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Jan
08
Networking - Just Do It
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Guest post by Fiar from Humor Blogging
What does it take to get noticed by a more influential blogger? It’s something we all strive to do, but we often feel as if we need to know a secret handshake for entry into an exclusive club.
Mariam from Money Relations asked a question that exemplifies this sentiment:
I have a question:
A lot has been made about the importance of having powerful network friends. What is your view on this? Obviously, we want to get connected to the right people, but how do you network with people beyond your blog social status?I always get intimidated as I don’t have anything to offer to the big blogs. What I’ve been comfortable with is networking within my own blog peer group and I find that we are of great support to each other.
How do I break through this social barrier?
Mariam isn’t the only one with this view of being in a different sphere from more influential bloggers. It’s pretty much everyone who has this concern, and that’s why her comment on the previous Networking the Right Way post provoked me to respond in depth.
What is the difference between your site and a more successful one? I believe that the difference is not one of quality. It’s a difference in Networking. The best way to advance your blog’s “social status” is to raise the awareness of it’s existence.
You may look at the subscriber count, or the number of comments and pingbacks on a high profile blog and think, “There’s no way I can compete with that.” In spite of the number of people vying for attention through comments and pingbacks, a very small percentage will take that next - and important - step and send an email introducing themselves.
That, all by itself, sets you apart from the crowd. Honestly. It’s just that easy. Just say “Hi.”
Allow me to share a few of my own experiences where I benefited from simply having the courage to take the chance and contact a few bloggers that were out of my blog’s “social status.” (Note to self: These are good reasons to follow my own advice more often).
Due to the fact that a number of these bloggers publish politically charged blogs, I would prefer not to name or link them, because I do not want to distract from the purpose of this article with political quarrels. The focus here is to overcome the idea that your site is lower profile because it deserves to be, and replace it with a focus on having the courage to take action that will make it noticed.
Whether you get dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of visitors each day does not matter. The principle remains the same that the only reason a blogger from a higher “social status” hasn’t noticed you has zero to do with the quality of your content, and everything to do with making it a point to get noticed.
Going back in time, I had a relatively new political humor blog that got literally tens of visitors… on a good day. I certainly didn’t think I had something extraordinary to offer a blog with thousands of visitors. Here are a few cases where I was proven wrong on that.
Just Say Hi
The “just say hi” blogger was a contributor to a Technorati top 100 blog. I didn’t have a chance of getting the attention of such a high profile blogger, right? Well, I sent him an email that simply introduced myself. I simply said “hi” and that I like his content. I finished by thanking him for his time. That’s it. I asked for nothing in return.
This led to an exchange of email for a short period. A few days later, he linked to a post on my blog. He still stops by and comments occasionally, and gives me a link.
Just Ask for a Link
Although I recommend establishing a relationship first, before asking for anything in return, sometimes it’s necessary to just ask for a link. The “just ask for a link” blogger is a contributor to a popular political humor site that gets about 12,000 visits per day. I sent him an email that followed this format: Intro, praise, link, thanks. I stated who I was, noted the value I had received from some of his advice, and told him he might enjoy the post I had written. Then I thanked him for giving me his valuable time.
I didn’t actually ask for a link. That part is merely implied. He replied that he did in fact enjoy it, and would let me know when the post linking to me went live. I got about 100 visits from his link. More importantly, I got noticed.
Just Notify
The “just notify” blogger is pretty influential, and is a power user on social media. I added him as a “friend” and then sent him a note telling him that I added him. He responded by adding me as a “friend” on the site as well.I am now “friends” with a power user that can submit my posts to the social media site, if I ask.
The same principle can also apply to a blog. Just as a power user probably doesn’t notice each and every friend add, a high profile blogger doesn’t notice each and every comment or pingback. The act of telling an influential blogger that you “friended” him/her or linked to his/her site calls attention to your action.
Email a blogger to say, “I added you as a friend,” or “I linked to your post.” You might be happily surprised by the response.
Just Don’t Give Up
I don’t want to leave you with the impression that I am batting 1000 here. I’m not, but it is a good metaphor. In baseball, you’re considered to be a good hitter if you have a batting average over 300. That means it’s considere good to fail two thirds of the time. Then again, think about it. How would you like to turn 30% of your visitors into subscribers? What if 30% of your readers bought something from an affiliate? 30% is pretty good… Unless you’re a surgeon.
The “just don’t give up blogger” has an active community and receives over 8000 visitors a day. I sent an email introducing myself, thanking him for his time, and telling him that he might like the post that I wrote. The next day I had over 400 visitors from his site. He replied by email that he thought my post was hilarious, and I have been added to his blogroll.
But wait! Didn’t I say I failed? Well, I did. The next several attempts to get a link yielded nothing. Not even an email reply. Zip.Maybe it was all just beginners luck.
I didn’t give up. I had that a series of posts were worth his attention. I wrote to him recognizing that it’s time consuming to read four posts, and I know his time is valuable. Then, I did something important. I promised that it would be well worth his time. It was only a matter of hours before almost 900 vistors streamed in from his blog to mine.
Persistence pays. Confidence cashes in.
I’m not trying to toot my own horn here. My step-daughter always says, “It’s not nice to toot your own horn.” My goal here is to show my own experience here. The difference between the blogger that takes a step forward and the one that doesn’t may be as simple as saying “Hi.”
One thing I didn’t mention is Just Ask. Who knows? You just might inspire an entire post 
. Just do it. Just say “Hi.” You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Hi. I’m Fiar. I write a blog called Humor Blogging that combines original humor with an analysis of humor. The goal of the site is to create a resource for, and community of humor writers that wish to showcase their work, and learn to be better humor writers. I hope you’ll check it out.
