Guest posting has fast become a popular marketing tactic. It’s great for authors, bloggers and ezine publishers who want to attract buyers, followers and subscribers. But it can be beneficial for just about any writer if you can connect with the right audience.

Writing a great guest post takes time, so strive to get the biggest benefit by developing a strategy that squeezes every bit of exposure out of your effort.

Use these three tactics to reap huge benefits from every post:

1.  Link the post to an outcome

It goes without saying that your post must have reader value. Likewise, for it to benefit you, your post must have writer value. Every guest post allows a short paragraph at the end for your bio, along with a link to direct readers wherever you want them to go. Don’t squander this opportunity by simply sending them to your website’s or blog’s home page or a related article. Define the action you want readers to take and support it with your backlink.

For example, if you are trying to build your subscriber list, send readers to a page that lists all the benefits of subscribing to your list or ezine and include an easy sign-up box. Better yet, create an eBook that appeals to your audience and use it as an added incentive for them to sign up.

2.  Use anchor text to attract Google’s attention

In addition to a link in your bio, many sites and blogs allow a few relevant links in the body of your post. This is the perfect opportunity to romance rankings out of Google for the long term. I’m sure you all know by now that relevant backlinks in an article or post will get better Google rankings. Yet, the anchor text of those backlinks also adds to ranking position.

Anchor text is the “active” text used to link to a post—it typically shows up in a different color from the text and/or is underlined. When a reader clicks on the link, it redirects to the page you want them to view. For example, the anchor text might be your name, but the link could redirect to your About Me page, a sales page for your latest book, or a contact page for your services, depending on the topic of your post.

To get longevity out of each and every post you have published, do your keyword research to identify phrases you want ranking for. Then sprinkle RELEVANT phrases into your content with appropriate anchor text and backlinks.

3.  Respond to comments

A good guest post on an active site gets reader comments. Respond to them! Guest posts don’t end with publication. Your primary goal for guest posting should be to establish relationships because that’s what sparks interest in subscribing to your list or buying your products or services. Not every post is seen on the same day it is published so keep checking back for additional reader comments—even if it has been months since it was published. Answer questions or just thank them for their comments. Out of all the posts published on an ever-increasing number of websites, they chose to not only read yours but to comment on it. When readers reach out to you, reach back to them.

Final thoughts:  Guest posting can be viewed as a single marketing tactic that is part of a broader strategy, but it can also be viewed as a strategy on its own to build credibility, establish reputation, increase visibility and make contacts. Strategies are nurtured and gain momentum over time, not overnight. Seek out opportunities to guest post on a consistent basis, and you’ll be rewarded with cumulative results.

It is rare that a potential client interviews only ONE freelance writer for a project. If you apply for jobs posted on Internet sites, you know those contenders could number in the hundreds. And, even if you’ve been personally referred by someone to a person or company, that does not guarantee you’ll get the assignment. It is in the client’s best interest to interview, compare—and justify—his or her choice.

I don’t know a single writer who wins every project he or she applies for, but I do know this: a client’s decision is influenced by more than your resume. In fact, you will usually have three opportunities to present yourself and your talent/skill in its best light: “pre”, “during” and “post” conversation.

Here’s a look at the actions you can take at these three critical times to tip the scales in your favor to win a writing project:

“Pre” Conversation

Before you even connect with prospects, give them a good reason to want to work with you. You do that by having a professional presence online. Yes, I keep harping on the importance of having your own website and I’ll continue to do so because it’s just that important. In the “old” days we used brochures to present our services in a professional light; now, websites are our brochures.

Prospective clients will want to know that this is your business, not your hobby. Your website does not have to be elaborate, but it must be professional and clearly state client benefits of working with you. Prospects WILL check out your website and it will tell them a lot about you. What they learn from your website will give you an advantage, keep you in the running, or send your name to the trash bin–and you have control over which one it will be. Pay careful attention to the tone and content of your site. If you can’t even sell yourself with your writing, how the heck are you going to represent them?

 “During” Conversation

If you catch a prospect’s attention with your website, the next step is the interview. Sometimes a client will send out a prepared email interview. If so, don’t just answer the questions; add something extra that identifies a benefit—something special that you bring to the partnership. Perhaps you specialize in their industry, or won an award for advertising copy, or maybe it’s as simple as reviewing THEIR website and making a complimentary or constructive (not critical) comment. Prospects will be impressed with your effort to learn about them.

