As someone who loves efficient workflows, I’m thrilled to share that Framer users can now enjoy a smoother process from insight to content creation, thanks to Profound Agents. This integration allows Profound Agents to directly read and write within your Framer CMS, streamlining the way content is produced and staged as live CMS items without leaving the current workflow.
By eliminating unnecessary steps and ensuring that everything stays within the ecosystem, this new capability saves time and enhances productivity. It’s perfect for those of us who value both speed and precision in content creation.
As someone deeply immersed in the world of SEO and content creation, I’ve seen firsthand how the landscape has shifted in 2026. It’s no longer just about racking up page views and clicks; brand awareness has become the star of the show. The game has evolved with the rise of multimodal search, and I’m excited to share how we can adapt to meet audiences wherever they are.
AI platforms are now a crucial traffic source that publishers like us must embrace. If we’re to stay relevant, we must engage with Google’s AI Overviews, chatbots, and other emerging technologies. Thankfully, utility news content still plays an essential role in connecting with audience needs.
So, what exactly is utility news content? It’s service journalism designed to provide simple, straightforward answers to top-line questions. Answer engine optimization (AEO) is a similar concept that’s gainign traction, encouraging readers to reflect on what a topic means and how it applies to their lives.
We must remember, simplicity is not stupidity. It’s about listening to the audience and crafting content that resonates. Gone are the days of setting evergreen content and forgetting it. Today’s strategies require more engagement.
To harness the full potential of utility news content, it’s vital to plan for evergreen targets with trend forecasting, track news closely, refresh explainers, create new content where gaps exist, and recirculate resources appropriately. Tracking performance and consolidating articles into libraries for review is also key.
Examples of traditional utility news content include checklists, FAQs, and “Everything to know about” guides. These formats prove that simple, straightforward content serves readers well by addressing their needs during critical windows.
During my time as SEO Director at ESPN, I led initiatives that put fan-forward queries at the forefront. This taught me valuable lessons in making utility content shine in a newsroom environment.
Lee Corso's impressive College GameDay record stands at 286-144, highlighting his expertise in game predictions since 1996.
In today’s world of zero-click search, some worry that service journalism may not seem as valuable. However, it’s not just about traffic—our responsibility is to provide accurate, credible information.
Performance metrics have shifted to emphasize overall brand visibility alongside page views and clicks. In 2026, search strategists need to focus on AI Overview placements, featured snippets, and other forms of visibility to ensure success.
Personalization features are becoming more prominent, and they offer publishers an opportunity to strengthen brand loyalty. By guiding readers to select your brand as a preferred source, you can enhance your visibility and engagement.
In summary, utility news content still wins by prioritizing audience needs and evolving in step with technological advancements. Let’s stay committed to delivering accurate and engaging information as the future unfolds.
When I first analyzed my client’s website, I collected all performance data, pinpointed the successes, identified areas for improvement, and laid out my recommendations. However, transitioning this data into a compelling and trustworthy presentation required more than just numbers—it needed a narrative.
Storytelling proved to be the key. It is not solely for entertainment but is a fundamental tool for making sense of data, making it indispensable for effectively presenting insights.
One framework I found remarkably effective is the classic three-act structure, famously applied in everything from Aristotle’s Poetics to modern blockbusters like Star Wars.
This three-act structure allows me to guide my client’s journey from initial insights to actionable conclusions, positioning them as the story’s hero who overcomes challenges.
It’s similar to a narrative arc, but segregated neatly into three parts: the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution.
Act 1 sets the stage, spotlighting the status quo and the emerging challenge—the antagonist to our protagonist, the client.
Act 2 introduces rising action as conflicts and obstacles emerge, demanding strategies to navigate them.
Act 3 brings the climax and resolution, depicting how the applied strategies overcome obstacles and pave the path for future success.
This method offers a deeper understanding of data and transforms mere analysis into a strategic journey that places the client at its heart.
In essence, embracing the three-act structure for data storytelling fosters transparency and cooperation, aligning our goals with those of our clients for mutual success.
