Delete inactive email addresses from your list<\/strong> \u2013 Even though you worked hard to get those emails, you risk low engagement rates and someone eventually unsubscribing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nGuest posting is when you publish on other websites. This gives you a couple of benefits:<\/p>\n
\nYou get a boost to your website traffic.<\/li>\n You expose your brand to a new audience.\u00a0<\/li>\n The earned link contributes to your backlink profile and can boost your\u00a0SEO.\u00a0<\/li>\n You can make new connections in the industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe other side of the deal gets free quality content for their readers. So you don\u2019t need to feel awkward when pitching your articles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can find guest blogging opportunities just by Googling them. You can use search operators<\/a> to get more relevant results, e.g., (blockchain OR crypto) AND (\u201cguest post\u201d OR \u201cguest article\u201d)<\/code>.\u00a0<\/p>\nIt\u2019s easier with Ahrefs\u2019 SEO Toolbar<\/a> and any Ahrefs premium plan. You can then vet your opportunities as you Google them with the help of SEO metrics like Domain Rating (DR) or organic website traffic.<\/p>\n<\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n
5. Pitch to podcasts and newsletters<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Podcasts and newsletters are natural places for businesses to be featured in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nPodcasts often interview business owners, managers, and other professionals.\u00a0<\/li>\n Newsletters don\u2019t shy away from featuring good articles coming from businesses.<\/li>\n Some of them directly promote tried and tested products.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nYou can find podcasts and newsletters to pitch the same way you\u2019ll look for guest posting opportunities (see section above).<\/p>\n
Additionally, there\u2019s a possibility someone already made a list of places where you send your pitch, so simply try Googling things like \u201cbest [your niche] podcasts\u201d<\/code>.<\/p>\nBeing featured on podcasts and newsletters usually won\u2019t cost you anything. But oftentimes, there\u2019s a paid option too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So depending on your budget, you can sponsor a couple of episodes, and you can do it repeatedly in different places.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve found out that\u2019s an effective tactic for brand awareness that pays off in the long run\u2014you can read about our experiences with podcast advertising in this article<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n
6. Ask bloggers and magazines to review your product<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Chances are, you will find plenty of opportunities to get your product reviewed.<\/p>\n
\nPeople look for reviews of brands they are interested in or even trust (still, they need someone else\u2019s opinion before they\u00a0buy).<\/li>\n People look for the best in a given category. Regardless of the\u00a0brand.<\/li>\n People even ask Google the same questions as they would a real person.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAside from simply searching for similar product reviews on Google or YouTube, a good idea is to check where your competitors got their reviews. One reason is that reviewing similar products is a chance for the reviewer to demonstrate neutrality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can find opportunities that fit the bill by analyzing backlinks:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nPlug in your competitor\u2019s URL in Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\nGo to the Backlinks<\/strong> report<\/li>\nSet the \u201cWord or phrase\u201d filter to Ref. page URL: Contains and type in \u201creview\u201d<\/li>\n Hit \u201cApply\u201d<\/li>\n On the results page, change the mode to \u201cOne link per domain\u201d to get a list of websites featuring your competitor\u2019s products<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nGoing forward, the crucial part of the process is the pitch itself. Here are a few tips for sending your review pitch. You\u00a0can:<\/p>\n
\nSend personalized messages.\u00a0<\/li>\n Tell a bit about your company.<\/li>\n Send requests via the provided contact channel. It\u2019s a sign that you\u2019ve read the review guidelines and respect the reviewers.\u00a0<\/li>\n Explain who your product is for and why the reviewer\u2019s audience will be interested.\u00a0<\/li>\n Provide a full media pack with pictures, videos, and tech specs (if applicable). What may also be effective is offering a live online demo.<\/li>\n Show where your product has already been featured. You can also share testimonials from your customers.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n
7. Answer journalist requests to get free\u00a0press<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Have you ever wondered where journalists get all those expert quotes?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of them are from services like HARO, where journalists simply post requests for quotes.\u00a0<\/p>\nSample journalist request via\u00a0HARO.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThis is your chance to earn a high DR link and even generate awareness for your business for\u00a0free.\u00a0<\/p>\nAll you need to do is sign up for a service like HARO<\/a>, SourceBottle<\/a>, or Terkel<\/a>. Then provide your best answer ASAP.<\/p>\nWhile using these services, you\u2019ll likely receive a lot of emails. So a nice little trick here is to use email filters.<\/p>\nLearn more:<\/strong> Digital PR: The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Making Your Brand Unmissable<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n
8. Leverage user-generated content on social media<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Social media is awkward for brands. Brands are like that new guy at a party who is told, \u201cJust blend in, and you\u2019ll be fine.\u201d Maybe except for LinkedIn, for obvious reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure, brands can run ads and perform customer service. But the main challenge with social media is having something to say on a consistent, day-to-day basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the best solutions for that is to feature user-generated content (UGC) from customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s a natural type of content for all kinds of social marketing platforms. Because social media is supposed to be about people, not businesses.<\/li>\n You can post it regularly.<\/li>\n It\u2019s an effective, non-intrusive form of promotion.<\/li>\n It amplifies word of mouth<\/a> because it provides something to talk about. Authors will tell their friends they\u2019ve been featured by a cool brand. Other users will engage in conversations with the authors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHere are some examples. Notice they all feature the product one way or another:<\/p>\n
A lot of that content will happen organically. Someone will post a photo or video tagging your brand. You can then repost it or ask that person for permission to post on your channel. This way, you may even come across future brand ambassadors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But you can also encourage UGC:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nRun a contest<\/strong> \u2013 It can be a regular contest where the author of the best picture wins (likes from other users can be treated as\u00a0votes).\u00a0<\/li>\nLaunch an official hashtag\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\nOffer something in return <\/strong>\u2013 Examples: a freebie, a discount code,\u00a0etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe general rule here is that your social media content has to have a human face. So here are some alternative options.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Option 1. Show the people behind the company and their work. This works great for craftsmen, artisans, and artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Option 2. Give your social media account a personality. Don\u2019t be just another boring company.<\/p>\n
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9. Try affiliate marketing networks for merchants\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In affiliate marketing, the merchant is the company or person that offers something for sale. And as you probably already know, in this type of marketing, you let other people (affiliates) promote your product for a share of profits from the sales they helped to generate.<\/p>\n
Affiliate marketing needs very little upfront investment. Most of the costs are performance-based (you pay only if you make money), so you can start practically risk-free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the options is to create your own program. But that may need quite a lot of work and an established brand to attract affiliates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So probably the easiest way to get started with this type of marketing is to join a network like ClickBank<\/a>, ShareASale<\/a>, or GiddyUp<\/a>. They provide the tech and affiliates as\u00a0well.\u00a0<\/p>\nYou simply set up your profile, upload your product info, and you\u2019re ready to get discovered by influencers in your niche or select the ones you\u2019ll like to work with (depending on what your network offers).<\/p>\n
Then affiliates are ready to include your product in their content (if they think it\u2019s worth recommending). For example, here\u2019s<\/a> an article on setting up a home recording studio by Musician on a Mission.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe Focusrite 2i2 is an affiliate link. It\u2019s a great product, by the\u00a0way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to Site Explorer<\/a>, this article gets an estimated 10K organic visits (and this is probably not the only traffic source to this piece). There\u2019s definitely potential in affiliate marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n