{"id":1000,"date":"2020-06-25T22:56:53","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T02:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/t2mio.com\/blog\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2022-12-28T20:46:05","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T01:46:05","slug":"how-to-run-an-effective-cold-outreach-campaign-that-generates-guest-post-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/t2mio.com\/blog\/how-to-run-an-effective-cold-outreach-campaign-that-generates-guest-post-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Run An Effective Cold Outreach Campaign that Generates Guest Post Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest posting is a great online marketing strategy. By writing content for authoritative sites, you actually increase awareness of your brand and help establish authority. You can also increase your organic traffic and generate leads. And with high-quality traffic being diverted to your website, you can increase conversions, too.<\/p>\n

But guest posting is not as simple as writing a blog post and submitting it. You\u2019d need to reach out to authoritative sites first for them to allow you to submit in the first place. It\u2019s their way of controlling, not just the number of submissions, but also the quality.<\/p>\n

So how do you reach out to the authoritative sites? Enter, cold outreach,<\/p>\n

Cold Outreach<\/h3>\n

Simply put, cold outreach is the process of reaching out to people you have had no prior interaction with. You can do this in several ways. Some companies, for example, cold-call prospects en masse to sell. Others use social media, and send messages via LinkedIn, for example.<\/p>\n

When looking for guest post opportunities, though, by far, the most effective way of reaching out to websites is via email. Just look at Radicati\u2019s email usage forecast for the coming years:<\/p>\n

\"How<\/em>Source: Radicati<\/a><\/p>\n

And those millions of users are more likely to include the editor of the website you\u2019ve been dying to see your name on.<\/p>\n

How to Do It Right<\/h3>\n

When I said cold email outreach was effective, I meant this is the case if it is done the right way, of course. Writing the email is just one aspect of cold email outreach. There\u2019s a process you need to follow if you want your cold email to be opened, read and replied to. Here are the steps you need to follow:<\/p>\n

1. Decide on the Website<\/h3>\n

According to Hosting Tribunal<\/a>, as of 2020, there are about 2 billion websites. Of this number, around 400 million are active. Even if you assume some of those are merely personal websites that don\u2019t publish other people\u2019s work, you\u2019d still be left with quite a large number of websites that do accept guest posts. Frankly, it just wouldn\u2019t be feasible to target all of those.<\/p>\n

So make a selection of websites you\u2019d like to target. Decide on whether you\u2019d like to guest post on a popular site, or on a targeted niche website. If you\u2019re starting out as a writer, though, I suggest targeting the small websites that publish content you\u2019re familiar with. Once you build your portfolio, you can include in your outreach the more popular websites such as Huffington Post, Social Media Examiner and LifeHack.<\/p>\n

Make sure the websites you decide to reach out to, however, rank higher than your own website in search engine results. Always remember your goal in guest posting<\/a>: to help your own website gain exposure.<\/p>\n

2. Look for An Email Addresses<\/h3>\n

Once you have your list of websites, it\u2019s time to create your email list.<\/p>\n

Each website will have an editor you\u2019d need to talk to to pitch your guest post ideas before you can write. For your outreach to be effective, it\u2019s best to look for this person and their email address. Website contact forms won\u2019t do. Your message will most likely never get through to the editor if you use the contact form.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry. Knowing whom to contact is easy nowadays. If you don\u2019t get all the information you need (email address of editor, editor\u2019s name) on the website itself, LinkedIn is a great source of information. Just type in the company, and you\u2019ll get the number of employees of that company who are on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/em><\/p>\n

Just click on that and look for anyone from the company who\u2019s an editor or a writer who can refer you to the editor. If you find their email addresses there, then good. If not, just type in their names in an email finder and the company domain.<\/p>\n

3. Make that Pitch<\/h3>\n

Website editors get hundreds of emails on a daily basis so you need to stand out to get their attention. The email subject line is the first thing they see. If you personalize it, for instance, by including the first name of the email recipient, you increase your chances of getting your email opened. Marketing Dive reported open rates can reach as high as 50%!<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t just focus on the email subject line. The email body is just as important. Here are some tips on how you should write that:<\/p>\n