This is a guest contribution from Joe Elliott.
How hard can it be when you start a new blog, you create crazy amounts of content and then you need to start generating traffic?
You bust your butt off to get 20 posts so that you can say you are good to go.
You reach out to influencers only to meet their trashcan. You even submit a ton of pitches for a guest post… again only to get an instant delete!
It sucks!
The truth is this is the old school way of doing this blogging game. Content is still king but your job nowadays is to create content that can generate traffic easily on its own.
Today I am going to share with you the exact strategy I use to create a traffic generating expert roundup post. I will show you the best outreach tips I have to ensure your contributors say yes.
Once this post is live and doing its job you have the social proof I mentioned before and you will get your first few visitors with ease!
Are you ready?
Find A Proven Content Idea That Will Drive Your Audience Wild!
Every topic in your niche that your audience would be interested in has been covered. Having said that, you can still create a better resource that has your very own unique take on the topic.
When you first start a blog you want to create content that has been a success on other blogs. If it has done well before then there is no reason why it can’t take off again.
That is if you do the topic justice!
An expert roundup post that is based on a killer topic will blow your readers mind easily. This post type is stuffed with legendary tips, it’s bursting with value.
So how can you find these topics that have proven their worth?
First head over to Google and search for a broad topic in your niche. This will show you the content that has managed to make the first page of Google. It’s the best content on Google.
Now take each post on the front page of the search results and enter them into Buzzsumo. This will show you the most shared content from this website.
As you go through each you should see similar topics on multiple blogs. When you see the same topic a few times you are onto a good thing.
That’s your PROVEN topic!
Now all that’s left to do is to turn this into a question.
Head over to Quora and type in your hot topic, now pick a question that your audience is looking for and that get’s some traction (how many upvotes does it have). This rocks because the influencers will want to be featured because it’s a popular topic and your audience are happy because it’s a popular question.
Create A List Of Influencers That Are Desperate To Share Your Expert Roundup Post
Now you have that killer question it is time to create a spreadsheet to input all your influencer buddies into.
The spreadsheet should have a column for their name, blog name, their URL, email and social media accounts. I also add a column for me to write accepted or leave blank. It pays to be organized!
I always start by entering the details for people I know first because you have a track record with them they will be more likely to get involved. Just make sure that they are relevant to the topic. Nobody wants to know what Sports player thinks about SEO, really.
Big celebrity bloggers, these are the ones that every marketer knows, like Darren Rowse, Neil Patel, Amy Porterfield, Pat Flynn etc…
They will be the hardest people to get a hold of because of the sheer amount of email they get daily. Some even have a VA which makes it even harder to get to their inboxes. The best way to get straight to these people is to find someone who knows them and ask them for a connection.
If they fit the bill for your roundup then you should start trying to get on their radar about 6 months out.
Big Audience Bloggers are the bloggers who could still transform your blog because of their big audience. They may still not be at Neil Patel level but they have some decent influence.
You now have a better chance of getting your email read but if you have not taken the time to get on their radar they won’t reply. If you form a relationship with these people most will help you with your expert roundup post.
Credibility Building Bloggers, these are the bloggers that know their stuff but are still building their audience. They have some influence and have connections with the big dogs! You will find these bloggers by looking at other roundups. If they have featured one of the big guys you should definitely consider them because that shows there is a connection there!
The little guys, we all gotta start somewhere. These dudes will promote your post like mad because they want to show that they have been featured amongst the big dogs.
Always consider these dudes – if they make it before you, well it’s another connection!
So get started by filling out your spreadsheet with all the bloggers you want to feature in your post.
I would always aim for at least a hundred. Not all will get back but it should get you at least 20 if you crack the next bit…
Nail Your Outreach For An Awesome Roundup Post
Now that you have got a big list of bloggers to reach out to it is time to craft a killer outreach email to get their answer. Check out this article by Jason Quey where he shares his best strategy to get in touch with any kind of influencer.
Most newbies screw this bit up because they feel the need to make their email request all about them or they do not get on the radar well enough!
Hard fact, nobody is going to help you if your number one topic is yourself. If you met someone on the street for the first time and asked for $10, what would their response be?
If you do a good deed for someone, however, you are more than likely to get more in return. Work on forming a relationship!
Start by reaching out to the big dogs these bloggers will take a bit more time to get them on your side. The best way to get on their radar is to start commenting on their blogs, or reaching out to them on social media…
This is how I got in contact with Jaime Masters at the Eventual Millionaire. I followed up by sending her a personal email thanking her for all her hard work and started connecting from there!
