Does this sound familiar?
You’ve picked a topic that your ideal readers are dying to know more about. You can write about the topic with authority. You’ve even chosen an interesting angle. In short, you’ve got a killer post that should bring your blog thousands of new readers.
You’re also smart enough to realize that you need to tell other people about it. So, you send an email to all of the top bloggers in your niche, pointing them to the post. Then you sit back and wait for the links to come rolling in.
But nothing happens.
You don’t get any links. You don’t even get a reply from any of the bloggers you emailed. You check your stats, and none of them even clicked the link that you sent them.
No, you got ignored. And worse, you now realize that no one is paying attention to you. You wonder, could you really be that much of a nobody, that no one would even read your email?
Yep. You could.
The Oldest Blogging Myth
“Content is king.”
It sounds good in principle. Produce a truly great piece of content, and you’ll get all the links you could ever hope for.
Maybe it worked too, several years ago. The Web used to be a fairly quiet place compared to what it is now, and it was easier for people to notice great blog posts.
But not anymore.
Now great is no longer good enough. The Web is full of so much remarkable content that bloggers don’t have enough time to read it all, much less link to it.
If you want links now, you need to be more than great. You need to be connected.
The Secret to Building a Popular Blog
Remember the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know?”
Well, it’s kind of true. A mediocre writer that’s friends with every member of the Technorati 100 will become a popular blogger faster than a brilliant writer with no friends at all.
Why? Because bloggers link more often to their friends than anyone else. If you write a reasonably good piece of content that interests their audience, they’ll link to you, mainly because they like you.
The secret to building a popular blog isn’t just writing tons of brilliant content. It’s also having tons of well-connected friends.
How to Make Friends with Popular Bloggers
So… how are you supposed to make friends with all of these popular bloggers and get them to link to your best posts?
Traditional wisdom says you should link to their posts, hoping they’ll notice you and start reading your blog. Sometimes it works, but in my experience, you need to be a little more creative. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Write a guest post that gets lots of traffic and adoring comments
- Attend conferences that all of the “Who’s Who” of your niche go to and network your tail off
- Volunteer to “vote” for any posts that they’re pushing on social media sites like Digg, Del.icio.us and StumbleUpon
- Email them an irresistible question, hoping to spark a discussion
- Leave lots of truly memorable comments
- Interview them in either a post or a podcast, making sure to ask lots of intelligent questions
- Join their private membership program (like Teaching Sells) and make lots of smart posts in the forums
Give and Ye Shall Receive
We’re not talking about anything new here. Really, it comes down to one of the oldest principles of persuasion: reciprocity.
Contrary to what many people think, A-list bloggers aren’t islands, separate and self-sufficient. They deal with problems and annoyances, just as much as anyone else. If you can help alleviate them, they’ll thank and remember you for it.
The key is finding ways that you can be genuinely useful to them. Make yourself relevant and then use that opportunity to start building a relationship.
Give it a few months, and then start pointing them to your best and most relevant content. They’ll probably link to you anytime you do anything interesting, bringing you lots of readers. They’ll also introduce you to other popular bloggers, giving you a chance to do more favors and expand your network.
It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. If you put as much effort into building relationships as you do writing great content, you’ll have a popular blog in no time.
And better yet, you’ll have made friends with some of the most interesting people on the web. That’s a reward in and of itself.
About the Author: Jon Morrow is an Associate Editor of Copyblogger and co-author of Keyword Research for Bloggers.
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I just started my blog four months ago. The experience has exceeded my expectations on every level, but nowhere more so than in the comments section. Great dialogue daily, from a diverse group of intelligent people. I didn’t see it coming, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Jonathan,
This is an excellent post with solid advice, as usual. As a fairly new blogger (my own site is less than 3 months old), I have stumbled across some of these truths already as I learn the ropes.
As you mention, it’s not really rocket science is it? Reciprocity is the key to all fruitful relationships, when it comes right down to it. From international trade agreements to gentleman’s rules in soccer, the Golden Rule is an overarching theme: Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
As an extension on this advice, what I would like to see on Copyblogger (perhaps you’ve done something in the past and I missed it) is a guide for how to pitch guest posts to A-list bloggers. I think this is probably the most difficult of your tidbits to accomplish. Any chance you could do something on that?
Cheers,
Daniel Smith
Smithereens Blog
Productivity, Persuasion, Prose.
