In SEO, guest posts are like the bottle opener tool on a Swiss army knife.
But, are they the be-all and end-all of your SEO game? No!
They are handy in a pinch and make your strategy the complete package.
If done right (we’re talking blogs with good reputations and tastefully added backlinks), guest posts bring in fresh, new audiences and …
- Heightened brand awareness
- Increase in traffic
- Better SERP rankings
So how do you make your guest post outreach stand out?
I’ve rounded up our best guest post pitch templates and explained each feature that makes them so good.
Ready to create guest-post opportunities at scale? Let’s go.
Guest Post Email Template #1: The ‘Shower Them with Compliments’ Pitch
| Subject line: A Blog Post Just for {Website Name} I know the word ‘fan’ gets used way too loosely (the other day, someone said they were a fan of the color beige(??!!??)), but I mean it when I say I’m a fan of the brilliant blog you run at {Website Name}. Your article on {blog title} is by far the most comprehensive resource on {topic}, and I’ve got it bookmarked for every time I’m figuring {problem} out. I finally have a post idea that (hopefully) meets the insanely high content standards you’ve set and continue to maintain. It’s a deep-dive/exploratory guide on {suggested topic}, a topic that will resonate with your audience of {target audience profession}. It comes complete with an infographic, so, (deep breath), I’d like to pitch it as an exclusive guest post for your blog. Let me know if you’re in (please say yes), and we can get the ball rolling. Best, {Signature}. |
Features:
Thoughtful compliments
Genuine, well-researched compliments gratify the reader and build goodwill for the sender. Find one of their best-performing pages rather than blindly picking the most recent blog post to praise.
Personal Style
The template repeatedly employs brackets as a signature writing device. Consider adding a personal touch – a catchphrase or a GIF – to differentiate your outreach emails.
Audience Value
Explain why the guest post is a good fit for their audience. Spelling out the value proposition is especially useful when you’re a smaller brand or haven’t had previous interactions with the blog owner.
Email Signature
Include your portfolio and/or blog link in the email signature. It makes it easier to check out your credentials as a guest blogger.
Guest Post Email Template #2: The ‘I Have Options for You’ Pitch
| Subject line: A {Your Company}x{Website} Blog Collab Your Audience Will Love {Blog Name}’s been churning out great content, and I’m in awe! I saw this piece on {paraphrased blog title} last month, and then another one on {related topic}, and they’re both so clever with the use of {specific part/feature}. At {Your Company}, we’ve had more than our fair share of run-ins with {related problem} and have unique workarounds to offer to anyone facing the same issue. Content ideas like these would tie in well with these posts:{Idea 1}{Idea 2}{Idea 3}What do you think? Meanwhile, here are a few of our guest blogs for your reference. {cloaked link 1} {cloaked link 2} {cloaked link 3} Hope to hear from you soon. |
Features:
Topic clusters
Find two to three blog posts they’ve already published on similar topics. Mention them to strengthen your guest blog request.
Audience research
Demonstrate your understanding of their audience’s biggest pain points. Read discussion threads and join social media groups to find these insights.
Multiple options
Instead of pitching a single idea, give them multiple topic choices. Diversify the content format (how-to guides, listicles, etc.) to make it harder for them to say no.
Work Samples
By linking to your past work, you get to
- Establish credibility
- Name-drop previous collaborators
Guest Post Email Template #3: The ‘Outdo your Competitor’ Pitch
| Subject line: Got a minute? (Not another sales pitch.) Hi {First Name}! I’m {your name} from {Your Company Name}, a {product/service description} company. And before you flag this as a promotional email, I promise it’s not. I’ve always been impressed by your {offering}, but ever since I discovered your blog, my fascination with {Company Name} has grown and I’ve gone on a reading spree or two. I couldn’t help but notice you don’t have a recent post on {topic}, something that {Company Name}’s competitors like {Competitor 1} and {Competitor 2} have been covering extensively. I’ve been working on a post on {topic/title}. Would you like to publish it as a guest post on your blog? It’s an area of interest for {target audience} and an in-depth take would cement your position as a thought leader in the industry. Our audiences have shared interests, and ours would benefit just as much from your insights and expertise. What do you say to a mutual guest posting partnership? If you want to discuss this further or view my portfolio, I’m just an email away |
Features:
FOMO
Fear and some good ol’ fashioned jealousy are a lethal combination. The template names competitors who might be getting ahead in their content strategy to motivate recipients to agree.
Carrot and stick method
Or the stick and carrot method, in this case. The competitor scare is followed by a flattering offer to emerge as an industry expert. It also keeps the tone from turning too negative.
Compensation
There’s a clear offer to exchange guest posts. The upfront disclosure skips over the negotiating phase, saving both parties from tedious back and forth.
