It’s easy to get overwhelmed as a content creator.  Unless we stay away from our computers & phone then every day we are inundated with content from all sides.  

Logically we assume, if there is so much content out there, then how is my content going to get seen.
By applying a little bit of pre-planning, you will greatly increase your odds. 

The benefit of having so much content produced is that we also have a lot of data available about what works and what doesn’t.

Content creators which use case study’s, research & data tools to their advantage will win in today’s content marketing world. 
​
Check through this list and see how many of these content types you create on your blog. 
​
1. Quiz Results

Sharing a result like “I am 65% left brain and 35% right brain”, is a piece of information you will be proud about and which connects you with your friends & family.  It opens up a conversation & will very likely get them to try the quiz too. There are tons of quiz building tools out there.

www.tryinteract.com/ is a tool I tried for several months, they have tons of templates and it's very easy to use.  


2. Secret information 

Placing “Don’t share this” at the beginning of your content usually has the opposite effect. This is why secret bars & restaurants become so popular so fast. 

Credit thrillist.com for image

And the reason many platforms start on an invite-only basis.   

The idea that you have information or access that someone else doesn't, is powerful and it is very difficult not to share that. 

3. Book Reviews & Summaries

I’d like us to start creating content on this.  Not only will it encourage me to read more, but it is very useful for our audience to access summaries of books they don’t have time to read. 

It’s a win, win, you get more knowledge, your audience gets content they love to share.   Tai Lopez built a lot of his audience on this premise, as have many other successful entrepreneurs. 

4. Research & Original Data

Carrying out small surveys and sharing the data makes high-value content. Neville from Kopy Course does this really well. He creates mini-experiments on a topic and then shares the results. Check out his latest: Do Tattoos Affect How People View You In The Workplace. 

5. How to’s

As human beings, we are obsessed with learning about the quickest way to get the result we want. 

Searching “How to XXXX” is a route many of us take before carrying out any task.  How to lists make great evergreen content which can be updated over time. 

Just make sure that you don’t change the URL when you update the post and insert a small piece of text at the top saying “post updated XXX” to alert Google to the freshness of your content. 

6. Infographics

No doubt you are probably rolling your eyes at this one. Sure, they have been around for a long, long time. I've included infographics because well thought out and high-quality infographics still work.   

​Infographics are really easy to consumer & share.  Just make sure that your infographic focuses on data visualization or telling a story in a unique way (like above).  It is more than grouping a bunch of icons in one space. 

7. Big Lists

Lists, like this make fantastic pillar posts - posts which over time can gather many social shares and links. If put together well, with solid advice, pictures and resource links then you’ll find them to be a very popular type of content to create.

Research your topic and find out the size of list your competitors have created - then double it. You can even reach out to the people who have linked to those previous links with your updated & improved version to see if they will link to yours instead.

8. Life Updates

Everyone has a different stance on how much of their personal life they like to share. But one thing is clear, audiences like life updates. 

Announcing your wedding, a new baby, a move to a new country etc is a way to connect with your audience on a human level.

Most people have experienced these types of life events and so you have the opportunity to engage & connect with a huge chunk of your audience. 


9. Long Form Content

In my opinion, this type of content is getting kind of ridiculous now. It started off that 1,500 - 2000 words were long form. Several years later with so many people competing, some blogs are writing posts the size of mini e-books. 

My advice with this form of content is don’t go overboard. Cover your topic comprehensively, but be careful about going over 5000 words.  You are still writing for your audience so make sure you are delivering the information in the best way. 

10. Statistics

People like to share statistics that back up their own beliefs. If there is new research released in your industry, create a visual post highlighting the statistics from the study in image format.

Share this post on social media with the images embedded and watch your share count rise.   

11. Quotes

Everyone enjoys reading an inspirational quote.  Well, we think so, which is why we have our quote of the month featured on the footer of Ginger Marketing website & email signature. 

​We also share a lot of quotes on our Instagram too.  Grouping together some inspirational quotes on a given topic can make a great post.   