Step 1 involves revisiting past strategies and successes to establish the baseline of Act 1.
Step 2 follows suit by dissecting current challenges, mirroring the conflict escalation of Act 2.
Finally, Step 3 proposes solutions that serve as the resolution in Act 3, captaining the client’s progression towards their goals.
Imagine carving the path of this narrative like charting a hero’s journey. With every data set unfolds a chapter where I play the guide, bridging insights with impactful actions.
But just as with any story, reaching our conclusion doesn’t signify the end. It marks the dawn of new strategies, fresh collaborations, and continued growth.
This is how I not only deliver insights but foster trust and clarity in my partnerships, ensuring that both the successes and challenges of data transform into a compelling narrative.
Traffic from Google searches is declining, and I know it firsthand because I’ve invested years in organic strategies. Seeing this shift in real-time is unsettling but also enlightening.
I’ve observed this change particularly in my SaaS clients. The educational, top-of-funnel (TOFU) content that once consistently drew traffic is losing steam. This isn’t due to declining quality; users simply don’t need to click anymore. AI Overviews are handling their queries.
This led me to a crucial choice: defend the old strategy or adapt to the new landscape. I decided to adapt.
Surprisingly, while informational content is getting fewer clicks, bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) content is not only steady but often driving more qualified leads.
This shift signifies a new understanding of value creation through search.
The pivot: Making BOFU the priority
My new approach focuses 60% to 80% of my efforts on bottom- and mid-funnel content. The rest fills in gaps with TOFU topics, supporting content clusters and timely industry discussions.
When I proposed this change to clients, I put it plainly:
“You can choose between traffic and leads. If leads are your goal, here’s our path, though it may mean less traffic.”
I was transparent that traffic might dip, but conversions would likely increase. Clients saw the appeal of a qualified pipeline over mere traffic.
Comprehensive comparison guides and listicles aimed at high-intent queries are highly effective BOFU content.
Take, for example, a guide on the best time-tracking software for construction. I created a reusable review methodology for the client, addressing pros and cons transparently, including their product. This honesty builds trust with evaluating readers.
The guide was factual, precise, and targeted at decision-makers in the purchasing phase, not casual browsers.
In weeks, it became our most referenced article in LLM responses. Now a cornerstone piece, it often appears in conversion pathways, driving qualified leads.
That single piece outperformed a dozen previous informational posts in pipeline impact because it directly answers a buyer’s question.
Many SEOs see this as a binary choice. But I haven’t abandoned TOFU content; I’ve simply repositioned it.
TOFU now builds topical authority, supporting the ranking of BOFU pages. It’s the structure beneath the main act. Guides and educational content should:
Support content clusters.
Establish expertise in Google’s eyes.
Pass link equity to BOFU pages.
We’ve revised top-performing TOFU pieces to connect directly to clients’ products, supported by screenshots and expert insights.
Calls to action were redesigned for context and strategically placed throughout the content, not just at the end.
These changes significantly increased visitor engagement with demo request pages, without altering the informational purpose.
The key is still producing valuable TOFU content but ensuring it has a unique perspective—something fresh and insightful.
Specificity in a sea of AI-generated content sets us apart.
Why this strategy excels in AI-driven search
Visitors from AI platforms arrive informed and ready to weigh options. This aligns with how AI Overviews serve search results.
AI Overviews are more frequent for informational than commercial queries. E-commerce searches trigger them less, safeguarding BOFU content for now, though commercial coverage is growing.
This change in behavior modifies what content performs well. As informational value diminishes with upfront answers, decision-stage content gains importance, aiding users in comparison and validation.
That’s why BOFU content thrives; it matches users’ decision-making phase, not just their search.
The time tracking software comparison piece is a prime example. It often appears in discussions on construction time tracking tools. While it might not always convert instantly, its impact is evident in branded searches and lead generation.
The attribution challenge to embrace
Here’s the dilemma: BOFU content’s true value often isn’t reflected in traditional analytics.
