Social media is a powerful tool for building brand awareness, but it also has the potential to cost your company money. In order to cut costs, some businesses choose not to pay their guests for social media posts about their properties.
Whether you have a budget or not, paying guests for social media posts doesn’t always make sense. Depending on your circumstances and target audience, there are different ways to convince your future guests to post for free without losing credibility or breaking the bank. There are no universal solutions when it comes to getting friends and family to work pro bono; every business requires a different approach with individual guests and influencers. Read on for some strategies that may help you negotiate payment-free guest posting services from future visitors while still protecting your business and remaining trustworthy in their eyes.
How Do You Convince Guests to Post?
It’s no secret that user-generated content (UGC) is one of the most powerful marketing tools at a brand’s disposal. UGC is more trusted and believable than traditional advertising, and it has the ability to reach a wider audience through social sharing. But how do you convince your guests to post photos and videos of their stay?
Here are a few tips:
- Make it easy for them. The first step is to make sure it’s easy for your guests to post photos and videos during their stay. Create a hashtag for your property and promote it throughout the guest experience, from check-in to check-out. Place signage in key locations around the property reminding guests to use the hashtag, and make sure your staff is trained to mention it as well. You can even offer incentives like discounts or freebies for guests who post using your hashtag.
- Provide content ideas. Your guests may not know what kind of content you’re looking for, so give them some ideas. Create sign boards or printed materials with sample captions or prompts that they can use as inspiration when posting about their stay.
How Do I Find a Guest Post Opportunity?
If you’re looking for a guest post opportunity, there are a few things you can do to find the right one for you. First, take a look at your own blog and see if there are any guest post opportunities that would be a good fit. If not, try searching for guest post opportunities on Google or other search engines.
You can also try reaching out to bloggers and websites in your niche directly to see if they’re interested in having a guest post from you. When searching for guest post opportunities, make sure to read through the guidelines carefully before submitting anything. This will help ensure that your submission is appropriate for the website or blog in question and increase your chances of being accepted.
Once you’ve found a few potential opportunities, take some time to write a great article or blog post that would be a valuable addition to their site. Then, submit your article and wait to hear back from the site owner or editor.
How Do You Pitch a Guest Post?
If you’re looking to score a guest post on a popular blog, you’ll need to put together a strong pitch. Here’s how to do it:
- Do your research. Familiarize yourself with the blog’s target audience, content focus and tone. This will help you determine what kind of guest post would be a good fit.
- Make sure you have something unique to say. Don’t pitch a topic that has been covered extensively elsewhere or that isn’t relevant to the blog’s readership.
- Write a catchy headline and introductory paragraph. These are key elements in getting your pitch accepted – make them count.
- Keep it short and sweet. No one wants to read a lengthy proposal – get to the point and be concise in your writing.
- Offer up some sample content. Include links to articles or other writing samples so the blog owner can get an idea of your style and writing ability.
