How to Promote Your Blog Using Influencer Outreach http://ift.tt/1sL93Q4 @BloggingTipsCom #Blogging

The world of blogging is filled with grey areas. Obviously, we all want to succeed and rise above the competition, but as bloggers, we’re also part of a larger community that works together. We’re neither mortal enemies nor best friends, more like mutual partners striving towards a similar goal. It’s the most respectable kind of competition there is, one that isn’t fueled by blood lust or greed, but a common goal and a desire to create mutually beneficial arrangements that allow us all to rise up.

What does stand as a strong aspect of the blogging community, is the fact that many people are influenced or inspired by other similar posts in their niche. By reaching out to these muses of the industry, connections can be made, more ideas can begin to develop, and what was once a no-name blog can now become something with help from influencers. This is only one of several ways to promote your blog’s content, but it’s a valuable and sometimes overlooked resource.

How Can I Make This Happen?

There was a time when we were all young, and our parents told us never to speak with strangers. That was of course, a time sensitive piece of advice. In today’s modern world of blogging, networking is paramount and influencer outreach is fueled by this concept. In addition to networking with other bloggers, you can also attract a nice following by putting together an email marketing plan, which could potentially reach influencers or contacts as well.

When writing your blog posts, consider the kinds of content that is easy to market and utilize for an outreach arrangement. Here are a few types that work well:

Interviews

Top 5, 10, or 20 Lists.

Co-Authored Posts

Case Studies

Editorials or Opinion Pieces

The basic idea here is to utilize a form of communication like email, social media, or even an in-person meeting over coffee to discuss the possibility of another blogger promoting or sharing your post. We’re all in this together after all.

Here Are Some Key Strategies to Creating a Successful Outreach

The amount of information packed into the internet it astounding, and as bloggers, we’re all contributing to it on a daily basis. Everywhere you go, you can find information about all aspects of blogging, but I’m here to give you an easy to read rundown of some best practices and highly regarded strategies that I’ve found after a long expedition to the ends of the internet and back. This way, I can save you the trip and give you the information you need.

First of all, reaching out to influencers is only a piece of the overall puzzle. In order to truly maximize the effectiveness of your blog, you need to utilize multiple avenues of promotion. Reaching out to other bloggers that inspired you is a great way to get the shares flowing and the traffic moving, but if you really want to crank up the heat, I recommend you check out this post on On Blast Blog about effective ways to promote blog content. Variety is not only the spice of life, but it’s also the way to really add some fire to your blog.

One great example is Brian Dean’s “The Skyscraper Technique.” While I didn’t invent this technique, it does provide a very structured and efficient way of outlining possible influences with which to network. This technique also helps you build links within your blog posts, which brings traffic to your blog and makes you easier to find in search results. When you have this links established, having these influencers share your blog will maximize the benefits.

Finding Influencers and Creating Your Masterpiece

The first portion of this tactic involves doing a lot of research, but you can look at it like your shadowing the competition. Check out a highly successful blog in your niche and see what posts are performing the best on their social media profiles. Look at several of them like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ and record the results you find. Notice which topics and posts are the most popular and focus on those specifically.

The next step is to create your own version of that content, and make it better. This can be done in a number of ways. A great example is taking a top 10 list and making your own that’s a top 100 countdown. People don’t see a massive list like that every day so they’re more likely to share it. Maybe you know a better, more modern angle on the topic? Use that, or structure it better with an improved design. Think outside of the box and seek to create something that turns something old into something new.

It’s not personal, it’s just business. From here, you can reach out to the author that inspired you to write your own post (your influencer as it were) and let them know that you linked your new post to theirs. Thank them for the inspiration and invite them to check it out. With luck, they’ll share it themselves and you’ll have gained a powerful resource in promoting your blog.

Other Strategies for Networking

Other great strategies include seeking out opportunities to contribute guest posts, which offer valuable opportunities to be heard through a larger website while also promoting your own blog. Consider also commenting on posts that you found interesting on other blogs. Spreading the word of your blog only requires you to be outgoing and willing to put your content out there for other bloggers to see and share.

Here’s a bonus tip for all you Blogging Tips readers out there: if you really want to thank your influencer and possibly create a lasting relationship with them, be sure to reciprocate when they share your content. Too often influencers push content out there on their own channels, but don’t receive the same level of courtesy. If you have someone promote or share your post, why not share theirs as well? It’s the nice thing to do, and it shows that both of you can benefit from the whole exchange, which makes them more likely to work with you again in the future.

Some Final Thoughts Before You Go

Blogging is more than just writing posts. It’s more than recording your thoughts, advice, or skills on paper. This profession, this hobby, whatever it is to you, it’s a way of life and each post has a little piece of us in it. If we respect the work that goes into each and every word, then we can truly understand the power of connecting with others who have chosen this path. Remember, if your influencer helps you, do the same for them. It’s simple advice, but crucial nonetheless.

Remember these tips, treat your influencers with respect and don’t waste their time, and they won’t waste yours. Working with them to promote your content and in turn you promoting theirs is the best way to take major steps forward in your blogging career and make valuable connections for the future. Don’t ever forget that we’re a community, and we’re all in this for the same reason: to inform, entertain, and inspire the world around us.

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