Great guest pieces deliver a few key components. The first is inspiring and empowering content that outlets want to publish. Passion is another critical element because readers will quickly lose interest if your excitement about the topic doesn’t come through.
But one important element that is often overlooked is style. Yes, your content and passion need to be properly packaged to be effective, but without a strong sense of the style the piece requires, you’ll miss out on opportunities to grow your reputation as a thought leader.
The following are some steps that can help you score style points with an outlet and its readers.
Start With the Pitch
Your pitch is the key to unlocking access to an outlet, so make sure you craft yours carefully. It should capture the attention of journalists, hooking them with an interesting story idea that will resonate with their readers. Being concise and polite is also important; journalists are busy people who need to quickly be able to assess what you are proposing.
Above all else, make sure that your pitch focuses on a topic that is relevant to the outlet’s readers. Find a way to apply your expertise to your industry’s key pain points, and outlets will welcome your contribution.
Build a Strong Outline
Starting with an outline serves two purposes. It lets you organize your thoughts on the topic and ensures that all of the piece’s key elements are addressed.
The outlet may require specific pieces of information. At the very least, it will require a certain word count threshold and guidelines for including relevant backlinks. You may also have elements you want to include, such as keywords or key points. An outline helps you plug each of these elements into the overall structure of your guest piece before you dive into writing it.
Deliver Valuable Content
The goal of a guest piece isn't promotion—it’s thought leadership. In fact, your article will likely be rejected if it includes promotional language or links.
Stay focused on the topic of the article and how you can best highlight your niche expertise to an audience of interested readers to maximize the value you deliver through your guest post. Think of yourself as a thought leader who is guiding others to a deeper understanding of their industry rather than a brand spokesperson who is trying to sell a product.
Be Sensitive to Tone
Understanding and aligning with an outlet’s tone is vital for gaining style points. The angle of your initial pitch, the outlet that accepted it, and the readers’ general focus can all demand a particular tone. Identifying where you need to fall in terms of formality is crucial.
For example, a piece about “How Technological Advancements in AI are Impacting Healthcare” for a medical journal will require a more formal tone and language than a piece about “5 Tips to Boost Customer Satisfaction” for a retail-focused publication. Bringing your own writing style to the piece is fine, but failing to adapt it to what the outlet is specifically looking for can lead to it being rejected.
Improve Your Work With Edits
No first draft is ever perfect. After reading it over a few times, get to work editing.
Wherever possible, change passive voice to active voice, break down run-on sentences and refine your grammar. You’ll know you are done editing when you have a piece that flows well, is easy to follow and keeps the readers’ attention throughout.
Beyond simply delivering content, you must carefully consider the style of your guest pieces to establish a connection that resonates with an outlet’s readers. Thought leaders who can deliver style-conscious guest pieces will build a bigger audience and a better reputation.
Sam Johnson is Editor-In-Chief of Otter PR.