It is shocking that no one has left a comment here yet! (Considering the content of the post
)
So Technorati 100 are real people too?? I just thought that they were automatons who churned out blogs like ultra-religious Jewish and Muslim women churn out babies.
Yes, it all comes down to building relationships. I’ve learned that most people don’t like to be sold, even if - maybe especially if - you’re trying to sell yourself.
Good post. Thanks.
Steve DeVane
“In short, you’ve got a killer post that should bring your blog thousands of new readers.”
Story of my life…
Actually - I’ve never e-mailed anyone asking them to link to a post of mine.
I guess it takes a little work becoming the big man on campus.
I find that guest posting on other blogs brings you a lot of traffic and readers. I know this also allows people to start linking to my blog posts. of Lake the funny thing is that most of my blog posts that have the most links to them are ones I want to think of.
It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. If you put as much effort into building relationships as you do writing great content, you’ll have a popular blog in no time.
So true, I’ve been working on this a lot lately for a new niche.
Interesting stuff; I’ve often clicked a link posted by a major blogger to find the content mediocre at best and wondered why/how that happens.
I do wonder how much loyal, return traffic it generates for them; knowing people might help you grab people’s attention, but are they going to come back for less than great content?
Boy, I’m feeling this one today. I wrote a really “from the heart” post, and it’s getting a response, but no traffic.
Thanks for the reminder. I’m on to that next.
So…. want to be friends?
Now I know why my best posts sometimes get ignored!!
By the way, a wonderful informative post with some practical advices. Thank you for sharing.
Excellent post! I took it to heart and shared it on Facebook and then StumbleUpon.
Here’s how I summarized it there:
Content is not king. It’s always who you know and who knows you. You can rant and rave about how unfair that is or simply learn to network better.
I’ve been really considering the blog convention in September (Vegas), but have been going back and forth because of cost. Sounds like it might really be the right thing to do.
Contrary to what many people think, A-list bloggers aren’t islands, separate and self-sufficient. They deal with problems and annoyances, just as much as anyone else. If you can help alleviate them, they’ll thank and remember you for it.
so true, often all it takes is just an email asking them whether you can write a guest post or do an interview with them. If the ideas are interesting they do respond.
I have to say the title to your post is awesome! Unfortunately content does only get you so far, it is tough to realize that you can’t be an island. As my brother and I are members of teaching sells we have realized that there are benefits to networking with other like minds.
It’s not always easy to connect with the top bloggers and make them aware of what’s on your blog, but if you stay at it, it really helps.
Bamboo Forest - Asking for links is essential. Never just expect a popular blog to notice your post. Once you’re friends with a popular blogger, you can be blatant about it. Ask them straight up for a link.
Ultimate Blogging Experiment - That’s true, that the biggest benefit of guest posting is the relationships that come from it. It becomes a lot easier to ask for links after you’ve written a few popular guest posts.
I like the emphasis on getting inlinks but I would question whether ‘content is king’ is a ‘myth’. I’ve no doubt that if I were cannier with my community building I’d have more subscribers but I think I’ve done fairly well quite simply by writing stuff that I wanted to say and that, it turned out, people found interesting. So it’s a balance. You need both - a linking strategy, and some kind of content strategy.
So Jon, the real question is how we can help you?
Thanks! I like this approach. Really! At first, it looks like something new and innovative in blogging to me. And improvement has been very important always. It’s about relationships. Do not make yourself hoping you will be blogging on your nice Mac and the world will let fall in love with you just because you are clever. Without the relationship - the connection - you have and be sure will have less. I follow this. Thanks Jonathan.
Such a great post and reality check for all bloggers, new and experienced.
These are some good tips and I’m going to re-read this post, because it certainly applies to me.
I started blogging less than a week ago. If anyone would stop my site, two things:
1. I’ll be very grateful
2. You’ll hopefully find it funny
Comments I’ve had so far have been positive - and thin on the ground! So please, spent two seconds and send a few people my way. Thank you.
You know, there’s another reason people don’t link to great content - it’s the brand. For years, my main site had a title, even an address, that resonated with my population but not my peers, that gave me great search rankings but was only relevant to a few of my closest connections.
If I had to go back and do it over, I’d have picked a snappier brand name, and relied more on my link building skills than my long tail to short tail keyword methods.
Its all about lack of ego and humbleness in the nature of the posts. If they are of value and just don’t talk about your ’sales pitches’, people will link and form a relationship with you.
Great post.
Content is king.
