potential.

Read More . . .

Follow Me!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on SkypeFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on E-mail

As Seen On:

social proof2

How to turn your blog into a book

Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
IndieBound.com
WritersDigestShop.com

Create a Successful Author Website!

Book. Books and laptopPurchase a copy of my eBook!

Bestselling authors like Michael Hyatt and Joanna Penn use Scrivener and endorse this course! I tried Learn Scrivener Fast, too, and found it a quick, easy way to learn the Scrivener writing technology. Plus, you can use it to produce produce ebooks!
Click here to find out more!

250x250

bluehost

Writer's Digest: 2013 Best Writing Websites (2013)
This website has been awarded a Best Writing Website.
Sponsored by Writer's Digest, Writer's Market,
Writer's Digest University & Writer's Digest Shop.

TFOI Badge

Popular Posts

  • Are You Blogging a Book? List it here!
  • Can You Publish Blogged Material As a Kindle Ebook?
  • Darren Rowse on Book Deals and Discovery in the Blogosphere
  • 4 Ways Digital Marketing Helps You Blog A Book
  • Selling Your Ebook on Your Own Website vs. Amazon

Search

Categories

Archives

Copyright © Nina Amir 2023

»
«
Powered by Conversion Insights: Boost your online revenue.  
Are you a productive, semi-productive or unproductive writer? Take My Quiz To Find Out!
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.