Outreach for SEO: Is it all about Hustle?

Outreach:
Is it all about hustle?

ROB OUSBEY
@RobOusbey

Rob Ousbey
VP Operations, Distilled

@RobOusbey

Rob Ousbey - @RobOusbey

OUTREACH ≠ LINKBUILDING


Infographic Guest Posting

• Strategy & Project Management • Strategy & Project Management
• Idea / Concept • Outreach
• Data Analysis • Content Generation
• Design Work • Editing
• PR
• Outreach

Linkbuilding isn‟t an activity. It‟s the outcome of a variety of disciplines.


Great Great
concept & execution outreach

Great outreach is necessary but not sufficient for success.


Priorities for Outreach

Build Relationships

Get Coverage

Acquire Links


People


Hustle

Get it done. Get it done fast. Get it done no matter what.


Smart & Gets Things Done

via Joel Spolsky: http://dis.tl/smart-gtd


Creativity & Ingenuity

Internet Savvy & Fluency

Curiosity
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-makes-an-effective-link-builder


Passion


Team Building
+
Recruitment


Interviewing

Smart & GTD, Enthusiasm:
Conversation

GTD & Hustle:
‘tell us about a time’ when you got something done though there
were policies or other roadblocks in place that made it difficult.

Hustle & Ingenuity:
‘tell us about a time’ when you tried something new, and it failed or
didn‟t work out.


Interviewing

Curiosity & Ingenuity:
discuss any problem or issue; assess though process

Curiosity:
what‟s the latest new thing you‟ve learned?

Web-fluency & Savviness:
The „Internet Test‟


Processes


Identifying (Blogger) Targets


Men‟s Fashion Blogs
allintitle:list fashion men

Rock Climbing Blogs
allintitle:"list of" climbing blogs

Yoga Blogs
“list of” intitle:blogs intitle:yoga

People have done the manual work to curate lists of blogs.
Google has done the work to rank these lists.
Via GroupHigh: http://dis.tl/qeJlSi


Competitor Analysis
• Find good-looking linkbait
• See who embedded / linked to it
• See who linked to those embeds

Via @GeoffKenyon at Distilled: http://dis.tl/outreach-targets


FollowerWonk.com


Niche Directories Processing / Outsourcing
www.blogged.com/directory Google Docs / APIs
dir.blogflux.com
www.tumblr.com/tagged/your+topic www.mturk.com
your-topic.alltop.com www.odesk.com


EG: beer.alltop.com


Making Contact


Dear Blogger:

Love, Website

A single step approach to outreach leads to getting what you want, or not.
Usually, no one ends up happy here.


Hi John,

I’m Sam from LearnToCook.com. We’re running a
competition for bloggers to win an iPad and a
‘Learn To Cook’ gift box.

Let me know if you’re interested in entering
your blog, and I’ll send you all the details.

Best wishes,
Samantha

A shorter introductory email means you can contact more people, but with lower
barriers to response it is usually more engaging.


Dear Blogger:
Dear Blogger:
Dear Website:
Dear Website:

Love, Website
Love, Website
Love, Blogger
Love, Blogger

A longer conversation – a „multi-step‟ approach – likely brings better results.
If there‟s only one change you make to your outreach efforts, do this.
It forces you to build relationships.

Rob Ousbey

First Contact Strategy

For example:

• Follow them on Twitter
• Comment on their blog
• Retweet something of theirs
• Tweet at them
• Comment again on their blog
• Email them

Rob Ousbey

First Contact Strategy

Follow Blog Comment Retweet @ mention Email
Jonathan Smith ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Joseph Bloggs ✓ ✓
Annabelle Other ✓
Stanley Burrell ✓ ✓


Objections


Objections

☺ Would you like to link to MyShop.com?

☺ I can‟t right now

☺ Would there be a better time?

☺ Sure, I‟m traveling at the moment, but I‟ll be back next week.


Objections

☺ Could you link to our „Computers‟ page?

☺ I‟d love to, but I have a relationship with another PC retailer.

☺ We also have an „electronics‟ section, which is also awesome.

☺ Sure.


Objections

☺ Can you link to our „Hawaii Vacations‟ page?

☺ Sorry, the site has a policy of not linking to commercial content.

☺ What about our free „Pacific Travel‟ ebook?

☺ I‟d love to.


Objections

☺ Can you share our „reduce your electricity bill‟ guide
with your readers?

☺ That looks really cool, but I‟m far too busy
at the moment.

☺ No problem. If you only have a few seconds, but would
like to help, perhaps you could retweet this for me?

☺ Retweeted.


Objections

A few objections will account for
a massive proportion of the people you contact.

This will take Hustle & Ingenuity.


Journalists


Contacting Journalists

Contacting the News Desk can be reasonably successful –
for news

Contacting the journalist is fine – but no one persuades
them to write a particular story first time

If you‟re an expert – plus personable, respectful – you’ll be
a useful contact for them to have


PRIORITY:

Stay on their radar.

(But don‟t overdo it.)


Back to the
Process


Know your VIPs
Very invested in / big fans of your brand
Knew you well when you contacted them
Might talk about you regularly on Twitter
May already link to your new content
Have responded to outreach in the past


Keep your VIPs

Keep in touch
Flatter them
Give them things that will benefit you
Give them anything else you can think of


Outreach
Metrics


Outreach Metrics

Simplest measure that exists: Unique Linking Domains Acquired

Data comes from:
Your own success information
Tweets, analytics services
SEOmoz / OpenSiteExplorer


Outreach Metrics

Derivative metrics, eg: ULDs / hour

Allows for work to be broken down by tactic

Classifying links gives more detailed information about ROI


With No
Anchor Text Anchor Text

Great

Good

Average

Poor


With No
Anchor Text Anchor Text

Great 3 18

Good 5

Average 16 22

Poor


Tools


Buzzstream

ToutApp

FollowerWonk

Linkstant


Linkstant.com – new link alert tool.
Downside: built by some amateur hacker. Upside: at least it‟s free.


Look for people
with hustle
that are smart
who can get things done
who demonstrate creativity
constantly solving problems
who are continuously improving
with passionate about the brand

to get working on Outreach for your brand.


Create a „multi-step‟ process
for your outreach


Consider how you can improve
„first contact‟


Tabulate objections


Stay on the radar of the
right journalists


Know your VIPs and
do something awesome for them


Track your metrics
Analyze them
Iteratively improve them


Hustle

Thank you!
@RobOusbey

Rob Ousbey

Outreach for SEO: Is it all about Hustle?

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