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How I Got My Business Featured In The Telegraph - The UKs Largest Newspaper

5/22/2017

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Obviously, Guest Posting + PR is an important part of our strategy at Ginger Marketing, being one of our primary services. Slowly but surely we are starting to increase the amount of time spent marketing our business, but it's tough to carve out the time! Even we have difficulties - and we have everything set up and in place to execute!

Recently I've been trying one tactic which has worked pretty well. It is SUPER simple and takes only a few minutes every day. That is if you follow the basic rules about how to execute the tactic effectively.

And today I'm going to explain what this tactic is AND the basic rules you need to follow in order to execute it effectively.

Please, please, please, read down to the end of the post. Don't just read the tactic and go "Right - that’s it!" and launch into execution without at least trying to understand the nuances.

Very likely you will already know this, you will probably have read every piece of advice I am about to give.

BUT, until you have actually implemented it correctly, to land your company a premium PR placement like we did for The Telegraph, maybe there is something you are missing. I am pretty sure if you are pitching and pitching, and pitching and pitching, and not getting anywhere then I know what the reason is.

And I'm going to explain exactly what is going wrong and how you need to start changing your behaviour to get results.

The reason I am pretty sure I know the reason is because I see people doing it all the time.

In fact, very recently I found an ‘hourlie’ on People Per Hour where someone was selling a pitch template - and even their pitch template had this error. It had been sold hundreds of times, with this error.

Another fact, last week I made the error myself and had to adjust, correct and send the pitch out again.

So, if there is a voice saying - "I know this", "boring", "I don't have time", kindly tell it: “Thanks for popping by and sharing, this is only going to take a few minutes, let’s pay attention and see if we can get this and land our business an epic mention on a premium site.”

P.S. Before I go further, we do not currently offer premium mentions or premium PR (I keep getting enquiries). We offer a mid-level, niche guest posting service which is extremely valuable for your SEO strategy, growing community and brand presence in your niche.
So let's get going.

The tactic I used to land a mention on the Telegraph was answering a #journorequest on twitter.
If you don't follow it already then there is a great hashtag on Twitter called #journorequest where journalists, and also bloggers, tweet out for comments on features they are writing.

There is also a free tool you can sign up to called; Journorequests which collates all of these requests into a handy email so you can just scan through and reply.

Pretty simple right?

You are probably thinking “It can't be that easy?”.

Which is exactly what I thought when I tested it out. I figured, I'll sign up, for the next 2 weeks I'll answer requests and I'll see if we get anywhere. As a rule, I tend to test lots of new tactics and then shelve or keep, depending on results.

#journorequest is a keeper.

So, hopefully, by now, I've convinced you to sign up for the tool or follow the hashtag.
Let's get into how you are going to make it work for your business.​​

1. Get your sales head on

itching is like selling. You are selling your story to the journalist. When you are selling something to a client what is the first thing you think about? I'll bet you think “What does this person want that I can help them with?”. Or at least that is what you should be thinking.

The trick to selling is aligning what you have with what they want.

Are you with me?

Spend at least one minute reading and thinking about what this person wants before you even think about what you can give them. In sales - the person you are selling to is more important than you. Get that trick right and you are golden.

The problem is, we have a major egocentric issue in our society. Most people are just waiting for everyone else to be quiet so they can speak, this won’t get you anywhere. Read, listen and really think about what this journalist wants and is asking for.

2. Get to the point quickly

There is a MASSIVE difference between writing an educational post like this one, and pitching/selling yourself. When you write a post like this you have to take your reader on a journey, hold them by the hand and lead them to a realisation or a knowing - that's the goal. It's a slower process, the message takes time to unfold because the goal is to educate.

BUT, when you are pitching to #journorequest all you have to do is prove in 140 characters you have what they need. Your goal is to sell. So, get to the fricking point! Just tell them plainly, this is what I can add to your feature. Don't dress it up, don't start talking about your gazillion awards, just tell them what you can offer.
​

3. Pack your pitch with juice

Just look at how succinct the pitches are with this hashtag and look at how much juice is being packed into the responses. The good thing about Twitter is you have a limited character count which gets rid of waste. The best pitchers give a large amount of information in a short number of words. This gives the journalist everything they need to understand if you are a fit for their piece. If you are a fit they will contact you to get more information, at which point you can start to expand and go into depth.

In summary, read what the journalist is asking for - think about it for at least a minute. Then think "How can I add value to this piece?”. Then sell the journalist that value in a short tweet which

Gets to the point

AND

Packs a lot of juice

Practice makes perfect, so get out there and start pitching!

If you have any more tips we’d love it if you could share in the comments below. What has worked for you?

​
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The Anatomy Of A Viral Guest Post
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How To Write A Pitch For A Guest Post Article

5/3/2017

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How To Write A Pitch For A Guest Post Article
If you are new to guest posting then the chances are you are a little bit worried about your pitch.  Writing a good guest post pitch is something a lot of entrepreneurs have trouble with. But you don’t need to be concerned!

Writing a guest post pitch is actually super, super easy. And the most important bit you need to concentrate on is the first section of your pitch. Have you ever heard the saying that people make a decision about whether they like you within a few seconds of meeting you?

Well, this is the reason why your Guest Post pitch needs to start properly!
​

A poor few sentences and you will have lost your reader forever and you will never be able to win them back.

The only thing you need to remember when you write your guest post pitch is this:

It is not about YOU, it is about YOUR READER!

And this is the fundamental mistake that I see over and over and over and over (go on for infinity) times.

I’ve even seen professionals make this mistake.
How To Write A Pitch For A Guest Post Article
So, you might think “Yes, yes I know that, of course I put the reader first”.  But, is this an assumption on your part or are you leading with yourself?
​

​Beginning a guest post pitch with yourself sounds like this;
“Hi Tom,

I am the founder of Jess Ads, we are an Award Winning Advertising Agency who focuses on getting our client's brands noticed. We have a very active and engaged community of fans and followers with over 20,000 monthly views.

We would love to offer you a guest post titled: XXXXX, for your audience.”
The chances are you’ve lost your reader before they even get past the first sentence.

No-one cares about your business, at least, no-one cares about your business before they care about their own.

Here is what a pitch looks like with the READER FIRST:
“Hi Tom,

I’ve read your post about XXX and I’d love to offer a follow-up Guest Post on the topic; XXXXXX.

I really think your audience will get a kick out of hearing a deeper look into one of the points your post discussed. In fact, I even noticed a couple of your comments touched on this topic so I’m pretty sure they’d be interested.

I am the founder of Jess Ads, we are an Award Winning Advertising Agency who focuses on getting our client's brands noticed. We have a very active and engaged community of fans and followers with over 20,000 monthly views.”
Do you see the difference?
How To Write A Pitch For A Guest Post Article
How about these two examples, which one would you reply to?