When someone discovers your solution via an AI response, then proceeds via direct or branded search to convert, it often appears as direct traffic in GA4, masking SEO’s role.
Therefore, I’ve guided clients to emphasize broader performance metrics, including:
Trends in brand search volume.
Citation frequency in LLM platforms.
Increases in direct traffic post-publication.
Conversions even with stable traffic levels.
The ROI of BOFU and LLM-focused content exceeds dashboard insights. Relying solely on immediate click metrics misses SEO’s true value creation.
Your playbook for transitioning to BOFU
Here’s a practical guide to capitalizing on this shift:
Audit for BOFU gaps: Identify purchase-stage queries lacking coverage. These high-intent gaps offer quick opportunities.
Create comparison content: Use a consistent review framework, openly address pros and cons for credibility and citations.
Enhance leading TOFU articles: Incorporate product links, contextual CTAs, and expert testimony for dual-purpose content.
Set up LLM tracking in GA4: Use regex segments to track AI referrer traffic and gain insights often overlooked.
Refocus client metrics dialogue: Shift focus from traffic to lead quality and conversion rates, reflecting modern SEO’s impact.
AI Overviews have reshaped informational content economics.
This disruption opens strategic doors. BOFU content traditionally converts better, and AI highlights the need to focus on content that drives revenue rather than mere site visits.
The opportunity for strategic realignment is here, but it won’t last indefinitely.
As I delve into the vast realm of AI, I’ve realized how integral Large Language Models (LLMs) are to virtually every aspect of our lives—be it work, leisure, shopping, or health. They are the ignition point for nearly everything we do.
But here’s something that often goes unnoticed: how these models wrap up their interactions. They don’t just stop; they subtly guide us forward, and that’s a game-changer.
It’s as if LLMs adopt a “no, you hang up first” approach, perpetually inviting us to continue. They ask things like, “Would you like me to draft that travel itinerary for you?” or, “Shall I compare the Nike and New Balance running shoes for your marathon?”
These gentle nudges make it incredibly easy to stay engaged. More often than not, I find myself responding with a simple “sure” or “sounds good,” eager to see what’s offered next.
Such nudges are pivotal in shaping consumer behavior. Where the LLMs lead us truly matters.
If you represent a premium brand and an LLM suggests a price comparison, it might not align with your strategy, but it’s vital to grasp and react appropriately.
We’ve delved into various LLMs to understand these nudges across different platforms, seeking patterns that shape user behavior and signaling what it means for brands aiming to steer the digital journey.
What LLM Nudges Look Like Across Platforms
Budget and Deals Dominate
Across the board, LLMs frequently suggest follow-ups related to budgets and deals, with about 45% of mentions falling into this category. Though not uniformly distributed, these elements are often default interests for consumers.
For instance, Perplexity and ChatGPT feature over 60% of budget-related suggestions, while Meta doesn’t lean as heavily into this assumption.
Comparisons Drive the Next Step
Product comparisons are the second most common type of suggestion. LLMs compare everything from retail products to financial services and health treatments, touching various industries.
Specs Play a Minor Role
While there’s a common belief that providing detailed specifications is vital, these comprise only a small fraction of the LLMs’ recommendations. That said, they do add ranking value, even if LLMs typically don’t extend conversations in this manner.
How Each Platform Uses Nudges Differently
In our research, we’ve noticed that each LLM has a unique style of extending conversations, offering insights into how these platforms subtly influence consumer behavior.
Platform
Dominant Nudge Style
Key Characteristic
ChatGPT
“If you want…”
Heavy commerce focus: Primarily nudges toward deals and product comparisons.
Microsoft Copilot
“If you tell me…”
Interactive/clarifying: Frequently asks for more user data to refine recommendations.
Google Gemini
“Would you like me…”
Polite and permission-based: Exclusively uses this formal invitation to continue helping.
Perplexity
“I can help…” / “If you’d like…”
Service-oriented: Uses varied phrasing to offer utility and assistance.
Meta AI
“Let me know…”
Casual and passive: Primarily nudges toward product comparisons and specs with a less aggressive tone.