As I recently pointed out, Paris Hilton is a more popular writer than most of us. Likely not a better writer (especially considering that she had a ghostwriter helping) but more popular.
But where does that leave us? 100 hundreds years from now (perhaps even 100 days from now) her book won’t be relevant. Yes, marketing and her connections and her name got her published, if you insist on calling it that. Yes, she made a lot of money from it. But is that the type of writer most of us want to be?
Would we trade it all — our talent, our hard work, our writing journey — for a few weeks at the top of the best seller list, and a few million dollars?
Sounds tempting, I’ll admit. But can you imagine going the rest of your life after losing your ability to write a simple sentence?
That being said, marketing yourself is important too. The best comparison I can think of is a website. Some say design is key, and others say the web content is key. I don’t think you can have a successful website without both.
You need great design to help form that great first impression, give the image that your content is worth reading, that the website will be useful.
Then you have to deliver on that promise and give excellent content. But it all comes down to that, to the content. It’s just that you have to gain the reader’s trust through a clean, good-looking website before they’ll listen to your words.
Content is king. Image is everything. It may be a paradox, but the simple matter is that both statements are true.
And what is also true is that you need both to succeed.
~Graham
The oldest wisdom on earth… it’s not who you are, but who you know ;P
Mark - I was waiting on someone to ask. You’ll find out within the next month or two what you can do for me. Thanks for asking.
Graham - I agree that you need both great content and strong relationships, but I think relationships are a little more important. If I had to put a numerical weighting on it, I’d say it’s 66.6% relationships and 33.3% great content.
I wish I was wrong. As a talented writer, it’s easier for me to write great content than build relationships with influential people. But I’ve learned it’s not enough. The great content you produce never gets noticed without the relationships to back it up.
I know why I hang out here, It’s because of post like this.
Totally agree Jon,
Great content can fall on “deaf ears” if it’s not spread around by the right people.
It’s kind of like when I was in little league and it came time for the All Star team to be picked.
There were always a couple kids who were great ball players but they weren’t picked for the Allstar team because their dad wasn’t buddies w/ the coach… or the kid just didn’t make himself noticed as much.
Then… there are the kids who were mediocre at best… but made the team because their dad was buds w/ the Allstar team coach… and this kid was friends w/ a ton of players in the league… and got voted in just by popularity.
This rule applies to pretty much all aspects of life… it’s best we start to learn how to master the art of getting out of our cocoons and making things happen.
Great post!
Cheers
- Trevor
Living in Las Vegas, I know this rule only too well.
This is key not only in getting links, but being successful in business. It’s about networking.
Did Bill Gates have a superior product or Steve Jobs? It’s about who you know, how you get to know them, and connections.
Great post and so true, I have been blogging for parents of kids who have a serious or terminal illness for several months and it is hard to get the word out there even when you have great content. Keep up with the good information.
I tend to agree with Graham and Brendan on this one. Content, design and networking are all important. I’d rather place my bets with a mediocre networker who has great content than with a great networker who has mediocre content. I think in the long run the better content wins, assuming that the writer doesn’t neglect to network.
Technorati aside, A-list seems to be relative to your niche. In cases like mine, where the blog is still evolving, it takes time to identify exactly who you hope to have linking to your site.
Plus, once they do, you’d better be ready for it. And that means having the content.
I’ve had one larger blog link to a post in which I had linked to him. That drove in my largest spike in traffic so far and resulted in about seven other blogs linking to me. But just for that one post.
Basically it happened before I had enough of the right content in place to convert a lot of those readers to subscribers. My blog was about a month old. But it did give me an indication of where to focus at least part of my networking efforts.
So maybe it’s more of a give and take between the two. Generating good content and being a good networker, back and forth until you get it right. At least I hope that’s how it works.
What I noticed about Jon in Teaching Sells months and months ago is that he backs up his ideas with actions that lead to results… and there’s sometimes a really good list.
Content, both visual and written, is king…but you can’t have a king without a country.
Thanks again, Jon.
I advise my blogging clients to spend 2/3 of their time networking and 1/3 on everything else. You’ve explained why very well. It really is all about helping others.
You can also speak your mind on a topic on which you’ve got a reasonable amount of authority. Stirring things up can have a great positive impact for your blog, even if you get negative reaction.
Because when you do that, you often get cited by people who take the time to publicly dismantle your post.
It’s happened to me and brought traffic, comment love, and a short amount of publicity.
It also generate some fantastic and lucid comment discussion.