Intro 1: 

Hi Kev,

I followed you on twitter a few weeks ago, which led me to reading that post you published about the top SEO tips for 2017, interesting article.  I agree, connecting with bloggers & influencers on a regular basis should be a top priority for a small business owner focusing on SEO - well Digital Marketing in general in fact ! 

Intro Example 2:

Hi Kev,

I am an expert Digital Marketing Professional with over 6 years of experience working with big corporate brands and small business owners.  I am the founder of a Digital Marketing Agency and we are launching a tool right now to help business owners and bloggers connect.

There is a clear winner here right!   

Example 1 engages Kev instantly and builds rapor, Example 2 sounds as if you want a round of applause from him.

You can still include details about your business. You should definitely still include social proof like your community numbers, awards (if you have any), etc.


BUT

You only include that information AFTER you have your reader interested in what you have to say.

Apply this to your next pitch, come back and let us know how you get on!

Or, cut out all the fuss and order a guest post placement here >> http://www.gingermarketinghq.com/guest-blogging.html. Browse through the bloggers & influencers we have in our programme and order online!   Every single blog has been vetted and approved - these are high quality bloggers with an engaged following.
Download Guest Blogging Checklist
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The Anatomy Of A Viral Guest Post

3/9/2017

13 Comments

 
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Everyone wants their guest posts to go viiiirrraaaaal.  Who doesn’t want to see a flood of traffic coming into their website.

As long as your conversion on site is good, a big peak of traffic transfers into a big peak of leads, enquirers, downloads or sales. 


Add in the extra bonus of getting massive amounts of exposure for your brand and it's clear why getting viral content is a goal for most marketeers. 

Before we get into this post though I want to highlight something super important.  As a content marketeer or business owner I don’t think you are ever entirely happy with the results your content is getting. There is always more to be done, there is always another level to reach and a new tactic to try.

So, if you are feeling a little teary or frustrated about your results so far don’t worry about it. Move forward from where you are, keep on learning, testing and improving.  

                                              The only way is up!! 


There’s a lot on the internet about the anatomy of a viral blog post, but not so much about Guest Posts.  There are subtle differences between the two which in my experience make a difference to how well your content does, today I’m going to share some key tips to help you land viral guest posts.
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CHECK THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING

Volume stats don’t matter, engagement does.   

Website owners will have different levels of engagement on different channels depending on where their focus is.  So, always check engagement levels on social media & the site you plan to guest post on.

A good way to gauge engagement is to comment on one of the posts or respond to a tweet or Instagram update, also great to kick off the relationship. See if you get a response.  If all you get is tumbleweed, then very likely the engagement from their audience will be low.  Conversation is a two way stream so if it’s not a priority for them, it’s likely they won’t have much engagement on that channel.

**This depends on the level of site you are approaching, since I mostly write about niche level websites instead of sites like Forbes / Entrepreneur / Huffington this applies in most cases.

For those who want a metric to track focus on time on site & pages per session.  You can find an estimate of these stats on Similar Web for free.

BUILD POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS

I don’t hear ANYONE talking about this which is pretty crazy.  The relationship that you have with the website owner and how they perceive you and your content can hugely influence its results - they are going to be publishing / promoting it.

This is why sometimes you can get far better results from smaller (2K - 10K per month), niche websites who really value your voice and the quality content you’ve provided them.  Over a  mid level (10k - 100,000K+) who have less time and more people vying for their attention.

What really matters in all cases, no matter who you are speaking too is the relationship you are building with that person and how you position yourself.  Remember, this is a business connection you are creating.

Many business owners outsource their outreach and relationship building to low quality link builders or interns.   That is the same as outsourcing your customer service to an Indian company with poor English.  You will get cheaper rates, but in the long run what kind of an impression are you giving off about your company?

Play the long game. Always.

Right now you are discussing a guest post.  But it could turn into a campaign, cross promotion of a product a partnership or a good friendship.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the buzz of online promotion that often we forget there is another human on the other end of the computer.  I for one am often guilty of this and it’s something I need to constantly check in with. ​
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GRAB ATTENTION AND KEEP IT

Ideally you want your guest posts to grow two metrics;

1.Grow your search engine traffic
2.Send you direct traffic

Indirectly your brand presence will also grow but it’s more challenging to hook this up to your guest posting activities because you probably have a lot of other marketing tactics going on as well helping your brand grow.

Number one is always covered as long as you link either in the bio or the body of the article back to your site.  There are nuances to this but I’m not going to go into details now because I want to focus on the second metric.

Direct Traffic.

This is a lot harder to achieve and something I am constantly aiming to improve at Ginger Marketing.   Our goal is to create content which not only grows our clients search engine traffic, but which sends them direct leads month on month - just think of the HUGE value of that!

Not only will our clients get monthly accumulating leads, but they will be highly warm leads because they are coming from a site the potential customer already knows and trusts.  

MAN I GET EXCITED JUST THINKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES AND HUGE VALUE THAT DELIVERS!

We have already achieved this with several client guest posts but not consistently, we are working on it.

There are many, many layers involved in getting this right but the first is to grab attention and keep it.   That means spending time on the title & the first two sentences of your content.

The average goldfish has a longer attention span than a human being now - you don’t have much room for error.  

So make sure your title cuts straight to the core of the issue, speaks directly to the person you want to attract and touches them emotionally.  

Lets look at a guest posts we recently did for Denise, one of our lovely clients as an example;


               5 Ways to Conquer New Job Anxiety
                               (100+ social shares to date)

Why this title rocks.

1.It’s clear

The reader knows exactly what they are going to get from this post if they click on it.

2.It contains X 2 highly emotional words; CONQUER + ANXIETY

The title remains positive even though it touches on a highly emotional topic.  No-one likes to admit that they have new job anxiety,  we are supposed to be strong, excited and up for the challenge!! But the fact of the matter is that new, is scary, and anxiety comes even without a welcome mat - RUDE!

This title speaks to anxiety but it also speaks directly to the people who want to CONQUER it.   This changes the tone of the article making it positive & touching on the emotion of the audience.


3.It attracts the right customer

The two places I always start when creating content titles;

a) Who is the ideal customer
b) What is the primary challenge you are helping them with

Denise wants to attract driven, accomplished business women who need occasional support & guidance. A core challenge she helps clients through is career transition. Whether that’s working out where to go next, attracting the right next move, or transitioning to a new job.

So, you can see how the title speaks directly to her target audience.
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PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE


I cannot emphasise this enough.  Don’t just expect that the website owner is going to spend time driving tons of traffic to your post.   Sometimes you need to prove your contents value before they will realise how freaking awesome it is.  

So, share it with your audience at the very least.  

To help you with guest post promotion we have also create a group board over on Pinterest so you can share your Viral Guest posts.  So hop on over, follow our boards and then send a message so we can add you as a collaborator. 

                                  >>> VIRAL GUEST POSTS <<<<

If you want to go one step further then share your post on some relevant Facebook Groups.  Chantel has created a fab Facebook group promotion calendar >> 
So check that out on her site as well.


Top tip >> If you are tweeting your post out make sure you tag the website owner’s account.  More often than not they will retweet your post.

We hope you have found these tips useful. Here is a quick and pinnable summary for you to remember the key steps to viral guest posts.
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We've love to hear in the comments if you have some extra tips to add! Have you found some techniques and tactics that have worked for your business?
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13 Comments

14 Blogs To Promote Virtual Assistant Services From

2/2/2017

12 Comments

 

Post last updated 27/11/2017

Whether you are looking for a guest posting opp for a client or yourself - we have put together 14 great blogs for virtual assistants to promote their services.

One of the hardest parts of guest blogging isn't finding opportunities, its knowing which ones are the right ones.   So to help you out I have curated a list of publications you can reach out to today for your (General) Virtual Assistant business.  

The reason we are being specific about the types of virtual assistants this applies to is that there are so many different types of VAs!!   For targeting purposes it is very important to be specific.  To know what type of business you are, and who you are serving. 

So in this case we are going to assume that you are a Virtual Assistant who takes on general admin, emailing and the occasional marketing support tasks. 
​We are also going to assume that you are aiming for businesses who are already somewhat established & are moving into a 5 or 6 figure status. 

The list below are mix of different levels of traffic, it's not always best to just go for the highest volume possible.

Sometimes a smaller, more engaged audience actually works better.   

( For more on this topic;

What Is A Micro Influencer
7 Reasons To Pitch Working With Micro Influencers To Your SEO Client?
How To Find Micro Influencers To Spark Conversations About Your Clients Product )


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Women 2.0 

Women 2.0 is an organization which celebrates the role of women in the technology industry; it shows us many different success stories and helps us to receive advice from key players in business fields.

It gets 28,000 monthly visitors, most of who are based in the U.S.A, and the website manages to successfully target a career focused and socially progressive viewer base. It features many different contributors who offer their knowledge and insights into the tech industry.

Why Is This A Great Pick For VAs?

Quite simply, tons of entrepreneurs read this publication!   The types of entrepreneurs who read it tend to be progressive and thinking about the future, productivity and optimising time and resource!   They understand the importance of using technology and will be more comfortable with using project management tools like Trello or  17 Hats.

Angle Suggestion
Anything around productivity or tips on what it is possible to outsource would do really well here.

Pitch


Difficulty Rating: Medium




Entrepreneurship Life

Entrepreneurship Life is an up-to-date guide and resource that helps us to find useful content which can help us with many different types of business focuses; all the way from trading advice to personal development. It has 9,800 total visitors, most of who are U.S.A based and have interest in the finance or business fields. It brings forward the talent of a community of writers from many different backgrounds.

Why Is This A Great Pick For VAs?
This publication might have a lower traffic volumes than others on this list but they have an engaged audience. They also have an entire section just dedicated to productivity which is a great area for VA's to feature in as a solution.

Angle Suggestion
Of course, productivity again! But rather than it make it general why not focus a specific area such as email management.

Pitch


Difficulty Rating: Easy




Smart Hustle

Smart Hustle targets business owners, and is especially geared to giving motivating yet realistic advice for small businesses and start-up companies. They have 13,900 monthly visits, the majority from the U.S.A. 

The publication appeals to those interested in the business and industry fields. It tries to build a community that helps one another succeed, and as a result, has contributions from of a variety of writers.

Why Is This A Great Pick For VAs?
Lots of entrepreneurs hang out here, it is highly targeted!

Angle Suggestion
Share your entrepreneurial story, pick out some key lessons that have helped you get to where you are.  Just starting out? That's okay too, focus on the transition period between your previous job and your new business.

Pitch


Difficulty Rating: Easy




Organized Assistant

A blog run by Janet Barcley all about how to organise and plan your business! 

Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

Half the battle with any sale is making sure the other person knows the value you provide.  Small business owners reading this blog already believe organisation is super important.  This is the perfect type of blog for Virtual Assistants. 

Angle Suggestion

Why not let your audience in on a tool or system you use for your clients.   Don't be afraid to go into detail and to show case study examples about the results you've got for your clients as well. Then, make sure you have a great call to action to encourage those click throughs!

Pitch

Difficulty Rating: Medium



​
Sharp Heels

SharpHeels is a career, fashion and lifestyle website for professional women.   Every piece of content on SharpHeels.com should be a means to empowering professional women. Captivate +Educate +Motivate: Whether it’s timeless tips on choosing a new stylish power suit, how to modernize a tired fitness routine, the secrets to business travel, an interview with a Fortune 500 CEO or talking about television characters that inspire us, each piece of content on SharpHeels should speak to a professional woman, wherever she is in her career (and in life), in a way that educates, entertains and encourages her to reach the next level - personally and professionally.


Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?
There is a section on Sharp Heels specifically for entrepreneurship.  Mix that focus with the empowered, feminist attitude of Sharp Heels and you've got the perfect guest posting opportunity for a VA who serves female entrepreneurs. 

Angle Suggestion
For this publication I'd go for a personal angle. Tell your audience your story, how you build your VA business to where it is now.  What is your empowering story.  Make sure you add some case study examples of the types of clients you work with and the results!! 

Pitch

Difficulty Rating: Medium




Freelance Mom

Freelance moms mission is to merge women and information together to transfer knowledge, inspiration, wisdom and actionable solutions so you can find the work you love through entrepreneurship.

Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

Freelance mom covers a range of topics and is targeted towards work from home moms. There is a section on productivity which is perfect for virtual assistants as this is exactly what you help entrepreneurs achieve - greater productivity.

Angle Suggestion

I'd focus your article on productivity to make sure it gets into the right section and is focused on an area you help entrepreneurs achieve. Do some longtail keyword research and try to get your post ranking and bringing in regular referral traffic.

Pitch > Lisa > 
[email protected]

Difficulty Rating: Medium





Driven Women

DrivenWoman was founded by Miisa Mink, and Jennifer Stoute in 2013, a result of a fundamental ‘aha’ moment whilst brainstorming for a new business venture. Rather than rushing forward with their new concept, they decided to stop and discover what they were really passionate about. Great believers in the abilities of all women and the power of determination, DrivenWoman was born.

Their idea was to celebrate every woman who decides to chase her dreams and create a life she really wants, regardless of her circumstances. Success means so much more than just career advancement or a big pay check. Their idea was to create a club where women could explore their true potential with the support of others and create their own kind of success.


Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

What is great about this blog is that it also a network for successful women. So, not only can you post here but you can go to a meetup in London and network to form real world connections and expand your network.


