What is blogger outreach?
Blogger outreach is the process when you strategically “reach out” to other industry influencers, publishers or website owners to build relationships to achieve a specific goal, including:
PR: boost brand awareness and acquire more exposure through content.
Influencer marketing: developing estimable partnerships with multiple bloggers in the industry.
Partnerships: promoting your services and products to huge audiences.
All your goals can be achieved through actions like promoting your content on their social channels, linking to a relevant article of yours, accepting a guest blog post from you, co-hosting a webinar, or even speaking at a conference.
The ultimate goal is to build your reliability, audience, and business.
7 types of blogger outreach you should conduct
It is wise to research the type of blogger outreach strategy that is most suitable for your niche before starting a campaign. Take a look at the listed types of blogger outreach mentioned below to choose the one that brings you closer to your predefined business goals.
1. Product features:
A product feature is quite similar to a review. But, instead of a formal review, your product will be promoted in a post on a broader topic. For example, a fashion blogger might write about their trip to Bali and casually mention that they were using your unique sunglasses at the time.
To gain the most out of your blogger outreach programs, it is essential to develop a symbiotic relationship with the blogger. Co-creating content and developing a partnership with a blogger can increase your brand visibility and strengthen the blogger’s following.
2. Product reviews:
Many businesses send their products out to bloggers and influencers in return for a review, whether in the form of blogs, or long-form videos, or simple photos on social media. Everyone likes getting free stuff, so bloggers are bound to have a smile on their faces before they have even tried your product. And, if they use your product and love it, you can be assured they’ll speak passionately about your brand.
3. Link building:
Link building has always been at the core of a business’s off-site SEO strategy. If you look at the entire list of Google’s ranking factors, backlink factors top the list as they form the foundation of the Pagerank algorithm. Therefore, link building makes a powerful outreach strategy, enabling you to enhance your online presence.
You have to keep in mind that links from websites related to your niche hold more value. For example, a fashion blogger would benefit from earning a link from an influential fashion blog or fashion magazine.
4. Sponsored posts:
Sponsored posts are a form of paid collaboration in which a blogger is paid to write and publish about your product, with mentions and links to your brand.
The amount of money required to pay for a sponsored post depends on the popularity and influence of the blogger. Another factor that determines the cost of a particular post is the type of content in the post. Make sure to agree on terms beforehand, making it clear what you want from the post.
As per the guidelines prescribed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a blogger should always declare about a paid collaboration, so there will usually be a disclaimer at the end of sponsored posts stating this.
5. Guest posting:
Guest posting is often considered as one of the most efficient ways to make your business website a hub of your inbound marketing efforts. Moreover, it’s social evidence for your content.
If the main website publishes your content, they are, in a way, vouching for it. It helps improve credibility, drive relevant traffic to your website, earn relevant backlinks, and generate leads. Based on the statistics, 63 per cent of readers perceive blogs with multiple authors to be more reliable.
6. Giveaways:
Running a giveaway is beneficial for both blogger and brand. The idea is that you, as the brand, provide the free giveaway prizes and the blogger or influencer hosts the competition. It can be hosted on their blog, YouTube, or another social media platform. No matter where they choose to do it, you can be assured that people will participate in the giveaway, giving your brand some valuable exposure.
Also, influencers know what content works best for engaging their audience. So, leverage the influential connection they share with their followers by partnering with them for giveaways.
7. Email outreach:
Email outreach refers to the process of reaching out influential figures to earn links, network or promote your products or services. But the most critical part of this marketing strategy is to send an outreach email without looking like a spammer.
Statistics reveal that almost 92 per cent of outreach emails sent are ignored. Make sure to send the correct type of outreach email that helps you achieve your objective and focuses on building relationships.
The two approaches of Blogger outreach :
1. The shotgun approach:
The shotgun approach strategy involves targeting a wide range of audiences and sending lots of outreach emails to them without personalizing those emails.
It is a single blast type of advertising that affects large demographics. It is mainly used by huge companies whose products include multiple demographics of gender, age, ethnicity, and income.
2. The sniper approach:
Sniper approach advertising strategy involves targeting a clearly-defined audience effectively and efficiently through highly-personalized outreach emails to each of them.
It is all about aiming to give some value to a relatively small list of targeted prospects at the right time and expecting something positive in return.
Let’s Wrap It Up
Blogger outreach is a great idea to fetch exposure and get a more relevant audience on your website. While you are outreaching influencers and making new connections, make sure that your efforts deliver the results that they are expected to. It is possible only if you choose the right bloggers who can influence an audience that matters. Remember that you aim to acquire more traffic and not get to know new people.