Perfecting Your Blog Outreach Strategy
Blogger outreach strategies are becoming more and more popular across the web, and it is not difficult to see why. After all, they are effective. Blogger outreach involves building relationships with various blogs so that you can post content on other websites and create backlinks to your own site. The purpose of this is to increase your search engine rankings, visibility, and authority on the web.
With that in mind, read on to discover some of the most common blogger outreach mistakes business owners are making so that you can avoid them.
Not reading their blog
There is only one place to begin, and this is with approaching a blogger without actually reading their blog. You will be shocked by how many people do this. You need to get to know as much as possible about the blog, the author, their audience, and the content before you send an email. After all, you may find that the blogger does not accept guest blog content, in which case you would simply be wasting your time.
Not following up
One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make when it comes to blogger outreach is failing to follow up with the bloggers they have contacted. Most bloggers have to deal with a huge number of emails each day, and they lead a very busy life on top of this. If they have not responded to your initial email, it could simply be because they have overlooked because of their full inbox. This is why it is a good idea to send a follow-up email. Of course, if you do not get a reply this time, it could be that the blogger is simply not interested, so don’t hound them until they reply. And, an extra tip with regards to this is to try and include the name of the blogger on the subject line of your email. This can boost the open rate by up to 29.3 percent, so it is definitely worth it.
Being informal
It is important to recognise that there is a very fine line between being conversational and being informal. It is a good idea to make sure your tone is a professional yet approachable one when writing outreach emails. Yes, you want to come across as friendly, but it’s vital to remember that it is business too.
Pitching content they already have
This is where a lot of business owners are going wrong when attempting to manage their blogger outreach campaign. You are simply wasting your time and their time if you propose a guest post that is similar to something they already have. Not only will your post be rejected because bloggers don’t want to duplicate content, but it indicates that you have never taken the time to look at their website. This isn’t going to make the blogger particularly happy, and you will find yourself facing an uphill battle from this point forward.
This is why you should take the time to search the blogger’s site thoroughly. Most blogs have search facilities, which make it easier for you to find out whether they already have similar content to yours on their site or not. You should also think about ways you can add more value to the person’s viewers. For example, you should look at ways to change the perspective of your ideas so that you are revising your content and approaching it from a completely different angle that has not been approached yet. You could also create an infographic to improve the value of your content.
Asking bloggers to do your work for you
If you want to insult the bloggers you are working with, this is a sure fire way to go about it. Most bloggers are realistic enough to know that their blog is not powerful enough to reach everyone. Most blogs will have a niche area of expertise in any case, and everyone’s viewership numbers are different. However, we have seen many occasions where business owners have asked bloggers if they know anyone else they could pass their details on to. This is just adding insult to injury.
Letting the relationship die
It can be easy to let the relationship with the blogger die once you have achieved what you set out to. But you should not simply let that be the end of the interaction. You will gain a lot more in the future if you keep the relationship going with the blogger. After all, you may be able to post another blog post on their website at some point. They may also be willing to advertise your product or service via their social media channels. It would certainly be very awkward to ask for favours like this if you hadn’t bothered with the blogger since they last posted your blog.
Posting on irrelevant blogs
This is one of the biggest mistakes we see made time and time again. You need to find blogs that are going to appeal to your target audience. They should not be competing with you, but complementing what you have to offer. Therefore, if you run a flower shop, you may want to post on gift websites, wedding blogs, event blogs, and celebration blogs. You can also team up with businesses that offer a service that complements yours. You should only post your content on blogs that are relevant to trucking – be it auto blogs or business blogs. You also need to ensure the blog is held in high regard and has a good number of viewers. After all, posting on a business blog is no good if no one actually visits the website.
Going back on your word
If you want to build a good relationship with bloggers, you need to stand by your word. If you promise that you have a client who loves someone’s blog and wants to feature on it, you should only say that if it is the case. If you then come back to the blogger and say the site needs to be reviewed first to see if it is good enough, they aren’t going to be very happy.
Signing up bloggers to mailing lists without their permission
Once you make contact with a blogger, it may seem a good idea to sign them up to your mailing list and your client’s mailing lists. However, you should never do this without the blogger’s permission.
Not doing your research first
The importance of doing your research before putting together your blogger outreach campaign cannot be stressed enough. There are many different ways you need to research. Firstly, you need to focus on your own business. What are you hoping to achieve from your blogger outreach campaign? This will help you to determine what direction to go in, and what blogs are going to be right for you. You also need to make sure that your website has a good user experience and performs well. After all, if it doesn’t, why would anyone want to connect with you?
You then need to research the market for blogs relevant to your business. Discover high authority websites, as well as those with a niche viewership that is going to be just right for what you have to offer. Before you email a blogger, you need to research their website thoroughly. There is nothing worse than contacting a blogger and telling them you love reading their posts on their children yet getting the names wrong. You need to show an interest, and you need to double-check everything you write to ensure you haven’t included any incorrect details.
Not focusing on your own website
No one is going to want to start a collaboration with you if your website is outdated and spammy. Focus on updating your website by looking for the best tools to use. Doing your research and using industry information such as these website builder reviews is the best way to find the right website building platform for you. You can then ensure your website is of a high level before you try to improve your blogger outreach strategy.
Taking collaboration as a one-time deal
This leads on from the earlier point regarding maintaining a relationship with the blogger. You should not simply write a single blog post, post it, and then move onto a different blogger. This is a big mistake. Firstly, this is an incredibly difficult process to keep up, as you are going to need to secure a new lead each and every time. Moreover, building a relationship with a blogger can be highly beneficial in many ways. They may advertise for you via different platforms. Not only this but with every post you put on a particular blog, the more familiar the audience gets with your brand and what you have to offer.
As you can see, there are many mistakes that could be jeopardising your blogger outreach campaign. If you are making any of the errors that have been mentioned above, it is important to rectify them as soon as possible. Use the advice that has been provided, and you can expect improvements, both immediately and in the long run.