How to Sell Self Published Books by Pitching Yourself as a Guest Blogger

by | Aug 18, 2020 | Getting More Book Reviews, Getting More Media Coverage

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If you’ve been marketing your book for a while, you may feel like you’re running low on opportunities to get the word out there and need some new ideas on how to sell self published books.

Here’s a great one: guest blogging.

What is guest blogging? Well, it’s an opportunity to share your ideas, your expertise, and your book on a website that (ideally) is getting a lot of traffic.

Sound good?

This may sound even better: you can secure guest blogging opportunities almost anywhere – even from places like Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, and other impressively large websites. If you’ve written fiction and wonder if this applies to you – it does!

Ready to put your best book marketing foot forward and learn more about how to sell your self published book? Let’s dig into some of the benefits of guest blogging!

Great for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  

SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – is the goal of many businesses and authors. The better your SEO, the more favorably Google will rank you in search.

Guest blogging for a high traffic site is a fantastic way to both build your SEO and to get some high traffic and/or high quality links to your website.

You Can Sell Your Self Published Books Faster

You’ll shorten the sales cycle of your book – or whatever you’re selling – if a blog post shows up on an already trusted website.

Every website has a following, and those followers are already pre-sold on almost anything the website owner puts up on the site.

That’s one reason that bloggers are so careful about who they let guest post. They are protective of their reputations and know that you guest posting on their website is, indirectly, a recommendation of you and your book.

Whenever I do guest blogging, I always see a big spike in sales. Every. Single. Time.

It’s Great for Networking

Yes, a guest post is great for networking with the blogger, but it’s also a great opportunity to network with their visitors. A post allows those readers to get to know you, and in addition to buying your book, they might sign up for your newsletter and many will certainly start following you on social media.

I’ve even gotten speaking engagements out of guest blogging!

You can see how all of these interactions can benefit an author trying to figure out how to sell a self published book.

You Get Instant Exposure to Lots of Targeted Traffic

I’ve mentioned that guest blogging is good for SEO, but it’s a great traffic driver, too. Getting traffic from the link in your bio is gold for gaining more visibility in Google and driving new, focused traffic to your site.

It’s a Great Opportunity to Gather Social Media Shares

Another big benefit is all the social media love you’ll get from guest blogging. Not just from the blogger, but also from the followers who share nearly everything the blogger puts out.

I always grow my social media following after I’ve written a guest blog!

How to Sell Self Published Books

Figuring Out What to Pitch

Finding topics to pitch is as important as finding the right places to pitch yourself to. So, figure out what you’d like to write about.

You may say, “Well of course I’m writing about my book.” Sure. But getting granular on the content you’re going to submit will really help you get to a “yes” much quicker when you’re pitching.

Even if you’re a fiction author, knowing the specifics topics you want to address will help you to find the right sites to target.

Be clear on the benefits of your submission – so how will this benefit the blogger? – because you’ll want to address this in your pitch, too.

Think of it as a collaboration: you want to sell your self published book. What might the blogger want and what can you offer in terms of content?

Finding the Right Sites to Pitch

Not every website in your genre is going to accept guest blog posts, so you’ll want check the site first. Some of the bigger sites, like those I previously mentioned, will have submission guidelines right on their website, while you may have to email others for more information.

There’s also a quick way you can search this. Just head on over to Google and type in one of the following: your keyword + “guest post” or your keyword word + “contributing writer/author” – you can try variations of this.

Some sites may list it as “this guest post by,” in which case your search will be your keyword + “this guest post by.”

That search query will turn up a lot of places for you to pitch to, and you’ll be able to really start building your list of potential outlets!

You can also search by specific rock stars in your genre. So, for example, if there’s someone who is at the top of their field, try [insert name] + “guest post” – which will turn up every guest post that person has done!

This is another great way to find some solid opportunities.

Pitching Topic Ideas

Before you even start pitching for a guest post, be careful to consider what’s already been posted on the site. And you could even mention this in your pitch.

For example: “I read the great post on [insert topic], and I’d love to write a piece on [insert topic], which will be a nice compliment post.”

Typically, if I’m pitching ideas, I’m also prepared to send a short one-paragraph outline with the pitch – keep it short and to the point and remember to add 2-3 benefits for readers. The blogger will want to see this, too.

Guest blogging is just one answer to the question of how to sell a self published book. I recommend it because It’s a really fantastic way to get some great exposure and to build some industry influence, too.

Plus, it’s a great way to sell books and to get some high-quality backlinks to your site, adding to your SEO in the process!

Resources and Free Downloads

Book Marketing Kickstart Package

Blog Outreach Tracker

How to Market a Self Published Book When You’re Living the Quarantined Life

Sell More Books with These 10 Guest Blogging Tips

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