When it comes to best practices for marketing and making yourself known as a subject matter expert in accounting, writing guest pieces for publications focused on that industry sits high on the list.
In essence, guest pieces are articles or blog posts written for outlets that pertain to your target audience, your industry, or a market you would like to break into. Guest pieces can help make a significant impact when it comes to getting your name out there in the market and establishing your authority among peers and possible clients or consumers.
So, how does an accountant or tax professional jump into writing guest pieces and find outlets to write those pieces for? Here are some tried and true tips for guest writing that will set you and your brand on your way to becoming a trending topic.
'Pitch perfect'
Most (if not all) guest pieces begin by crafting a specific pitch that will be sent to the editor of your target outlet. Crafting a pitch that hooks the reader, makes them want to know more, and shows off your writing skills can be challenging, but shouldn’t scare you away from pitching an outlet—even if you don’t consider yourself a writer.
Pitches should be concise, friendly, and polite, as well as exemplify the writing style or topics that you intend to write about. While you may want to get started pitching outlets immediately, you should always research these outlets first to make sure they are appropriate for the topic you plan to discuss or the target audience who will read them.
Start by looking into what kinds of content the outlet has previously published in order to get a clear sense of their tone before you send them your pitch. Providing the outlet with everything they require for a guest post upfront — such as a full bio, headshot, keywords, and summary of the article—will not only save them time, but also make your pitch more likely to be accepted.
Content matters
When you are crafting your pitch, chances are that you likely already have a solid idea of the topic for your guest piece in mind. Perhaps you want to talk about how rising interest rates or inflation could impact consumers come tax season, or any new updates or regulations taxpayers should be made aware of when filing.
Regardless of the topic, once your pitch is accepted, it then becomes time to flesh out that idea and begin drafting the article in its entirety.
Start by reading and addressing the outlet’s parameters to direct you on how to best outline and structure your guest piece. Most outlets will give you guidelines regarding a minimum or maximum word count, how promotional you may be in your writing, what keywords you need to use (or not use), as well as best practices regarding backlinks and citations.
Once you start writing, focus on making your content compelling, readable, and ultimately something that your readers and peers will want to absorb and ultimately share.
Remember: The end goal is to get your name and your brand out there in the world.
Leveraging SEO
One of the major reasons for writing guest posts is to improve search engine optimization (SEO) for your firm or personal brand. Learning how to effectively use keywords and links can direct attention back to your own website, and following the outlet’s guidelines likewise helps improve their SEO, creating a win/win relationship.
While outlets may not want the content of your piece to be overly promotional, if you are able to successfully weave a few keywords directly associated with your personal brand or accounting firm into your piece, it could significantly help boost your own SEO.
Ultimately useful
Most outlets want to receive articles from guest writers because they want to further engage their readership with new content that is ultimately useful and actionable. This will keep readers coming back for more and increase the likelihood of those readers sharing that content with others.
Outlets care about the value that you can provide to their readers, so make sure that what you are writing is something readers interested in your topic can apply or glean some useful information from.
Whether you are seeking to build a personal brand, establish professional credibility, scale your firm, or simply want to try a new way of marketing, guest posts are a fabulous media tool. Pitching and writing guest posts doesn’t have to be difficult, and the potential ROI your brand or business can receive will make all the effort well worthwhile.
Amanda Reseburg is a writer for OtterPR, a public relations firm that specializes in media relations, reputation management and crisis management.
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