This Guest Post Email Template Gets a 30-40% Reply Rate
An Email Sequence to Write for Your Favorite Websites
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Bonus: Want a list of places to guest post? We've got a list, and no email required to access. All we ask is you read this article before blindly pitching them so you don't damage your reputation and brand. Here's a list of over 2,100 sites you can guest post on.
This is a series on how we create email outreach programs that get 20-40% reply rates. If you want to know how to build an email sequence, click here. You can check out all our articles on email outreach here.
If you’ve stuck with us, you now know more than most marketers how to build your own email templates and sequences.
For many marketers, it’s important to master email outreach to get guest post opportunities. When done right, a guest post can generate traffic, links, and sales. But for some, landing a guest post feels harder than landing a 5-foot king salmon.
I’ve helped clients land guest posts on Shopify Plus, Spyfu, ConversionXL, Sumo, SproutSocial, Adroll, GetResponse, and many, many more (Want proof? I helped Codeless land about 1/3 of these publications). The template I will help you build works outside of marketing and sales fields too. I’ve used this formula for clients in digital privacy and security, cryptocurrency, and in Wordpress, to name a few. And with a 30-40% reply rate to boot.
So I want to help you create an email template sequence that will help you do the same.
Here’s my pre-process to landing any guest post:
Now, onto building your successful guest post templates! Here is what you should include in each email. The days in the parenthesis (e.g. (Day 0)) is a suggestion when to follow up.
Email #1 - Introduction (Day 0)
The goal here is to break the ice on why you are emailing this blogger, show proof that you can write, and will bring value to their blog.
I start by sharing the top three most shared articles on the most respectable sites for that industry. Then I pitch three blog ideas, allowing them to choose what topic would be best. I often use a tool like BuzzSumo to find popular articles on their blog and competitor blogs.
Email #2 - Quick follow up (Day 3)
This should be a very brief message, asking if they saw the last email.
Email #3 - Overcoming hidden objections (Day 7)
Here, I think of three reasons the blogger did not respond to my email and I offer possible solutions to that problem. For example, the topics did not match their blog so they want better topics. Maybe the emails hit the spam filter. Or they were on vacation. I also summarize my pitch again so they don’t need to dig through their emails.
Email #4 - Find someone else (Day 10)
You can’t always find the right person when emailing them. So I ask them if there is someone else I should have reached out to instead.
Email #5 - Goodbye email (Day 15)
This may sound weird. But I often end my email sequences by asking the person what I did wrong. This allows me to improve my outreach campaigns, and have a small chance to get the guest post.
From time to time, you may be asked if you would like to pay for the article to be published on their site. This is especially common in higher saturated niches like fashion. Personally, I do not pay other people for writing articles on their website, and here’s why:
Just Google “Top {{niche}} blogs” or “best {{niche}} blogs.” You’ll have plenty of blogs to start doing free guest posts. And if you run out, just ask bloggers you did a guest post for to help with an introduction. That’s an easy win-win.
This is more of a personal observation. Quality writers aren’t hurting for opportunities. So it is a major turn off (and brand killer) if a blog were to ask them to pay to write for them. Wouldn’t it be silly if Nike wanted you to create a slogan for them, then asked you to pay them for it?
Once you begin paying for guest posts, you begin to condition yourself that this is normal. Not only that, you won’t think about doing the work to get better guest posts for free (or, as I’ll share in a moment, getting paid).
Every business owner gets to choose their own path to success. Personally, I think there are better uses of my money than to invest in sponsored posts, but to each their own.
Here’s the part that blows my mind - if you play your cards right, not only can you get exposure, you can get paid in the process.
As you start reaching out to do guest posts, you may find that the host site will pay you to write articles.
Bitcoin, Cyber Security, and some Wordpress sites are happy to pay you for your article. I’ve seen offers from $50 to $500. And I’ve been paid by clients $1,000 for an article before offering full-service content marketing.
Your best chance is to write better articles, and give the client what they want.
Many sites want traffic. Show them how you will do that (SEO, or some type of content promotion), and that you have done it before, and your opportunities will grow. So blogging about underwater basket weaving may not be your best bet.
The client will have set topics for you to write about (e.g. anything about email marketing). Sometimes, they may require you to keep to a specific angle (e.g. how to set up an email marketing campaign to reduce customer churn). But, more often than not, you get to keep your name on the article AND add in a few links.
I’ve found quality articles I can usually place 1-3 links into the article back to my blog, even for paid articles.
If you are ready to start scaling up your outreach campaign, click here.
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