I’m really disappointed in this article. Click my name for my full response.
You have some great points in here. But, I don’t know about the comment thing. Most people don’t read any of the comments (except for the author of the post).
Also, this is off topic but one of my best friends’ name is John Morrow. :O
Does anyone know what would be the best way to approach a blog to be a guest author? It is something I have done but a lot popular blogs are bombarded by requests from people wanting to be guest authors…
This is such a good post, Jon. If you can show Brogan something about making connections, you’re doin’ ok.
Jon,
As far as I am concerned the phenomenon that you are describing is the equivalent of valuing Keyword and Ranking over Visitor Satisfaction and Responsiveness.
Sure a blog writer can stir up a lot of initial reaction by having great friends with low standards as to what they link, but if you want to be truly Great in the blogosphere you need more than exposure and visibility - you need substance and authority.
The reason that the Jill Konraths and Seth Godins and Jonathan Farringtons and Tom Peters and Rosa Says of the blogosphere are so high in the rankings is not from cross linking alone but rather because at the end of the Day …
Content Is STILL King.
I hate to link drop, but many people are asking about guest posting. We wrote a series that our readers leaped on, so I think it has value here.
http://menwithpens.ca/category/best-of-mwp/guest-posting
@ James: I’ve link dropped only a few times on blogs. When it’s highly relevant such as in this case, it’s wise.
I’ve been thinking quite a while about the “content is/isn’t king” slogans, bumper stickers and oaths that seem to be based on the idea. I’ve finally concluded:
It’s semantics, really.
In the end we know that content is essential, but it isn’t everything. Nothing is everything in marketing. Just because “content is king” doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need something else to work. Kings need armies, CEOs need secretaries and content needs networking.
Internet marketers are just as human as everyone else, and one attribute of that humanness is the ability to lose focus and to forget the basic marketing tactics in pursuit of the advanced tactics.
Online success, once the website/design is established, is found in writing great content and link building (which would include networking). There is no “more important” among the two basic activities; both link building and writing great content are equal in their “kingship”.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the post.
I find that just commenting on people’s blogs is often a good start. Of course these comments should be thought out or helpful, not the age old, “Nice post.”
One thing I cannot stand is commenting on a blog for 5-6 posts in a row, and them not even commenting back. I can understand that people may be very busy, but unless you have more than a comment or two a post, then you should return the common courtesy comment.
Not sure what just happened, but I think my comment got messed up in the submission process. Feel free to delete a dupe.
Anyways, I feel that one of the best ways to meet cool blogger friends is to read their blogs on comment on their posts often. Something more than, “Nice post.” I’ve met a few good blogger friends this way and I just started a couple months ago.
I had to come back and say something after I read this further.
I’ll add something to this: Don’t tap an A-lister, start a conversation and then drop the opportunity. I’m not quite an A-lister yet (Hey. I aspire to big things), but I can say that many a blogger has started a relationship… and then dropped it.
Even worse? Don’t write a guest post if that’s the last time you plan to communicate with the individual. I’ve seen that happen over and over. “Where’d Mark go?” “Dunno. Haven’t heard from him since that day his post ran…” Um, no.
Reach out to people, yes. But keep reaching. It’s a continual process, not a one-shot deal.
Hi James, thank you for “link dropping”. It was very helpful. There is no doubt that some credibility has to be established before requesting to guest post. I had a funny thought while visiting your site, since it has a title “Men with Pens: Shooting from the Hip”, I wonder how female writers could position themselves for guest writing gigs.
With regards to the “content is king” comments, I have been disappointed with the quality of the content on some A-lister type blogs, but I see that many people are still eager to digg posts with no valuable content at all. Maybe this has more to do with credibility than “content”.
Content is not king because most people wouldn’t know good content from bad if it bit them in the butt. People are clueless. Look how popular that awful song “My lovely lady humps” or whatever it was called got before everybody sort of sheepishly realized it sucked and stopped listening and pretended they never did. We’ve got a beautiful voice like Andreas Bocelli or Josh Groban selling out and doing schlock. I don’t fault them, they have to eat, and they wouldn’t if they did really good stuff.
I want to drop out of the human race and be in a club with higher standard.
I think it is about network AND content. I have a lot of friends and I love them coming to my site, but I want people to come to my site because its good not because they love me.
Of course they will love me once they get to know me then I will have more friends. Is that how it works?