This post, for example, takes the topic of stoicism (which I’m also a big fan of) and applies it to sales using a quote format. 


12. Trending Content

A great way to get shares is to capitalize on already trending topics. Check twitter for trending hashtags, or check Facebook trends for what’s hot at the moment. 

Find a way to add value to the conversation and QUICKLY create a post on it. 

Speed is the key here! You need to get your post up & published stat to enjoy the rewards of this type of content. Check here for more info on how to find trending topics on social media.

13. Image Quotes

Posts grouping quotes as images do really well and are easily share through social media channels.  Make sure they are on brand and sized correctly for Instagram & share them there too.

You could post one image per day with a call to action to click on the link in the bio to see the rest of the quotes. 


14. Lifestyle Photos & Videos

If you are a digital nomad working from exotic locations take advantage of that.  Producing original content about the life you have created for yourself inspires others to do the same & is very shareable. Videos like this can pick up millions of views and thousands of shares.  

(note, make sure sharing content like this aligns with your own values first & is a true representation - in my opinion some of these videos about traveling & growing a business can be overly optimistic & make other people feel as if they have not “made it” or are not successful.

This is from personal experience being a digital nomad & growing a remote business.  So, be careful on this one that you are sharing with integrity.  If you have created your dream life, you owe it to other people to explain exactly how you got there because they will likely tred a similar path)

15. Coupons & Money Off Deals

Everyone likes to save money and many people like to pass on those savings. You will find that coupons and money off deals get shared if you put a simple call to action & make it easy for your audience to do so. 

16. Content which makes them go AWWW

It’s pretty much impossible not to share videos of cute fluffy cats, especially if your friend loves cute fluffy cats. 

The idea that you have information or access that someone else doesnt is powerful and it is very difficult not to share that.

​17. Content which makes them go WTF

On the flip side, people like to share content which shocks them or is totally unbelievable. When sharing this type of content the person sharing has the upper hand. 

They have seen something really amazing that the other person hasn’t seen. When you have a dynamic of power like this, sharing is on the cards.

18. Emotionally Charged Images

This is a sensitive form of content creation and so should only be used for certain types of institutions.  I.e. charities of government bodies who need to deliver a serious message.  Images like these (careful, these are upsetting)  can travel around the entire world and cause real positive change. 

They cut straight through to us and cause severe emotional reactions which put us into action.   We are likely to share these images with those closest to us because we want someone else to speak to about what has happened.

19. Content with more Images

The more images you place in your content, the more likely it will be shared (in general).  Ideally, place an image every 250 - 300 words. 

A helpful tip, the space underneath the image is prime estate, something I learned from Ogilvy - one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. 

Readers naturally look below the image, use this space to write a caption or to pass over some important information about the topic (don't use the space underneath to give credit).


20. Content with a tweet this button embedded

Making it easier to share your content means that people inevitably will.  Tweet this buttons are super easy to embed now, make use of them & watch your share count increase. Free traffic - yay!

21. Content shared via an influencer

Influencers have an engaged audience who like to consume the content they share.  If you have friends in the blogging space, make sure you share your content with them! A tweet, email or Facebook share from them could create a huge boost in free traffic. 

We hope this list has been helpful and sparked some ideas! Have some more content types to add? Let us know in the comments below. 

Credit to The Gazette

Business gurus like Tim Ferris and Michael Gerber have been telling us for years that there’s a better way to run your business…and it doesn’t involve you doing everything.

But how do you get started down this road with outsourcing without spending too much or losing control?

Here are seven ideas to get you started.  They will help free up your time from mundane tasks so you can concentrate on higher level executive tasks.
​

1. Accounts and Bookkeeping
   
   

Most entrepreneurs start their new business because they have an amazing new idea or they’re a creative genius. I’ve never heard anyone say “I want to start a business so I can spend my weekends slaving over the books”.  

Many business people will be surprised at how little it costs to outsource the headache of dealing with receipts, cashflow, profit and loss etc.  

