Stacey MacNaught
@staceycav
MacNaught Digital
Securing Links BEFORE You
Produce Your Content
https://www.staceymacnaught.co.uk

Me when I’m
launching
a new content
project.
@staceycav

Me when it
doesn’t get the
traction I expected.
@staceycav

For almost ¾ of people in outreach, hitting
targets is “hit or miss” at best.
https://www.staceymacnaught.co.uk/outreach-statistics/@staceycav #brightonseo

Failure can happen anywhere in the process
@staceycav #brightonseo

I’m going to focus here today.
@staceycav #brightonseo

300+ linking domains
at its peak
4 key nationals
“secured” before
we commissioned
the survey
@staceycav

89% of its links secured after active promotion
ended and based on research done before
the survey was even commissioned.
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

Producing content can be expensive.
So by the time you go into production,
you ideally should have…
@staceycav #brightonseo

1Validated your idea
@staceycav #brightonseo

2Devised a well researched
media list based
@staceycav #brightonseo

3Journalists already
interested in your story
@staceycav #brightonseo

Understanding audience is everything.
@staceycav #brightonseo

I asked 1,000 people to complete the
sentence
@staceycav #brightonseo

I asked 1,000 people to complete the
sentence
Daily Mail readers are…..
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

Other common answers
“Tories”
“Bigots”
“Right wing”
“Gullible”
“Awesome”
@staceycav #brightonseo

And a special mention for…
“People who enjoy crosswords
and puzzles”
@staceycav #brightonseo

So, what exactly
does this have
to do with link
building?
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

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@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

Misunderstanding the audience of
your target publications is a common
reason your content doesn’t get
published.
@staceycav #brightonseo

(I’m not suggesting we all assume Daily
Mail readers are idiots and bigots –
extreme example!)
@staceycav #brightonseo

But humans make assumptions and
have subconscious biases.
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

Daily mail
readers are
millennials.
https://www.mailmetromedia.co.uk/wp-content/themes/mailbrands/pdf/audience/audience-mailonline.pdf

https://www.mailmetromedia.co.uk/wp-content/themes/mailbrands/pdf/audience/audience-mailonline.pdf
Daily mail
readers are
Mums.

https://www.mailmetromedia.co.uk/wp-content/themes/mailbrands/pdf/audience/audience-mailonline.pdf
Daily mail
readers are
foodies.

Study media kits.
@staceycav #brightonseo

This will confirm some things you
already know…
@staceycav #brightonseo

http://www.northernandshell.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/media/static-files/nsplus/Daily-Star-Media-
Pack-2015.pdf

But equally it can turn up
findings about their audience
you might not have considered
before.
@staceycav #brightonseo

Use your
findings in your
pitch emails….
@staceycav

Study them for each
campaign….
@staceycav #brightonseo

But if you’re in the content
marketing game, just study
them anyway. Become familiar
with them.
@staceycav #brightonseo

Here’s a list of some of them I compiled:
@staceycav #brightonseo
http://bit.ly/media-kits-uk

(They also sometimes tell you
the best topics to be pitching at
certain times)
@staceycav #brightonseo

It’s also important to
understand the different desks
within any publication
@staceycav #brightonseo

Pitch the most relevant one.

Know your snowball sources
@staceycav #brightonseo

Mail Online never links these
days. But I go after it every
single time.
@staceycav #brightonseo

Because, not only do a load of
smaller regional and local
papers run their stories, but so
too do other Nationals.
@staceycav #brightonseo

Sun did not respond to emails
about a recent piece, then…
@staceycav #brightonseo

I find the Mail lands other Nationals
regularly.
So too does the Sun and the
Standard. But do your research
around your niche.
@staceycav #brightonseo

That will give you great insight
about which publications
should be top priority.
@staceycav #brightonseo

I contact 3 to 5 journalists
before producing any content
or commissioning any research
because I want to…
@staceycav #brightonseo

1Validate my idea
@staceycav #brightonseo

3Get journalists interested in
my story
@staceycav #brightonseo

This helps to improve your ideas and
secure interest.
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

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And can also save you some
expensive mistakes.
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

So how do we
make that
approach?
@staceycav #brightonseo

The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

How do you ask a stranger for a
favour?
@staceycav #brightonseo

You don’t have to.
There should be mutual benefits.
@staceycav #brightonseo

My Bible.
(Or 400 pages on
getting your own way)
@staceycav

“Reciprocity”
Humans naturally
return favours.
@staceycav

”I’ve a couple of questions
still to add. Is there anything
you’d want me to ask for
you?”
@staceycav #brightonseo

“Commitment and
Consistency”
Contact journalists
whose work suggests
an alignment with
your planned content.

Is there demand for
what you want to
produce?
(Not essential, but definitely
useful!)
@staceycav #brightonseo

Remember this….
@staceycav #brightonseo

89% of its links secured after active promotion
ended and based on research done before
the survey was even commissioned.
@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

Idea was finalised based
on this…
@staceycav #brightonseo

This is why it builds links passively.
@staceycav #brightonseo

And it’s not just stats queries people
search to find content of the sort we
often produce…
@staceycav #brightonseo

So, you’ve got demand.
You’ve got journalists interested.
Your idea is awesome (and
validated).

Do you need to produce content
to land the links and coverage you
want?
@staceycav

IMHO: Often, but not always.
@staceycav #brightonseo

Little “stuff” without a big asset at
the centre of it can also land links
from top tier sites.
@staceycav #brightonseo

Daft little puzzles STILL work:

Circa 15 inbound links….
@staceycav #brightonseo

Distributing images under Creative
Commons still works…

Founder Interview Pitches and
Profiles work…
@staceycav #brightonseo

Side note: Here’s a list of publications
that regularly run founder interviews
https://bit.ly/founder-opps@staceycav #brightonseo

And here’s a book by Paddy Moogan
packed full of ways to build links.
http://www.linkbuildingbook.com/@staceycav #brightonseo

@staceycav #brightonseo

Just don’t make content
marketing the only way you
build links.
@staceycav #brightonseo

And before you produce a
thing, make sure it’s the right
thing and the best way to
achieve your objectives.
@staceycav #brightonseo

stacey@macnaughtdigital.co.uk