Angle Suggestion

Go for a personal angle and explore your entrepreneurial journey so far!

Pitch > [email protected]


Difficulty Rating: Medium





Ambitionally

The blog to accompany the membership software and course creation site Ambitionally. Blog topics cover everything about how to create and market a successful online course!

Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

This blog is particularly great for virtual assistants who work with entrepreneurs who have an online course. If this is your niche, then this is a great opportunity for you!

Angle Suggestion

Time to get your best knowledge out there! What is your top advice for planning the launch of a new online course? How do you help your clients increase the quality of what they put out there into the world and support their journey? 

Pitch 

Difficulty Rating: High






Small Biz Club

Small Biz Club is the premier destination for small business owners and entrepreneurs. To succeed in business, you have to constantly learn about new things, evaluate what you’re doing, and look for ways to improve—that’s what we’re here to help you do.

We bring you the best of the best—insightful thinking on important business questions from industry leaders, veteran business owners, and fellow entrepreneurs. It’s all put in one place—here at SmallBizClub.com—for you to learn everything from the fundamentals of business to the most innovative, cutting edge trends. Whether you’re a startup looking to grow, a family business aiming for consistent cash flow, or anything in between, SmallBizClub.com has something for you.


Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

This blog as an entire section dedicated to run and grow, and a section within this for operations. This category is perfect for virtual assistants to feature with a great idea for how you can help small business owners run a section of their business more effectively.

Angle Suggestion

Pick out a single system you help small business owners with and show step by step how you help them! For example, 9 Ways To Run Your Email More Smoothly & Stop Interruptions Don't make every point about you but be sure to drop in mentions of the clients you've worked with and how a better email system has helped them achieve higher productivity + happier clients!

Pitch 

Difficulty Rating: Medium




Classy Career Girl

Classy Career Girl is passionate about meaningful content and community at the intersection of work, dreams and everyday life. They believe that the more women we have in this world who are doing what they love and are doing what they were born to do (like jumping out of bed to get to work), our world will be filled with happier and more successful women.


Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

This blog has a whole section dedicated towards productivity! 

Angle Suggestion

Help small business owners with understand how to use a productivity tool in their business.   Make sure it the one you personally use for your clients - this could be Trello, Asana, Hootsuite, Ask Edgar, Tailwind and so on. Pick a tool and show step by step how they can integrate it into their business to get better productivity!

Pitch 

Difficulty Rating: Easy




Creatley

Here at Creately, we are focused on making it easier for teams to work collaboratively on all things visual. And we do this by giving you a great online application that's a breeze to use and an extraordinary customer service experience that you'll love.

Why Is This A Great Pick For VA's?

This blog is owned by a well known software company who help entrepreneur and web designers with wire framing or organisational roadmaps and flow charts.  Small business owners reading this blog are likely to have businesses with larger teams who can benefit from virtual assistant services.

Angle Suggestion

Creatley accept posts on a wide range of topics relating to startups and entrepreneurship.  So focus your topic around the core benefit of your business. Is it helping with communication? Helping productivity? Helping drive traffic? 


Pitch 

Difficulty Rating: Medium




Mind Body Green

Mind Body Green is a lifestyle website that focuses on promoting overall good health and well-being. There are frequent themes of increasing productivity by taking on a healthy lifestyle. It receives 6.5 million monthly visitors and is visited mostly by the alternative health community, with the majority of it's visitors being based in the U.S.A. It features a wide range of authors who give advice from their unique fields.

Why Is This A Great Pick For VAs?
​Multi author blogs like Mind Body Green are a great place to find other business owners.  The chances are that entrepreneurs scaling up their business are also going to be researching about nutrition and keeping their health on track, maybe even a touch of relaxing meditations.

Angle Suggestion
Anything about productivity, burn out and managing stress is a great topic for this site!! Share your techniques you've used in your business as well as other well known experts.

Pitch

Difficulty Rating: High



Tiny Buddha

Tiny Buddha is based on the concept of applying the wisdom of Buddhist ideas into the modern world, and aims to help in fixing the problems faced in our times. It offers a new take on overcoming the things which stop us being successful, such as stress, which are tackled through learning techniques such as meditation and reading various pieces of Buddhist philosophy. It reaches 3.2 million monthly visitors, mostly from the U.S.A. 

Why Is This A Great Pick For VAs?
This is a great website for sharing your personal life lessons and journey.  Not only is this is a highly regarded publication, the story you share here can help prospective clients connect with you. 

Angle Suggestion
What lessons have you learnt from your journey building a business?   This publication is all about sharing love, inspiration and joy so topics which inspire others & deeply connect are well received. 

Pitch

Difficulty Rating: High


Elephant Journal
​

Elephant Journal offers a unique take on applying a variety of spiritual disciplines to modern life, and tries to combine these elements of wisdom with initiatives such as political activism and eco-awareness. Many of the articles tell us how we need to be more conscious of our choices in the world and how we can approach all areas of our life, including business, with more care and less greed: a whole section of ‘conscious consumerism’ is featured. It has 9.6 million monthly views and taps into both political and religious audiences, of whom are mostly based in the U.S.A. The website is founded by Waylon Lewis, but features many different authors. 

Why Is This A Great Pick For VAs?
I personally love the elephant journal and if you are a VA for spiritually minded entrepreneurs then this is an especially good pick for you. You are able to write on a wide range of topics. I wrote this article for example on ways to invite spring into your home.

Angle Suggestion
A post about your journey and the lessons you've learnt through entrepreneurship will also go down well here, but this publication is a little bit more rebellious than Tiny Buddha. You can go a bit controversial with this publication if you like to be on the edge so don't be afraid to dig deep, or even have a little rant. 

Pitch

Difficulty Rating: Medium


Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Do you have any more great opportunities to add?
12 Comments

3 Quick Checks You Must Make Before Pitching Your Guest Post

11/2/2016

 
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Guest Posting is a tactic which should be a part of every Marketing Plan.

Even if your business doesn't rely on attracting huge volumes of traffic to your website,
Guest Posting will help you to build trust and authority and improve your conversion.

I still get emails from partner opportunities and clients for my last business because
people have Googled my company and found an interview I have done.  I landed a speaking job for the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, built up a customer base of local clients, and even found some fantastic supporters and partners, all through Guest Posting.

When you are featured on trusted and well-known websites, it helps to grow trust and credibility in your business. Something which every new business struggles with.

However, not every guest posting opportunity was created equal.

Time and time again I see business owners accepting opportunities with very low traffic and low engagement websites.


I'm sorry, but that is not going to do anything for your business!! Perhaps it will tick off a box on your check list of Marketing Activities you feel needs to be completed each month.  But in terms of ROI, (Return On Investment) guest posting on a low traffic website is very, very low.

