Stop Crying and Start Targeting the Right Websites
Look, if your master plan is “I’ll just email Forbes and they’ll love me,” please go touch some grass.
Landing features starts with targeting the right sites — and no, not just whatever pops up when you Google “top blogs” at 2 AM while eating Cheetos.
Here’s how a semi-functioning adult does it:
- Search smarter: Use refined Google searches like "top [niche] blogs 2025" instead of just “marketing websites please help.”
- Check curated lists and ranking sites like Moz Top 500, Wikipedia’s most-visited websites list, and Alltop. They’re like cheat codes for finding big-name platforms.
- Spy on your competitors using tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs. Find out where they’re getting featured so you can swoop in like a slightly more organized vulture.
- Use directories and communities: Alltop, BizSugar, DZone, Reddit subreddits. Real humans recommend real sites there — it’s magical.
- Pro tip: If a site’s engagement is lower than your grandma’s Facebook posts, maybe don’t pitch them.
Understand What They Actually Publish Instead of Guessing
If you think sending your 5,000-word conspiracy theory about “Why SEO is a Pyramid Scheme” to HubSpot is edgy…it’s not. It’s just painful.
Study what the big kids are publishing:
- Articles and blog posts: Duh. The staple food of the internet.
- Interviews: Big sites love expert insights. And no, “my mom says I’m smart” doesn’t count.
- Case studies and guides: Real-world wins and how-to magic. (If you want an example, check out this guest post pitching.)
- Infographics, videos, multimedia: Because some people have the attention span of a goldfish.
- Opinion pieces and spicy thought leadership: If you can be bold without sounding like a lunatic.
Analyze real examples. Look for:
- How long the posts are.
- What topics pop off (hint: actionable > vague inspiration).
- The tone: casual? Formal? “I’m smarter than you” energy?
If you don’t know what fits, congratulations: you’re the reason editors have migraines.
Submission Guidelines: Read Them, Nerd
Every major site has submission rules. They’re not a suggestion. They’re the law.
Here’s what you’re supposed to do instead of freestyle jazzing it:
- Find the “Write for Us” page. Use searches like [niche] + guest post guidelines.
- Study their style: snarky? Corporate? Confused teenager energy?
- Check format: Word count, headings, links, image rules.
- Only send original, unpublished content unless you enjoy polite rejection emails.
- Respect the audience. You’re not “blessing them with your presence”; you’re providing value.
Skipping the guidelines is the equivalent of showing up to a wedding in a Speedo and flip-flops. Don’t.
Build Relationships Without Being a Clingy Weirdo
If your networking strategy is “like three posts and then immediately beg for a guest slot,” I have bad news: you’re that person everyone avoids at parties.
How normal humans network:
- Comment thoughtfully on editors’ posts. Share their articles.
- Build trust before you pitch.
- Personalize every single email. “Dear Editor” is how you lose at life.
- Offer value without begging. Think “I love what you published on [topic]. Here’s an idea that could extend that conversation,” not “hi please validate me.”
Networking is basically seduction but less sweaty.
Evidence for Skeptics and Other Creatures
Because I know some of you refuse to believe anything without a citation, here’s your proof:
- Using refined searches: Curated lists like WooRank’s guide save you from wandering the SEO desert like a lost intern.
- Directories and metrics: Sites like Alltop and tools like Similarweb actually tell you who’s worth your time.
- Competitor spying: Use Ahrefs and SEMrush to dig through backlinks like the world’s least cool archaeologist.
- Guest posting goldmines: Lists like Globex Outreach’s 1000+ guest posting sites exist because the universe sometimes is generous.
- Content types that actually work: Guides like Quick Sprout’s breakdown show what makes audiences drool instead of click away.
So yes, Karen. It’s not just my opinion. It’s the collective rage of the internet gods backing me up.
Craft a Pitch That Doesn’t Make Editors Regret Their Life Choices
Your pitch should not sound like a desperate text at 2 AM.
Here’s the actual formula:
- Subject line: Clear. Specific. Not “Heyyyyy about collabinggg.”
- Personal greeting: Use their real name unless you want your email sent straight to the gulag.
- Short intro: One sentence about you. Not your whole autobiography.
- Article ideas: 2-3 topics that actually fit their site — not “whatever you want lol.”
- Samples: Link your best relevant pieces. No, your personal diary entries don’t count.
- Tone: Professional but not a robot. Lightly human. Barely.
And for the love of ranking on Google, proofread before you send it.
After You Score the Feature: Don’t Just Sit There Like a Lump
You did it! You got featured! You are technically useful!
Now comes the part where you don’t disappear like a one-hit-wonder band from 2004:
- Blast it everywhere: LinkedIn, Instagram, your mailing list, your neighbor’s dog’s Instagram.
- Repurpose: Turn it into carousels, mini-videos, memes, interpretive dances. Whatever.
- Thank the editor. Be a decent human.
- Stay in touch. Good contributors get invited back. Annoying ones get banished into the void.
Conclusion: Get Good. Stay Good. Don’t Whine.
Getting featured on big sites is an art and a science.
It’s also…not rocket surgery.
If you can target correctly, pitch like a grown-up, and deliver content that isn’t written in crayon, you’ll stack those features like a mildly competent marketing god.
If you can’t? Well, there’s always TikTok.
You’re welcome.
Want to actually get featured on big sites — or just keep pretending?
Hire me. I fix that.
Templates, Checklists, and Other Mercy Offerings
I’ve bundled five no-nonsense tools into a free, downloadable PDF — because frankly, watching you guess your way through pitching was starting to hurt me.
Inside, you’ll find:
- A Guest Post Pitch Email Template that doesn’t sound like a desperate cry for help.
- A Website Targeting Checklist so you stop pitching to websites nobody reads, including the one run by that guy from your high school.
- A Content Formats Cheat Sheet to remind you what big sites actually want (spoiler: it’s not your 4,000-word opinion piece on NFTs).
- A Submission Guidelines Pre-Pitch Audit so you don’t get ghosted harder than your last Tinder match.
- An After-You-Get-Featured Promotion Plan so your hard-earned article doesn’t rot in the digital void next to expired memes.
Grab it, use it, pretend you knew all this stuff already.
I’ll let you take the credit.