So what comes first, the chicken or the egg?
Links remain a crucial factor in organic search ranking. However, Google disapproves of explicit “link building” tactics and suggests that the best way to earn links is by producing excellent content.
If you build it, they will come. But how will they find you if your site doesn’t rank in the first place?
Ideally, as your site gains authority and ranks well, your pages will start appearing in the SERPs, and you’ll earn links naturally.
However, achieving this requires some initial outreach and digital PR.
Let’s review the steps to create a digital outreach campaign.
Preparation
You’ll need to do some prep work before starting outreach.
Browser extensions
Install the following extensions to your Chrome browser:
- SEOquake
- SEO Meta in 1 Click
Select outreach personas
You’ll need to determine who will be your outreach coordinator and ensure they have a strong social media presence.
Ensure your outreach persona has:
- A credible email
- Active social profiles
- A personal website
- A strong LinkedIn profile
- Examples of published content
- A professional email signature
All these elements will influence whether people open and respond to the emails.
Select outreach targets
Identify which pages should be promoted to receive inbound links and determine the suitable keywords/anchor text for the links.
Using keywords in anchor text can result in link penalties, so it’s important to vary your URL/anchor text combinations to avoid manual action from Google.
Use a combination of brand terms, noise anchors, and miscellaneous words for inbound links.
Continuously track your pages and keywords using a tool (e.g., Semrush or Google Search Console) to identify potential targets for link building.
Select pages that are trending up, keywords within striking distance, as well as keywords sliding in rankings.
Build your outreach list
The first step is to create a list of potential sites to reach out to.
Use sites from your content research
During your topic and audience research, you likely came across many sites discussing topics relevant to your industry. Add these sites to your list of potential targets and use tools like BuzzSumo to further expand that list.
Using search operators to find sites on Google
The goal is to uncover sites that have shared similar content in the past. Use search operators to build queries that will uncover the types of sites you need.
For example, for a site offering online degrees, you might start broad with keywords like “education,” “college,” and “online universities.” Qualify those terms by adding search operators, such as “education” + “infographics.”
Understanding how to search will greatly impact the effectiveness of your outreach campaign, so it’s crucial to develop in-depth knowledge of search operators.
Here are some ways to use search operators to find great outreach opportunities:
Quotation marks (”…”) for exact-match searches:
- “guest author”
- “write for us”
- “submit”
The tilde (~…) before a word to generate similar topics and ideas.
Inurl:guest-___ yields good results, as many sites include “Guest Post/Blog/Writer/etc.” in the title, which ends up appearing in the URL.
Full search terms might look like this:
• “guest post” “real estate”
• “write for us” real estate ~auction
• “foreclosures” inurl:guest-post
• ~home auctions “guest blog”
Now that you know how to find keywords, start using them!
Create a spreadsheet with potential link opportunities
Using BuzzSumo and Google search operators, create a list of potential sites to reach out to and pitch your content. Once collected, verify the quality of these sites to ensure they have strong authority metrics.
Check:
- Semrush:
- Authority Score
- Number of Keywords Ranking
- Organic Traffic
- Majestic:
- Trust Flow: Indicator of trustworthiness
- Citation Flow: Indicator of influence based on linking sites
Check these metrics to avoid wasting time and resources on sites that won’t help your link profile. Use browser extensions for quick access to this information.
Find contact information
With a refined list of target sites, search for contact information.
Don’t stop with the “Contact Us” page. Look for direct email addresses, social media profiles, and possibly WHOIS info. Being thorough here is essential.
Sending emails through a site’s main contact form might land in customer service or spam folders, missing the intended recipient.
Writing pitch letters
Many sites receive numerous guest posting requests. Your pitch letters must stand out and be transparent.
Effective pitch letters should be:
- Brief and readable
- Personalized
- Friendly and approachable
- Well-grammared
- Linked to examples of your work, preferably authoritative
Let’s break down the letter:
FROM: Use a professional company email address.
SUBJECT: Short, catchy subject lines draw attention.
BODY: Incorporate transparency and personable elements into the body of your email.
Invest time in crafting these outreach letters for better chances of success.
Start outreach
Avoid using email marketing tools like Mailchimp for outreach emails, as they often end up in spam folders. Instead, use your email server or Gmail.
Keep a record of the sites contacted and the dates of contact in a spreadsheet to maintain organization.
Stay organized when responses start coming in to manage conversations effectively.
Label emails
Label responses to manage them effectively:
- Interested
- Not Interested
- Pay to Post
Categorize positive responses
Create folders/labels for positive responses:
- Send Topic Ideas
- Accepted Topic
- Ready for Content
- Submitted
- Published
Labeling allows you to keep track of actions required for each response. Send topic ideas, coordinate with writers, and follow up as necessary.
Topic ideas
After receiving a positive response, spend time researching their site to tailor your pitch. Identify their theme and target audience to ensure your suggested title is relevant and appealing.
The proposed ideas should be relevant to your landing page and keywords for natural link placement.
Using BuzzSumo can help identify popular topics that resonate with their audience.
Deliver content
When your topic gets approved, promptly get the article written. Maintaining multiple conversations means timely delivery is crucial to avoid losing publishing opportunities.
Articles should be at least 750 words, include links to your site and other authoritative sources, and contain a couple of internal links to the target’s site. Add optimized images and relevant citations.
Following up
Send follow-ups to ensure the target site received your article and has the necessary information. Set reminders to follow up until the article is published.
If there’s no response after 2-3 follow-ups, consider pitching the article elsewhere.
Promoting your published content
Once your content is published, share it through your social media profiles and tag the publishing site. Consider boosting the post with Facebook ads to increase readership.
Use published content as “social proof” when pitching to other sites.
Influencers and media
Influencers have an audience and credibility, which are invaluable to brands. Consumers trust them, and so does Google.
Working with influencers can be an effective way to gain links, citations, social proof, and increase brand awareness, thereby diversifying your link profile and improving your site’s authority score.
Identify relevant influencers
- Investigate metrics of each influencer
- Study profiles for brand relevance
Develop your influencer marketing strategy
- Determine budget and incentives
- Develop campaign KPIs
- Create a campaign brief with relevant assets
Pitch influencers
- Send effective pitch letters
- Track conversations with influencers
Track the results of your campaign
- Track KPIs like impressions, clicks, transactions, audience growth, and newsletter signups
Now that you’re equipped with influencer marketing knowledge, start your research!
Finding influencers and media contacts
- Research: Use tools to create a database of potential influencers to contact.
- Create a connection: Follow them on social media and engage with their content before reaching out.
- Personalize your pitch: Send a personal email to show it’s not an automated message.
- Agreement: Negotiate details and get deliverables signed for accountability. Some influencers may request payment, product, or affiliate status.
Adding authoritative links and citations can significantly enhance your site’s visibility.
Digital PR
Regularly produce unique, value-driven content for your audience and industry:
- Conducting surveys: Use tools like SurveyMonkey to conduct and share findings.
- Sharing industry research: Track and discuss recently published patents.
- White papers and e-books: Write comprehensive documents on niche-specific topics.
Promote these assets through outreach and work with influencers to extend their reach, earning media mentions and links.
Track your progress
Monitor your outreach efforts and backlink profile periodically. Observe changes in your authority score over time. Key areas to monitor are link impact, link velocity, and link acquisition vs. loss.
Closely tracking these elements helps you amplify strengths and address weaknesses in your link profile.
