So you want to write an article for alexbirkett.com?
I accept very few guest posts, but I do accept those that are well-researched, provide a unique viewpoint, and are generally value additive on the subjects of conversion rate optimization, growth, SEO, experimentation, or marketing technology.
A guest post here will give you a backlink + all the fame and glory of writing top tier content for a website with an audience of 20,000 monthly readers (it’s small compared to Neil Patel’s website, but my readers are cooler and smarter, so you’ll get more bang for your buck writing here!).
Here are the standards I require:
- Write for smart people
- Write like a human
- Cut to the chase
- “How we” > “How to”
- Stand out
In addition to these principles, I require:
- 1850+ words. Bonus points for 3000+ as long as your words aren’t fluffy.
- As far away from plagiarism from possible. I don’t even want your article to resemble something else on the internet.
- Images, links, and formatting done correctly (H2 tags for most important subheaders, H3s for subsections underneath H2s, many bullet points and scannable content)
- Practical tutorials. Reader needs to take something away from the posts.
I’ll cover each principle from above in more detail here:
Write for smart people
I never want to dumb things down. I don’t want to spend a whole section of my article explaining “the benefits of content marketing” or what “domain authority” is in SEO. Instead, if you need to elucidate, link out to a resource that explains it.
People are smarter than bloggers give them credit for. If everything in the article makes perfect sense upon skimming through it, then the article was worthless. They learned nothing.
That’s not to say it should be convoluted or confusing. Topics should be written about in the simplest way possible, proving that you, too, understand what you’re talking about. But if you’re ever tempted to “dumb something down” for the audience, don’t do it. Advanced shit is best.
Write like a human
I don’t like robotic or bland language. You can show some personality. In fact, I want the reader to know that AI isn’t writing this stuff. Don’t force it with that silly, cheesy “chatty copy” that brands do to seem hip. Just write like yourself; people will gravitate towards authenticity.
Best writing advice I’ve ever heard is from Paul Graham: write like you talk.
Cut to the chase
The first several paragraphs of an article usually have to be cut. This part of your writing process is usually “clearing the throat.” You’re not totally sure what you need to say yet, so you spend a few paragraphs thinking out loud about the topic.
I say: get to the point.
In an article about “how to do keyword research,” you don’t need to tell me what keyword research is or the benefits of keyword research. You don’t need to hook me with a three paragraph introduction about how your food blog failed because you didn’t do keyword research. Just tell me how to do keyword research.
The more value per word you can deliver, the better.
“How we” > “How to”
Instead of doing a generic “how to” article that rehashes research you collect from the first page of Google, explain to me how you’ve done this thing personally. Experience is better than research (though research is better than uninformed opinions, so never be shy to cite things).
Screenshots are better than third party studies from eConsultancy or HBR (though again, cite things when they give value).
The world wants to know how *you* the expert has solved this problem. Give the world what they want.
Stand out
Your post has to be fundamentally different from what I can find with a quick Google search. If it’s not different or better, it’s not worth writing. Pragmatically, if it’s not different or better, no one will read it, meaning we’ve both wasted our time writing and editing it. Morally, there’s enough bland content on the internet; I don’t want to contribute to the noise.
Give me something unique.
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If you can hit all these criteria, I’d love to work with you. My blog is growing quickly, so you can get solid traction with a post here and a very smart crowd of people reading your content.
Plus (don’t even ask on the outreach email), yes, you get a dofollow backlink. If you ask if my links are dofollow, I automatically delete your outreach email because I know your content will suck.
Here’s how to pitch a guest post:
- Email iamalexbirkett@gmail.com
- Subject line should be: ab guest post
- Pitch me your topic & give me 3 potential titles
- Optional but bonus: link to 3 pieces of published material you’ve written in the past
- Optional but bonus: tell me your favorite music album of all time. I’m losing touch and need to discover some new music.
Looking forward to working together!