Last Updated 8/08/2021

If you want to hire a writer for your online content it can be a pretty confusing process to enter. One of the first decisions you will need to make is whether to hire a content writer or a copywriter for your project.

In this post, let’s go through the main difference between each discipline, we hope this can help you decide which type of writer is right for your project.  

Let’s start first with copywriters, what do they specialise in, what are their core skills and why should you hire a copywriter?

Copywriters are writing specifically to sell. It doesn’t really matter what the format is but their primary goal is to make a sale of a product or service.  

For example, an Advertising Agency like Ogilvy will have a team of copywriters who will do the copy for their client’s TV ad campaigns and billboards.

A campaign at an Ad Agency for a large client will be themed around a central idea and then delivered to the public through a range of different formats. The best campaigns are delivered so that the target audience sees the campaign multiple times a day, in different places, for several weeks, resulting in a strong product recall and sales long into the future.

​Brands like Apple, Coca-Cola and Vogue, which rely heavily on selling a concept and an idea to the consumer, spend vast amounts of money on these campaigns.  They can do that because once someone starts identifying with a brand at their core being, they will be buying for a lifetime.

When it comes to online copy, copywriters will write landing pages and core sales pages, sometimes shopping cart pages too.  Any touch point where the reader is close to purchasing something, a good copywriter can increase conversion rates and capture more sales. ​

Copywriters need to be creative but also analytical and be able to create content around a central goal and track it.  There are a ton of different goals one might have.

For example, Coca-Cola might come to an ad agency and say; “Our market research is showing that consumer behaviour is now preferring healthy drinks, smoothies and juices. How do we position Coca-Cola so that it is still a preferred soft drink and increase our sales by XX?”.

The campaign will be created to shift consumer behaviour and so the creative will be wrapped around this core goal.

Another goal could be that a business coach wants to increase the sales of her coaching program by X, by improving her sales page.  How can she go about doing that whilst still remaining true to her voice and keeping the integrity of her brand?

Copywriters need to be able to take a brief and use market research to back up their concepts and the delivery of their creative.

A good copywriter is not cheap, the work they do is very advanced stuff requiring years and years of education and practice. Hire a copywriter for the really important sales touch points in your customer journey.

If your budget is small then your sales page is the first place to start. A good copywriter can cost anywhere between $1,500 - $2,000 / £1,000 - £1,500 and up for a single sales page. But the value you get in return from increased sales will be huge, so it is well worth it.

When hiring a copywriter, double check that is what they specialise in.  Many online writers say they are copywriters when actually they are content writers using the term to add $$ to their pricing.

Copywriting is a specialist skill so watch out for those who say they can do it all!

Content writers specialise in writing online content which is produced to educate, entertain or inspire an audience into taking an action.  More often than not, content writers are focused less on sales and more on lead generation.

Content writers will be writing the 90% of the web that comes through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, your favourite blogs and online magazines. These could be blog posts, guest posts and social media updates.

Content writers focus more on the top of the funnel, they are attracting the first eyeballs into the brand, copywriters will convert them. Content writers will tend to focus more on competitor research, keyword research and positioning the content in a way which will engage the reader and drive a subscription, provoke a social media share or a comment.

When it comes to guest posts, content writers will also be focused on link building and improving the SEO of the site they are writing for. ​

Content writers also need to be creative and analytical, able to track what is and isn’t working.   They need to be able to think quick on their feet and produce a high level of quality, engaging content at a quicker rate than copywriters.

​Copywriters might write several landing pages a month, content writers might be writing 4 or 5 long form pieces per day.  They need to have strong attention to detail and be able to think imaginatively and creatively.  They also need SEO skills and they should understand the basics of content marketing on the web.

If your strategy is heavily focused on using content marketing to generate leads then you should consider hiring a content writer.  They can produce your blog posts, guest posts and all of your social media updates.

​Many can even produce your email newsletter (though if you can afford it I would invest in a copywriter for your newsletter, especially if you are focusing on selling affiliate products or your own products through your newsletter).

Good content writers will also have an understanding of marketing on the web and how the content they produce for you fits into an overarching Digital Marketing Strategy. They can provide you with extra ideas and some advice about how to grow your leads and subscribers through Content Marketing.  They should also be staying up to date with the rapid changes that happen in the online world.  It is very handy to have a good content writer on your team!

