Article Submission Guide: Rank Your Site Effortlessly (Almost)

Darlene Florrie

11 min read

So you want to be the top dog in your niche, stand head and shoulders taller than all the other brands, and draw in the crowd?

We bet you have been trying to do this the old-fashioned way - create the best content and hope everyone falls in love with your articles (there is nothing wrong with that, btw).

But hold on. Isn’t that what everyone else is doing?

Sure, content is THE king, but even royalty needs to leave the palace gates now and then for it to be truly appreciated.

Let’s be honest – you are probably tired of the old strategy and due for something new, preferably one that doesn’t have you staring at your screen daydreaming about finally getting those high rankings.

If so, let’s talk about the best-kept secrets of article submission sites and how the successful guys are doing it.

Content:

• Why Article Submission Sites?
• What Are the Common Challenges With Finding Free Websites?
• Create an Article That Will Get Accepted
• -- #1 Check Out the Topics Popular Among Your Target Audience
• -- #2 Research the Facts Beforehand So You Can Back Up Your Post With Data
• -- #3 Unique Quality Content in the Right Format
• -- #4 Remember About Quality Visuals
• Where Can You Publish Your Articles?
• How to Submit and Choose the Site for Publishing
• Required Steps and Tips for Submitting Your Article
• Conclusion

Why Article Submission Sites?

Here’s the thing. No writer hides their prominent work. If you write anything half as decent as any of George R.R. Martin’s books, you’d be putting that stuff everywhere and talking about it all the time. You probably won’t shut up about it even if everyone is sick of you. It’s the same with creating content for digital marketing.

If you don‘t evolve your article distribution strategy, chances are that you will lose your opportunities to find a new audience and probably a few of your current customers.

Not everyone knows your site, and even if they do, they might not come there all the time. When you submit an article to a few relevant authority sites with high traffic, you are basically ensuring that your content and your brand get a whole new level of visibility. But that’s not all. Your website also gains:

• Higher SEO rankings
• Improved traffic
• More engagement, leads, and conversions
• Improved brand credibility
• More diverse, impressive, and powerful backlink profile growth

Source: @Kyle_A_Duncan on X

What Are the Common Challenges With Finding Free Websites?

But there’s a not-so-glamorous side to the drama of getting your blog published elsewhere. Like in all good stories, there’s a challenge or hurdle before the prize. In this case, an article can get rejected, especially when you are focusing on free options. It doesn’t necessarily have to happen to you. But often, webmasters will reject or refuse to publish the following:

• Promotional articles. This type of post often fails to deliver any real value to readers as the focus is on advertising or selling something.
• Blogs with spammy anchors. Spammy or overly optimized anchors are a violation of Google’s policies, and so no one wants to deal with that.
• Link to a homepage. Some webmasters will not take content that link to your homepage, as it can be seen as promotional.
• Low-quality articles. Low-quality content (you know, the one with bad formatting, heavily plagiarized, and of little value) is going to be roundly rejected as it can lower search rankings.
• Content for gray and sensitive niches. It is harder to submit news article for gray niches, like gambling, adult sites, CBD, and sensitive niches, like pharma, medical, finance, and crypto.

Create an Article That Will Get Accepted

So, now you may be wondering how to increase your chances of article acceptance. The answer is simple. You will have to really nail down the writing part. Content is still the king, after all. Not sure where to begin? Here are some tips:

#1 Check Out the Topics Popular Among Your Target Audience

You probably know how to do keyword research, so you know your audience's pain points. This is pretty important as you don't want your article to be a hit-or-miss among the readers. But there's more to creating a post that will get the readers hooked. You surely want it to start many new conversations and get shared all over social media. So, what do you do about that?

After choosing a topic, you also need to check the top-ranking articles on that topic. Notice if there are any comments to know what people are saying. This gives you clues on what perspective to take in your content to further the discussion or drive engagement.

#2 Research the Facts Beforehand So You Can Back Up Your Post With Data

After doing your keyword research and choosing a good topic for your article, the next natural step is to find supporting facts and data to back up your claims. Most articles that get published in a journal, especially reputable ones, fit this criteria.

For example, it's more impactful to say: “Evidence shows that unhealthy diets contribute to 678,000 deaths every year alone, and here is what you can do about it,” than just to say, “Clean eating is good for you.”

