Bloggers outreach is not rocket science but requires your full attention and lots of effort. Get ready to learn more about how to catch the eye of an influencer.
Coming all the way from 90s blogging has become an essential part of almost any business. Today having a blog means an opportunity to increase your traffic by 55%, which is honestly quite impressive. Makes it worth the effort, doesn’t it? Whether it is a social media or a website, we read bloggers, we trust them, and we take their advice. Establishing a stable relationship with a blog writer is of excellent value for your brand development and business growth.
It’s not easy to outreach for bloggers, so let’s add some structure to our process to make it more efficient.
Setting the goal
Do you want to get a new product featured or boost traffic to your website, receive a mention to the broader audience or acquire new subscribers? Since you obviously can’t have everything at once, choose the most reasonable thing you know blogger outreach can bring you. Having an objective will sharpen your pitch. So, keep it in mind while composing a message. But don’t overwhelm yourself either. Because at the end of the day, even if you won’t get your post accepted, you are expanding your network. There is still the potential to establish quality cooperation. Making a good first impression will bring you more exposure over time.
Research
Learn everything about the blogger you are about to contact. Research their content, community, and approaches, follow them on social. Find your niche hero; their audience is your audience; the content you offer must be interesting for them. Various content research tools will help you to navigate the top popular content in the sector. When you say popular, you want to look at the analytics – a number of subscribers, likes/shares in social media, blog comments, and other engagement characteristics. I know, there are so many bloggers out there, but creating a spreadsheet with central data and contacts might help you to organize the process.
Introduce yourself to the influencer long before you send an anticipated email. When you see a piece of relevant content – share it; be an active reader: comment their posts, link to their sources on your website, engage! Making yourself visible and genuinely interested in what the blogger produces highly increases your chances of getting an email response. As a result, you will build a quality, friendly relationship. Another way to expose your interest is to participate in blogger roundups.
The message
Now, you’ve done the research and know how to approach each of your contacts, and it’s time to start emailing them. Here are some essential tips to remember.
Personalize the message. Using the name of the person is a conversation that is one of the habits of highly effective communication. Be respectful and friendly. Make a connection by squeezing a relevant line or two about yourself. Add a creative touch, for example, with a unique email signature designed online. An email signature is a great tool to endorse your brand personality and boost traffic. Still not sure? Try out a free HTML signature generator and see how it works.
Be straightforward. Bloggers are busy people; they won’t waste time reading your long stories or descriptions before they get to the core. It is better to suggest several specific post ideas or prepare a post in advance, so you don’t beat around the bush and save time for both of you.
No templated pitches. Forget about scripts and conventional phrases. Be genuine, and you’ll get the same in return.
Show the benefit. Bloggers outreach is about exchanging value, so go ahead and mention the advantages a person can get by sharing your content.
Finally, don’t forget to proofread your message. Grammar is really important. Literacy always makes a positive impression, adds a sense of credibility to a certain extent. And an exciting subject line, catchy and specific, could be in the form of a question that is going to intrigue a person to open your email. Altogether, it comprises a pitch that will make a blogger hit that ‘reply’ button with no hesitation.
Follow up
Feel free to send a casual reminder if you didn’t get a response. As we said, bloggers are busy people; your email might have been easily lost in the pile of routine requests. There’s no harm in sending just one follow-up email.
Maintain the relationship
Bloggers are people too, you know;) Yes, their mailbox is usually overflown, but they would love to hear some news from you occasionally and will find time for it for sure. Nurture communication as you do it with your friends.
Okay, so let’s recap. If your decision to start the blogger outreach is final, be prepared to roll your sleeves and get some work done. Make a research of your niche sector and influencers who rule it. Get to know them better, engage with the content – that will prepare the ground for the next significant interaction – the pitch. Sell your idea in a way you would want to buy it yourself. Not literally, of course, we’re talking about barter here;) Remember to develop the relationship, don’t run away the moment you get your slice of bread. And in case you didn’t reach your goal, keep on that networking anyway. You never know where you might arrive next to your experience. And finally, be yourself. Building a friendly, reliable relationship is a pleasant work if you’re authentic and persistent in your approach. Good luck!
