The Simple (Yet Complete) Guide to Blogger Outreach
“Content is king, but distribution is queen... and she wears the pants." — Jonathan Perelman
Here at Postach.io, we have helped many bloggers find their voice. For some, they simply blog out of personal enjoyment — using Evernote as their personal note-taking, idea-spilling platform. However, the majority of bloggers we work with want their content to be seen and enjoyed by as many people as possible.
After all, that's often what blogging is all about — sharing ideas, thoughts, and experiences with those near and far.
Many enthusiastic bloggers quickly discover, even those who have the best quality content need to promote their blog. This allows them to boost traffic to their blog while gaining backlinks for SEO purposes.
As they say in the world of blogging, "Just because you build it, does not mean they will come." That's because successful blogging is all about building strong relationships online.
If you have already started crafting up amazing content, then it’s time to develop an outreach strategy. We want to help you build relationships and increase your reach, which is why we created this simplified (yet detailed) guide.
What Exactly Is Blogger Outreach?
If you are aiming to increase exposure for your blog (outside of social media marketing), you will need to consider the benefits associated with blogger outreach. As you connect with other bloggers, especially those who focus on topics within your industry or niche, you will gain access to a much wider audience.
We know that this is easier said than done. However, when you stay committed to blogger outreach strategies, you will be able to achieve more rapid growth as your traffic continues to climb.
Perhaps you have already heard of influencer marketing. Well, this is a big piece of the blogger outreach puzzle. When you team up with other bloggers or influencers who have a significant following, you will be able to maximize your targeted audience.
In summary, some of the reasons why you'll want to focus on an outreach strategy include:
- Expanding your audience to create awareness in regards to your blog/brand.
- Build more inbound links from other authoritative blogs in your niche (as you generate more backlinks, you will rank higher on Google).
- Achieve growth on social media which in turn, will increase traffic to your blog.
Create Your Cross-Promotion “Hit List"
In many cases, as long as you are posting quality content, other bloggers will be happy to build relationships based on cross-promotion. This leads us to step one: identify bloggers who are not only the most popular but are also in line with your blog (especially in terms of your personas).
Acting as your initial “hit list," you will need to research some of the best bloggers in your niche. Ask yourself, whose networks would you love to tap into? Who "speaks" to your targeted audience? This is an ideal place to start.
Please note: There are three types of influencers, including micro-influencers (highly engaged following with less than 100k followers on average); macro-influencers (100-500k followers); and mega-influencers (500k-1 million+ followers). If you are still relatively new to the blogging world, focus on micro-influencers to build more rapid traction.
To remain organized, create a spreadsheet so that you can input all relevant information.
For example:
- Column A: Blog Name
- Column B: Blogger
- Column C: Blogger’s Social Media
- Column D: Contact Info
- Column E: Notes
To nurture these relationships, you will need to actively share their content, respond to questions they ask on their social media accounts, comment on their blogs, and reach out directly with an idea that adds value to both parties (for example, offer your expertise in the form of a guest blog post).
When you develop a guest blogging strategy, you can leverage your newly developed relationships to get in front of their audience. As an added bonus, you will also build a backlink from your website to theirs — which also optimizes your blog in terms of SEO.
Top tip: When you are reaching out to other bloggers, they will likely head directly to your “About Me" page. If you have not yet created a polished “About Me" page, here is a great resource.
More on the pre-outreach phase
As stated above, once you have an organized list, you can then begin to take action. Instead of just sending a cold email, you will want to at least build somewhat of a relationship. Whether that means tagging them in your social media posts or specifically targeting them through brand awareness campaigns, this will increase your chances of success once you do email them.
As a side note, know that the email address of an influencer will not always be displayed publicly. If you feel comfortable, you can use a tool, such as Hunter, which will help you find email addresses in seconds. Used by 1,000,000+ professionals, it is certainly a reliable way to connect with other people.
When You’re Ready to Send an Outreach Email
At this point, you will have put in the legwork and are now ready to send an email. To do so, here are some key tips:
- Remember, you will not be the only one reaching out to the influencer in-question. Considering the influencer marketing industry is predicted to make around $1.7 billion this year, influencers get A LOT of emails. Once again, that is why it’s best to start small and work your way up.
- To increase your chances of success, your email should stand out and be personalized. Since you will have already engaged with them (on social media, by commenting on their blog, etc.), your email will not technically be overly cold.
- Due to the high volume of emails influencers receive, many will actually post “pitch guidelines" on their blog. If this is the case, make sure you follow their directions. When you do send them an email, ALWAYS address them using their name.
- Write an email that is direct but also showcases your personality. Also, ensure that the subject line shows clear intentions and within the email itself, show them you’re familiar with what they do. Then, pitch a few ideas and most importantly, stay humble and keep it short. Research shows that the most successful outreach emails are those that are less than 200 words.
If they do not respond, send a follow-up email. Some of the main reasons why outreach emails fail are because:
- The sender doesn’t seem genuine
- The sender is simply asking for too much right away
- There are too many typos
- The email seems like a template
- The sender makes is all about them
Keep these in mind when you’re crafting up your first series out outreach emails.
Additional Tips to Consider
At first, creating an outreach strategy can seem overwhelming. That is why we recommend the following, as it will make your life a lot easier and in turn, blogging much more enjoyable.
- Start by contacting bloggers in your niche who are asking for guest posts! If you don't know where to begin, leverage a tool such as MyGuestBlog.
- Once you have sent a personalized email, shoot the blogger a message on social media. This will bring awareness to your efforts, ensuring that your email isn't lost in a sea of spam.
- In your email, tell the blogger how you found them and how they have added value to your blogging journey. Then, focus on how you would add value (you can also include a link or two to any previous guest posts you've written).
- Do not just consider the number of followers another blogger has. If you find a blogger within your niche that continuously creates quality, relevant content; has a lot of comments on their blog (and engagement on social media) and has a high domain authority score, they are likely a great candidate.
- When you do partner with another blogger, take the time to nurture that relationship. You can continue to benefit one another as you develop new goals and strategies.
We Are Here to Help
Our team at Postach.io understand that blogging is a commitment with many challenges along the way. However, those who are patient and continue to develop their craft are rewarded in a big way.
Whether you strive to one day become a full-time, paid blogger or would simply like to help others based on your own personal experiences, we have resources for everyone.
Stay up-to-date with our blog, as we continue to share detailed guides and resources that will help you take your blogging efforts to the next level. If you're just starting out as a new blogger, you may also visit our Help Center.
We hope that you found this guide useful and that you continue sharing your thoughts and ideas with the world. As you grow, remember to cherish the relationships you build, and always blog in order to share, connect, create, and inspire.