Targeted Emails Drive High Quality Link Building Campaigns
The difference between getting 5 links and 50 links for a story is often just a couple good mentions. With 5 links the story may be marginally profitable, and the same story could be wildly profitable with 50 links. Every day key bloggers are hunting for stories worth talking about. As long as you send them personalized email many of them will talk about your story if you create something worth talking about. And because blogging is so temporal it is important to push a story to spread it quickly (in other words, nobody wants to blog about a story that is 3 days old unless they have something unique to add).
Link exchange requests go nowhere, but if you offer something that people feel is of value they will link.
I get many link requests, many Digg requests, many requests for feedback, and many other announcement type requests. Many people also let me know how much money they are making. One of the biggest differences between top earners and those just getting by is a lack of shame ... a willingness to ask for favor after favor. Some of the top name SEOs / marketers / bloggers are labeled as such due to nepotistic marketing. You wouldn't know it by asking them, but if you are sorta in on some of the ideas, create some of the ideas, market some of the ideas, and see good ideas go nowhere while bad ideas spread you start to notice some of the patterns.
If you do not have much of a brand you can't be risk adverse if you are hoping to build a brand or exposure. Shame is for sissies. Targeted personalized emails are for profit.
On top of targeted emails there are many other ways you can push your message out there:
- buy AdSense ads targeted to specific bloggers
- buy ReviewMe ads on channels you want to be seen on (I have equity in ReviewMe, but have bought many ReviewMe reviews myself)
- buy Feedvertise ads in feeds targeted to bloggers
- buy targeted interstitial ads on AdBrite
- participate in forums, social news sites, and other community sites
- ask for feedback from industry experts and let others feel they have ownership in the idea or exclusive on the news
Think of how many CDs AOL has sent you. Most any business of scale used some amount of push marketing to gain it.
Comments
That is some good advice that I should really start using. Expect to get 500 emails a day from me (and people like me) begging for links. ;)
Hmm. I guess I never would have thought to ask is because of all those automated link exchange requests. It annoys me that people do that (I know because they send me an email to my email address listed in the whois, which is used only for that).
By the way I posted a GREAT article... =P
Great post. Many people expect links to build themselves, but letting people know abut your best content is a great incentive to other bloggers.
"Shame is for sissies."
The military and my midwest upbringing made the self promotion part of business difficult for me at first. I have to agree with you though that some of its required to really pull ahead.
Glad to hear you're not annoyed by me continuing to email you with links to my blogs, books, etc! ;-)
Actually, when someone has something that is worthwhile, it is often flattering to get an email requesting that you blog about it. I recently was sent a manuscript of a yet to be published book because they red my blogged review of the author's first book. I will happily read it and blog about the new one!
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