How to Use Guest Blogging for Link Building

Guest blogging is a classic SEO and content marketing technique that can help you reach a new audience, create natural backlinks and improve your online visibility. Similarly, services like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) offer a direct path to earning high-authority links by providing expert quotes to journalists. By mastering both strategies, you can significantly boost your digital footprint.

Provided you create high-quality blog content or insightful expert commentary, you’ll also be helping another business in your niche and be ranked more highly by Google for your expertise.

However, natural link building isn’t simply a case of submitting blog posts or quotes to a random selection of websites and crossing your fingers. You need to develop a guest blogging strategy, craft your contributions carefully, and ensure you stay engaged.

Here’s how to do just that.

1. Find Your Opportunities: Pitching vs. Responding

Your approach to finding opportunities will differ depending on whether you are pursuing guest blogging or a media mention.

For Guest Blogging: Choose Who to Pitch

When it comes to guest blogging, if you want to get maximum return on your time investment, always choose quality over quantity. Don’t aim to pitch to 100 random sites in the hope that at least one will give you the thumbs up. Instead, narrow things down to find a website with an audience closest to your own.

• Look for websites that are in a similar niche to you. Readers are more likely to find your post interesting and need your services.
• Check out the website performance. There’s no point in spending your time crafting an epic, engaging guest post if you’re just speaking into the void. Look into the numbers and check whether the site has a domain authority of over 50, more than 10,000 social media followers, and has engaged, long-term readers.
• Ask if you will get a featured bio. Make sure you will be getting a byline, headshot and a backlink at the very least.

For Media Mentions: Leverage HARO A powerful alternative to pitching guest posts is HARO (Help a Reporter Out). This free service connects journalists, bloggers, and reporters with expert sources. Three times a day, you receive an email digest of queries from outlets looking for quotes.

• Scan for relevant queries. Instead of you finding the websites, the opportunities come directly to your inbox. Look for requests in your area of expertise from recognisable media outlets or relevant industry blogs.
• Act quickly. Journalists on HARO are often on tight deadlines. The best opportunities go to those who provide high-quality responses quickly.
• The benefit is direct. A successful HARO response can earn you a backlink from a high-authority news site (like Forbes, a local news station, or a major industry publication) without needing to write a full article.

2. Create a Brilliant Pitch

Next, you’ll need to create a pitch that editors or journalists simply can’t ignore.

For a guest post, you’ll need to do your research. Check which topics get the most attention on the target website, identify any key topics they might be missing, and offer to write on something that will offer immense value to the website and its audience.

A HARO pitch is different. It’s not about an idea; it’s about a direct answer. Your pitch should be a concise, expert response to the journalist’s query. Provide a direct quote, state your credentials clearly (e.g., “John Doe, CEO of Awesome Widgets”), and include a link to your website. Make it as easy as possible for the journalist to copy and paste your contribution into their article.

3. Write the Guest Blog for Natural Link Building

Writing the guest blog post often feels like the trickiest part, but it doesn’t need to be if you’ve done your homework.

Start by creating a barebones outline of the message you want to share with the audience, adding any personal anecdotes or facts that you want to include. If you’re struggling with this part, don’t fret. Write just a sentence or two and then start to build upon this, adding more details as you go.

For example, let’s say you want to write a blog post on becoming a digital nomad. You might write: “It’s easier than you think. Take it slowly. Consider finances, work, coronavirus, accommodation, what to do with your stuff.”

Once you have a few thoughts written down, the blank page will feel less scary, and you’ll find that your ideas start to flow. If you’re still struggling, you could consider hiring a freelance ghostwriter.

(Note: This long-form writing process is unique to guest blogging. The “writing” for a HARO response is typically just 2-3 well-crafted paragraphs.)

4. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread

Whether it’s a full guest post or a short HARO quote, it must be flawless if you want it to be published.

Before you send your contribution, edit it thoroughly and proofread it several times. Consider whether you can improve your choice of vocabulary, use better verbs, and remove any redundancies in your writing.

If you find any words or sentences that don’t work, just get rid of them, and make sure your text is split into short sentences and paragraphs. Many websites will choose their own images for guest posts, but if not, find something engaging that brings your blog to life.

5. Make Them Act

What do you want the audience to do after they’ve read your contribution? Do you want them to follow you on social media or visit your website? Sign up for your newsletter or buy your latest product?

For a guest post, make sure you tell them exactly what to do in your author bio section and add a link. Don’t skip this bit! For a HARO mention, the backlink itself is the primary call to action, leading curious readers back to your site to learn more about you or your business.

6. Reply to Comments

This step applies mainly to guest blogging. After your guest blog post has been published, make sure you check the comments on the post itself and the website’s social media accounts.

If anyone asks a question or leaves a comment, make sure you engage with them and leave a reply. This will show that you care about your topic and the audience, grow your brand reputation, and help your business to grow.

Guest Blogging and HARO Summary

By guest blogging for other websites and responding to HARO queries in your niche, you can get high-quality backlinks to your site and start growing your traffic and reputation. These are core strategies that a professional SEO agency uses to build authority for its clients, leading to more sales, better Google ranking, and a stronger business set up for growth. Which strategy will you try first?