On April 23, we held our fourth installment of #LinkaratiChat. Our topic was Creative Link Building.
This time, we were proud to have Paul Shapiro of Search Wilderness as our featured guest. He provided an endless barrage of useful advice and innovative tactics. Honestly, I wish the chat could have lasted longer so we all could have picked his brain some more.
Similar to previous chats, we asked six questions, and allotted roughly ten minutes to each.
So without further ado, let’s get to the recap!
What’s a Unique Way to Use a Marketing Tool for Link Building?
Linkarati staff writer Andrew Dennis kicked us off by saying:
A1: You can use @BuzzSumo to find content that has been popular with niche influencers in the past. (1/2) #LinkaratiChat
— Andrew Dennis (@AndrewDennis33) April 23, 2015
A1: Then use this information to guide your own linkable asset creation. Process outlined here http://t.co/FVIblzITpV (2/2) #LinkaratiChat — Andrew Dennis (@AndrewDennis33) April 23, 2015
BuzzSumo is an incredible tool for building a content strategy. It allows you to search for the influencers in your niche. Once you pinpoint who these influencers are, you can inspect their best performing content. It’s helpful for content ideation - you can see what kind of content has worked well in the past, and create your own version of that content.
A1: I was reading some academic journal articles... #LinkaratiChat
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
A1: One particular caught my eye. Waitresses who mimic the language of the people they are servicing received higher tips. #LinkaratiChat — Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
A1: So...We can use text mining on social profiles to quickly assess common phrases our prospects use to be more effective #LinkaratiChat
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
After reading an article in an academic journal, Shapiro was inspired to use tools to find popular phrases people are using in his niche. It’s an amazing idea. The more you can legitimately relate to the people in your business, the more likely you are to open up link opportunities. This idea was inspired by an atypical source, which is a great segue for our second question.
Where Do You Get Inspiration for Link Building Creativity?
Just as there’s such a thing as writer’s block, there’s absolutely such a thing as link builder’s block. How can you overcome it? Here’s a suggestion from ThinkSEM:
A2. Social media. If you tap into like-minded community that shares/amplifies your content, you'll get links. (vice versa) #LinkaratiChat — ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) April 23, 2015
One principle of content ideation is the idea of giving your audience what they want, but it’s always not easy to identify what that want is. Thankfully in the age of growing social media, link builders can watch their audience engage and ask questions. If you see a certain question recur that’s relevant to your niche, answer it in the form of a post. Not only are you creating content, but you’re creating content that you know people want. Devin Boudreaux had another idea:
A2: practical experience honestly #LinkaratiChat
— Devin (@DevDawg) April 23, 2015
Edmund Burke once said, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” Sometimes however, the past is worth repeating. Look what’s worked for you in the past. If you can figure out a way to apply it to the present, there’s a lot of power in that.
How Do You Determine Whether a Creative Idea is Worth Pursuing?
Just because an idea is creative doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. The idea may sound interesting, but the more you consider it, the more you realize that it’s an inefficient use of time. How do you separate the best from the worst? Here’s an idea courtesy of Linkarati’s managing editor, Cory Collins:
A3: Another great gut check for the merit of a creative idea is imagine explaining to the client. If you cringe...well #LinkaratiChat — Cory Collins (@Coryrcollins) April 23, 2015
If you can’t even muster up the will to explain the strategy to your client, that’s an indication that it’s not worth pursuing. If you’re proud of the idea or you’re unsure, that’s one thing. If, however, you are fairly positive the client won’t be interested at all, then it’s time to reject the idea and move on.
A3: Personally I use @Trello and organize my link building ideas like this... #LinkaratiChat pic.twitter.com/le0Qxj6lVh
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
A3: Everything goes into the idea panel initially... #LinkaratiChat — Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
A3: ...and then you come back to it the next day & decide the idea is crap or it's friggin' awesome and move it. #LinkaratiChat
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
Sometimes time can be inspiration’s best friend. When you have an idea that you’re unsure of, write it down. You don’t necessarily have to think about it for the next 24 hours - just come back to it after a bit of time. If you’re still excited about it after 24 hours, that’s a good sign. If you still can’t reconcile your reservations, than perhaps it’s time to dump the idea.
What is an Interesting Creative Twist to Link Prospecting?
Our fourth question centered around link prospecting. Here’s what Anthony Randall had to say:
A4: i like browsing links pages. a good links page will help you find several targets. #linkaratichat — Anthony Randall (@tonyxrandall) April 23, 2015
When you come across a link prospect, you can use that site as a source for even more link prospects. There are a few ways of going about this. For example, if a site chooses to link to you, you can ask that site owner about other link prospects he/she thinks are worth pursuing. Sometimes you don’t even need to ask. If they have a links page, look at it. Or you could run a backlink report on the site. Here’s what Don Rhoades had to say:
A4: One component of our prospecting process has become list hygiene. The less dead ones we have, the better our return. #linkaratichat — Don Rhoades (@TheGonzoSEO) April 23, 2015
If you’ve been running a link building campaign for a long time, you’re going to have a long list of prospects, ones you converted and ones you didn’t. The list of sites you didn’t get a link on is likely to be longer. These are sites you can still outreach in the future though. So it’s important to maintain such a list, so you don’t waste time chasing dead sites.
What’s Your Favorite Creative Approach to Outreach?
It’s often been said that outreach is the most important process in link building. You should always be learning about new tips to improve your outreach. Here’s one from Dusty Aunan:
A5: I like talking about my favorite band from the blog owner's city or state as a way to find common ground. #LinkaratiChat — Dusty Aunan (@DustyAunan) April 23, 2015
Bad outreach is often bad because it’s entirely impersonal. Site owners don’t like to be treated as just another link prospect. They like to be treated as what they are: humans. This is why you should look for common ground. That common ground can come in the form of anything, from music to gardening. Here’s another great tip, this time from Linkarati staff writer Meghan Cahill:
A5: Believe it or not, I've had resounding success with bad puns. Not that I think this should be a cornerstone strategy. #LinkaratiChat — Meghan Cahill (@PageOneMeghan) April 23, 2015
No one likes reading link pitches that look as though they were composed by a robot. Outreach is much more captivating when you can insert jokes or timely references. Bad puns may not be appropriate for every niche. In some cases however, you will find that a disproportionately high number of people will respond.
Any Last Tips or Advice for Blending Creativity Into the Pursuit of Links?
Kate Smith said the following:
A6: Take the time to actually TALK to people. So much can come out of good conversation with webmasters. #LinkaratiChat
— Kate Smith (@SmittyQ14) April 23, 2015
Link building isn’t just link building - it’s relationship building as well. When you’re pursuing quality links, you engage with some of the most influential people in your niche. It’s important to treat them with respect. The more you treat them like humans instead of link machines, the more likely they’ll link to you. And when they do link to you, you’ve opened up potential partnership and marketing opportunities, both online and off.
Finally, here was the last tip from our esteemed featured guest:
A6: Be vigilant, hustle, keep your eye on the prize, & stay organized. Do so & your creativity will flourish (+ be effective) #LinkaratiChat
— Paul Shapiro (@fighto) April 23, 2015
Link building is highly work intensive. And the work that you do can be ineffective. Even the most talented link builders face a hefty amount of rejection emails. It’s important to remember to never take it personally, and to keep trying.
See You Next Time
And that’s it! Thanks for reading our recap of the #LinkaratiChat. We really enjoy hosting this chat, so we plan on doing another one on Thursday, May 7. We hope you come chat with us. As for those of you who participated in this particular chat:
