As a business owner, you are undoubtedly seeking ways to grow your reach and increase your online presence. However, many business owners find blogger outreach to be one of the more difficult aspects of marketing their business, but it’s essential if organic traffic is one of the methods you’re using to drive visitors to your website.
Today, we will be discussing eight blogger outreach best practices on how to successfully engage with bloggers and increase your website’s domain authority and visibility.
1: Defining Your Blogger Outreach Strategy: Understand the Different Types of Blogger Outreach
There are two main types of blogger outreach: backlink and blogger outreach. Backlink outreach is the process of building links to your website from other websites. Blogger outreach, on the other hand, is the process of engaging with bloggers to create a positive relationship with them and promote your content.
Though both outreach efforts may result in a link, which is highly beneficial if you’re SEO focused, the latter can also lead to social shares and the opening of other doors… all from an outreach email!
2: Understand the Importance of Relationships When Doing Blog Outreach
The key to effective blogger outreach is to build relationships. Not only will this help you gain trust and credibility with the blogger, but it will also help you potentially connect with other relevant bloggers and win a sponsored post or guest blogging spot on other properties.
It’s all about making connections, the backlinks are secondary.
Here are some things to look out for to make the outreach process easier:
Bloggers you’ve featured in your content
If you’ve mentioned someone in your article, reach out and let them know. This is a great way to build relationships with other bloggers and create opportunities for guest posting or cross-promotion.
Bloggers writing on similar topics
If you find someone who’s written an article on a topic similar to yours, they may be more open to your outreach. Use Google, Ahrefs, or a content explorer tool, and your own personal network to find them.
Review sites that link to your topics
If you find a popular article on a similar topic to yours, see what sites link to it. Chances are they may be open to linking to you as well.
Find bloggers on Twitter
There are a few ways to find bloggers on Twitter. One way is to use a Twitter search engine, like Twellow or Wefollow. Another way is to use a tool like Klout or PeerIndex to find influential bloggers in your field. Finally, you can search for specific hashtags related to your topic, and follow the people who are using those hashtags.
See what kind of content people are sharing and what topics are popular. You may be able to find bloggers who are interested in your topic and who would be open to collaborating.
3: Be Patient But Persistent With Your Outreach Campaign
Be patient but persistent when engaging with bloggers. The payoff for engaging with bloggers is often worth the time and effort it takes to build relationships.
Valuable insights into link building:
1. Engaging bloggers is a valuable way to spread the word about your business or blog. However, it takes time and patience to build relationships with these influential individuals. Make sure you are consistent in your communications and be genuine in your interest in their work.
2. The payoff for engaging with bloggers often outweighs the time and effort required. Many bloggers are passionate about their work, and they will appreciate any opportunity to share their insights with a larger audience. By being patient and persistent, you can gain valuable links and exposure for your business or blog.
4: Utilize Social Media In Your Blogger Outreach Campaigns
Social media is an incredibly effective marketing strategy when it comes to ways to reach out to bloggers. Not only are blogs increasingly using social media to increase brand awareness and connect with their readers, but social media platforms are also great platforms for reaching out to new bloggers.
Twitter and LinkedIn are both great platforms for connecting with bloggers and sharing your content.
When sharing your content on social media, be sure to tag the relevant bloggers in your post. This will help ensure that they see your content and may even encourage them to share it with their followers.
One way to systematically approach blogger outreach is by creating a list of target blogs. This list of potential targets can be created through researching popular bloggers in your topic area and looking for their social media handles, or by using a tool like BuzzSumo to see which topics are being talked about the most on different blogs.
Once you have your list, it’s important to take some time to familiarize yourself with each blog’s style and content. This will help you tailor your message and improve the chances that your message will be received.
Additionally, it’s important to think about what type of interaction you want with each blog. Some bloggers may only accept email submissions, while others may welcome DM’s (direct messages) about organizations interested in promoting their content. It’s important to consider the preferences of each blog before reaching out so that you don’t miss out on an opportunity due to a lack of preparation.
5: One Of The Most Common Platforms To Create An Effective Backlink Campaign Is Email
Email is another great way to reach out to bloggers. Utilize email to communicate with bloggers about your content, request feedback, and build relationships.
Email is also a great way to pitch your content to bloggers. If you have an article or piece of content that you think would be a good fit for a particular blog, send them an email and let them know.
Bloggers are often inundated with emails, so make sure yours stands out. Personalize each email and make it as specific as possible.
And finally, don’t forget to follow up! If you don’t hear back from a blogger after sending them an email, follow up a week or so later.
Though we don’t recommend this, you can use email platforms to increase the frequency of outreach and increase the possibility of landing guest post opportunities.
Some of the platforms most commonly used to get exposure are:
Boomerang:
Boomerang is great if you are using Gmail and already have the contact details of your target.
Boomerang is a tool that allows you to schedule emails to be sent at a later time.
It can also be used to track whether or not your email was opened and if the recipient clicked on any links in your email.
Boomerang can be used to follow up with people who you have emailed.
MailChimp:
MailChimp is a tool that allows you to send emails to a large number of people.
It can also be used to track whether or not your email was opened and if the recipient clicked on any links in your email.
*Again, we caution against this method as it tends to drive down the probability of successful outreach. It becomes a numbers game and you tend to burn bridges this way.
AWeber:
AWeber is a tool that allows you to send emails to a large number of people.
It can also be used to track whether or not your email was opened and if the recipient clicked on any links in your email.
*Again, we caution against this method as it tends to drive down the probability of successful outreach. It becomes a numbers game and you tend to burn bridges this way.
Constant Contact:
ConstantContact is an email marketing service that helps businesses grow their customer base through email marketing campaigns.
*Again, we caution against this method as it tends to drive down the probability of successful outreach. It becomes a numbers game and you tend to burn bridges this way.
Using the last 3 tools is a great way to turn blog owners off. When it comes to quality outreach we recommend that when you contact bloggers you are real, authentic, and actually interested in them.
Carpet bombing inboxes with less than quality content is a sure way to not build your list of partners and waste valuable time. …but we see it more and more these days, unfortunately.
6: Use Outreach Tools To Help Your Reach A Larger Quantity Of Bloggers
When it comes to outreach, there is no one right way to go about it. However, using outreach tools can help you reach a larger quantity of bloggers more easily.
Here are some best practices for using outreach tools:
1. Use a tool that is tailored to your target audience.
2. Utilize social media platforms to reach out to bloggers.
3. Send targeted emails and make follow-up calls.
4. Make use of data analysis tools to identify potential blog partners and connect with them accordingly.
And some of our favorite tools:
HARO:
Haro is a website that connects businesses with reporters who need sources for their stories. Businesses can post requests for sources, and reporters can browse the requests and contact the businesses that interest them.
HARO stands for Help a Reporter Out. This tool allows you to search for businesses in your niche/industry that is looking for additional sources for their stories.
BuzzStream:
BuzzStream is a social media management tool that allows you to track, analyze, and measure your social media campaigns. It also helps you identify and connect with influencers in your industry who are posting about similar topics.
This tool can help you build a list of potential bloggers you know are interested in and talking about your same topics.
BuzzSumo:
BuzzSumo is a tool that allows you to find the most popular content on social media and the web.
You can use this information to find influencers who are sharing the same pieces of content that you are.
BuzzSumo is a simple way to find influencers and sites for outreach to then make a list of people to try and connect with for guest blogging opportunities.
It can also help you find content ideas.
Cision:
Cision is a public relations and marketing software company. It provides software and services to help businesses manage their communications and disperse news stories and great blogs online.
it also allows you to track media coverage and build relationships with media contacts.
You can use Cision to find journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your industry or niche.
Muck Rack:
Muckrack is a website and social media platform for journalists and PR professionals. It includes a directory of journalists, as well as a tool for submitting press releases.
Muck Rack is a tool that allows you to find bloggers and influencers in your industry or niche.
It can be used to track media coverage and to build relationships with media contacts.
Twitter Lists:
Twitter lists are a way to organize your Twitter followers into groups. You can create a list of people who are interested in a certain topic, or you can create a list of your friends and family.
You can use Twitter Lists to find influencers in your industry or niche.
You can create your own Twitter List or you can subscribe to other people’s Twitter Lists.
To find influencers, you can use Twitter’s Advanced Search.
Google Alerts:
Google alerts are notifications that you can set up to receive by email or RSS feed whenever a particular term is mentioned on the web. This can be a great way to keep track of news and developments related to your business, your industry, or any other topic that you’re interested in.
You can use Google Alerts to track media coverage and build relationships with media contacts.
You can also use Google Alerts to find bloggers and influencers in your industry or niche.
7: Make Sure Your Content is Quality
Make sure your content is of high quality before engaging with bloggers. If your content is poor, bloggers will not be interested in promoting it.
When it comes to sending out your pitches, it is not always best to send out the same generic email to every journalist you approach. Personalizing the pitch for different people is a skill that all successful entrepreneurs need to be able to master.
Although it may not be possible to personalize every email or every part of it, remember that when it comes to highly valuable journalists (VIPs), put in that extra bit of work and time into personalizing your pitch and make sure they feel valued as VIPs. Most of them probably receive thousands of emails a day, so making sure yours stands out is a way to boost the likelihood of a reply.
8: As A Marketer, Always Act Professional
When you are engaging with bloggers, always act professionally. This will show that you respect their work and that you are looking to work together in a positive way. You don’t want to be flippant about other valuable time and resources.
Make sure to keep track of your deadlines so that you do not miss any important opportunities. Do not take too long to respond to emails or tweets – remember that bloggers are busy people and may have many other engagements they are also involved in.
Follow Up After Engagement is Made
Once an engagement has been made, make sure to follow up. This will show that you are interested in continuing the conversation and that you are committed to working together. Keep track of when your deadlines are so that you do not miss any important deadlines concerning the blogger’s time or content schedule.
Be Flexible When it Comes to Timing
Be flexible when it comes to the timing of your blog post or tweet engagement. Bloggers often have other engagements they need to attend to, so be understanding when it comes to timing and avoid being pushy about wanting the post up right away.
You want to be sure that everything will run smoothly in your campaign by setting clear intentions and goals once the conversation has been started.
Conclusion
These are just eight tips on how to successfully engage with bloggers and increase your website’s visibility.
We how that this step-by-step guide has given you enough insights and tools you can use to streamline your outreach and build lasting relationships with bloggers.
By following these tips, you will be on your way to reaching your business goals and increasing your online presence.
…and if all of this sounds like too much for a guest blog and you still don’t know where to start, we’re happy to take the burden off your shoulders and assist you with one of our blogger outreach programs.
If that sounds more your speed, contact us today!
For 15+ years now Adam has helped business brand, plan, and grow.
With a background in media buying and specializing in data-driven marketing he founded the Painted Brick Digital Agency to act as your in-house marketing and advertising department.
“Cookie cutter doesn’t work in a world that is constantly evolving.”