Grow Your Audience Through Guest Posting [Email Template]

I got an email from a client the other day (hi, Stephenie!).

She had a dilemma.

She created an awesome new opt-in offer (also known as an IFO or lead magnet) to build her online list of travel leads.

But … she wasn’t exactly sure how to get her prospects to sign up for the thing.

She’s not getting a ton of traffic to her website or social media channels yet. And the thought of running FB ads makes her head spin.

Did I have any suggestions on how to get her opt-in offer in front of her ideal audience?

You bet 🙂

I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the most effective strategies I’ve used for growing my email list is guest posting.

Every time one of my guest posts gets published in an online outlet, I quickly get 20+ new subscribers … and more trickle in over the next few weeks.

Guest posting is GENIUS because it allows you to leverage someone else’s audience — ideally, an audience much larger than your own.

How to Score Guest Posting Opportunities

In a blog post next week, I’ll tell you how you should be formatting your guest posts to actually bring in new subscribers.

But first — you have to score some guest post opportunities, right?

So, step 1 is to make a list of all the blogs, websites, and online magazines that serve the same niche as you (for example, if you’re a family travel specialist, you can try to guest post for parenting websites and mommy bloggers).

THEN — you need to pitch yourself.

This is the scary part, I know.

But I’m about to de-scare-ify it for you! Below is the actual email I sent to The Travel Institute to pitch some guest post ideas. You can use this email as a template for your own pitches — the copy in red is my notes on what I’m doing in each paragraph.

Check it out:

My word-for-word guest post pitch email:

Hi there! [If you know the name of the person who runs the blog or publication, use their name]

My name is Emily Matras, and I’m a professional copywriter and content marketing specialist serving the travel agent community. I enjoy reading the great content that The Travel Institute puts out through its Friday Five and Hot Tip Tuesday Series. I’ve noticed that you cover marketing topics like social media and defining your niche, but I haven’t seen a ton of content with strategic copywriting advice for travel pros.

[In this first paragraph, I introduce myself and show that I’ve done my homework by being familiar with what this publication puts out. I also pinpoint a gap in their content that I could fill. Another thing you could do in this intro is name check a recent blog post of theirs that you really enjoyed reading].

I’m reaching out to see if you’d be interested in a guest post from a copywriting perspective? I’ve shared copy and content insights with organizations like Travel Weekly and the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs, and I’d love to share them with TTI readers as well!

[I quickly get to the ask — can I write for you? And I back that up by showing where I’ve been published elsewhere. If you haven’t published any guest posts yet, you can mention that you blog regularly for your own audience, go live weekly to share tips on FB Live, etc. Show them that you have experience sharing valuable content in some way].

Here are a few post ideas:

5 Mistakes You’re Making on Your Travel Agent Website (and How to Fix Them): This post would highlight the 5 most common mistakes travel agents make on their websites, which may be costing them conversions and requests for consultation calls. The focus would be on actionable tips and changes agents can make easily without a web designer.

Email Marketing for Travel Agents: Email is one of the lowest-cost marketing tactics out there — yet it’s underused by agents in the industry. This post would include 5 ideas on how travel agents can use email to build a relationship with their prospects and even convert them into clients.

5 Tips for Writing Your Travel Agent About Page: The About Page is often the trickiest website page to put together — let’s face it, it’s hard to write about ourselves! This post will include easy-to-implement tips for writing an About Page that gets the consultation requests rolling in.

[I include 3 short post ideas, so they have a few to choose from. Don’t make them too long — just a couple of lines each is enough to give a taste of a topic].

Are you interested in any of the above topics for a post for either the Friday Five or Hot Tip Tuesday? If so, I’d be happy to send you a more detailed outline for your review.

You can get a feel for my writing approach on my blog at BonVivantCopy.com/blog, where I cover marketing and writing strategies for travel pros. Here are two relevant writing samples that proved especially popular with my readers:

Why the Best Travel Business Owners Are Spies: https://bonvivantcopy.com/best-travel-business-owners-spies/

How to Become a Travel Agent: The REAL Start-Up Costs: https://bonvivantcopy.com/how-to-become-a-travel-agent-costs/

[If you’re already blogging, point to one or two of your best blog posts so they can get a feel for your writing style].

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Emily

Emily Matras

Owner, Bon Vivant Copy

Website | Facebook | Instagram

[Include links to your website and social media at the bottom so they can check you out]

—

Thanks to this email, I’ve now contributed to TTI a handful of times.

And I’ve used this format to successfully pitch to other outlets as well.

Tweak it for your own needs to start getting your travel genius in front of the right audience!

Stumped on Guest Posting Topic Ideas?

Join the Blog Brainstorming Challenge to get your topic juices flowing!