I can't stay silent anymore.  You have knowledge that needs to be out there and shared with the world.  And I want that for you!!


So today I am going to offer you 3 very simple checks you should always make before pitching for a Guest Posting Opportunity.

These checks can literally be done in 10 minutes or less and will save you so much time and ensure that your Guest Posting Strategy is actually going to deliver you the results you are expecting.


Please save this, share this, write this on the back of your hand!! Make sure you actually USE this information.  There are people out there who need to hear what you have to say.

1. Similar Web


This is a fantastic tool that not enough people know about.  Just enter the URL of the website you would like to check, and it will give you the average monthly search volume. Depending on the traffic of the website you can also see the breakdown of the traffic sources.

This tool will tell you if this business gets most of its traffic through social media, search engines, referrals, etc.  (Also great for doing some competitor analysis.  Want to find out where your
closest competitors are getting all of their traffic - check out this tool!!)

As a rough measurement, only give a guest post to a website with minimum 2,000 per month traffic.


Now, this is a grey area, and there are lots of factors which go into making a decision on this. For example, if you want to partner with another business you might give them a guest post to start the relationship going.  

The business might be stronger on social media, so you might do a guest post knowing you will get seen on their social channels (check that it will be promoted).  

Or, sometimes I also go for a website under 2,000 per month if I see that the website is likely to gain traffic in a short amount of time.   

For example, recently I pitched to
Charlotte Laila (and will be guest posting with her) as she is looking for opportunities.  I think it is very likely her website is going to grow quickly, and so it is a fantastic opportunity to get in there now.


2. Social Media


Always do a check of social media channels. Understand which channels they are active and pushing on. Don't just look at the follower count, look at their engagement and also the quality of the content they share. Follower count doesn't matter so much, what matters is how much of an influencer the person or business is.

Are they connected with other business owners in their niche? Are they part of a community?  When you are guest posting, you are also building business connections. It’s important to know the landscape you are working in.

If this person has only just started out and has little to no engagement on their channels, then you need to make a decision about whether it is worthwhile guest posting with them.  Whether you decide to go ahead or not at least make a conscious choice about how you are spending your precious energy.

3. Engagement


As I mentioned above, engagement is key.  So check their engagement on their Social Media Channels. Also, check engagement on their blog.  Do they get any comments or shares there?

They don't need to have millions of comments, but if you can't find a single comment that is not a good sign.  Same with social media shares.  Click through some of their blog posts. Do they have social media shares of the individual posts? You can check this website, and it will tell you how many shares they have.  

Remember, the goal of your guest post is that it is seen! And also that it will help you to be seen!
A website with no interaction is very unlikely to have links pointing to it, so the SEO benefit, brand exposure, and referral traffic you get from your guest post will be limited.

Take 10 minutes to make these checks before accepting a Guest Posting opportunity, or before pitching for one, and 
see your ROI skyrocket!

5 Reasons Guest Posting Is A Lot Sexier Than Facebook Ads

11/2/2016

1 Comment

 
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There is something kind of bugging me and I want to get it off my chest.  Facebook Ads seems to be the primary activity that business owners are focusing on to drive traffic & business to their website.  It’s become the Chanel (not channel) of Small Business Marketing.

What’s bugging me so much about it?

Easy money is a lie & I can’t stand lies!

We are all getting swept away by the promise of easy money & if there is something I have learnt, nothing worth working for is easy.   And deep down we all have this understanding, this knowing and have in fact experienced it.  But despite this knowing we still get swept away (me included) when some Marketing person comes along and says “CHEAP TRAFFIC”.

If it’s not entrepreneurs calling themselves The 6 Figure Chick (p.s. I do actually follow them see I’m caught in this trap as well), then it’s the promise of a super easy, step by step sales funnel which is going to make us RICH!

My inbox is full of advice about how I can implement this tactic or that tactic, frankly it’s overwhelming.  One message that seems to have cut through the noise & really has drilled into everyone’s mind is that Facebook Ads is an easy source of traffic.

This post doesn’t dispute that it’s an easy source of traffic.  

I’m here to explain why Guest Posting is a whole lot SEXIER.

Not because I want to shove one more tactic down your throat, because Guest Posting is not a quick fix.  But because I want to try and frame these two tactics into a sensible way of viewing them.  Not as a quick rich, easy money making activity but as one activity you could do as part of a larger whole to help you grow traffic and revenue in your business.

1. Guest Posting Establishes You As A Trusted Voice

Now girls, we know there is nothing sexier than someone you can trust right.  When it comes down to it.  When we are looking for something long term, it’s ALL about the trust.

In business, we don’t just want to jump into bed with the first person we come across.  We want to work with the best.  Someone who is in it for the long haul.  That’s what your customers are looking for as well.

Whether you are selling scented candles, fashion items or are coaching entrepreneurs.  It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, trust is important in every single one.  

Customers are giving you their hard earned cash and they want to know that what they get in return is going to be of value.

Guest Posting helps you to become a trusted voice.  Customers want to know the business owners behind the business.  Customers want to buy from a business that they can relate to.  Gone are the corporate (thankfully), conglomerate no name, punch your number in kind of shops.   And they are in the process of being replaced by human to human interaction. YAY!

Through Guest Posting you can share your own insight, expertise, lessons with another brand’s community.   You become the expert on your topic and become known as a trusted voice in your industry.  What is sexier than that?

2. Guest Posting Helps You Build Relationships

At the centre of Guest Posting is building relationships. When you put up a Facebook Ad, you punch in the target audience, you add your creative and then you pay Facebook $/£XX.  It’s a straightforward transactional process.   Pretty much guaranteed to drive you clicks, let’s be clear, clicks NOT REVENUE, there is a big difference between the two.

Guest Posting is sooooo much sexier than that.

Guest Posting is about building relationships. You have to actually go into the community you want to feature in, you have to interact with them and read their stuff.   You always discover new, fantastic people that you never even knew existed.  You aren’t just looking for a Guest Posting opportunity you are looking to widen your circle, your network.

Out of every campaign I do, I always find several people that I know will be there for the long haul.  People who just resonate with, who inspire you.  I still have contacts I made years ago who pop up and retweet, like my posts and help me out when I need it.

In this age of Small Business never has relationship building been so important. We didn’t quit the 9-5 to go and work at home by ourselves did we? NO! I for one quit my job because I didn’t resonate with the types of people who wanted the corporate life.   I love meeting entrepreneurs and business owners, it’s my favourite thing to do!!

Guest Posting puts meeting awesome people at the centre of your business.

3. Guest Posting Builds Your Brand Credibility

Something that we all struggle with is building credibility.  As a new business it is always tough.  Brand association is one of the easiest ways to start to build up your credibility quickly.

