Nobody said guest blogging is easy, it’s as tough as they come; and whoever told you that all you need to do is have a nicely written post up your sleeve to successfully get this blog published on authority sites, never guest blogged in his life.

Yes, great content is definitely a pre-requisite but successful outreach is also important. I am sure you lay great emphasis on the groundwork of choosing the right outreach options; you check their PR, Domain Authority and also look at their social presence, and after all the time spent in doing your groundwork, you send your email, expecting a quick little response in your favor. But what you get is silence over the airwaves. Forget about a quick response, there isn’t even a late response. Result! Lots of precious time wasted and nothing to show for it.

I know this scenario sounds like its straight out of hell, but lots of people are facing it day in and day out. This is why I have brought out a list of seven tips that will help you get a better outreach response. I call them ‘deadly’ tips because they spell the death knell for poor outreach response.

So, let’s get started.

‘Simple’ is the Operating Word

Long emails vs. short emails – This is a no contest really because you don’t really have to make a choice. The trick is to write a crisply edited, finely tuned, short to-the point email, while initiating first contact; shorter emails definitely have a better response rate. However, once you do get a response, you can shoot longer mails elucidating the finer points of your guest post and why you think it’s important to get this guest post out. Longer emails have a better close rate.  I would recommend reading the SEOmoz post on Why Webmasters Aren’t Replying to Your Outreach.

The short email should be direct, friendly and make its point quickly. Don’t go beating about the bush, and no long winded sentences please. Time is a precious commodity and webmasters will only value those emails that don’t take up a lot of their time.

Personalize your email

You are sending an email to a person, so treat them like one. Tell the webmasters how you came across their blog/website and why you thought posting on them looks like a good idea. If the webmaster has written something you like, mention it; if you have commented on this post, mention that too; a friendly banter might help as well.  Here is a seminal blog post about how you can personalize your email outreach.

By being personal, you are ensuring that the email is not seen like a template that you keep sending to numerous webmasters, but something that you have created specifically for them only.

What’s in it for them?

Why would a webmaster want to publish your blog post? He will only do so if he/she finds some value in it. This is something that you need to get out through your outreach email. Tell them why your blog post has to be on their site and how it will provide value to them. To put it simply, a webmaster wants great content and wants to link to relevant sites. Explain that this is what they will be getting if your post is up on their site. Put this fact across to them as succinctly as possible in your outreach email.

Tell Them How you found them

You didn’t just pick a name out of thin air. You took time out to search for authority bloggers, especially those in your niche. You read up on what they had written and found time to put in your own two pence, in the form of comments on their blog posts. If you have done so much to find a blogger, why not convey this to him while connecting with him through email?

Bloggers, and I am talking about respected figures in their niche, are only interested in interacting with people who they believe ‘follow’ them, who share a mutual interest and who are well aware of their recent write ups and who have an opinion on them.

So, mention the why and how of finding a particular person you are getting in touch with, for the first time on email. Makes sense doesn’t it?

Give the Blog Webmaster a Choice

It’s their blog and they would want to publish only that article which catches their fancy. Well, to keep your bases covered, why not give them a choice of articles. They can pick the one that they think better fits their blog’s objectives. Whatever the level of research that you put in to identify the right blog to submit to, getting it published is nothing short of a gamble. You might like what you have written, but the webmaster might not. So, it’s always better to give them a choice. Mention this choice in the email.

Go Step-By -Step

First send in the Title to your blog post, with respect to the earlier pointer, send in a choice of Titles in your email. Don’t send your article with your outreach email; send it only when the webmaster approves the Title and asks for the content. No blogger wants to be taken for granted, and if you are sending your outreach email with the content, there are two wrong messages that it will send out – First you will come across as looking desperate/rude or both with no idea of outreach etiquette; second it might seem that you have taken the blogger for granted.

So avoid this at all costs and don’t send in the content until the blogger/webmaster say they are interested in it. (This is specifically applicable when you’re outreaching to well-known bloggers)

The Devil is in the Details

Every blogger asks for specific details to be sent in the outreach email. You need to give them what they have asked for. Take a look at SmallBizTrends guest post submission page. It has clearly defined four specific pieces of information that need to be a part of your email.  So, before outreaching, you need to get a clear idea of whether the blog’s webmaster wants some specific information in the email if yes, provide them what they’re looking for.

These seven tips will definitely see you improving your email outreach efforts. Before I sign off, I also want you take a look at Neil Patel’s post on the link builders guide to email outreach. He has some amazing information on offer.

I hope these tips will help you increase the response rate of your outreaching. Feel free to drop any questions/suggestions you may have in the comment section below and I’ll answer them all.

What other tips do you recommend to keep in mind that ensures a faster response?

Image Credits : R_rose, TinyTall, Diogo Martins

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