What Actions to Take Based on AI Nudges
These nudges are not just to keep the dialogue open; they also push users to explore further, greatly influencing consumer behavior and the entire customer journey.
As data becomes more plentiful, we’ll better optimize for these nudges. For now, our insights are somewhat limited to individual interactions.
Here are three key actions to prioritize, largely tied to the content you create across various channels:
Capitalize on the “Support” Gap
Proactive nudges related to troubleshooting and support are significantly lower in frequency than commerce-driven themes.
Focus on owning the post-purchase “how-to” and technical support space to establish long-term authority where AI currently isn’t as assertive.
Strengthen “Product A vs. Product B” guides to capture AI’s primary next step.
Maximize the “Budget and Deals” Opportunity
Pricing and discounts are the top drivers of AI nudges, comprising 48% of all prompts.
Ensure your site maintains structured, real-time deal data to become a preferred destination for AI-driven commerce referrals.
As the LLM landscape rapidly evolves, these platforms will become the main touchpoints for consumer research and decision-making. Understanding how LLMs discuss your brand and how these conversational nudges affect users is essential.
By dissecting these automated cues across platforms like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, we can see where consumers are being steered—whether towards budget-friendly alternatives, product comparisons, or technical specifications.
Recognizing these trends enables us to shift from mere observation to actionable strategies, ensuring our value proposition remains clear, even when an LLM reframes the conversation around cost or competitors.
Monitoring these shifts is key to maintaining brand authority as AI-driven interactions increasingly dictate the customer journey.
Have you ever felt like there’s a disconnect between what your webpage is saying and what your audience is actually searching for? You’re not alone. This mismatch has always existed, but the stakes have become much higher now.
When your page doesn’t align with user intent, it risks not appearing on AI-powered search platforms. Instead, search engines will prioritize pages that fulfill user needs more precisely. Although the gap is apparent, quantifying it can be challenging. Luckily, Google’s Search Console holds the key to unlocking this data.
Analyzing your pages can reveal how well your content aligns with the searches your audience is conducting. Here, I’ll guide you through the process of measuring these intent gaps using a free tool.
The tool uses your Google Search Console data to compare the positioning of your page with real search demand. It gives you insight into where your content aligns or falls short, helping you identify areas for improvement.
Now, let’s dive into how we can measure the gap between your page’s positioning and audience demand.
Measuring the Gap Between Positioning and Demand
I’ve noticed that most web content today is designed to cater to multiple target audiences, sometimes aiming for tens or hundreds of keywords alongside brand positioning. This can cause the content to drift away from addressing the problems people are trying to solve.
Numbers can create urgency and inspire action in a way that observations alone cannot. The data you need is right there in your Google Search Console. The intent gap analysis tool will harness that data, providing you with numbers and insights.
This tool captures what your audience searches for when they find each page, comparing it with the page’s meta description. It scores the distance between these elements, giving you a clear picture of how well your content aligns with audience queries.
Connecting Positioning to Demand
Meta descriptions should indeed serve as a compelling pitch, convincing users that your page holds what they’re seeking, as outlined in Google’s Search Central documentation.
For AI ecosystems, achieving durable visibility requires consistent use of metadata, provenance, and trust signals interpretable by search crawlers and generative engines. An anchor in audience behavior, like those found in Google Search Console, is crucial for evaluating meta descriptions accurately.
The intent gap analysis tool expresses this gap with a score, helping you to see exactly where your page aligns with demand—and where it doesn’t. An example from a fictional SaaS platform showed that vague language in the meta description failed to attract the intended software-focused audience.
Why Intent Is Measurable Now
Search engines now rely heavily on vector embeddings to match content with queries, focusing on meaning rather than just keywords.
These embeddings provide a glimpse into how search engines perceive content, using semantic similarity as a key factor to determine which pages should be shown to users.
Where Existing Tools Stop
Traditional tools like N-gram analysis and TF-IDF have their limitations, as they focus on matching words rather than understanding intent.