Imagine if you were looking to hire a Web Designer. You post the advert on a couple of threads, you do some searching and come up with a shortlist.  You’ve never heard of any of these companies - how do you know which ones is the best?

Of course, you would look at their portfolio of work right. You’d look at the types of design they have done, but you would also be looking to see if they have had any clients that you know.   Familiarity breeds confidence, it just does.

Now imagine one of these companies has a press section.  And you check it out and can see all of the publications they have been featured.  How will this affect how you view this company?

Guest Posting on the write websites can massively boost your credibility, not just with the audience of that website but with potential clients trying to decide whether to hire you or not.

Adding a press section to your website and linking to your Guest Posts is a sure fire way to boost your credibility.

4. Guest Posting Is A Pull Not Push Tactic

If you want to a date with a guy are you going to march up to him & tell him he is hot, or are you going to stand at the bar and put your seductive moves on?   Both tactics are likely to work but he is likely to get a different opinion of you depending on how you go about it.

Facebook Ads more often than not is a push tactic.  You are pushing your message out there in front of other people who you think are going to be interested.

Guest Posting is a pull tactic.

It’s all about providing value so that when your potential customers are looking for advice, you are the one giving it to them.  This doesn’t just work on the publication itself but through Google.  If you target your strategy correctly, the links that you start to build with your Guest Posting campaign will turn into Search Engine traffic.

There is no greater pulling tool than Google.

Through Google potential customers are saying, yes please I really need help with this. And you are just being a very useful citizen by providing them what they need.

5. Guest Posting Is A Synergistic Activity

Fundamentally Guest Posting is a synergistic, harmonious and energetically positive activity. It’s an activity which requires you to work with someone else, and very often includes several people.

If I decide to link to another useful resource for example, I am helping out that person as well.   My content is driving traffic to the website I am writing for.  And my brand is building credibility and traffic as well.  If you were going to take a footprint of the different Marketing Activities, Guest Posting is one of those where you put in a small amount of energy and get a lot of energy out.

Through Guest Posting you will build relationships, discover new people and content, get creative, build links & traffic and grow your revenue.

If I have peaked your interest then I urge you to read 6 Steps To Launching A Guest Posting Strategy For Female Entrepreneurs   This is a very detailed breakdown including lots of awesome tools which will help you on your way.

And if this is something you would like to try but you just don’t have the time, and or hate writing then send me a message. I would love to see if we can help you out, our Guest Posting Packages start from $600 per month for 3, 650+ Word Guest Posts.
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6 Steps To Launching A Niche Guest Blogging Campaign For Female Entrepreneurs

10/20/2016

1 Comment

 
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Before we get into the step by step I just want to take a few minutes to set up WHY, I think this resource is so, so important.  And why I think Guest Blogging should be a core part of every female entrepreneur’s marketing strategy.

I have analysed hundreds of websites in the Female Entrepreneur space over the last 6 months and I’ve noticed a trend, very few female entrepreneurs are focusing on Search Engine Traffic.

Um why not!

Is it because it’s too complicated, too competitive, not sexy enough?!

Is it because Social Media is more fun? Well, yeah I can understand why it’s more fun to get lost on Pinterest and Instagram, than a keyword research tool!

But, Search Engine traffic should not be ignored in a Marketing Strategy and I think it’s super important that we don’t just let all of the big guns monopolize the internet - don’t you?!!

Because that’s what is happening.

This isn’t just important because the internet should be here for everyone.  It’s important in terms of making revenue, your bottom line. Time and time again studies show that Search Engine Traffic converts better than Social Media Traffic (see diagram below).

I’m not saying Pinterest & Instagram aren’t useful channels.  I’ve seen a couple of pins from key accounts on pinterest send hundreds of leads to my client’s website, so I have seen it work.  

However, I don’t think that we should focus on those at the expense of search.  If there are people searching for your product or service (which there are) then you need to be ranking on the Search Engine for them to buy it.
​
Just check out these ecommerce conversion rates​




​

And look at the gap between StumbleUpon & Google.

In case it is hard to translate this into real world value let’s put this into figures, if you have 20,000 traffic per month it’s the difference between 4 sales or 320 sales.  

If you are selling a package for $79, it’s the difference between making $316 or making $25,280 per month.

Hopefully by now I have convinced you that SEO is worth a look in!  And if you think it might benefit your business then I want to help you as best I can.  I’m not going to say I know every single thing there is to know about SEO - it's a HUGE topic and involves multiple, multiple skills including an Analytical & Creative talents.

However, I have been working in SEO now for over 6 years for a range of brands and businesses in Finance, Travel, Beauty, Fashion, Healthcare, Wellness, Business & B2B so I do know a thing or two which I can pass on to you.  So grab a cup of tea and settle in! 

Why Does Search Engine Traffic Convert Better?

This is the first question to ask - why the difference? Well, it’s all to do with the visitors state.  When a person visits your website from a Social Media channel they are in browsing mode.  Think about when us girls go shopping.  Think back to the last time you went shopping with a group of friends when you didn't have anything particular you wanted to buy, you were just going to try on outfits and have a chat and some fun. How much did you spend?

The chances are, unless you happened to come across something you instantly fell in love with, you didn't spend very much.


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Now think about when you go specifically to buy something you’ve wanted for ages.  You know you want a Jacket for the winter season, and you need a new pair of jeans.  You go by yourself this time because you know where you are going and what you need.  How much would you usually spend on this trip?
When customers visit from a Search Engine they are either researching something specific, or wanting to buy something.

I don’t know about you but I would much rather spend time on attracting 100 people who want to buy something from me, than 100 people who are just there for a browse.   If that's not of interest to you then no problem, but this probably isn't the right place for you.  If it is, then great lets carry on.

If you are on the fence & still aren’t convinced about Content Marketing, here is another 10 Benefits of Content Marketing for you to get into.

Right! Let's get to it.

9 Steps To Launching A Niche Guest Blogging Campaign In The Female Entrepreneur Space

What is a Niche Guest Blogging Campaign?

Using guest posts on other websites to drive traffic & leads back to your website. I want to be clear before we begin. Guest Posting isn’t the only way to execute a Content Marketing Strategy or to grow your Search Engine traffic, however it’s the easiest way to get going!  

Building The Base

What is the most important bit to get right when you are making a cake? THE BASE! Without the base the entire thing just crumbles down into a big pile of tasty goop.  
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When it comes to my outreach base I use tools to make sure I am setting it up right.  Without a solid base the campaign doesn’t get results, and without results there are no happy customers.  So, this is super important to get right!
At this stage it also good to identify what kind of person/personality type you are.  If you are a creative, then it might be good to ask someone who is detailed and analytical to check over your base before you move forward.

Step 1: Choose Your Keywords

Keywords are the words that customers are going to type into Google or another Search Engine to find your product or service.

“VA Business In Manchester” for example.  