Nothing adds a punch to your stand like numbers and first-source quotes do. In fact, the first example can serve as a powerful headline for your article as it ticks all the right boxes that get people to click.

#3 Unique Quality Content in the Right Format

Source: @thejustinwelsh on X

You've done a lot to ensure that you have made a great piece. Well done. Now, you just need to package everything well in an attractive manner. Think about it: even a delicious cake can look unappealing because of how it is presented or served.

Likewise, the best blog topic with cool facts and anecdotes presented in a poor structure and riddled with errors can easily become a turn-off. So, take your time to format your article with headings and subheadings to make it readable.

You must try to understand the science behind how people read online and then leverage it in the way you structure your post. This will also make your editor’s job easier.

#4 Remember About Quality Visuals

Source: @MosClement on X

People will always gravitate towards visual content, so use this to your advantage. If you want your article submission to be a hit, then add quality images, infographics, etc, that buttress your point and drive home your message. This will help the readers understand more and recall your core messages longer. Now that the article is well written, your next step is to strategize what magazine, newspaper, or website to choose for publishing it.

Where Can You Publish Your Articles?

Every well-written article deserves to be seen, admired, and thoroughly enjoyed by the right readers. This is where the hunt for the leading websites begins. When considering options for publication, try the following:

• Manually search for media and bloggers. If you want to submit your article for publication in a digital newspaper or magazine, you could try to manually search for the website or social media of popular journalists or bloggers. Then, pitch your ideas to them. Be sure to follow the guidelines for submitting an article. This is usually the most suitable tactic if you are trying to get your content published for free.
• Consider agencies. Another option is to go with agencies that can help you submit your story to a reputable article submission site so it can be published in a journal. Of course, this option comes at a fee, and some agencies would even write the articles for you. But don’t forget that these agencies also have better relationships and networks across multiple online platforms and niches, which makes it easy to get your work in front of a wider audience.
• Use specialized services.A faster way to take care of your article posting is to use credible content submission services. Since they have a comprehensive site list across all niches, including sensitive ones, it takes a shorter time to get you the desired results. Besides, this is also one of the most cost-effective options. Not to brag, but that’s what we do here at Adsy.
• Hire freelancers. For many small sites, the cheapest option might be to find freelancers who can help them write and publish their articles on various sites. But, like all the other tactics on this list, you will need to ensure that you are not getting spammy links.

How to Submit and Choose the Site for Publishing

Source: @patricksturg @ X

Maybe you want to do the article submission yourself, preferably for free, and so you just need guidelines on what to do. Well, then, relax. We’ve got you covered. First, you need to choose a site that is:

• Relevant & reputable. You need to choose a high-DR site within your niche or related to your niche. This is how you will get to see an improvement in your search rankings.
• Not spammy. Not all relevant sites will fit the bill. Avoid websites with high spam scores and low domain ratings. Links from these platfroms can actually harm your search rankings and cause your authority to nosedive.
• Agrees to a teaser display. The chosen resource should display a teaser of the article on the homepage. Why does this matter? Well, sometimes, even if the article is posted, finding it on the site is difficult, which is worse for SEO and advertising, as fewer people will read it.
• Affordable. Many webmasters will require some form of payment to post your story. Still, keep in mind that expensive is not always good, and vice versa.

Required Steps and Tips for Submitting Your Article

So, you have found the perfect to submit news article, now here’s what to do:

• Scan the site carefully for their specific submission guidelines and policies, and be sure to follow the rules.
• Write a persuasive cover letter and be sure to include other examples of articles you have published. It's better to write from a corporate email.
• Don’t forget to add the author's bio, the author's photo, and any other required details. Be sure to add the links to the author's social network.
• Attach the article in a Word file and specify images for the article separately. Ensure that the title, description for the article, etc., are well optimized with keywords. Use only copyright-free visuals (i.e., stock photos) or your own images and graphics. It is crucial also to specify credits for all images used.
• Budget some money. Be prepared that you may have to pay for the submission article. But hey, sometimes, if the site is super cool, then probably money (not even if it's 5k) can help, so you will have to write a super-expert article anyway. But if you read until now, you already know how to do that.

Conclusion

When you first start working on getting your article submitted to any credible site, it might seem like an unbearable burden. We get you. But when you have a clear plan powered by time-proven advice, you become unbeatable. Yep, no exaggeration. After that, you only need consistency and a little patience. Sounds boring, but well, that’s what it is. Now, you know it all.