The basic workflow
- Find publications with a relevant audience.
- Read their editorial coverage and contributor guidance.
- Pitch a useful idea rather than a link request.
- Write to the publication's standard.
- Handle links and commercial relationships transparently.
Do it yourself or outsource?
DIY outreach gives you direct relationship control but requires prospecting, contact discovery, pitching, follow-up and content management. A service can outsource some or all of those steps. See the service comparison hub.
Guest posting and SEO
Guest contributions can be legitimate editorial content. The policy issue arises when links are bought, sold or distributed primarily to manipulate rankings. Google's spam policy specifically addresses those cases.