How to Write a Guest Post Pitch (Tips, Templates, and Examples)

Guest blogging is a valuable strategy for expanding your reach, building your brand, and establishing authority in your niche. It connects your content with new audiences and generates valuable backlinks, thus increasing your website traffic.However, many people fail with guest posting because they don’t know how to pitch websites.It can seem challenging, but the secret is simple: since most websites receive hundreds of guest post emails daily, you need a value-packed pitch to stand out.At Post Pitch, we have been refining a pitch that stands out from the rest. In this article, I will share the three-step formula that we use to help our clients win guest posts on high-quality sites in any industry.This guide only focuses on the pitch itself. If you want to know how we run personalized, at-scale guest post campaigns for our clients, click here.​

The strategy for making value-packed guest post pitches​

Here is the strategy that we have used broken down into three steps:

1. Find your value proposition

2. ​Formulate your message

3. ​Sprinkle in Personalization

1. Find your value proposition

This step is the hardest part. Take your time, and realize that once you figure this out, you are 80% of the way to a high-converting guest post pitch.You need to really think about how you can provide value to the prospect’s audience.What pain points does the recipient’s audience have that your guest post can alleviate? What useful education can you provide to their audience? Why do they need your guest post on their site?Once you have figured this out, you are ready to move on to the next step.– An alternative option is the transactional route. You can offer a link exchange or payment, but as Google's algorithm evolves, value-driven guest posts will likely become the only viable option. You can read more about top transactional link-building pitches here.

2. Formulate your message

Now the fun part. In the modern day of guest posting, generically templated emails rarely work.Instead, you need to develop your own unique semi-templated message based on your own situation. Yes, it is harder. But if you do it right, you will see amazing results.Here is an example of a tax software using our semi-templated pitch to target crypto-investing platforms:

Hello {{first_name}},{{Personalized Compliment}} You will learn how to do this in step 3.I’m reaching out because I was digging through the {{company_name}} blog and found lots of great content about buying and trading crypto. But I was surprised that you hadn't talked much about taxes.As a top cryptocurrency exchange, it is crucial for {{company_name}} to cover crypto taxes because it is a common challenge for users. For example, here is a {{company_name}} customer confused about their taxes on Reddit:{{Insert Link of Confused Customer On Reddit}}Your audience will avoid conflict with the government, save money, and reduce stress by learning more about crypto tax.I work at (Tax Software), the leading tax software for over 500,000 crypto investors, and we would love to write you an educational guest post on the topic.Does this interest you? Let me know, and I'll send over some topic ideas.Best,ZachP.S. Here are some articles we published on Publication 1 and Publication 2.​

This Template in action:

Hey Mike,I loved your article on the crypto strangle options strategy! I found it very interesting how you point out that with the options strangle strategy, one doesn't need to be accurate about the market's direction to avoid directional risks.I’m reaching out because I was digging through the Delt Exchange blog and found lots of great content about trading crypto futures and options. But I was surprised that you hadn't talked much about taxes.As a top option trading platform, Delt Exchange must cover crypto taxes because they are a common challenge for users. For example, here is a Delt Exchange customer confused about their taxes on Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/IndiaTax/comments/16jli6f/crypto_options_trading_tax/Learning more about crypto taxes will help your audience avoid conflict with the government, save money, and reduce stress.I work at (Tax Software), the leading tax software for over 500,000 crypto investors, and we would love to write you an educational guest post on the topic.Does this interest you? Let me know, and I'll send over some topic ideas.Best,ZachP.S. Here are some articles we published on The New York Times and CoinDesk.​

Do you see the difference between that and a generic outreach email offering a link exchange? Notice how the email above builds connection, offers nice benefits and speaks in a straightforward manor. 

3. Sprinkle in Personalization

The final step is to sprinkle in personalization at the beginning of the pitch. When you send a cold email, the prospect does not know you. So, personalization is a great tool to quickly build rapport and trust.At Post Pitch, we offer a free tool for generating personalized first-liners for a guest post pitch.Here is how it works:Insert a blog URL into our free tool. For example https://www.post-pitch.com/blog/what-is-a-high-quality-backlinkThen, our personalization tool will generate a free personalized line like this:

"Hey Zach,I loved your article about how high-quality backlinks are the key to SEO success! I found it very interesting how you said that a high-quality backlink must be relevant to your site, authoritative, and natural."

The sentence above is AI generated!

You can insert a personalized introduction like this into the start of everyone your pitches.Click here to use the tool for free.

Key Components of a Guest Post Outreach Pitch

To ensure your guest post pitch captures the attention and interest of your target site's editor or owner, it's crucial to include several key elements that convey your message effectively and professionally. Here's the 6 things your pitch should encompass:

1. Feels Un-Templated

Editors receive many guest post pitches every day. Thus, for your email to stand out, it needs to feel genuine.

2. Intriguing and Mysterious Subject Line

You could spend an hour writing a perfect pitch, but if the email does not get opened, there is no point. Use a free subject line tool like CoSchudele’s Free Email Subject Line Tester to generate A+ subject lines fast.

3. Personalized Introduction

Personalization is how you build rapport and trust with a stranger. As mentioned before, use Post Pitch’s free email introduction generator.

4. Great Value Proposition

Clearly articulate what you bring to the table. Your value proposition should highlight how your guest post will benefit their audience. Will it fill a content gap on their site? Offer a unique perspective? Provide actionable tips? Ect.

5. Clear Yes or No Question CTA to Invoke Response

Your call-to-action (CTA) should encourage a simple response. A yes/no question at the end of your email makes it easy for the recipient to reply.

6. Subtle Incorporation of Social Proof

If you have credentials or past successes that make your pitch more compelling, include them—but be subtle. Mention any notable publications you've contributed to, significant results you've achieved, or endorsements from recognized figures in your field. This builds credibility and trust.

Conclusion

Crafting an effective guest post pitch is essential for tapping into the benefits of guest blogging, such as expanding your audience, building authority, and enhancing SEO.Remember, success in guest blogging lies in the quality of your pitches and the relationships you build.If you want to skip the time-consuming process of learning SEO and link-building, you might be interested in the services offered by Post Pitch. With Post Pitch, you can automate your link-building process and watch your business's traffic, domain authority, and brand recognition skyrocket.Our team of experts will implement our proven link-building and SEO strategies to help you achieve your goals. To get started, click on the link to book a free link-building growth call and receive a 3-Step Action Plan to skyrocket your backlinks!