Carma
http://carmaswindow.blogspot.com
To everyone who posted a comment above this, why do you, 9 times out of 10, include the pronoun, “I,” in your introductory sentence?
If you are mulling about a water cooler with coworkers who ask you questions, it’s fair to respond in the first person. But if someone suggests something or offers advice, wouldn’t you respond in second person?
Thirdly, if you do not click the box for “notify me of followup comments,” why not?
I’m really new to all this and am blogging for real estate clients in College Station, Texas. I may not be great at this yet but I am willing -
Would be happy to have someone guest blog on my site or I’ll be glad to try to write something worth posting on yours.
Ideas? Suggestions? I’m open…..
much of what you write here sounds like developing friendships, a common human behavior. i don’t think the key to success is by making friends with famous bloggers, b/c a house of cards will always be just that.
i believe if your content is entertaining enough, people will come to read regardless of how you go about getting yourself “out there”. as well, there are plenty of blog cliches to serve all of the different types of people.
it seems as though many “hot” bloggers are almost afraid to make friends with others b/c they think someone wants something from them. this seems sad to me.
Very useful information, as always!
Great post. Great content. You really know how to get linked
I have those problems all the time. I’m almost never get linked to, and very few visotors write comments.
Thanks for this.
This article talks a lot of sense. Networking is the key to getting on in all walks of life, and the same is true for blogging. The more you get your blog out there, the better it will do. The better it does, the more people will want to be associated with you and your site. And so it goes on….
@ Ari - What exactly is wrong with using the first person pronoun here? Jon addresses “you” in the post. Those who take the time to comment respond back with “I.” You tell me something, I respond.
Perhaps that seems in some way self-absorbed or arrogant to you, but it would be more arrogant for me to turn around and tell Jon and the others who posted here what to do: you need to do this, you ought to do that (unless I have the authority and crediblity to do so, and then if done nicely).
Perhaps you are referring to the lack of common courtesy of not starting with “great post” or “thank you for posting this”? Well, how many times do you want to read that in a comments section as long as this one? If someone takes the time to write a thoughtful comment, isn’t that even better?
As for you final question, I don’t click on the notify option because it clogs up my inbox. I keep track of the posts and blogs where I leave comments and check back for a day or two.
@Bill: How is my asking a question “tell[ing someone] what to do?”
Perhaps you view blog commenting as a “conversation” between the writer and the reader; Jon posed a question, you read his question, and you responded in first person. That’s legit and there’s nothing wrong about that.
I’m going a step further within the language of social media. Jon asked a question not so much for a direct answer but for the global community of 1.4 billion bloggers to engage each other in identifying whether he’s right. Don’t you agree?
It’s great that up in comment #31, Bill, you referenced Graham and Brendan’s responses, but is that any different than James Shewmaker name-dropping Seth and Tom and Harry or Colleen referencing Josh Groban?
In the end, from my perspective, I’d rather see dialogue (which we’re having right now) and not one-on-one conversations that the whole world can see.
Thoughts?
I agree, content can only be king if creativity has been applied. We must convince our readers that our posts are unique in nature. As I have mentioned in my recent post - How to make your post a Masterpiece, I included creativity as an important tool and to do that, the following must be religiously performed.
1.0 Try to experiment with colors and do not be afraid about your competitors.
2.0 Make every post better than your previous ones.
3.0 Leaving a mystery on your post will also give your readers something to think about.
However, all of these will be useless if you are not capable of socializing with others.
Thanks for sharing your bright ideas.
Ari- I think they are both vaild. Sometimes it takes awhile for people to feel comfortable enough to engage like that. But it happens on several of the sites I find most interesting.
It wasn’t clear to me what you meant in terms of voice, or what you found lacking. Commenting is an organic structure after all.
As for “social media” language. How about language, period? I find it tiresome to think that protocol is so radically different just because it is instant and electronic. Don’t you think that civility works consistently no matter what the method of delivery? I have no watercooler experience so I am curious.
I always try keeping it a mix of the two - networking and great content - but most of the times it’s the people you know that will make you famous.
Don’t forget the readers that are not fellow bloggers. Over the last year, through meeting people I am convinced that the majority of my readers are non-bloggers, who have heard word of mouth about my blog and then spread the word. They don’t often comment in the comments box, they don’t link to you…they just come up to you at parties and quote “you” back to “you”. In real life, as a real actual honest to goodness live person with arms and legs and a head and stuff!
I am constantly startled by this. And more than a little chuffed.
