This is a guest contribution by Frank Angelone.
It’s safe to assume that you want your blog to succeed, right?
It’s easier said than done, but whenever you’re trying to market your blog to others, it can be a very discouraging process. Not only that, as bloggers, we continually suffer from the inability to get in touch with those we aspire to be like.
It’s not that those individuals don’t want to connect with us, but their email inboxes are full to the max and the Internet is flooded with content. Tough obstacles ahead of us to stand out from the crowd I’d say.
Obviously, email marketing is an effective way to communicate with our readers, but more often than not, a well known blogger is not signed up to your email list. The thing is…being associated to these well known bloggers in some capacity can help build the authority your blog needs to get attention.
So how are you suppose to grab the attention of these people?
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
I’ve learned, from my experiences, the best way to grab the attention of others is to keep my enquiries simple and straight forward.
Granted, in reality, I am marketing to them.
It’s true, whenever you email someone and you wish to market yourself to them, it’s never a good idea to just email them a link to your blog. You can be sure you won’t be contacted at that point. You want the email to capture their attention from the subject line.
Since you only have a short period to grab their attention, what can you do?
The Subject Line Is The Magic Potion
Before you start trying to think of creative headlines, let me stop you right there. That kind of advice you’ll see many people give for blog posts and email newsletters.
This doesn’t apply when you’re trying to encourage a well known blogger to open your email.
In fact, it’s much simpler and easier than you may think. On top of that, you may have used this tactic before and never even realised what a POWERFUL strategy it is.
Tell Me What To Do Already!
This brings me to my personal sure fire way to grab a response…
The magic answer is…
Use the subject line – “Quick Question.”
Really? That’s it? Yes, that’s it. It’s worked for me many times. It’s how I’ve published guest posts on sites like CopyBlogger and here on ProBlogger.
The goal is to create a relationship. Quick Question lets them know…”this won’t take long.” This is what I use all the time.
I can’t believe I’m giving this away because it’s my best kept secret, until now!
How Does This Apply To My Blog?
Interestingly enough, I’ve used this little subject line to build my blog’s credibility.
I’ve been able to leverage my podcast to build authority for my blog. An authoritative blog is something all bloggers strive for. By using that “Quick Question” subject line, I’ve brought guests onto my podcast like Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Pirillo, Brian Clark, Seth Godin, and Robert Scoble to name a few.
I can officially say that all these great people in some way are associated with my blog.
I’m not throwing these names at you to brag, but rather show you that by having these relationships, I’ve been able to connect with new readers / listeners and provide advice to others on how to go about podcasting.
This additional layer of my blog that started with a simple subject line also gave me the freedom to not have to rely on writing blog posts. Writing can be tiring, time consuming, and writers block can occur frequently. Doing audio interviews was my way of overcoming these obstacles and in the process I’ve developed relationships with well known bloggers.
You may not be able to build the readership that you want at this point. You may not be able to get a ton of comments on your posts. However, you can start finding other avenues to build that authority for your blog.
Don’t believe that just because it’s a blog that you’re restricted to only written content…you’re not!
Even though podcasting isn’t what I talk about on my blog, because of the well known bloggers I’ve connected with, I was able to talk to Chris Pirillo’s mastermind group in a webinar on bringing guests to your podcast and wrote a blog post about it too.
So, try this in your next email and let me know how this works out for you in the comments and if you’re able to build some new authority for your blog.
Frank Angelone teaches people how to use social media in business and how to adapt to technology. He’s also coupled these teachings by interviewing well known entrepreneurs like Chris Pirillo, Robert Scoble, Brian Clark, and Leo Babauta to name a few, on the STZ Podcast. Be sure to subscribe to be notified of new episodes!
seems like I’m the first one to comment on this post.
well written post by Frank Angelone. Your post rocks..
Thanks, Kanchan. I’m glad you liked it. I hope it helps you out down the line!
Love the quick question approach. Couldn’t be easier or more simple than that!
It is definitely simple and it lets the person you’re contacting know that answering the question won’t be difficult for them either. I swear by this approach.
Hey Frank,
I think this is a great tip and doesn’t just apply to networking with other bloggers. I’ve been using simple headlines like this to network with people in social networks like LinkedIn too with some pretty good success.
The thing is that while the really creative subject lines work well for your list, they might be a little too much when you’re trying to network. It’s best to just keep it short and sweet.
Great point with using the simple headlines with networking on LinkedIn. How do you go about it there? I’d definitely be interested in hearing your perspective.
truly! a great post!
Thanks, Keshav. I appreciate you taking the time out to read it. Hope it helps!