​You just need to invest in an online accountancy system such as Xero or Quickbooks and then contact a bookkeeper that is familiar with using them.

I’ve been looking at websites for over 8 years, and have developed quite a keen sense of what constitutes a real or a fake blog.   

One thing I’ve noticed is, it is getting harder to tell the difference because it is very easy to fake things like social proof, by simply buying cheap fans and engagement.

And, it is easier to set up a good looking site or blog as well because there are just so many great free templates and great, free website builders.

What is a fake blog?

A fake blog is one that has been set up along with around 200 more fake blogs for the purpose of pumping out low quality content and profiting from it.  

One webmaster and several hundred blogs does not lead to high quality editorial standards and fully researched and accurate information.  Fake blogs are not the types of places you want to go to in order to research what is the best holistic health diet to follow, or what herbal medicine is available for your toddler.

There is no integrity on these blogs.   The owners don’t care if you get the right information, just that you click a link and buy something.  Or, if you are a company that you pay to be featured on the site for SEO purposes.

Why should you avoid working with fake blogs?

Its obvious why you wouldn’t want to take health advice from these blogs, but what about guest posting?

With the recent announcement of Rank Brain, a system which Google can use to look at the quality metrics of websites - including time on page.  It has become even more important for webmasters not to be associated with these kinds of low quality sites.

If Google takes a look at your backlink profile and can tell that you’ve been associating with these types of blogs then it is a definite indicator that you have been link building against Google’s guidelines.    If you are not penalised then at best these links will be discounted and with it your hard earned rankings will drop and no-one wants that.. not even this lady.

So, do not work with fake blogs. They don’t provide any additional benefit further than a link and purely guest posting for links is a risky, risky business.

To help you build up you fakedar let’s go through the subtle signs of a fake blog now.

5 Subtle Signs Of A Spammy Or Fake Blog

1. A generic template

If you land on a blog and the template is one that you’ve seen literally everywhere then it is very likely to be a fake blog. Webmasters that create these blogs need to create a lot of them cheaply and quickly.  

They won’t put very much effort into the look of the website but instead just buy a free template and upload a ton of low quality content to make it seem like this is a blog that has been around for a while.

Often, the design is one that has a lot of categories set up, so it seems like there is a wide variety of content which makes it feel more aged. But, on closer inspection you’ll notice that one post will be in multiple different categories. You might also notice that the last post was uploaded several months, or even years ago.

Be wary of blogs which use generic templates!

   2. Too much social proof everywhere

Have you ever been to a networking event or a party and there’s that one guy that can’t stop going on about how amazing he is and all of the great stuff he has been up to? He’ll be name dropping and talking about all of his latest achievements, you just can’t get a word in.  How do you feel listening to that?

It doesn’t feel natural does it.  It feels forced, like he’s trying to prove something.   It’s the same on a blog.  We’ve all heard that social proof is a good way to show you are an expert, and it is.  Having social media numbers and shares visible on your blog is a good way to make visitors feel like they are not alone in coming to you for advice.

However, be wary of the unknown blogger who has been featured in every single top publication, who has several thousand homepage shares and displays all of their social media follower counts (which by the way are all huge).


3. Social media icons which redirect to the homepage

Another subtle sign of a fake blog is if the social media profile buttons don’t link anywhere.  Very often the site appears on face value to be legit but when you click on the social media icons they redirect back to the homepage.

This shows that the webmaster has set up a generic template, imported content and not even bothered to make sure the links work properly.  Make sure you click through and check that the blog does in fact have some kind of a social media presence.

4. No visibility of the owner

I’m pretty proud of Ginger Marketing, and I’m proud to put my name to this company and this blog. Of course,  I’m not yet at the level that I want to be, there is always room for improvement and growth and I try to improve with every single client, placement, blog post & interaction.  But, what I produce is to the best of my ability in this moment. That should be the case of the types of people you want to associate with for Digital Marketing purposes.