We focus on content writing, this kind of writing lies at the core of producing quality blog and guest posts.  

​However, we don’t just simply ignore copywriting.  We spend one day a month learning about copywriting tools and techniques and then write down how we can start practically applying it to the editing stage of our content to improve client results.

For us, a key indicator of content success for clients is the engagement. We track how many social shares and comments each piece of content receives.  Copywriting tactics can be subtly applied to blog and guest post writing to improve this engagement.

Speedy Summary! 

Have you ever hired a copywriter or a content writer?  What was your experience?
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Related Posts

How To Choose A Blog Name You Won't Hate In 2 Years
10 Ways To Get Visitors To Your Blog Without Feeling Like A Hamster
Why Your Mindset Is In Control Of Your Marketing
The Difference Between A Content Writer And A Copywriter

(post last updated 06 / 07 / 2021)

Welcome to the ultimate roundup of blogs which accept guest posts with 6000+ guest post opportunities plus a step by step guide for manual guest post outreach.

If you are looking for guest post opportunities this blog post is a great place to start.

There are tons of guest post opportunity covering all niches.  Whether you are looking for technology blogs, digital marketing blogs, small business blogs, beauty blogs or travel blogs you’ll find what you need here so make sure you bookmark this handy resource for guest blogging.
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What makes this guide different is that I've included the top lists in each niche, so here you have access to thousands of guest posting opportunities by clicking through and discovering sites you can submit your guest post too.
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Guest posting is simply writing blog content for another persons website.  Instead of writing content for your own site and audience, instead, you write for another bloggers audience.   

You can find guest posting opportunities & submit your guest post in many different niches.  No matter what business you or your clients are in, there will be hundreds if not thousands of websites looking for guest bloggers.  

There are several different types of guest posting opportunities.  The main categories are, guest blog submission sites, personal blogs, company blogs & open content platforms like medium.   

​You'll want the website you choose to feature your guest post to be relevant & high quality.  Do not waste time writing content & pitching to low quality websites, the link & exposure you earn will have very little long term impact on your website. 
​

Neil Patel calls guest posting the best inbound marketing strategy out there, & Jeff Goins has written a fantastic post about the benefits of Guest Blogging to drive tons of traffic to your website.  

Some of the highlights in Jeff Goins' post are building relationships and growing your popularity with the search engine - i.e., more search engine traffic.   If you are wondering how guest blogging leads to more search engine traffic, I'll cover that now.

Every time you submit a guest blog to a website you should include a link to your website either the homepage, a key category page or a blog post.

Make sure the link / links are relevant to the post and don't just fit them in at the end.  You should be creating your content around what you want to market & promote, keeping in mind the audience & interests of the site you a submitting your guest post too. 

High quality links show Google that your website is a trusted resource & Google should start to improve your ranking position in its SERPS which will increase your search engine traffic.   

Remember, an increase in rankings doesn't always lead to more traffic, if you are targeting the wrong keywords you might see that your rankings are improviding but your traffic is staying pretty much the same. If you identify this issue then double check your keyword strategy.

Both Neil & Jeff are respected entrepreneurs and marketers who have used a guest posting strategy to drive traffic to their sites and grow their brands making them into very successeful & well known marketers. 

Another benefit from guest blogging is building trust & growing your referral traffic.
Even just several clicks per month from a post adds up over time, and this lead is going to be very
warm.  You’ve already provided a ton of value and associated yourself with a publication they know and trust which means you’ve kicked your relationship off with this person in the best possible way.

In summary, Guest Blogging rocks. And then this is the ultimate roundup of lists covering all niches.  On this page you’ll find access to thousands of blogs which accept guest posts...

If you've been wondering where can I find free guest posting sites, the answer is, right here!

There are thousands of guest post opportunities listed below.

Guest Posting Roundup - The Top Lists Of Guest Blogging Opportunities From Around The Web. Bookmark this resource!

