Step 1: Define Your Goals & Niche Focus
Ask yourself:
- What is my primary goal with guest posting?
(Brand awareness, authority, traffic, backlinks, or a mix?) - Which sub-niches or topics within AI / tech am I strongest in or most interested in?
(E.g. “AI ethics,” “machine learning tutorials,” “industry AI use cases,” “AI tools reviews”) - Who is my target audience (and which sites do they read)?
(Researchers, developers, business leaders, general tech readers?)
By clarifying this, you avoid pitching to irrelevant sites that won’t bring SEO or audience value.
Step 2: Discover Potential Guest Post Sites
Use multiple discovery methods (and filter them) by asking:
4. Which authoritative websites in AI/tech accept guest contributions?
- Google queries like:
- This often surfaces sites with “Submit Guest Post” or contributor guidelines.
5. Where have my competitors or peers guest-posted?
- Use backlink analysis (in tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.) to see their referring domains.
- Filter for links that look like “/author/…” or guest posts.
6. Which authors in AI appear frequently across blogs?
- Pick a few prolific AI writers and search for “guest post by [name]” to find sites that host them.
- See where they’ve been published; those sites may accept others too.
7. Can I find more via social media, communities, or networks?
- Search on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or forums: e.g. “AI guest post opportunity”
- Ask in niche Slack/Discord/Slack groups whether people know accepting sites.
8. Are there curated lists of guest posting sites in AI/tech?
- Some bloggers maintain lists of sites that accept guest posts.
- Use these as a starting point, but vet them carefully.
Step 3: Filter and Vet the Prospects
Not every site is worth your time. Use these questions to filter:
9. Is the domain / site authoritative and trustworthy?
- What is the domain authority / domain rating / site trust metric?
- Does it have substantial organic traffic?
10. Does the site publish quality content consistent with your standards?
- Are recent articles well-written, with proper editing?
- Do they have original content (not spam or mass content)?
11. Is the site’s niche relevant to your focus?
- Does the site publish AI / tech content you can relate to?
- Will their audience care about your content?
12. Do they have an editorial process (i.e. quality control)?
- Do they reject low quality submissions?
- Is there evidence of guest authors being accepted selectively?
13. Are there signs of link selling or spammy guest practices?
- Sites that publish dozens of guest posts daily with poor content may be low value or even harmful.
14. Will my contribution get promotion or visibility?
- Does the site actively share its content on social media or newsletters?
- Do past guest posts get good engagement (comments, shares)?
Keep a spreadsheet of your prospects, scoring them based on authority, relevance, quality, responsiveness, etc.
Step 4: Prepare High-Value Topic Ideas & Keywords
When approaching a site, you need more than “I’d like to write for you.” Use these guiding questions:
15. What content gaps exist on the target site?
- Use a keyword gap tool (compare the site with its competitors) to find topics they don’t cover.
- Look at the site’s archive—what topics are missing, outdated, or under-explored?
16. Which topics have potential to rank or attract interest?
- Use keyword tools to find relevant keywords with decent search volume and lower difficulty.
- Prefer evergreen + trending topics (so the post stays relevant).
17. How can I bring unique value or insight to those topics?
- Data, case studies, hands-on experiments, original research, new frameworks
- Add something they don’t already have
18. What headline / angle is compelling for their audience?
- Use formats like “How to …”, “Case Study: …”, “X Lessons from …”, “Future of … in AI”
- Tailor the tone/style to match that site
19. What anchor / internal links will I include (to strengthen my SEO case)?
- Suggest linking to their own content (helps the host)
- Plan natural, relevant links to your content sparingly and appropriately
Step 5: Outreach & Pitching
Once you have a shortlist and topic ideas, craft your outreach. Ask:
20. Do I have the correct contact / editor / name?
- Find the person in charge (editor, content manager)
- Use “about” pages, LinkedIn, or the site’s team page
21. Can I personalise the email?
- Reference a recent article of theirs you genuinely liked
- Explain why your idea fits their audience
22. Will I clearly present the value (to them and their readers)?
- How will your post help their site (traffic, filling gaps, engagement)?
- What unique insight do you bring?
23. Should I send topic options or a full draft?
- Many editors want just a few headline ideas first
- Only send a full draft if their guidelines or previous communications ask for it
24. Will I offer to promote / share the post?
- Show how you’ll help amplify their post (your network, social media, email)
25. How many follow-ups will I do, and when?
- Wait a week (or the timeframe they mention)
- Send a polite reminder if they don’t respond
- Don’t spam—limit yourself to 1–2 follow-ups
Step 6: Writing, Submission & SEO Optimisation
When your pitch is accepted:
26. Do I strictly follow their editorial / submission guidelines?
- Word count, formatting, images, file type, author bio, link rules
27. Does the content reflect their usual style and standard?
- Match their tone, structure, use images, headings, lists, etc.
28. Is the content high quality, original, and well researched?
- Avoid fluff; provide depth + backing
- Use data, references, citations
29. Is it optimised for SEO (without overdoing it)?
- Use your target keyword naturally
- Use subheadings, internal links (to host), external references
- Use alt tags for images, meta title / description if allowed
30. Is the author bio crafted well (with one or two relevant links)?
- Usually one backlink is allowed (check rules)
- Make the bio succinct and relevant
31. Do I double-check grammar, formatting, and readability?
- Use proofreading tools
- Preview how it appears in their platform if possible
Step 7: After Publication — Promotion & Tracking
Once it’s live, don’t stop. Ask:
32. How will I promote it (and help the host)?
- Share on your social media
- Email your list
- Tag the host site / authors
- Encourage comments / discussion
33. Can I engage with comments / feedback?
- Respond to readers’ comments
- Be present and helpful
34. How will I track performance?
- Track referral traffic from that post
- Monitor keyword rankings (if link points to a target page)
- Use UTM tags if linking from the guest post
- Track conversions or leads generated
35. Can I build a long-term relation with the host site?
- After delivery, express interest in contributing again
- Maintain a friendly relationship with the editor / community