There are many, many nameless blogs out there with owners who are not proud of the work they are doing and so don’t want to be associated with it. If you land on a blog which does not have any description of who runs it then be wary! This could be a fake blog.


5. Traffic but no engagement

It’s gotten quite easy now to fake traffic.  Yep, that’s right, it is possible to actually fake traffic now! With sites like Traffic Junkie and others bloggers can game the system and just drive traffic to their site. Looking at pure traffic metrics is no longer an indication of a high quality blog or website.

This is the reason I talk so much about engagement metrics and how important they are. It is vitally important that you work with blogs and websites who have a real audience. Even if this audience is small, it is still an audience and that is what counts.

Growing traffic takes time, especially with so much competition.  So, be wary of any site that has managed to build high traffic in a short period of time - especially if no-one engages with their content.

We hope you've enjoyed this post! As usual let us know in the comments below. 

​To give you an idea about what dwell time could mean. A little bit tongue and cheek but this graphic from Hrefs backs up my point. The only risk for optimising for dwell time is overdoing it.  

I do see a strong trend in the online community whereby everyone is just trying to outdo each other on length of content.

It’s getting kind of ridiculous.

I love how Digital Marketers love to jump on trains.

One person notices how one metric - in this case, semantic keywords and covering a topic full and then dwell time as well impacts ranks. Then there are some studies, experts look at the theory, decide yes this looks like there is a correlation.

Then they come up with a simple tactic.

Let’s make the content longer.

And then, it becomes THE THING.

So now, blog posts are like manuals.  

Beware of following any tactic blindly. Do what is right for your audience and what is right for the topic you are covering.

If the content is good quality then your dwell time is going to be high anyway.  Readers will be engaged, reading through what you’ve written, maybe going back, double checking another point.
The thing we want to avoid is extremely low engagement metrics.

If your pages have an average dwell time of 1 minute or less then very likely readers are just skimming your content, realising it’s not relevant or of high quality and leaving.

This is a signal that

1. You don’t have the right search intent
2. You need to improve the quality of the content
   
   

As I said before, I really love that Rankbrain has got us talking about these quality metrics.  It’s a really solid reason for Marketing Managers and SEO Managers to go to their clients or company and have an argument for spending budget on the quality of the content.

Conclusion

Hopefully you have an understanding now on what this additional to the Google Algorithm does. And even more, have come away with some solid ways you can optimise for it.  Here is a quick run down of the types of things your content strategy needs to focus on.

The winners will focus on these things >>

Powerful titles

Conversion optimisation

User intent

Track time on page

Use LSI Keywords to cover a topic fully

Make sure you use Google related search

Write more in depth content (but don’t go crazy if its not needed!)

We hope you enjoyed this post! As usual let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

This is a picture from the outside of the nail salon. What can we say about the outside. Well, one thing is for certain, it looks like a nail salon.  As soon as you look at the outside you know exactly what it is.

But why - what specifically indicates this is a nail salon?

It seems very obvious to you, but there are some specific elements that have been brought together to ensure that you know exactly what it is that they do.  Let’s break them down now.


1. The Sign

Big bold letters 'Nail' its very clear what they do! 'Dance In Finger', a little less obvious, but its still clear this is pointing at a nail salon. 

2. The Branding

Colour

Pink & gold, girly and also stands out on the highstreet against the other white, grey and brown buildings. 

Curtains

They not only add a cosy feel from the outside but also make it cosy on the inside as no-one can look in the window.

Fairy Lights

Again, friendly, and makes the shop front stand out. 

3. The Price List

They have the whole price list pasted on the door making it really easy to understand what services they offer and the general cost. 

With all of these elements in place I am able to make a clear decision about whether

1. I can afford this service
2. They offer the service I’m looking for
3. Whether they are the type of people I’d like to spend an hour with

I can get all of this information by the impression that I’ve formed from the front of their shop.  This immediately puts me at ease before I’ve even stepped in their front door because I’m unlikely to find any surprises on the other side.

