If you haven’t already included guest posting in your content plan, now is the moment. You may reach new readers exactly where they are by submitting high-quality content to online publications your audience reads and trusts. If they like what they see, you’ll drive quality site visitors and contribute to a funnel of potential for your company, all while developing consumer confidence and thought leadership.
While it may sound too wonderful to be true, guest writing can help you achieve these and other business objectives. The problem is that it isn’t a “set it and forget it” project. Guest blogging, like other marketing techniques, necessitates regular evaluation and adjustment depending on outcomes, which means data is your greatest friend as you establish and enhance your approaches. Understanding how to generate and deliver the finest content for your viewers is critical, but editors are the gatekeepers in the world of guest posting. As a result, the first step is to learn what editors are searching for.
1. Multimedia Content Is In High Demand By Editors
Content formats like videos and infographics are becoming increasingly popular, which should come as no surprise to forward-thinking content marketers.
And it’s not simply videos that are becoming more popular. Infographics are another excellent method for engaging viewers. 52 percent of editors intend to produce infographics this year, an increase of 8 percent from last year, while 40 percent plan to create podcasts.
Editors are seeking new methods to engage their readers. Having said that, the written content is still one of the most successful ways to reach, educate, and engage an audience, and it’s also one of the simplest to scale. Editors still desire articles, and written material is extremely crucial if you want to constantly supply that need.
2. Page Views Have Surpassed Social Shares As The Most Important Success Indicators.
Last year, 66% of editors said they use social shares to gauge the performance of a piece of content. While that figure has risen to 69 percent this year, it has been eclipsed by other indicators.
According to a stunning 93 percent of editors, page views have emerged as the primary metric of content performance, up from 62 percent last year. Time on site comes in second, with three-quarters of editors seeing it as a success indicator this year, up from 39% last year.
The fact that these measurements have changed so drastically since last year shows that this business is fast developing, and these newly preferred criteria imply an improvement in measurement.
The large changes across the years show editors’ changing tastes. Social share counts have never been a very reliable indicator of content efficacy. It’s wonderful to see material expand and reach people, but editors also want to see viewers interact with content through the newspaper that created it.
It’s worth noting the overlap in these replies. To assess effective material, almost all editors will use a mix of elements. These standards will differ, so conduct your study and speak with the editors you’re working with to understand what success means to them.
3. Promotional Content Is A Bigger Issue Than Last Year
Last year, 71% of editors said that promotional content was the most common issue they saw in guest post submissions. This year, that figure has risen to 79 percent, indicating that many organizations and content marketers are executing their guest blogging strategy incorrectly.
Self-promotional content has no place on the desks of publishing editors. They want to provide value to their audiences by sharing original ideas, new insights, and true knowledge. Instead of utilizing your material to sing your praises, you should produce content that satisfies the requirements of your audience. The most effective content marketing is for your audience, not for you.
Contributing original material has the potential to transform the way you engage with audiences—but only if you produce the types of content editors seek. The good news is that the content that editors want to publish is also the content that readers respond to the most.