There are two types of keywords to think about;


Short Tail


Short tail keywords are more general & tend to have a higher search volume and are more competitive.

For example;


“Business Podcast”

Long Tail

Long Tail keywords are very targeted, they tend to have a lower search volume and be less competitive.

For example:


“Business Podcast For Solopreneurs”

Linking URL(s)

Internal Linking Pages (product / service / campaign / blog post)


You need to decide which internal pages you want to link to from your Guest Post.  This is determined by the keywords you choose for your campaign. Google's goal is to match the search term someone types into the search bar with the most relevant and useful result.  You have the best chance of ranking your page, if you have the most relevant and useful content for this keyword.   

So the subject of your linking page needs to match the keywords you are targeting.  Now, here is where it does get a little bit complicated because  you also need to think about the intent of the user as well. 

I don't want to go into depth on that here because this subject goes deep.  But you can find more here.   I suggest spending a little bit of time on this subject because understanding it will help you to work out if your content has a chance of ranking. 

Homepage Links


In every Guest Post Post I also always suggest linking to your homepage with your brand term.  i.e.
“Ginger Marketing” > Linking To: http://www.gingermarketinghq.com/

This is for several reasons I won't go into them all now.

One of them is that if you link to an internal page it is very likely that page is going to move. Either you decide to update the url, you change your service entirely or your campaign ends.


Even if you redirect the url to your new page you have still lost some of the value the link will pass in doing so.

So, your homepage is the most stable place on your website, build authority to it!

Only linking to your homepage with your brand name means you will very likely find it hard to rank for some of your keywords.

So make sure you mix it up!

And remember, SEO is not a Science it is an Art.  Don’t be afraid to test things out.  Set a strategy, execute the strategy and track the results, see what happened & iterate.


Anchor Text Tip:
Avoid publishing 10 guest posts, linking to the same pages with the same anchor text, this could be seen as a signal by Google that you are trying to game the system.  So again - MIX IT UP!!

Step 2: Metrics Of Success

The final ingredient of your solid base is to choose your Metrics Of Success.  A metric is something you can track which shows whether the campaign was successful or not.

Ideally you want to track a metric which is tied into your sales however, setting this up and running requires some advanced analytics which we won’t go into now.  If you’d be interesting in learning about this then let me know and I can write a tutorial for you.


Metrics Of Success:
  1. Search Engine & Referral Traffic To Your Campaign / Product Page
  2. Email Subscribes
  3. Social Media Shares
  4. Number Of Links
  5. Quality Of Links
  6. Search Rankings

If I had to pick the most important metric to track from this list it would be traffic & email subscribes. For most small businesses these are the two things that will make a difference to the bottom line of your business, assuming you can convert the traffic.

It is a good indicator to know if your outreach efforts have brought you in more traffic either from people clicking from the guest posts to your page, or from Google because you have increased your ranking positions.

Always look for both Search Engine Traffic & Referral Traffic in your Analytics report.  You should see an increase in both.

Step 3: Identify A List Of Websites To Pitch To

Niche’s

The easiest way to launch a targeted outreach campaign is to focus on one specific group of people / niche at a time.  At this stage, to help you pick your niche you need to ask the question;

What is the action I want the reader to take on this content?  

Example Action; I want them to click onto my branding for beginners webinar

So, now you know who you want to find.  You want to find people interested in learning about branding.   Since this is for beginners you are probably looking for early stage business owners so a good niche might be business coaches who specialise in helping early stage solopreneurs.  

Why solopreneurs? Because solopreneurs who are just starting out tend to be the ones interested in branding.  m!  One of the first team members a lot of people hire now is graphic designers so if they have a team, likely they don’t want to listen to your webinar! They will just ask their team.

But what type of business coach? Each business coach is going to attract a different audience depending on their personality & interests.  

There are soulful, heart based & spiritual business coaches, there are power house business coaches, there are introverted business coaches, there are business coaches for busy mums, or those that focus on students and young entrepreneurs.

It’s important to get to this level of niching because you want to write for websites that have an audience of your ideal clients.

If you are not sure about the market you are going to be pitching to then this bit will take some time.  Researching will help you.  

Researching A Niche

Google the topic and go onto the websites you are looking at.

(be specific here about how they start to follow people)

Check out their twitter and facebook feeds, read their content. You could keep at this stage for 7 or 8 days, going in and reading posts and content for 30 minutes a day. By the end of the week you will have a much clearer picture & will be able to select your niche more accurately.

It might seem like a lot of work but remember the cake, we are still on the base.  Without getting this bit right you will just be randomly emailing a bunch of people and verging on spamming them.  Effort here, means the difference between outreach & spam.  And it makes the difference between happy replies and pee’d off people who never want you to speak to them again (not to scare you!!).

Google Alerts
Hootsuite Tracking
Just Keep a list of websites in a word doc!
Join Some facebook groups


Search For Your Target List
Once you know who you are targeting you need to find your targets. I personally use software for this, Ninja Outreach.  There is also Buzzstream as well however I prefer Ninja Outreach because I find the filter options really awesome (more on that in the stats section), and they give you monthly traffic which is important.

However, Ninja Outreach is more expensive starting at $49 a month instead of $24 per month for Buzz Stream.  

If you don’t want to pay for a tool then you can use good ol' Google and you can use a tool called Open Site Explorer.  Nothing wrong with this method, this is what I’ve used for the last 6 years, until I got the software.

However, it does take triple the amount of time to build a good list and manage your contacts without one of the outreach tools, so I do advise getting them if you want to use Guest Posting as an ongoing marketing tactic for your business.

Searching On Google

Example Search Terms

Solopreneur Business Coaches
List of Solopreneur Business Coaches
Business Coach for Solopreneurs
Business Coach for Mums
List of Business coaches for mums
Business coach for work at home mums
List of business coaches for work at home mums


Chrome add on which helps you understand the metrics of the site's you are looking at:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mozbar/eakacpaijcpapndcfffdgphdiccmpknp

Be careful using this if you are in an office building with lots of people or at least an IT department.  We triggered some kind of firewall shut down when we used it at MoneySuperMarket. #funtimes #notreally


What does the Moz Bar Do?

It tells you the level of the website you are looking at. More about this in the metrics section.  But, without it you are just looking at a bunch of website links with no idea how good they are or not.

Searching Ninja / Buzzstream

Enter the same search terms into the search section of these tools.  A list of websites will appear with the stat’s next to them.

Using Open Site Explorer
​

With this tool you take a slightly different approach.   With this you can really quickly identify the websites that have already covered what you have created.
In this case we have created a webinar for branding for beginners.
You can quickly create a list by looking at other websites which have linked before to topics about branding.

