Content Marketing: Use of the words "guest post" in outreach email

[BobGW]

Hello,

I'm marketing a useful article in our niche, appealing to the humanitarian side of things and I always show I'm a reciprocator. Should my wording in my outreach email be:

...to write a guest post around this article: http://...

Or should I just ask if they want help with content and go from there?

In other words, should I always call it a guest post for maximum conversions?

Thanks.

[Chris.Menke]

Be sure you're targeting the person/writer and not the company.

[BobGW]

I already do that. I facebook like, facebook share, comment, retweet, add to circles, comment on their blog post, post in facebook on a helpful blog post. Then I wait and then I send them an outreach email - usually trying to reach a specific person. If nothing else, I call.

Bigger companies don't tend to notice. I feel like you are doing something I'm not, though, how can I take what I'm doing to the next level?

Thanks for responding back, Chris, I appreciate the walkthrough.

[Chris.Menke]

Don't do it by email. Start showing you're paying attention to them in twitter, facebook, their blog, G+.

[BobGW]

This could be a big improvement in my link building. What's some of the things you might say in that first "relationship building" email?

And I'm zeroing in on people in the marketing/communications/public relations departments, you send them an email to build relationships?

[Chris.Menke]

If it's your business, maintaining a perspective/persona of someone who's truly interested your topic/market means getting out and networking, shaking hands, introducing yourself, handing out business cards, advertising, writing, publishing, proselytizing,--I don't think those things, or marketing your product is necessarily an ulterior motive. If it's for a client and you're not able to do that, you need to hire someone who can or you're selling the client short.

[BobGW]

Thanks Chris, I'll do more of that.

One question, if I don't right away ask if they need help with content, I feel like I'm being dishonest. How do you open a conversation about something else and not feel like you have a hidden agenda?

[Chris.Menke]

Bob,

If you're crafting good content in your niche, don't make your intro to publishers a pitch for a guest post--introduce yourself in some other way and after the relationship has started, then open the discussion of sharing a post on their blog.  You should already have a number of publisher identified as influencers in your niche and you should be interacting with them socially (retweeting, sharing, commenting their content).  Make the investment of getting to know them and show them that you respect their content and their audience and you'll have a much better chance at getting them to do the same for you.

[NeilPursey]

I wouldn't use the word "guest post", try and keep it as natural as possible. As soon as a webmaster sees the word "guest post", their spam flags might be raised and your email will have an increased chance of being trashed.