While these methods can highlight repeated phrases or important terms, search engines are more concerned with meaning. This means that relying solely on word-matching puts you at a disadvantage.
Measuring Meaning, Not Words
Vector embeddings allow us to plot meta descriptions and audience queries on the same map. This helps us measure the distance between them, revealing gaps where the demand isn’t being met.
By understanding this distance, we can ensure our content addresses what the audience is actually searching for.
Your Data, Your Score: Running the Intent Gap Analysis
To run the analysis on your own pages, you’ll need to follow a few steps with the provided tool.
The process involves exporting your page data from Google Search Console and uploading it to the tool for scoring. You can then explore a detailed map of alignment and demand, review the breakdown by cluster, and receive rewrite recommendations to better capture your audience’s attention.
Understanding this data allows you to make informed decisions about your content strategy, ensuring you’re meeting audience demand more effectively.
Turning the Score into a Decision
The intent gap score translates the gap into actionable insights. It helps guide conversations around either modifying or defending specific page elements.
By closely monitoring these signals, you can adapt and ensure that your content continues to meet evolving audience needs. The tool created by Robin Tully, co-founder at Forecast.ing, empowers us to bridge these gaps effectively.
Recently, I’ve found myself pondering whether low-quality listicles are starting to lose their footing in Google Search. Imagining the golden days when simple top-ten lists ruled the web raises the question: will they continue to thrive or face obsolescence?
I’ve learned that Google has noticed these weak ‘best of’ lists and is actively working to combat this issue in both Search and Gemini. Interestingly, if I were to rank my own product as number one in my “best of” list, it could not only be a search-quality dilemma but also a possible violation of new FTC regulations that took effect in October 2024.
Driving the news. Lily Ray pointed out on LinkedIn that the FTC’s Consumer Review Rule (16 CFR Part 465) bans several deceptive practices involving reviews and testimonials. Examples include presenting company-managed content as independent reviews, publishing reviews of products never used, and attributing reviews to unwritten sources.
Presenting company-controlled content as independent reviews.
Publishing reviews of products or services never actually used.
Attributing reviews to people who didn’t write them.
Faced with penalties reaching up to $53,088 per violation, where each page could potentially be judged separately, it’s wise to rethink our approach. Lily also shared a reference table created alongside Claude, providing further insight.
Why now? Over the past couple of years, “Best X” and “Top 10 Y” listicles have become a popular GEO tactic, performing well in search and even influencing AI-generated answers. But their heyday may now be at risk.
The backstory. Before the FTC rule was finalized, some companies faced legal challenges for producing hundreds of “best of” pages that ranked their own services top, fabricated competitor reviews, and used counterfeit testimonials.
Ranked its own services #1.
Included fabricated competitor reviews.
Used fake reviews on third-party platforms.
The Better Business Bureau later reprimanded these companies for their unsubstantiated claims.
What’s happening. Today’s listicles frequently follow this pattern: publishing “best tools” lists, including untested competitors, applying subjective scoring, and placing their own brand at the top. They often give the illusion of independence or firsthand evaluation.
A brand publishes a “best tools” list.
Includes competitors it hasn’t tested.
Uses subjective or invented scoring systems.
Ranks itself #1.
The nuance. While it’s still possible to create comparison content featuring your own product, the FTC suggests heightened risk when implying objectivity, using non-genuine reviews, or failing to disclose material relationships.
You imply objectivity, but promote your own product.
You present reviews not based on real experience.
You fail to clearly disclose material relationships.
What Google is saying. Google acknowledges the trend towards low-quality listicles. A spokesperson informed The Verge that Google imposes protective measures against such manipulation in both Search and Gemini. They continue to advise creating content intended for real people, ensuring it’s comprehensible to search systems.
Why we care. The strategy that once provided high visibility might now bear risks, not only from regulatory authorities but also from possible changes to Google’s search algorithms. Consequently, this former GEO mainstay might see a rapid decline as its influence diminishes.
Caveat. I must emphasize I’m not a lawyer. It’s always best to consult your own legal counsel if you’re contemplating the continued use of this tactic.
