Consider this: You're in charge of digital marketing for a major business, and you've just given your team 100 hours to create a single, stunning piece of content. It's the kind of rich content that search engines like Google adore: original research, interesting imagery, and a premium user experience. You put your work out there and wait for the links to come in.
They don't, however.
While the material obtains some organic traction, no backlinks are generated. What's going on? Isn't it true that great material is inherently shareable?
Yes, it's shared. Those social shares, on the other hand, rarely happen on their own. Your blogger outreach plan will determine how well you create links and disseminate your content. That rule applies to everything your company produces or sells, not simply content marketing.
- Links and shares are crucial, but to maximise SEO impact, you also need a strategy.
- Look for enthusiastic, engaged audiences as well as bloggers in your niche.
- Find the correct contact information and propose relevant, unique ideas that will appeal to both the blogger and their audience.
- Create long-term relationships rather than one-shot initiatives.
- Make a procedure that can be scaled. To streamline your approach, use databases and templates, or work with a reputable SEO firm.
What is blogger outreach, and how does it work?
Blogger outreach is similar to traditional public relations in many aspects. You must create and do things that people care about if you want them to mention your brand. Blogger outreach, on the other hand, focuses on influencers rather than huge news outlets, thus you'll likely email specific people rather than a broad "media inquires" mailbox. As a result, you won't be able to apply the same spray-and-pray outreach method you use for PR.
You must create relationships if you want to succeed with blogger outreach. You're reaching out to your peers when you contact influential bloggers. Even if a team of editors is in charge of a major blog's material, you'll almost certainly collaborate with an individual on how to satisfy (and delight) their audience. So, around the blogger and their audience, give flexible and collaborative ideas and design goals.
The Influence of Bloggers
We conducted a complete site and competitor analysis when Stridec's SEO team started working with an online bank. Following some technological enhancements, the findings convinced us that our first focus should be to establish a thorough outreach plan.
In a well-established internet space, the bank was the new kid on the block. As a result, even the most sophisticated on-page SEO process wouldn't suffice. The bank wasn't hurt by a badly optimised website; they were hurt by a lack of visibility.
For starters, we created a wide range of creative content for the bank. Then, to promote it, we reached out to journalists and influencers with a combined readership of 9.7 million people. As a result of our off-page SEO strategies, we were able to get 200 organic content placements with high-authority sites, resulting in a 134 percent increase in backlinks for the website in just ten months.
The result was a 143 percent rise in keywords on page one, resulting in a 358 percent increase in organic monthly visitors (nearly half a million visitors per month). That isn't referral traffic; it's organic traffic (which also increased). High-quality links increase the authority of your website, which might lead to SEO gains.
Backlinks aren't the only thing that matters.
Blogger outreach has a big impact on SEO, but it's worth more than just backlinks. Your brand benefits from long-term brand awareness and audience trust when you establish relationships. This is particularly true of emerging brands, such as the online bank we mentioned earlier. National media tend to have a more passionate and loyal readership than bloggers. As a result, when you associate with them, a significant portion of their trust is transferred to your company.
According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, WOM generates at least 5X more sales than a paid media impression, and up to 100X more in higher-consideration categories. Given the high degree of trust that exists between bloggers and their audiences, their suggestions function as a sort of word-of-mouth marketing and have the same economic impact.
Develop a strategy for reaching out to bloggers.
Many SEO teams fall prey to the "let's do everything except blogging" approach, instead opting to spend months on more manageable content generation and on-site optimization.
The greater the brand, the more often you'll come across this mindset. That may sound counterintuitive, but given the volume of outreach required to shift the needle for a large corporation, on-site optimization is the safest approach. When your company's backlink profile is in the hundreds of thousands or millions, it doesn't seem like a good use of time to spend hours on outreach campaigns for new links.
However, as Google points out, high-quality backlinks are one of the most important aspects in achieving long-term SERP rankings. Markets are being interrupted on a regular basis these days. Taking your foot off the gas leaves your brand open to upstarts with a new message and an outstanding digital customer experience plan that bloggers will eagerly report and link to. Scalable blogger outreach is both possible and necessary for your brand's organic growth if you use the appropriate strategy.
This is how to do it correctly!
Make a list of your bloggers
How do you pick the correct bloggers to contact? Look for blogs that will interest your target audience. They don't have to fit into one of your specific niches. They should, however, cover key industry-related subjects. Nike, for example, may target healthy lifestyle bloggers that write about nutrition and fitness.
You've probably already compiled a list of relevant blogs. However, you may use Google to find tens of thousands of fresh chances.
If you prefer tools, Pitchbox can help you generate a list of potential targets. Then, using a technology like Airtable, you may create an internal database.
Ask us how we can help you grow your reach from a few dozen blogs with a small readership to hundreds of blogs with millions of readers.
Divide your bloggers into groups.