So whilst I think that all this advice is great, don’t lose heart if a bit of blog whoring doesn’t really sit well with you, or you find it difficult to get any kind of kudos from the giants of the blog community.
When non-bloggers read you, it’s even more satisfying. Because they are reading you because you are good; not because they want links, mentions, acknowledgment etc.
And that’s why content still is King really. Because real people with arms and legs and stuff couldn’t give two hoots about Technorati ratings and all that gubbins. They just like that you wrote something so funny that they’ve now got to go and clean the spat coffee off their computer screen.
(and now you’re asking me how to get these real people’s attention….? Well if I knew the answer to THAT….)
So the way to get really, really popular is to write mediocre stuff and spend most of your time sucking up to the ‘Top 100′? Thanks anyway, but I’ll stick to doing what I actually believe in the best I can, make sincere efforts to get the word out, hang onto my integrity, and let the chips fall where they may. I’ve been doing business on the Internet this way for over 10 years and I’m still here, still prospering … even though the Technofarti 100 have never heard of me. I couldn’t care less. I’d rather have 1,000 loyal, enthusiastic customers than 100,000 witless lookie-loos.
This is great advice, but what if you can’t find anyone else in your niche? I’ve searched high and low, and so far I’m the only one with the goal that I have. It makes it hard to network when you’re the only one your niche.
OMG …
you’re so right! I’m living proof. I don’t post
to my blog all that often (my bad) …
but when I seldom do get a comment, it’s very
positive!
The’re just aren’t enuf, yet.
Then, there was the server and SEO problems
that have, supposedly been fixed now. Oy vey …
So, now I’ll try to figure out who to best network,
since I don’t give a hoot about just fellow bloggers …
I’d like more real business people to like what I say.
Then there are the ones who read me, but don’t comment because they’re not in the business of linking or being liked.
Opportunites and opposition … aahh, the rub.
Here’s to everyone’s popularity, though, if it
gets you what you want from it — or, if it is an
end unto itself — here, here!
Ciao,
Carolyn
Well this is really marketing 101. It’s the old if you build a better mouse trap, people still have to know about it.
No one is going to knock on your door, if they don’t know what you have to offer. You have to get the word out.
Isn’t this really about helping people to find your great content?
I am just going to say common sense copyblogger. Many newbies don’t know how to get found.
@ Ari - Are you suggesting that blog comments should be more of a dialogue among the commenters? I know that a few blogs do that, but blog comment sections aren’t really designed for any real volume of back and forth discussion. Forums and message boards are much better for that.
Even taking into account the limitations, though, it is true that some comment sections have no dialogue whatsoever. But I’ve also seen decent discussions emerge in the comments section of certain blogs. I won’t name any names for fear of name-dropping.
Which brings me to your observation about referencing other comments in my response. You really think that’s name-dropping? I call it adding to the discussion. This is name dropping: “When Darren Rowse and I were chatting about this earlier today on Skype, he told me … ”
But this is getting far off topic from Jon’s original post.
My issue as the more blogs I read, the more content I gather which I want to blog about…the less often I am linking to great content because I am overwhelmed.
This has become a real issue because I can’t keep up with all the great posts or I will neglect writing my own original copy and simply be linking out to others…and this is not a way to keep readers.
Any suggestions?
You put up nice points regarding networking.
Though, the most important tip I like along with others is make friends with popular bloggers, as this way you can build your brand by connecting with your readers by providing value to the community.
….Hmmm…let’s see what adorable, eye catching, thought provoking, inspirational, attention grabbing, super sensational, one-of-a-kind, borderline genius comment can I come up with to foster the beginnings of a beautiful friendship with the author of one of Technorati’s Top 100 Blogs? ….It was on the tip of my tongue…oops I mean fingers but it slipped my mind after all that other jargon I wrote…Ok…ok…I’ll get serious. This was a great post with lots of valuable and interesting information. I hope novice bloggers (myself included) visit often and make it a practice to utilize some of the tips provided here.
Thanks again,
Roschelle
That was a great post, quite unique and informative. It sounded slightly like you were advising people to suck up to the A-list bloggers, however the points you made are definitely true.
Bloggers who are friends with A-list bloggers would obviously be more likely to succeed than the average joe.
Its a shame that it comes down to this, but i suppose you have to do what you can to succeed.
Thanks.
Great post…
Content + Links = King
But the real king is…
Your website or blog should offer Real Value to your visitors.
