So you understand that you can prospect for bloggers.
And you also get that you can message them.
But what partnership opportunities are there?
Well, actually, there are many. Here are 5 we recommend if you are just starting out:
Write A Guest Post
One of the most traditional and effective ways to work with bloggers is to guest post on their blog.
This gives you free range (well, within the confines of what the blogger accepts) to speak to their audience in your own words.
In most cases, the blogger will allow you to cite your website in an author bio or the introduction.
Early 2014 saw a scare from Matt Cutts that led some people to believe that guest posting might be on its way out.
But that has long since been clarified, and while guest posting for links may not be as effective as it once was, guest posting for traffic is still VERY much alive.
For example, Groove, a customer support app, has made fantastic use of guest posting. Their guest post on Buffer sent them over 11k visits, and hundreds of trial sign ups.
The cost?
Zero dollars (just time, which is valuable, but perhaps not as much as the almighty dollar for startups and small businesses).
Bryan, from Video Fruit, has also been a huge proponent of guest posting, and details his exact strategies here to get over 500 email sign ups to your business through the expanded guest post.
Guest posting can be super effective and low cost, if you learn how to do it properly and target the right audiences.
Run A Giveaway
Everybody loves a giveaway. The very nature of a giveaway is to give something away, that otherwise could not be had for free.
LeadPages is notorious for giveaways. It seems every time they appear on a blog, podcast, or webinar they’re giving away a license (or several).
For example, here they are giving away a license on OkDork.com
And here they are again giving away a set of three licenses on Smart Passive Income
With everything they’re giving away, it’s a wonder how they make any money?
Oh wait, no it isn’t – because without a doubt for every license they giveaway, dozens more people sign up on account of the exposure.
Often the posts with giveaways attract hundreds of comments, in which prospective customers talk about how much they want to win, and current customers talk about how much they love the product.
While I don’t have number to back this up, when you go from 0 to 25k customers in less than two years, you know that this strategy is working hardcore.
And at the core of it, is connecting with influential bloggers, because it’s their audiences, not LeadPages’, which are driving the sales.
What’s fantastic about giveaways is they can be very low cost (just the cost of the product itself, and if it’s digital, that’s super cheap), and can be given to the blogger AND their audience.
Additionally, if it’s some sort of membership or license, it does not have to be a permanent giveaway – it can simply be for one year, which in some cases will be thee impetus for a customer to turn to a lifelong customer after it expires (and they have had time to experience the value).
Appear On Their Podcast
Podcasting is a great brand building medium because it truly allows you to speak to the audience, and people relate more when they hear the person and can understand their personality.
Rob Walling, a software developer and entrepreneur, is very effect at using podcasts to promote his products; Hitail and Drip.
Here’s just a small handful of some of the ones he’s appeared on over the years.
Tech Zing Live – Interview Rob
Bootstrapped Web – Interview With Rob Walling
Podcast Pedia – Interview – Rob Walling
Tropical MBA – Interview With Rob Walling
Internet Business Mastery – Interview With Rob Walling
I find a great strategy is to couple a podcast appearance with a giveaway, and announce the winners in a follow up webinar – something LeadPages has done several times.
Get A Product Review
If you have a product that is just made to be reviewed, this can be a great route. An example might be a food based product, or some sort of equipment.
These often lend themselves nicely to product reviews because you can add a visual component, such as photos, (since it’s a product, and not a service), and really dive into the specification, ingredients, and uses.
The cost is low because you are only supplying it to the blogger, who then demonstrates its uses to their audience.
Recruit Affiliates
There are thousands of bloggers who literally make their money promoting other peoples’ products.
And they work on commission only.
Amazing, right?
This means you don’t pay them, until you have a guaranteed sale.
One of the masters of this is Matthew Woodward, who makes 5 figures a month promoting internet marketing tools on his blog.
And just about every niche has them.
The great thing about affiliates is it’s more a long term partnership, where the blogger can choose to promote you whenever they see fit.
Additionally, they can incorporate their link in all kinds of places such as display ads, text links in their posts and newsletter.
It’s really a win-win for everyone – which is what blogger outreach is meant to be.
Conclusion
There really is no shortage of ways to work with bloggers.
What there is a shortage of is people doing it right.
You have to be creative, and generous.
Think of the ways that showcase your product or service in the best light.
Maybe a competition where everyone writes what they would do with your product in the comments (which is fantastic publicity for everyone else who is reading).
And really think about the upsell, for example, following up a podcast appearance with a webinar demonstrating the product and its uses.
It’s tough to get peoples’ attention in today’s world, so be sure to capitalize on it!