I’ve come across some fascinating findings that demonstrate the prowess of human-written content on Google. According to data from Semrush, it turns out that content crafted by us, humans, stands a significant chance of claiming the top spot in Google’s search results, unlike its AI-generated counterpart.
The Semrush study, analyzing 42,000 blog posts, revealed that human-written content dominates the No. 1 position on Google 80% of the time. In comparison, purely AI-generated pages manage to capture this coveted spot only 9% of the time.
The details. Semrush conducted an analysis of 20,000 keywords and their top 10 results, utilizing an AI detector to classify the content.
Human-authored pages outshined both AI-generated and mixed content across all top 10 positions.
The gap was most pronounced at Position 1, where human content had an 8x higher likelihood of ranking.
Meanwhile, I noticed that AI-generated content tended to appear more frequently in the lower spots on Page 1, with a nearly double increase from Positions 1 to 4.
Yes, but. AI detection tools, as widely acknowledged, can be inconsistent. This inconsistency often leads to misclassifications between human and AI-generated content, introducing a degree of “fuzziness” in these classifications.Why we care. While AI-generated content can occasionally perform well, the data suggests that the insights and intuition of human writers still drive superior results. For competitive queries, originality, expertise, and sound editorial judgment remain valuable advantages.Perception vs. data. It’s intriguing that 72% of SEO professionals regard AI content as performing as well as or even better than human content. Yet, the actual ranking data clearly indicates a strong advantage for human-written content at the top.How teams use AI. It doesn’t surprise me to find that AI is widely adopted, especially in creating a hybrid workflow:
A substantial 87% of teams retain significant human involvement during content creation.
64% employ a human-led, AI-assisted approach.
AI proves most beneficial in research, drafting, and optimization stages.
However, AI usage noticeably declines for multimedia, localization, and tasks requiring heightened judgment.
What’s driving adoption. While AI speeds up output, it doesn’t consistently enhance content quality.
73% of respondents highlighted faster production as AI’s primary benefit.
Yet, only 19% asserted that it improves content quality.
About the data: The analysis’s foundation lies on 42,000 blog pages from 200,000 URLs associated with 20,000 keywords. GPTZero was used to classify content for this study, which also includes insights from a survey of 224 SEO professionals involved in content and search.The study. Does AI content rank well in search? [Survey + Data study]
I recently delved into how AI systems handle content, and it’s fascinating how much they differ from us humans. AI doesn’t read like we do; it breaks down information into usable parts. What truly matters is designing our content so that it can be seamlessly integrated into AI-generated answers.
Traditional SEO emphasized ranking entire pages, but AI focuses on specific, meaningful excerpts. So, our approach to content creation must evolve:
AI now emphasizes passages that are answer-first and well-structured. This shift means content must be modular, using defined passages over full pages and structured intent over keywords.
In designing for AI visibility, understanding how AI retrieves and utilizes content is crucial. AI systems prefer structured content; they break it into passages, selecting sections without the rest of the page. Clear sections and headings significantly enhance AI retrieval.
Once retrieved, content needs clarity and completeness to be used in generating answers. AI systems look for direct responses that require little editing, ready to stand alone.
Distinct framing aids in attribution, with AI systems preferring content with unique concepts, frameworks, and non-interchangeable language, enhancing the likelihood of attribution.
I also learned about five core principles for AI-friendly content design, emphasizing modular design, hierarchical structuring, explicit messages, answer-first formatting, and passage-level extraction. These ensure pieces can be independently selected and reused.
Common patterns like ‘definition + expansion’ and ‘question → direct answer → context’ align well with AI systems, enhancing match, extraction, and usability.
Ensuring precise headings, avoiding vague or repetitive sections, and highlighting answers at the beginning of paragraphs are crucial. Structuring content logically and clearly improves its retrieval and usability by AI systems.
While rewriting content, focusing on breaking it into logical units, employing answer-first clarity, strengthening structural signals, and introducing distinct framing can significantly enhance its AI-friendliness.