Blogger research is like going down a rabbit hole. You begin by conducting a simple Google search. This brings up blogs as well as posts with curated blog suggestions and resource lists. Then, before you realise it, you've amassed a database of hundreds of targets. That's a good thing, because while working at scale, we need options. Prioritization, on the other hand, is crucial.
Focusing on their niche, as well as SEO criteria like domain authority (Moz) or Domain Rating, is the most effective strategy to prioritise blog relationships (Ahrefs). However, you could wish to include entries for social followers, engagement, and traffic estimates.
Sort and filter your blogger outreach list by domain authority and niche. This is especially critical if your company caters to a variety of demographics. Bloggers for your women's running shoe line will be very different from those for your men's sportswear campaigns.
Getting in touch with someone should be as simple as going to their "About" or "Contact" page, or looking up their LinkedIn profile. You can still message them using a platform like Sales Navigator if their messaging is turned off for anyone who isn't a first connection. Don't forget to check out their profile as well! Some bloggers leave their email address on their blogs.
If it's not that straightforward, there are tools like Hunter, RocketReach, FindThatLead, ViolaNorbert, and Findthat.email that can scrape contact information for you. There are also software that can test typical email conventions until they locate the one used by your target.
Also, keep in mind that not every blog is owned or operated by a single person. Many blogs are owned by businesses or publications. Some bloggers have become so popular that they have formed a team. So keep an eye out for content managers and editors.
Participate in social media
Engage with your bloggers on social media to get their attention. Share their posts and leave a comment, even if it's just a simple "Great reminder on the significance of XYZ." Interact directly with bloggers, answer their questions, and express your thoughts.
The greatest location to connect with bloggers in your niche is on LinkedIn. Many people use the site to share their content, which provides you the opportunity to remark and reshare. Increase your response rate by interacting regularly.
Although Twitter's character limits are a touch limited, its simplicity makes up for it as a networking tool. Following, liking, and commenting takes only a few seconds, and it shows bloggers that you're engaged in their business.
You should also leave direct comments on their blogs. Bloggers appreciate comments, especially from big brands, as long as they're relevant and positive.
Most crucial, behave as if you're a real person rather than a networking bot. Consider how you may assist them in becoming more successful. When bloggers feel like they're repaying a favour, they're far more responsive to your request.
You should know what to ask for.
It's vital to define your goals before you begin, whether you're emailing to inquire about guest blogging or prospecting for a long-term content cooperation.
If you're interested in SEO, for example, you may use relevance and domain authority to choose the finest writers for guest posts. If you want to boost your social media presence, you may develop an influencer marketing sector for new bloggers who don't have a website but have a large following on Instagram or YouTube.
Work your way down your priority list, deciding what you should ask for with each one. Spend some time on your target's blog and take notice of the kinds of posts that appeal to them.
- What do they talk about and how do they talk about it?
- What types of postings pique their interest?
- Do they allow guest posts, review products, or often link to off-site resources?
Don't waste your time on requests that aren't relevant to your weblog.
Use blogger outreach strategies.
Make them curious.
A salesy email subject line could end up in the spam folder or on a blacklist. At the same time, if your subject line is unclear, a blogger is unlikely to open your email. By aiming for clarity and fascination, you can split the difference.
You can even start your email subject line like this for clarity:
- "Proposal for Collaboration: "
- That way, it's obvious right away what you're offering. Then seek for ways to spice things up.
- Create tension in your subject line by including an unresolved question without being ambiguous about the ask itself.
- Is it possible that a fresh marketing strategy resulted in a 10X improvement in ROI?
- Did you think it was interesting that 90% of your consumers had the same question?
Make it personal.
Make use of the information you obtained from your blogger research to customise your request so that your initial email stands out.
Email templates are wonderful, but bloggers need to feel that you've paid attention to them and that they're more than simply a name on a mailing list.
For the informational content, use email outreach templates and personalise your opening for each blogger. Explain why you enjoyed a certain blog article or bring up a shared interest. Make your best Chunk impression if they have a running joke about the Goonies. Also, if you have a meaningful social encounter with them, let them know.
Personalization does not imply creating a meaningful novel or lavishing compliments on your blogger. It just involves demonstrating that you've read their material. That you truly thought about them when you got to their name on your list during your outreach drive. That you took your time choosing if they were a good match. You'll also show them that you're not going to squander their time.
Show them what they'll get out of it (and their audience)
When you contact a blogger, you're proposing a collaboration. A sense of mutual benefit is required. What makes your infographic attractive to the blogger's readership if you're sharing one? What value does your content bring to the blog? How does the content pique the audience's interest in the blog?
What distinguishes your blog post from all the others on the same topic if you're providing a resource like a blog article? Did you come up with a new perspective? Have you ever had unexpected outcomes? How do you create an engaging case study? What value are you bringing to their target audience that the blog isn't already providing?
