How to Create A Blogger Outreach Program For Your Brand

Creating a blogger outreach program to promote your brand is really quite simple and the results can be astonishing, trust us! What is a blogger outreach program and how do I get on the right track to building my brand? A blogger outreach program consists of researching and contacting bloggers within your specific niche and getting them to engage with your brand. Engaging could mean having them review your product or mention it in a blog post. Adding a social media component such as a Twitter mention or Facebook wall post and combining it with a contest or give-a-way can catapult the effectiveness of the outreach program. All of these actions help build links to your website and social media profiles, they will help you gain followers and increase your brand mentions online. All of which are very positive signals to Google.  It is also important to maintain relationships with the bloggers, because hopefully you will want to work with them again to promote your next big thing.

There are hundreds of thousands of blogs that talk about everything under the sun. It is important to find ones they are a close match to your brand. Connecting with bloggers who have an active following and a large reach will make your campaign even more successful. Getting them to talk about your brand specifically is key to the growth of your online business. Initially, a blogger outreach program can seem overwhelming and a lot of work. It is, but it doesn’t need to be. If you break down the steps, you will realize how simple and easy the process is, and will ask yourself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

• The first step is to find the bloggers within your niche. Perform a Google Blog Search and see who is ranking for your related keywords.  Look in web directories such as the Yahoo Directory, DMOZ and BOTW for blogs in your industry. Some other ways you may not have thought of are to look in forums and find influencers within these communities. Read the comments on the top blogs you have found too, you may discover up and coming bloggers that are looking to grow their blog with comments.

• Some bloggers make finding their contact information a wild goose chase. Others proudly display they are PR friendly with everything on one page. Look for a “Contact Us” or “About” page to collect information and find their social media profiles. If their information isn’t easily found, try an advanced search on Google for “email me” on just their domain ex: site:domain.com “email me”. Last but not least, performing a WHOIS look-up on the domain can reveal the true owner. This may seem a little stalker-ish, but the tools are out there for you use, so go for it! Go ahead and  pick up the phone and have a real conversation! Imagine that!

• Narrow down your list to include the top ranking blogs within your niche. Research the number of followers and the traffic to their websites. You can measure this by using various tools such as; Alexa & Compete, just to name a couple. How frequently the blogger posts is important but if they haven’t blogged in a while, don’t let that be a deterrent. Your message might be the right one to get them blogging again.

• Before you go calling or emailing anyone, you want to make sure you craft the right message. You cannot just fire off emails at random because you will just be wasting your time. Make sure to read their blog and mention something that you found interesting. Be personable. That will help to make them remember you in your outreach message, you want them to have a positive experience. A helpful hint to remember: If you come across any broken links or pages when viewing their blog, share those findings and constructive criticisms… They will remember that and after all, your goal is to get them to read the message and respond.

• Keeping track of your blogger outreach campaign requires maintaining a detailed spreadsheet. Things to include would be the blog URL, owners name, email and contact information, traffic and rank data, the time/date of each email correspondents and any deadlines you have set for the campaign. Set up reminders in Outlook to stay in touch with the bloggers every so often.

There are many benefits to a blogger outreach campaign including, incoming links to your website, increase in brand awareness, and feedback from the bloggers themselves that are engaging with your brand. The process can be tough and time consuming, but it has great long term benefits because the blog posts will live online for a long period of time. If you’re interested in setting up a blogger outreach program for your product or business, follow Meghann on Twitter or email Mainely SEO today.