Write Guest Posts
Also known as: Guest Posting
Publish articles on authoritative third-party sites to build backlinks, expand reach, and position your brand as an industry expert.
What is Write Guest Posts?
Publish articles on authoritative third-party sites to build backlinks, expand reach, and position your brand as an industry expert.
Also known as: Guest Posting
- Strategy Level:
- Operational
- Cost Level:
- Low (<$100)
- Skill Required:
- Beginner
- Time to Result:
- Long (3+ months)
- Channel:
- Content
- Business Stage:
- Early Stage, Growth
- Team Size Needed:
- Small (2-5)
- Content Type:
- Interactive
- Primary Goal:
- Retention
- Scalability:
- Linear
How does it work?
1. Define your link-building goals
Decide whether you're optimising for domain authority, referral traffic, or brand awareness. This determines which publications to target — high-DA blogs for SEO, niche communities for traffic, or industry publications for credibility.
2. Build a prospect list of target sites
Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google operators ("write for us" + your niche) to find 30-50 sites that accept guest posts. Filter by DA 40+, active audience, and topical relevance to your SaaS.
3. Study each site's content and pitch guidelines
Read the last 10 posts on each target site. Note their tone, format, typical length, and audience level. Many sites have explicit guest post guidelines — follow them exactly.
4. Craft a personalised outreach email
Reference a specific article you liked, propose 2-3 topic ideas that fill a gap in their content, and briefly explain your expertise. Keep it under 150 words. Avoid generic templates.
5. Write a high-quality article with natural links
Deliver genuinely useful content — not a thinly-veiled sales pitch. Include 1-2 contextual links to your site where they genuinely add value. Match the host site's formatting and quality bar.
6. Promote the published post and build the relationship
Share the live post on your social channels and tag the editor. Send a thank-you email. Engage with comments. This turns a one-off placement into an ongoing contributor relationship.
Is this right for my situation?
| Dimension | Guest Posting | Link Building Outreach | Content Syndication | PR / Media Outreach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (time only) | Free–$200/link | Free–$500/mo | $2K–$10K/mo |
| Time to first result | 2-4 weeks | 1-2 weeks | 1 week | 4-8 weeks |
| Link quality | High (contextual, editorial) | Medium (varies) | Low (nofollow typical) | Very high (news sites) |
| Scalability | Linear (1 post = 1 link) | Moderate | High (automated) | Low (relationship-dependent) |
| Brand building | Strong (byline + bio) | Minimal | Moderate | Very strong |
| Best for | SaaS with expertise to share | Pure SEO plays | Content-heavy brands | Funded startups with news |
What are the benefits and drawbacks?
- What's the biggest benefit of guest posting for SaaS?
- You get three things from a single effort: a high-quality backlink (SEO), referral traffic from readers (acquisition), and a published byline on a credible site (authority). Few other tactics deliver all three simultaneously.
- How many guest posts per month is realistic?
- For a solo founder, 2-4 per month is sustainable. With a content team or freelancer, 8-12 is achievable. Quality matters far more than quantity — one post on a DA 70 site beats ten posts on DA 20 blogs.
- What are the main drawbacks?
- It's time-intensive: researching sites, pitching, writing, and revising takes 8-15 hours per published post. Results are slow — expect 6-8 weeks before you see meaningful traffic or ranking improvements. And rejection rates are high: 70-80% of cold pitches get no response.
- Does Google penalise guest posting?
- Google penalises manipulative link schemes, not genuine guest contributions. If you're writing useful content for relevant sites with editorial standards, you're fine. What triggers penalties: paid placements on link farms, exact-match anchor text stuffing, or publishing the same article across dozens of low-quality sites.
- Should I hire a guest posting agency?
- Be cautious. Many agencies use private blog networks (PBNs) disguised as real sites. Vet any agency by checking their placement sites manually — look for real traffic, genuine audiences, and editorial standards. A good agency charges $300-800 per placement on legitimate DA 50+ sites.
- How do I measure ROI from guest posting?
- Track three metrics: referring domains gained (Ahrefs), referral traffic per post (Google Analytics), and ranking movement on target keywords (Ahrefs/Semrush). A single well-placed guest post on a DA 60+ site can move your target keywords 5-15 positions over 2-3 months.
What do practitioners say?
“The biggest mistake SaaS founders make with guest posting is writing about their product instead of their audience's problems. The best guest posts don't mention your product at all — they demonstrate the expertise that makes people want to find you.”
“Pitch topics that are too specific for the host blog to cover themselves. 'How we reduced churn by 34% using cohort analysis' beats 'Top 10 SaaS marketing tips' every time. Editors want unique data and specific experience.”
“I track a 'relationship score' for every site I pitch. First interaction is the cold pitch. But the real ROI comes from becoming a regular contributor — my 5th post on a site generates 3× more traffic than my 1st because editors promote contributors they trust.”