Identify the gap in your blogger's material that you'd like to fill as soon as possible. They don't need your material if your blog article is merely a rehash of what they already write about. Provide content that is slightly outside of the blogger's comfort zone but yet relates to what their audience cares about.
To give you an example, if we were seeking to get an SEO-related piece published, we might reach out to a web design blogger as part of our overall outreach. If the blogger writes on SEO, he may stray too far from his lane, but he understands the need of keeping his audience up to date on the subject. They require the post, but do not wish to write it. That's where you'll find the sweet spot.
Make it simple.
Those who run a blog are frequently bombarded with questions and requests. However, many of them are ambiguous, self-serving, or do not provide actual value to the blog's readers. All of this wastes the blogger's or blog's editor's time and makes it more difficult for them to figure out what to do with your inquiry. The more complex you make things for them, the more likely they are to click "Delete" and go on.
You can, however, make the process as painless as possible. Offer to help with anything except getting into the blogger's site and writing the post (although some blogs do allow you to do this, as well). If you're sharing a resource, make a list of the key points that are relevant to the blogger's target audience. If you're willing to write a guest post, pitch a few ideas and include information such as who the post is for, what the reader will learn, and why the issue is timely.
Make it clear that the blogger can be as involved as they want if you're suggesting a shared content initiative. If they simply want ideas from you and would rather generate the material themselves, fully assist them in their efforts by providing them with anything they require, such as talking points, data, interviews, and so on.
Finally, you may believe that allowing your blogger to choose the topic or providing them with a flow chart of alternatives is doing them a service. You, on the other hand, aren't. Your blogger doesn't want to spend time researching the greatest solution; they want to know that you completed the research.
Establish connections
The more you engage with someone on a regular basis and in a memorable way, the more likely they are to build a positive impression of you.
When a well-known blogger says "Yes" to a pitch, they're almost always saying "Yes" to you. "This work is beneficial and true, and I've considered the danger of looking stupid if it isn't," they're saying when they give you a forum or a link to your work. As you get more familiar and trustworthy, the risk decreases.
Another advantage of creating connections rather than approaching outreach as a one-time transaction is that it makes it easier for you and your partner to work on multiple occasions throughout time. Pitching fresh ideas that are favourably appreciated will get easier as you grow to know the blogger's or editor's preferences.
Increase the size of your blogger outreach efforts.
Building relationships, sending tailored outreach emails, reading the blog...
There's no getting around the fact that some manual labour is required. Aside from that, automate as much as possible to free up time to focus on your most important relationships.
Make use of a database
To create a final list of high-quality, highly relevant possibilities, we use our technology to filter possible partnerships based on relevancy, social following, and domain authority. It takes a lot less time to do this than it does to create a target list from scratch. (Actually, it's like night and day.)
Make a template
Templates are just as crucial as personalization. So make a template for your request and add personalised portions to it. Your bloggers are well-versed in the use of templates. They only want a friendly acknowledgement before you start your presentation.
Continue reading
We're all busy, and bloggers are no different. Allow enough time for them to respond before politely following up. It might assist if you share any of their stuff on social media and tag them so you can talk about it in your follow-up.
Look for email deliverability difficulties that could be sending your messages to the spam abyss if your response rate is unusually low and follow-up emails aren't helping.
Make your prospecting process more systematic.
While industry classics will always exist, your list of new prospects should be fluid as entrants earn the authority you seek. Create a system that can keep up with this fast-paced environment without requiring you to reinvent the wheel with each outreach effort. Through discovery and quality filtering, blogger outreach tools can help you automate prospecting. Over-automation, on the other hand, might cause issues. That's why, to find and engage with bloggers, Stridec developed its own proprietary technology.
Cast a broad (but well-targeted) net.
Marketers can fall into the trap of thinking they can't cast a wide net while being focused. However, the sheer number of people who utilise the internet contradicts this idea. Google receives 63,000 queries each second, for a total of almost two trillion per year. Because of this size, even the most obscure subjects have some serious numbers behind them.
Cast your net as wide as possible to ensure that you're taking advantage of every chance available, then limit it down. We could limit our selection down to the most precise set of criteria conceivable using our 9 million-strong database and still have hundreds of alternatives.
Monitor and report on performance using a dashboard.
Systematize how you track the results of your outreach activities so you can figure out which blogs send you the best traffic. You'll start working with more moving pieces in your statistics as your backlink profile grows. Customized dashboards are a critical method to deal with this, allowing you to pull the specific information you need and examine it on the go. Create a new view in Google Analytics and use it to create custom dashboards and conversion targets for outreach.
Collaborate with an SEO firm.
The component of in-house marketing that is primed for outside aid is outreach at scale. Specialized expertise, outreach tools, and methods are required. It takes a long time. And, unlike PR, it's uncommon to find folks in-house that are willing to put in the effort and desire to do it on a consistent basis. When you work with a company that has its procedure down to a science, you'll get 10X the outcomes in half the time.