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Accountants: Boost Your Profile with these Guidelines for Guest Blogging

bloggingaccountant

Thanks to cloud technology, you’re no longer restricted by geography when it comes to finding new clients for your accounting practice. So, how can you leverage the power of the internet to grow your reach and put your business in front of interested audiences?

One great way to do this is through guest blogging. It gives you the opportunity to pitch yourself as an expert in your field to a targeted audience and boost visibility around your business. In fact, I’ve written this post with 7 reasons why guest posts will boost your blogging ROI which explores this a little further.

You might be thinking to yourself, ‘But I’m an accountant, not a writer!’, but, fear not, putting together a blog post doesn’t have to be as hard as you think.

Here are 7 recommended steps for getting your guest blogging strategy started.

1. Set your goals

Before you get started, it helps to have some goals in mind, to help you measure the success of your efforts. For example, you might have a particular area of your business that you’d like to promote - such as your WorkflowMax Advisory services - so think about what you’re trying to achieve. Your goals might include:

  • gain authority and credibility
  • increase brand awareness or personal profile
  • drive traffic to your website
  • associate with other respected businesses in the industry
  • generate strong website links

2. Research

There are plenty of websites and blogs that accept guest post submissions, it’s just a matter of doing your research to find the ones that are more relevant to your topic and the audience that you are trying to reach.

Think about your audience - your potential client - and the places where they might be going to seek out information. For example, do you work with small business owners, farmers, or cafe owners? What online communities or websites are already doing a great job providing helpful information to these audiences? Can these sites help you achieve the goals that you set in step one?

A great tool for this research phase is BuzzSumo. It can help you quickly identify well-performing content in the particular subject niche that you are targeting.

Make a spreadsheet that includes the website/blog URL, the focus of the blog, potential topics you could pitch to them for a guest submission, and if possible, contact details for the best person to approach. You may also like to include their social media accounts and any extra notes you might like to make for yourself.

3. Engage

If you’re hoping to pitch an article to a site that is likely bombarded with requests, it can help to establish a ‘soft’ connection before you go in for a direct approach. Start engaging with authors and the blog community through the comments and feedback section on their articles. Connect through social channels, share their posts, and interact where you can so that you start to come under their radar as an industry-savvy commentator.

4. Pitch

Many websites will include information about how you can get in touch, or the process for submitting guest articles to the site. Review these instructions carefully to up your chances of getting your submission reviewed. For example, some sites will ask for you to send through 2-3 suggested topics, or others may even want you to submit a completed article straight away.

When it comes to putting together your email, here are my suggestions:

  • Keep the email succinct - just get straight to the point.
  • Use the name of the blog owner or content curator if you can - it shows you’ve done your research and makes it much more personal.
  • Briefly introduce yourself and provide a quick rundown of your credentials.
  • Offer a brief explanation of why your article provides value to the blog audience and offers mutually beneficial opportunities.
  • Include your suggested topics.
  • Conclude with a clear call to action to indicate the next best steps should they wish to proceed with publishing your post.

HubSpot makes it even easier for you with these helpful email templates for pitching editors.

5. Write

This will likely be the most daunting part for most of you, and understandably so. In this article, WorkflowMax copywriter Steff offers 5 writing hacks to help you get the words out, which might give you some ideas on how you can beat through writer’s block.

The best way to start is to create an outline. Start with bullet points and go from there, don’t worry too much about crafting your writing, just get the ideas out, and you can go back and polish it later or get the help of a colleague for an objective set of eyes. It can help to write as though you are talking, so that the language feels natural and easy.

  • Use subheadings to break up the text
  • Focus on one topic per blog post
  • Use quotes or link to other resources for added credibility
  • Don’t use it as a sales pitch opportunity
  • Use an analogy or story to help with your message
  • Add your professional opinion
  • Suggest further reading or links
  • Finish with a call to action to encourage interaction in the comments section
  • Include a brief bio with a link back to your own website

6. Share

Once the article is published, don’t forget to make a real effort to share it out with your own networks, for example through social media or your client newsletter.

7. Outsource

If you really do feel like your writing skills are lacking, or you simply don’t have the time or the resources to dedicate to a guest blogging campaign, you can always seek the help of a copywriter or marketing agency to ghost write the articles for you!

Want to know a little more? Check out my post on 8 steps to creating your own successful guest blogging game plan for more helpful tips. Ready to get started? Why not submit a guest blog post to our blog! Get in touch to discuss.

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Monica Shepherd
Monica is a marketing copywriter for WorkflowMax, creating content for the website, blogs and ebooks. Having run a copywriting business helping a wide range of businesses create stand-out marketing and website content, she has a thorough understanding of the challenges business owners face. By sharing this insight at WorkflowMax she can continue to follow her passion for helping small businesses punch above their weight.

Monica Shepherd