Content design in AI-mediated search is rapidly evolving, where structural clarity, modular design, and distinctiveness are the keys to success. By understanding these principles and patterns, I can ensure my content is ready for the AI age.
Since 2021, I’ve been immersed in the world of guest posting, working on over 350 published pieces. Through this experience, I’ve honed a scalable outreach process that reliably captures approvals without the need to pay for placements.
While guest blogging is increasingly challenging, the fundamental principles of personalized outreach remain unchanged. With a focus on creating mutual value, this approach will be just as effective in 2026 and beyond.
Step 1: Build Your Outreach List
Your outreach list is essentially a compilation of websites to which you’ll propose guest-written content. There are several effective strategies to build this list.
The simplest method is to search for your niche accompanied by phrases like “write for us” to discover potential websites.
Many reputable websites openly accept guest posts with established approval processes you can find online. This was precisely the approach I used to get published on G2’s Learning Hub.
Alternatively, by searching the name of a prominent individual in your niche paired with keywords like “guest post” or “guest author,” you can identify websites that have previously accepted guest posts and might do so from you.
You can also explore competitors’ backlink profiles via an SEO tool like Semrush under the ‘Link Building’ section.
Verify if these websites have a history of publishing content from guest authors. If they predominantly feature in-house content and you’re not a big name in the industry, your pitch may not stand out.
Once you’ve compiled a list of potential sites, assess them against your website quality criteria, considering factors such as niche, top pages, organic traffic trends, and authority scores. Automation tools can optimize this step for efficiency.
Step 2: Find the Right Contacts
Successful guest post outreach hinges on contacting the right individual. Most emails get ignored if irrelevant, so identifying the appropriate contact is crucial.
To find the right person, start with LinkedIn:
Visit the company profile and navigate to the People tab.
Filter profiles using relevant keywords to find someone responsible for content decisions, typically a content manager or editor.
In smaller organizations, targeting individuals with “marketing” or “growth” roles can be effective, sometimes the founders in micro companies.
Use tools like Apollo or Hunter to locate the work email of your identified contacts.
Occasionally, you might only find generic emails like contact@ or support@, which can still be suitable in certain niches, especially in B2C contexts.
Verify all email addresses to maintain a good sender reputation and ensure inbox deliveries.
Step 3: Choose Your Outreach Approach
When it comes to guest posting outreach, you can take one of two primary approaches.
Send Out a Generic Email Template with Basic Personalization
This involves asking whether the website accepts guest contributions, allowing you to focus primarily on building your outreach list without extensive personalization.
Emails here are minimally personalized, usually only including the recipient’s name and company, resulting in moderate reply rates.
To be effective, a large list is crucial since you need a 3% to 5% reply rate to secure enough opportunities.
Hyper-Personalize Your Emails
This approach offers distinct propositions to each company, requiring more time for research but yielding a higher reply rate—around 19%, from my experience.
It’s best when dealing with a concise outreach list or when contacting high-profile sites.
Step 4: Research the Right Topics
Regardless of your approach, pitching the right topic is paramount. Basic personalization involves suggesting topics post-reply, while hyper-personalized emails propose them from the get-go.
Top-tier sites have stringent requirements; finding their editorial guidelines is crucial to align your pitch.
For instance, HubSpot only accepts content like marketing experiments or in-depth guides. Meanwhile, Zapier demands industry-specific experience for contributions.
Moreover, Buffer opens guest posting rounds for specific themes, streamlining their editorial process. Adhering to such criteria significantly improves your pitch’s success rate.
Keep in mind that some editors maintain a list of sought-after topics, which they might share with potential contributors.
How to Do a Keyword Gap Analysis with Semrush
If I aim to pitch to monday.com, here’s my approach:
Open Semrush’s SEO tools and go to Keyword Gap. Enter the URL of monday.com’s blog along with competitors’ URLs, and hit Compare.
Filter these keywords to spot ones where competitors rank in the top 100 but your target doesn’t, revealing gaps you can fill.