Straight to the point, no waste points in the content, and boom: readers click in or leave it, decide in seconds.
Yup, subject line is the magic potion!
You hit the nail on the head, JJ. They click or the leave because you’re making the decision for them as simple as possible. They know you’re respecting their time and that’s appreciated, which in most cases will result in a response!
Every individual is unique, not all has the same technique as what you are doing in getting attention. This forte may well work for you but to others this may not. This is a great post and I guess for those people who are seeking a way to reach out and be noticed in the worldwide web would adapt and try the technique that you are using and hope they will succeed….
You’re 100% right. Everyone should try to find what works best for them. I think taking my approach and applying it in their own unique way can definitely help. It’s all about perseverance and pushing through and it depends on the goal you’re trying to accomplish and who you’d like to connect to.
The post fits with my recent experience with James Altucher,
He wrote a book recently ,Choose Yourself I wrote a review on it, http://mysuccess-stories.com/choose-yourself-by-james-altucher-careful-before-buying/
I e-mail the link to James Altucher and tagline was
Time to Face The Truth Choose Yourself,
Guess what I got an E-mail back and a comment as well, Another thing I had a conversation, with Darren on twitter , here it is https://twitter.com/MySuccess_Stori/status/335739816157274113
SO it is very easy to contact bloggers I guess if you have the right method
Congrats on your success! Everyone is going to have their own method that works best for them, but the key is to stick to that method and fine tune it when it works for you.
Sorry, But Yesterday I tried yours , on a blogger I had many e-mail exchanged previously (with my method) , It fell flat ;) Never got a reply back this time,
Though for others it might work, I am sure, I would stick to mine,
I too have had scenarios where the blogger doesn’t reply back. It has to be understood that they won’t be able to respond to you all the time. Sometimes they’ll miss your email. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t try again in the future ;) I’ve had to do that before myself.
Hey Frank,
Your post has taught me something very valuable. No, its not the Simple Subject tip, because Ive been successfully using it for a while and I agree with you’ve said about it in your post.
But I learned something different that is not even mentioned in your post. Your post taught me that even the most obvious and simplest experiences and facts can be, and should be, shared in blog posts. You need to write complex stuff all the time. It just needs to be useful, even if obvious (at least to me)
I had never thought that someone would write an entire post on this Simple Subject tip, but you did and Problogger posted it as well. Congrats!
Thanks
I appreciate your feedback, Jawad. I’m glad you got something additional from the post outside of the main takeaway. I’ve always believed that any type of content I create requires a takeaway that the reader can apply and put into action. If the reader can’t walk away with something they can implement after reading the post, then it didn’t do the job. Thanks again for your input!
nice one dude, you really made a great point in this awesome article thanks for sharing
Thanks dude. Glad you enjoyed it. Always willing to help out members of the community!
very well said , to be in contact with some good bloggers is definately very necessary for you to have a good reputation in blogosphere.
It’s true, Ali. This goes with any type of content you’re producing online. You can’t do it yourself. The online world is so saturated with people and so many of them are trying to create content that your chances of being heard are slim. Contacts and collaborating with those people can help elevate your success.
Great idea I’ll also try that line as a subject line for marketing
Let me know how it works out for you, Michael. I’d be interested in hearing how it goes.
Nicely posted, great tip..
tophealth-tip.blogspot.com
Thank you. Are you going to give it a shot with your next email?
Great post and love the way you expressed your thoughts.
Thanks for the kind words. I enjoy sharing what’s worked for me with others, especially if it’s something that actually has worked instead of just reading the same rehashed advice over and over.
Thanks, pal. Glad you enjoyed the article.
That’s right. Not that I’m a biggie compared to those blogging celebs, but I usually open the emails I consider won’t take too much time replying.
People like reading short emails. I once heard Justine Ezarik say (iJustine) that she is more likely to respond to emails that follow the Twitter guidelines of 140 characters as she knows it won’t take much time to respond to those inquiries.
Yeah that’s true… If you have your subject as your question you might get a good email open rate and a good conversion.. I have made many sales with my emails… This even works with search PPC..
I can definitely see this being useful for PPC marketing. I never thought to use it in that sense, but you make a great point that I believe if some other people tried out, it could benefit them as well.
Hey Frank,
It was a pleasure reading such an interesting article! It is true that simplicity is the key to attract readers. I really appreciate your analysis.
Do you have more tips for blogs please?
Thanks for the tips. I will have to try them out and see what response I get. Wouldn’t people get annoyed with email blogs. I find that the only thing I want coming to my mail is important information and not all blogs have important information. Thanks for the read!