Guest Post Email Template #4: The ‘Rewrite/Upgrade’ Pitch
| Subject line: The top spot for your {Article} blog Hi {First Name}! {Your Name} from {Your Company Name} here. Just saw your LinkedIn post sharing a recent {Company} blog on {topic} and that reminded me of another one I’d seen a while back. I remember it because I was so impressed when I first read it. It has one of the best {compliment} on the internet. I rechecked to confirm, and it looks like it was last updated on {date}. Would you be interested in a guest contributor overhaul of the piece to include {proposed changes}? It’s a great piece, and a content refresh would help bring it back to the top search results, where it belongs. And if I should be talking to someone else on the team about this, could you please redirect me to them? Thanks, and have a great week! |
Features:
Small Ask
For an editor hesitant about working with a new writer, a content refresh is an enticing proposition, otherwise, they would have to shell out considerable time and money for it.
Do an SEO assessment of the article and make a rewriting offer to
- Refresh dated information with
- added insights
- infographics
- recent developments
- Reoptimize to add new keywords
- Fix broken links
Tone Considerations
You don’t want to rub them off the wrong way, only offer a free upgrade, so make sure your tone and copy reflect that.
Appropriate person
Asking if you’re speaking to the right person saves time and keeps outreach efforts from getting stonewalled.
How to write a guest post request email?
Sound sincere.
In an email marketing world where the spray-and-pray culture runs rampant, generic compliments like ‘I love your work/blog/brand’ simply don’t ring true. Personalize them to convey your sincerity.
Personalize with caution.
Don’t just say you liked their article and then link it to their most recent post. Seasoned bloggers can smell the automation from a mile away.
Instead, pick a topic related to the one you’re pitching and throw in a sentence to show you’ve read and understood its contents.
Match both brand personalities.
Sending memes to a brand that takes a to-the-point approach in posts is like wearing your swimming trunks to a ball.
Check your guest post prospect’s social media pages to determine their communication style and balance that with yours in the email.
Clarify compensation.
Explain what’s in it for them. You can offer to promote the post via channels you’re popular on, such as a newsletter, your Twitter, etc., or a guest post on your blog.
For higher DA or DR blogs, be prepared to be asked for monetary compensation. If that’s not how you roll, have a few counter-offers ready (like a free trial, affiliate fee, or discount coupon).
Don’t mind the word count.
The goal here isn’t to sell a product or service, it’s to build credibility and take the conversation forward. So you can afford to make the word count slightly higher than the average cold email.
What’s next?
Write an SEO-optimized draft.
After you send in your pitch, queries and requests will start pouring in to see an outline, if not the entire article.
Use an SEO tool like Clearscope to get your content brief and outline in shape before you make contact. Its features are designed to help you create top-ranking SEO content, complete with a list of keywords to target.
It can also suggest modifications to make your post friendly for
- Search engines
- AI Overviews
- SearchGPT
For a proposed rewrite, Clearscope helps you identify and close gaps in the current content.
Reach out to prospects.
Even the perfect pitch is useless in the wrong inbox. If you don’t have an email address handy, use email finder to find valid blog editor’s contact details. All you need is their name and company domain.
If you’re not sure who to contact, use the Domain Search feature to view all the email addresses associated with a domain.
Cross-reference names with the company’s LinkedIn page to find an editor, content manager, or blog owner to pitch to.
Send emails and follow up.
Those templates aren’t going to personalize and send themselves. Or will they?
Select an cold email platform that allows you to segment and personalize your guest post request.
E.g. Divide recipients based on their Domain Authority (DA) or Rating (DR) and use it to determine the compensation offered and the number of follow up emails.
The automated sequence gets triggered by specified behavioral cues (like an email open) or the lack thereof (no response after three days).
To enhance your outreach strategy, automate LinkedIn messaging to initiate personalized connections with prospects, creating a seamless transition to your email follow-up sequence.
Don’t forget to say thank you.
After the post is published, send a thank you email to express your gratitude and maintain ties.
And if you want to keep them on the roster of blogs of frequent guest post collaborators, use this bonus template to strike when the proverbial iron is still hot and create a long-term partnership.
Bonus Guest Post Outreach Template: The ‘I’d love to work with you again’ Pitch
| Subject line: Too soon to celebrate? {First Name}, my friend, I know it’s only been a week but the initial feedback on the article is amazing. I’d shared it with my {LinkedIn/Twitter/newsletter} followers and this is just one of the kind things people had to say.{Insert screenshot of compliment received} Thank you for this opportunity to get published on your blog. I enjoyed working on this article, and even more on pitching it. It’s been one of my most successful collabs and I’d love to do it again. Do you mind if I shoot a few guest post ideas your way in a couple of months? P.S. I’m also sending you a link to activate a free trial of {your offering}. If you need any help getting started, I’m right here. |
Features:
Timely outreach
The outreach campaign for the initial pitch is a complex tangle of timing, offer, and tone. By reaching out right after your guest post goes live, you’re getting a foot in the door while it’s still wide open.
Friendly tone
The template uses familiarity to endear you to your collaborator. You can also follow this up by connecting with them on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Additional compensation
The postscript locks in on what is already looking to be a done deal by offering compensation beyond what was agreed.
If you can’t offer a free trial, sending a couple of referrals their way works just as well.
Wrapping up
These guest post email templates span different writing styles, tones, and pitching approaches. They are industry and niche-blind, so they can be used to pitch guest blogs for practically any business.
Tweak them and mix and match elements to create a draft that suits your brand. Happy pitching!