Search in Google
“Branding Course”
“Branding Webinar”
“Branding E-Guide”


The trick here is to find a key player in this market.  You are looking for someone who is a thought leader on branding.  When you find them, enter their website into Open Site Explorer.
And it will give you a list of all of the people that are linking to this website.

Now, there are a ton of metrics and there is a lot of depth in this tool.  But, for now, the only metric I want you to worry about is DA = Domain Authority. This is an indicator of how well the site ranks in Google.  

Not all websites are created equal. If you are going to put your energy & resource into creating content you need to make sure that the websites you approach are worth your energy. This might sound blunt but we want the best for you!!

As a guide, look for Domain Authorities between 28-50.

Check Metrics

Traffic
+2000 per month
Check in:
Similar Web
Ninja Outreach


Domain Authority
28-50
Check Open Site Explorer

Social Media
Ninja Outreach
Buzzstream
Manual Checking


Engagement
Manual Checking
Ninja Outreach


Email Address
Looking for:
Editorial@
Personal Name@
Info@

Not
Sales@
Advertising@
Support@


If you are using Ninja Outreach or Buzzstream make sure you go through and ensure the correct email is saved to the contact.

If you are doing it manually then go onto the website
Or us an email scraper tool:

Step 4: Making Friends

Once you have your list of potential targets you need to start engaging with them & getting to know them. Guest Posting is about making long term connections with other website owners for a mutually beneficial relationship.  Hopefully you’re going to become partners and colleagues, maybe one day friends!

Take your list of targets and follow them. I use twitter for this because you can create a private list.  I have lists for;

Female Entrepreneurs
Productivity Experts
Social Media Experts
Copywriters
Etc, etc


And I continuously add to these lists as I execute my campaigns.   Every week I go  in and engage with the people here. Quality is better than quantity.  It can be easy to think of this as a “tactic” and then go into it with a sales kind of attitude.  But you don’t want to do that.  You want to go in at a human level and just try to have a chat.

If you don’t manage your Social Media then ask your social media person to do it, or hire someone for $50-$100 per month to do it for you.   Believe me, the cost & time is absolutely worth it.

Effective Ways To Engage With Targets On Twitter

Retweeting
Liking
Replying to a tweet with a question
Replying to a tweet and adding value
Replying to a tweet with a personal account

If you want to be even cooler, follow them on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest as well.  Repin & Like posts that you connect with.  Not only does this strengthen familiarity between you but you will also get closer to understanding your targets & the things they post about.  Heck - you might even learn something as well!!


Step 5: Title Creation

This is the first bit where we can start to get creative.  Writing a good, effective title is one the most challenging parts of the entire campaign.  It’s one of those bits that if you fail at, it dramatically reduces the effectiveness of your campaign.

The titles needs to be relevant to your audience, it needs to be interesting enough to click on and hopefully share as well.  Creating good titles is a constant learning process.  Always go back to your guest posts and look at what did well and what didn’t, take notes about what can be improved for next time.

Here are some thing to think about when creating your Guest Post Titles.

The Trigger

Why would someone click on this title?  
Does it add value to the reader?

Your Audience

Which group of people are you speaking to? Remember, this isn’t the same as your audience on your blog.  Check out a couple of the websites from your list and read a few of their blog posts, get a feel for the audience.

Your Keywords

Your keywords need to go in your title.  If you can’t get them in the exact phrasing that is fine it’s better for it to look natural.

Simplicity Wins

Could a 10 year old read this and know what the post is about?


Step 6: Pitching

Now it’s time to pitch!  Yep that is right, we are going to pitch without actually having any content written.  Why is that?  Because if you write some content no-one wants to post you’ve just wasted your time & energy!!

Often the website owner will come back with some slightly adjustment and changes and if you don’t have the content you can very easily accommodate.

Subject Line

Just like the title, the subject line is SUPER important.  Your target is likely to receive several hundred emails per day, perhaps 50% being pitches.  I use a very straight forward tactic for my subject lines which get a 7-10% response rate.


Subject Line: Guest Post Pitch:[Title Of Your Guest Post]

The success of this method does depend on your title of course! However, the advantage of this is that when the target clicks through to read your title they have already said to themselves that they are interested in the title.  This means they have pre-opted in before they have even read the email making the response a lot more likely.

Email Body

In the body of the email you need to get across a couple of elements quickly for the target to make a decision.

Trust: They need to trust you to make a decision.

Always include some stats for your previous posts you have done, publications you have been featured in, talks you have given & stats about your community.  This person has never met you before, prove to them that you know what you are talking about.  If you can link through to some evidence even better.  I often link through to successful guest posts that we have done to show them clear stats about the results we can get for their website.

Value: They need to understand the value you are providing for them.

Always share what value you are providing them.  That your post is going to be high quality, actionable advice 650+ words (unless they have a higher/lower word count). And that you will share it with your audience when it is live.

Commitment: They need to know how much commitment they need to make.

This is just about stating what you want.  “I would like to pitch a guest post for your blog.” Very straightforward, they know where they stand.

Mail Merge

The quickest way to send out an email to 20-30 people is to use Mail Merge. I have been using it since forever to launch Guest Post Campaigns.  I used to use Excel and Word, I know have Google Drive Add Ons & Software.

Basically it means you can send out a template email very quickly to a group of people.  The sophisticated versions allow you to personalise each email by adding the targets name, or the business name into the body of the email.  This makes it seem as if you are only sending a couple of emails out.  

For sending 20-30 emails the simplest way is to set up mail merge on Google Drive with a free Mail Merge add on.

This add on doesn’t allow you to personalise the email but it’s a good starting point for getting to understand mail merge.

Tracking

The really good thing about this add on is it has tracking included! It will tell you if someone has opened or even clicked in your email.  This is really good for starting to understand what is and isn’t working.  And for following up. A good place to start with the follow up is to email all of those that either opened / clicked in your email because they are more likely to be interested but then just got distracted.

Follow Up

Always remember, people are BUSY!! Just because they didn’t get back to you it doesn’t mean they are not interested. If it’s been three days and you haven’t got a reply follow up with those who didn’t get back to you.  It takes much less time to follow up than it does to go through the process of launching another campaign.  Some people say follow up a third time as well, I don’t do this as I don’t want to annoy people!  It’s up to you though.

So that’s how to launch a niche guest blogging campaign for female entrepreneurs!
Once you get your replies it is all about crafting the content and finding the right visuals and imagery, and that will be one of the next posts I put together.   So bookmark us, subscribe or follow us so you get that goodness too!

I hope this is a valuable resource for you so you feel confident in launching your own Guest  Posting campaigns.  Feel free to reach out to me with questions / suggestions and feedback - it will all go into improving this to make it the number one place to come for female entrepreneurs wanting Content Marketing On Demand.
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    Written by Cheryl A Clarke Chief Happiness Officer & Director Of Ginger Marketing (unless stated otherwise)

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