Whenever possible, encourage an actual phone conversation. Be prepared with a few questions of your own. At this stage, the two of you are still figuring out if you are a good fit for the project and the partnership. And, if during the conversation, you have a recommendation to make about the scope of the project or process, say something! Clients don’t always have a clear project scope and if you can help them find clarity, your value goes up. Always identify a “next step” before the conversation ends. It’s the professional thing to do.

Remember: THEY are the expert at what they do and YOU are the expert at what you do. When you highlight differentiators about yourself and/or your work process, you make it easier for the person to give you preference over your competition.

 “Post” Conversation

Always send a short follow-up email no later than the following day after your initial conversation. You can make it a quick recap of the conversation, an “afterthought” recommendation or confirmation of your next step. The goal is to keep it short but also let the prospect know you were paying attention and look forward to continuing the conversation.

For added credibility, include a testimonials document, a helpful checklist or report/article you’ve written related to the topic or field. For example, if the project is to write website copy, send a “10 things you should know before you hire a website copywriter” checklist. Just make sure the checklist is one you’ve written, not one written by a competitor.

Final thoughts:

You win projects by showing more than capability. You win them by adding value. If your “pre”, “during” and “post” conversation attempts don’t win you the job, don’t give up on the prospect. Place the contact on your “stay in touch with” list and send that person high-value information every couple of months with a note that you’d like to be considered for future projects as they arise. Your expertise and value can only increase with time, and a “no” today followed by staying in contact could lead to a “yes” tomorrow.

Many writers don’t have websites. Although I think every writer needs one, I get it. It takes time and some skills that you might not possess to create one. While you’re working up the nerve (and/or cash) to create an online presence with your own website, blogs are a great way to showcase your talent AND attract client work.

Here is a quick three-step plan to use a blog to win writing assignments:  Read the rest of this entry

My writing life has been a series of transitions and I’m guessing yours has been, too. Most of us are an eclectic bunch. We work with clients on various types of projects, from technical papers to promotional copy, to full-blown marketing and branding campaigns, to ghostwriting or editing book-length projects that span a wide range of topics from practical how-to nonfiction through highly creative works.

These days I spend the majority of my time as a ghostwriter for other book authors. It has opened me to subject areas I might never have explored on my own and it’s broadened my experience and my knowledge. It has been highly rewarding, both personally and professionally. And, yes, it’s quite profitable, too.

But here is something else I learned: unless you are a “preferred” ghostwriter hired by a publisher or agent who continually feeds you assignments for their signed authors, the majority of your clients are going to ask for your help getting published. And that little factoid opened another profit-filled opportunity for me to develop an ancillary service of writing agent-attracting book proposal packages.  Whether it’s for client book projects or your own, here’s how you can, too: Read the rest of this entry

The holidays are in full swing and as much as I enjoy a rousing chorus of fa-la-la-la-la, I’m usually twice as stressed now as any other time of the year. I have a feeling I’m not alone. So when quiet time is hard to come by and a holiday break lightens everyone else’s load but yours, how can you clear your writing mind to cope with it all and meet your deadlines—those from clients and those that are self-imposed?

Here are five tips to de-stress in a hurry:

Leave the room. Put space between yourself and your computer, or office, or writing tablet… wherever you set up your writing space, get away from it. If all you can spare is five or ten minutes, take them. Walk to the corner and back. Make yourself a cup of tea. Do 10 pushups.

Find a distraction. Force your mind to go elsewhere by watching a short YouTube video of animals doing wacky things, or reading the first chapter of that novel you’ve been meaning to start.

Breathe. A friend of mine swears by meditation to get rid of stress. Me? Not so much. But I do think that taking a few minutes to slowly breathe in and out 10 or 20 times (yes, with your eyes closed and the television off), does wonders for jumpstarting your brain.

Power nap. Set a timer for 20 minutes, put your feet up and dream away. Nap for no more than 20 minutes and you’ll find you’ve got new energy to burn.

Defer.  If you are that stressed out, it’s likely you are not producing your best work. Reconsider projects that can be deferred until after the holidays. Oftentimes, the writer sets the deadline, not the client. If things are piling up and you have a deadline that can be deferred, do it.