The first tip for a successful outreach email is to put the name of the influencer in the subject. You would be surprised how many people use templates and don’t address the influencers by their name at any point in their outreach.
Epic Fail!
This is just rude! When people see their name in the subject they will be more drawn to the email.
Your number on way to get an expert to contribute is to keep the question super easy…
What is your number one tip for new bloggers to start getting traffic?
This is good because it tells the expert who the audience is and the topic getting traffic. It is an easy to answer the question. One tip is plenty because won’t have to write an essay!
Bad Example…
What are the strategies you use to build a blog, list and make money?
This could be a book and you have not stated who the target audience for the post is!
Now the other reason I told you to get the big bloggers first is so that you can drop some social proof into the email. This will help your outreach efforts immensely.
I have got Darren Rowse, Neil Patel, and Yaro Starak’s answers, can I add yours to my list?
When other bloggers see these names they will see that you are working hard to make it a success. This is perfect and will help your efforts to get others involved.
Go The Extra Mile And Let Your Experts Shine
You should be chuffed with your progress, now it is time to put it all together. No matter what keyword you are targeting this post is for the experts to showcase their skills and experience. You have to let them shine.
Create a killer headline that encourages people to click through to your post. I do three things to make sure my headline stands out.
- Have the main keyword to tell Google and your readers what the post is about,
- Share the benefit the reader can expect from reading the post,
- Add some power words that make it impossible to say no. Sarah Peterson has done an awesome job compiling a list of power words on SumoMe.
Lastly, I will ask people what they think. You could ask the experts or create a survey in Facebook groups. Your goal is to make sure it kicks butts but you’re not on your own unless you choose to be.
Now to create an intro that captures and hooks your readers in, if you can get them here surely you can keep them through the post. My intros tend to follow a structure but the main thing is to tell the reader what they can expect from your post…
- Introduce the problem that the post will cover,
- Tell them that your post is going to solve this very problem,
- Introduce the experts and away we go…
List your experts with their Name, website, short bio and their answer. Now again we want to let them shine so do not be afraid to head over to their website and grab screenshot examples, you can even create your own examples so you have unique pictures.
You could have a link to their most popular post (you can find this using Buzzsumo). Go the extra mile and your experts will see that you care and that it’s not just about you!
Lastly end the post by thanking all your experts for their time. Give a quick summary and ask your readers the question.
This will keep the communication going in the comments, more engagement for your blog!
Don’t Be Lazy: Promote Your Post Too
I see a lot of people using these posts to get some exposure for themselves but they leave it all up to the experts. Yes you will get a lot of free promotion, but you have also got a lot of free content, you should thank the experts by getting them maximum exposure.
The first thing that is so simple to implement is Click to Tweet buttons. These make it easy for your readers to share the content. You can download this free plugin for WordPress which makes the job a breeze.
If you want though you can head to ClickToTweet.com and set up a basic link, this gives you a link to add to your roundup where it makes sense.
The next thing to do is to create some social media graphics using Canva or any tool of your choice. Showcase one or two experts in these images. Now schedule tweets, Facebook posts, Google+ posts and even Pinterest Pins with these pictures and tag your experts in them.
The next thing I do is schedule an email out to my list, doing the social media stuff first helps to create some shares and sometimes even comments. This is social proof for your own subscribers to see when they get there.
Now there should be a bit of traction, so I will reach out to the experts and let them know it’s live. Make it easy for them to share by including a click to tweet link in the email. You still don’t need to ask them for anything.
Let them decide, most will share anyway because they are featured in the post.
Now before I go I want you to go to your favorite industry publication and find the editor and the most common contributors. Start connecting with these people and make sure the link to your site is easy to find.
If you are using Wisestamp the journalists will see your link in your signature if you email them. If on Twitter they will see your link on your profile. Just be helpful don’t ask them for anything, just mingle. If you play your cards right you could get some major exposure from them!
It’s Over To You
This kind of post can be the most powerful, if you’re not lazy and deliver value to your experts as well as your readers. If you are struggling to get traction or you have a new blog then this type of post is perfect for you.
It might seem like a lot of work but really if you’re not spending time, how can you expect results. Noah Kagen said this in a webinar of his I attended…
This is so true and I think it is something you should keep in mind, not just for roundups but for any post you create!
Have you created an expert roundup post? What were your results like? Let me know in the comments!
Joe Elliott is the founder of One Man Wiki, his blog that shares tips to help you kickstart your blog. If you are a new or struggling blogger his tips will show you how to get traction in no time at all. Take his exclusive free course that will show you how to leverage the power of influencers so you can skyrocket your traffic and subscribers.
