The Power of Guest Features
How to Expand Your Reach and Grow Your Business
As a business owner, you’re always looking for ways to expand your reach and grow your business.
Whether it’s guest blogging, podcast interviews or collaborating on webinars and workshops, incorporating guest features into your marketing strategy can help you reach new audiences, build credibility and grow your business.
The benefits of guest features
Before we dive into specific types of guest features, let’s first explore the benefits of incorporating guest features into your marketing strategy.
Build credibility – By appearing as a guest on a blog, podcast or webinar, you’re positioning yourself as an expert in your field. This can help build credibility and present you as an authority in your niche with potential customers and clients.
Reach new audiences – Guest features give you the opportunity to reach new audiences that you may not have been able to reach otherwise. This can help expand your reach and grow your business.
Drive traffic – Guest features can also drive traffic back to your website or social media profiles. By including links to your guest feature, you can direct interested readers or listeners back to your website or social media accounts.
Build relationships – Guest features can help you connect with other influencers and businesses in your industry. This can lead to additional guest features and collaborations.
Guest Blogging
One popular type of guest feature is guest blogging. Guest blogging involves writing a blog post for another website or blog. This gives you the opportunity to reach a new audience and build backlinks to your website.
To get started with guest blogging, here are some tips.
Research potential opportunities – Look for websites or blogs that are relevant to your industry or niche. I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful to find a niche that’s “adjacent” to yours. By this, I mean finding a blog that serves your audience but in a different way. For example, if you are a personal trainer and create exercise content for people trying to lose weight, guest blogging for a nutritionist who serves the same audience is a win-win for everyone.
Pitch your ideas – Once you’ve found some potential opportunities, pitch your ideas for guest blog posts. Make sure your ideas are relevant and provide value to the blog’s audience. Familiarize yourself well with the blog you are pitching to so you can personalize your pitch and accurately convey how you can serve their audience.
Create high-quality content. When it’s time to write your guest blog post, make sure you’re creating high-quality content that engages readers and provides value. This will help build your credibility and drive traffic back to your website.
Promote your guest blog – Once the guest blog has been published, be sure to share it with your audience and on your social media.
BONUS – If the blog you’re writing for is agreeable, create a lead magnet related to your guest post that’s exclusively for their audience. It creates a personal touch for the audience, drives traffic to your website and grows your email list.
Podcast Interviews
Another popular type of guest feature is appearing as a guest on a podcast. Podcast interviews are a great opportunity to reach a new audience and build authority in your industry.
Podcasts continue to be a growing content platform. According to an article in Forbes, there are more than 400 million podcast listeners around the globe.
To get started with podcast interviews, here are some tips:
Research potential opportunities – Look for podcasts that are relevant to your industry or niche. Listen to some episodes to make sure they align with you, your brand and your audience.
Pitch your ideas – Reach out to the podcast host and pitch your ideas. Be sure to communicate your value and why you are a good fit for their podcast.
Prepare for your interview – Once you’ve secured a podcast interview, make sure you’re prepared. Research the podcast and the host and prepare some talking points or questions to guide the conversation.
Be a great guest – During the interview, be engaging and provide value to the podcast’s audience. This will build your authority and drive traffic back to your website.
Promote your podcast interview – Once the podcast has aired, share it with your audience and on social media.
BONUS - If the podcast host is agreeable, create a lead magnet that’s exclusively for their audience. It creates a personal touch for the audience, drives traffic to your website and grows your email list.
Webinars and Workshops
Finally, webinars and workshops are another great way to incorporate guest features into your marketing strategy. Participating in a webinar or workshop gives you the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your niche.
To get started with webinars or workshops, here are some tips:
Research potential opportunities – Look for webinars or workshops that are relevant to your industry or niche. Reach out to the host or organizer to inquire about participating.
Create engaging content – When it’s time to create your webinar or workshop content, make sure it’s engaging and informative. It’s imperative that you provide value to the audience.
Promote the webinar or workshop – Make sure you promote the webinar or workshop in advance to your audience and on social media. This will help you reach a larger audience and attract more participants, which also provides value to the host or organizer.
Follow up after the event – After the webinar or workshop, follow up with participants, if possible, and provide additional resources or information. This will help grow your audience and build relationships with potential customers and clients.
Incorporating guest features into your marketing strategy can be a powerful way to expand your reach and grow your business. Whether it’s guest blogging, podcast interviews or webinar and workshop collaborations, these strategies can help you build credibility, reach new audiences and drive traffic back to your website.
When getting started with guest features, it’s important to do your research and prepare high-quality content. You need to ensure that the blog, podcast or webinar aligns with your business’s brand and values. This means you’ll need to invest time in consuming some of their content to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
The benefits of guest features can be significant, and you never know who you might reach or what opportunities might arise as a result.