Nice post again Ritu,
Only thing to add to this would be that while its fine to ask for someone to check out an article. Sometimes its as easy as linking a post of theirs to add a track back too. Most people like to check out who’s linking to them to see if its another splog or not anyways. So if you’re too shy to ask, why not try the track back method too.
As for asking for links or requesting people to have them look at your site. Do it in moderation. The last thing you want is to get labeled a spammer. Being polite, and just dropping a note every now and then is fine.
Fiar, this is great!
A beautifully presented, well written and practical post on how to get noticed.
Didn’t Thomas Edison once say “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” - Don’t give up!
Ritu, thanks for your wonderful guest blogger!
Awesome write-up on the etiquette to go about this and the follow through.
I sure benefited from this and I know countless others did as well!
Thanks, Ritu!
Yes, just do it like the nike slogan. I mean what’s the worst that could happen? The influential blogger might just ignore you that’s all. You only fail when you fail to try!
Wonderful post. I like your “Just Do It” attitude, of course with wisdom implied.
Blessings
Gamy
That’s a great article. Thanks for posting it.
Andy
[...] check out Networking - Just Do It, a guest post I wrote at [...]
Ahhh, Fiar!
Ever the blogging diplomat… Or should I say “Ambassador of the blogosphere”?
Great post! Kudos!
You bring up some great points about networking that I often take for granted. Thanks for giving us the examples of steps we can take to get into the sacred Powerblogger’s radar.
Looking forward to more linkable articles like this one in the New Year…
[...] This is the topic I explore in a guest post on WorkNPlay.net, Netwoking - Just Do It. [...]
@Mitch, that certainly can work. What I’m suggesting is to stand out from the many who are trying that technique and stopping there. The way to stand out is to take it one step further. I agree about not spamming. As you can see, for the most part, I am recommending simply introducing yourself. If you must ask for a link, do so with gratitude. Find who is responsive and who isn’t. Stick with what works.
@Lid, thanks, and the Edison quote is a great one.
@Mariam, thank you. The lesson is to stay reminded of the value of this strategy. I took a bit of my own advice over the last 24 hours. We’ll sa how it works out.
@Ryan, exactly. Trying and failing isn’t really failure, it’s learning. Not trying is guaranteed to fail, and it doesn’t produce any learning either.
@Gamy Rachel, thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked it.
@Andy M, You’re welcome. Thanks for the enthusiasm.
@Lucy Dee, Thanks for the support. Ambassador of the Blogosphere, indeed. I hope to see that come true
. I think one point here is that the “sacred powerblogger” is more busy than sacred. This method helps crack through being overlooked due to a busy schedule.
Oh, yes. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Ritu for featuring my guest post. Thank you very much.
Fiar,
Thank you for an insightful post. It was a pleasure to publish it on WNP
May I add one thing? One of my clients was looking to get a subscriber rush, and we were discussing the merits of commenting as a marketing tool. He asked me to compile a list of appropriate blogs. One that I mentioned had their subscriber count published - just under 1500. That number was over three times the subscriber count of the client. He said, “No, he’s small news. I want big.”
You can gain a lot from gradually expanding your circle to slightly bigger bloggers. If you move up one “level” (and I hate myself for acknowledging that there are levels) every couple of months, you’re in the big time pretty darn quick.
Great post. Great ideas. Awesome.
Well I’ll give it a crack… Hello.
Finally, my failures as a blogger explained. I’m sure it had nothing at all to do with my past lousy content, prickly attitude, and laziness.
While were on the topic of helpful hints, this may be the appropriate venue for this. Mild content warning. Offered in the spirit in which it was written.
hi ritu,
good advice here
I like the advice
just do it!
comment etiquette is vital to get attention
Nice post here, Fiar. Also, good job to you too Ritu, for discovering such talent. The answer is always “no” if you never ask, so don’t be afraid and ask away. You have to be proactive to make it in the blogging world!
@Naomi, it’s probably a lot easier to get the attention of someone that is only “One step” more prominent than you are. Especially when you consider that some of the really influential bloggers have assistants or autoresponders deal with their email. 1500 subscribers would be an excellent target for a startup.
@Pope Terry, Lol. Hello, but I already know you.
@RichJ, In spite of what you think, you’re both funny and creative. It’s the ambition, motivation, and/or determination that you lack. The talent is there. Not deleting your blogs every 3 months helps.
Insult any commentors who visit your site even if they agree with you.
I can vouch for the fact that Rich practices what he preaches here.
@lankapo, thanks for the comment.
@turtie, The answer is always “no†if you never ask
Excellent way to put it.
link to them first, even without their permission. When they come around to following that link, and they like what they see, they could even link you back.
at the very least, they visit.
I read this a few days ago and thought it was a great article. Another great read by Fiar and insightful advice too.
Hi Fiar,
My name is Binh. This is the first time I see your blog and I really like it. After reading 2 of your post (this is the 2nd) I found your posts teach me a lot and I love reading them.
Your “Networking - Just Do It” made me realise that I’ve been lacking too much in networking and that may be why my blog is not growing up much. It does grow but in a super slow speed.
I always wanted to make friends not just link partners. Since you are so good at it I hope you could visit my blog and give me some suggestions on how things should be done.
Currently my blog is under redesign so I slow down the posting and many things I need to say still unsaid.
I know your time is valuable so your visit will be really appreciated. I will check out your blog frequently to dig deep into the archive and read new posts.
Regards,
Binh Nguyen
Hi Ritu,
So sorry about the misunderstood. This is my first time and there are many things I don’t know.
I thought this blog belong to Fiar the author of this post. Just now I see this post is guest post. Don’t know what to say now…
Thanks both of you for this great post. Fiar for writing it, and Ritu for publishing it.
I will learn more from both of you.
Cheers,
Binh
This is such a great article. Really enjoyed reading it.