Websitehostingrating.com 200 bogs which accept guest posts (including contact info + difficult rating)

Webmarketingsaga.com 386 Blogs that accept guest posts (analyse these sites before using)

Bloggerspassion.com 100+ blogs that allow guest posts (alexa + contact info included)

Lilachbullock.com 450+ blogs which accept guest posts (domain authority + contact info)

Blogging.org 75+ blogs which accept guest posts (including Alexa score)

Outreachmama.com 700+ guest posting sites (details provided in excel with contact info)

1412 + guest post sites from guestposttracker.com (must sign up to access information)

150+ blogs which allow guest posts advancedwebranking.com (DA and contact info)

1,500 blogs which accept guest posts submitshop.com (carefully analyse these sites before using)

50 blogs which accept guest posts shoutmeloud.com (submit links included)

If you prefer to go down the DIY root and do your own outreach research then here is a step by step method for finding guest blogging opportunities.

Step 1: Define your audience before you launch your Guest Blogging Campaign

As with ANY marketing activity, you need to know your audience.  Who is it that you want to attract to your website? With Ginger Marketing, I am targeting female entrepreneurs who are at the second stage of their business.

They already have a base of clients and are looking to increase trust and traffic to take it to the next level. So, I’m not interested in posting on websites which are all about “starting your website” or “launching your business”. These websites have totally the wrong audience for me.

Virtual Assistants are a great niche for me.  I know that if a business owner is looking to hire a Virtual Assistant then it's very likely they are at the second stage of their business.  This indicates that they are at the growth stage and they are willing to invest and see that investing is a good decision to make.

So for me, Virtual Assistants with a blog are a very good target.

Really break down specifically who you want to get in front of and be creative!

Step 2:  Finding The Right Guest Blogging Opportunities Using Google
The easiest way to find opportunities for Guest Blogging is through Google.  Open up Google now and type:

[Insert your niche] blogs intitle:write for us

Using Virtual Assistant as an example, I would type

Virtual Assistant blog  intitle:"write for us"

You can also use:

[insert niche] blog  intitle:"submit"
[insert niche] blog  inurl:"write for us"
[insert niche] blog  inurl:"submit"

Step 3: Know The Website Stats Before You Pitch Your Guest Blog

We now come full circle to the little rant at the top of this post.  You must know the stats of the website before you spend time writing for them. Pure traffic volume isn’t enough, and engagement is key.

Right-click on each result so that all the websites are in separate tabs.

Go to each one and do a spot check.

This is like a 10 second “Do I want to appear here”.  You can be SUPER SUPERFICIAL at this point.  If you are going to appear on another website providing your expertise you want to make sure you appear somewhere that is respectable, and which you actually resonate with.

I will delete any website that has poor design, copy mistakes, and poor imagery.

This might bring your list of 10 down to a list of only 6 or 7 options.

Open up another tab with this tool: https://www.similarweb.com/

Enter each website and press submit.  Now you can see an estimate of their traffic and engagement stats.  Here are two websites that came up when I searched for VA Blogging opportunities. ​

Which website would you prefer to Guest Blog on?

I’m sure you said #2, right? 

You can see that #2 has an average visit duration of over 5 minutes, pages per visit of 4.33, and a very low bounce rate of 34%.  Whilst number #1 has tons more traffic, their engagement stats just don’t compare.

If you want to speed up the results from your guest blogging strategy the best way is through a guest blog service. This is an easy way to outsource the entire process to another company who specialises in this SEO tactic. 

A guest blog service will:

Advice on niches to pitch to
Write the content
Pitch your content
Report on number of guest posts
Report on quality of websites
Report on links

You can find guest blog services which start from $100 per month for one guest post and the pricing will change depending on:

Number of guest posts
Length of text
Quality of website (DA)

Another option is to use a guest blog freelancer, this is a digital marketing freelancer who specialises in delivering guest posts as a service. Guest blog freelancers charge anything from $15 - $60 per hour depending on their experience.  

You can find plenty of freelancers on Upwork, or get in touch with me via the contact form if you would like to enquire about my guest posting service at Ginger Marketing.

I hope this post helped! Don't hesitate to reach out if you need further help with your guest posting. ​

For starters, using automatic outreach tools leaves you open to making mistakes, such as not completely the {First Name} field.

Also, the majority of sites that accept guest posts guide you on exactly what to do, so asking to send over some topics doesn’t always float.

More importantly, there is zero personal approach in that email.

While you may think that “I’ve just been through your site and I love it” is a personal approach, it really isn’t.

Instead, something like this works much better:

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