So the equation should be:
Website + Useful Offer = King
Where Useful Offer is your product, service, or information.
Think about that before you blog.
Very good post. I took all advice from experience bloggers with evidence that their blogs are very much growing and driving some wild traffics.
Hello Jonathan,
Thanks for that post. It provided new ideas for me on how to connect with other bloggers. I do agree with you that networking is the essential factor to blogging. But merely linking will really not get results, especially if that blogger has thousands of links to begin with.
What I realized when I read your post is that all bloggers are ordinary people. They have problems and they can be approached. It somehow shatters the invisible barriers whch always stopped me from approaching the known people in the blogosphere.
Thanks so much for the information. I’m Aira by the way and I’m a marketing researcher. I’ll be sure to apply your strategies as I start out in blogging.
Aira
This is great advice, especially for entrepreneurs who can’t afford a PR agency and are trying to figure out how to build a reputation from scratch. So much more actionable that the Cluetrain’s vague dictates. Nice work.
Excellent post and one that rings incredibly true. Getting noticed seems to be a massive hurdle these days for some otherwise fantastic bloggers.
Sometimes, the big names in blogging can seem like unapproachable demigods - but some of the techniques suggested here can certainly break down the walls and create powerful relationships.
Networking is key - whether it is through great comments or through parallel services such as Twitter (@Kimota - if you must know…) - but that networking has to carry some worth. I see it as turning myself into a resource for other bloggers - either as someone reliable for social media submissions and voting or as an authoritative voice that can be called on for an opinion or fact when needed.
All bloggers - big or small - need reliable resources. I know I have a network of bloggers I call upon all the time for help, votes, opinions and information. Even the greats like Brian would as well.
Jnonathan
Thanks for the advice. So……Anything I can do to help you!? Or anyone else reading this?
Happy to reciprocicate. Should be a new word - or maybe reciprocication - the new form of e-communication for bloggers.
I’ve just launched my blog having spent years in development mode on my mission of digital inclusivity and need all the help I can get - so I hope my blog helps you.
I had no idea how rich, fascinating, powerful, younameit the seam of learning is around communcation diversity and digital inclusivity. I hope to pass on my enthusaiasm - and learning.
Kindest Regards
http://thedyslexicmarketeer.typepad.com/kmt/
*Sigh* I am just not good at popularity, and never have been. However, I do genuinely like people and do well in creating relationships. I appreciate the advice on building blogging relationships. I don’t want to toil in anonymity, that’s just not fun!
Lutra: No, the way to get really, really popular is to write great content and build relationships with other popular bloggers. Both are important. It’s just that, in my opinion, relationships are more important. You need to have them in place before your content will get the attention it deserves. It’s the difference between having 1,000 loyal, enthusiastic customers and 100,000 loyal, enthusiastic customers.
Dominic: If you’re the only one in your niche, then you’ll have to reach outside of your niche for readers. Figure out what other popular blogs and websites are closely related to yours and find a way to bridge the gap between them. I’m actually thinking about writing an article about this in the future.
Susan: Lots of bloggers have this problem. The most common solution is to write all of your original content during the week and then post one or more link posts on the weekend.
@Jon - “You need to have [relationships with popular bloggers] in place before your content will get the attention it deserves.” - But what I and I think other commenters are saying here is that you need to generate content that deserves attention. Both are important — perhaps it’s a “chicken-or-the-egg” type of thing.
I still say content is king. Marketing that content is the kingmaker. You need both to succeed.
~Graham
I digged you too, man. Or is that dugg? Either way, I get it. One of the biggest surprises for me as a nascent blogger has been how much fun it is to participate in other blogger’s conversations. And if that helps me get noticed, that’s just gravy. I think a lot of the comments were right on, too. Especially MisssyM’s comment: don’t forget the lurkers and non-bloggers. In the end, I think you can do everything you can to attract attention, but without valuable content, nobody will come back.
As usual your post are really interesting and great but because some many bloggers out there the new blogger like myself have to be really creative and as you mentioned befriend and be friended
Great post and definitely good discussion generated here. I think people always try to simplify things to build the case for their ideas and this is no exception. There is always multiple factors and never one better than the other. It depends on so many things, including the content and style of writing you have. It also depends how you want to GET your traffic and comments.
There is much more than meets the eye, this is no exception…
If everyone would look to apply things in their own ways and views, you’ve got solid advice here. Offer your help to others first, reciprocation will come I agree there)…