Assess the relevance and complexity of these keywords against your expertise. For example, “what is time boxing” might be too competitive, but less contested terms could present viable opportunities.
Check if the target site is already optimizing for your chosen keywords by using the “site:” search operator in Google.
Propose 3-4 varied topics to ensure one aligns with the editor’s needs. A diverse proposal increases your acceptance odds.
Step 5: Create Your Extra Value Proposition
Your additional value proposition is about showcasing what else you bring to the table, beyond content.
Have you authored notable industry content?
Can you promote content to a substantial social media following?
Do you manage a newsletter with a relevant audience?
Are you part of a community interested in the topic?
For instance, I might mention my 11,000 LinkedIn followers, predominantly industry professionals, when pitching to a project management blog, highlighting the relevance of my audience.
Step 6: Prepare Your Emails
Crafting your outreach emails involves attention to the subject line, email body, and follow-ups.
The subject line entices recipients to open your email; the body secures replies, and follow-ups increase your chances of a response.
BuzzStream suggests a few best practices for subject lines:
They should contain 9-13 words and over 71 characters.
Emojis can enhance engagement.
Mentioning the website, not the person, proves effective.
Title case outperforms sentence case.
Email bodies should be concise and easily digestible since editors favor brevity due to their busy schedules.
Follow-ups are critical; data show that follow-up emails generally increase overall response rates significantly. Limit yourself to two follow-ups to avoid being perceived as too pushy.
Step 7: Send Your Outreach Emails
It’s finally time to dispatch your emails. Here’s what you need to know:
Send Days
Research shows the best day to send emails is Monday, followed by Tuesday and Wednesday due to higher open and response rates.
Send Times
Aim to dispatch emails before 12 p.m. local time for your recipient, aligning your timing with their work schedule.
Unsubscribe Option
Always include a clear way for recipients to opt out. This will help maintain a good sender reputation and avoid being marked as spam.
Step 8: Track and Adjust
Utilize outreach tools to track open, reply, and success rates, offering insights into your campaign’s effectiveness.
Open rate shows how many recipients opened your emails, influenced by your subject line and sender reputation.
Reply rate indicates the percentage who responded, driven by your email’s relevance and content.
Success rate tracks emails leading to published guest posts, dependent on topic selection and following editorial guidelines.
Run A/B tests to explore what works best. Keep variables minimal to accurately measure impact—adjustments can lead to better success rates.
Step 9: Build Relationships with Editors
I’ve published over 350 guest articles, many through building and maintaining strong relationships with editors. Quality work fosters ongoing collaborations.
I use keyword gap analysis to ensure proposed topics offer potential for traffic, simplifying future pitches.
To secure lasting editor relationships:
Deliver exceptional content: Meet search intent with original visuals and expert quotes.
Support post-publication: Promote through your channels and link to it in other works.
Be reliable: Communicate clearly, respect guidelines, and meet deadlines consistently.
My Guest Posting Email Template with an 18% Success Rate
This template has been pivotal to my success:
Subject: Fresh content ideas for [Company Name]
Hi [First Name],
My name is [Your Name], and I’m the [Your Job Title] at [Your Company].
I’d love to contribute articles to [Company Name]’s blog. I have extensive industry experience from projects with [Brand 1] and [Brand 2].
Topic Ideas:
[Proposed Article Title 1]: keyword, US search volume [volume]
[Proposed Article Title 2]: keyword, US search volume [volume]
[Proposed Article Title 3]: keyword, US search volume [volume]
View my LinkedIn for more on my expertise or check my work published by [Publication 1], [Publication 2], [Publication 3].
Upon publication, I can promote it to my audience of [audience size or description].
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
[Your Name]
Guest Blogging Caveat
Your author profile significantly impacts your success rate. Newcomers should start with smaller industry blogs to build a portfolio, making later pitches more enticing to editors.
As your portfolio grows with contributions to recognized sites, your credibility and success rates naturally improve.
Ultimately, investing in your author profile is the key to thriving in guest blogging.