What happens at the enquiry stage?

Once I’ve stepped through the front door, the first thing I see are attentive and smiley people. I don’t have to go and find someone, or ring a bell, or stand in a queue.  Every time I’ve gone there, it’s just immediately a nice friendly person asking you if they can help.

It also feels like the natural next step once you get in.

It’s not pink & friendly on the outside and then once you step through the door it’s all black and white marble.

The branding is consistent.  

Mostly white interior with pink flowers on the walls, quotes saying “love” and fairy lights.  A girly, flowery vibe, consistent with the outside and what I expected before I walked through the door.

There are lots of visual cues that this is indeed a nail salon.

There are nail varnishes lined up on the wall in a huge range of colours.

There are chairs and a table with manicure equipment laid out on the table and behind.

It’s neat and tidy and clean.

There are also visual cues telling you immediately what you have to do next. 

Partly this is down to the fact that I’ve been to nail salons before.  And this is an important note. Have your clients used a similar service to yours or read a similar blog before?

An increasing number of brands are recognising the benefit of tapping into organic social networks by partnering with social media personalities & bloggers.

However, one of the most effective approaches for generating high-quality leads has been the use of micro-influencers – people with relatively small but highly targeted followers.

As such, many marketing agencies and consultancies have begun emphasising the importance of engagement metrics versus sheer volume when assessing the value of an influencer.

In fact, marketing research suggests that pushing promotional efforts through finely select influencers is one of the most reliable ways to quickly bring brand awareness to a viral level.

More specifically, here are ten influencer marketing stats that shed light on the benefits and recent growth of micro influencer marketing:

1. Higher Customer Quality Reported by More than Half of Early Implementers

According to an influencer marketing study released by the Tomoson platform, roughly 51% of surveyed marketers reported obtaining better customers that engage and convert at a higher rate. This indicates that influencers have an unmatched ability to facilitate rapid and effective social engineering.


2. Micro Influencers Encourage Purchases and Actions Frequently

Part of the reason smaller, more targeted networks are more efficient marketing channels is because micro-influencers are almost expected to recommend products and ideas to their followers and viewers.

More specifically, roughly 75% of micro-influencers regularly encourage their followers to take action. Such promotional efforts from larger stars seem to be less efficient at producing high engagement levels.

3. About 70% of Brands Engage with Influencers to Promote Content

According to a 2015 report from Schlesinger Associates and Agure, approximately 67% of marketers and brand communicators are using influencer marketing on some level.

Analysts estimate the figure has risen closer to 75% now. However, many of those brands have yet to discover the power of using micro-influencers.

4. Micro-Influencers Don't Have to Pay to Promote Posts and They're Less Expensive to Work With

More than 50% of micro-influencers have never had to pay to promote their content a single time. Platforms and blogs tend to welcome them with open arms because of the high-quality visibility they provide.  

This makes smaller influencers easier and more affordable to work with, despite the fact that they bring in better leads when results are extrapolated on a larger scale.

5. Micro-Influencers with a Following Base of 1000-4000 Users Have a High Engagement Rate

A following of a few thousand seems to be the sweet spot, with micro-influencers in this range receiving more than 4.5% engagement from their followers and subscribers.

6. YouTube Micro-Influencers Have the Heaviest Influence on Younger Demographics

A study from Google and Ipsos Connect indicates that YouTube stars are becoming even more influential than conventional celebrities, especially with the younger generation.

Approximately 70% of teens said that they can more closely relate to their favourite YouTube channels than their favourite celebrity.
​
​(Pictured below, Youtube Star & Comedian Miranda Sings)

7. Influencer Marketing Searches Tripled in the Past Two Years

During the past year alone, the number of Google searches for the term “influencer marketing” have tripled, going from about 4,000 annual searches in 2015 to more than 21,000 in 2017.

8. Supply and Demand for Micro-Influencers Increasing Exponentially

Perhaps even more interesting than the search volume is the number of agencies and platforms that have sprung up to accommodate the need to link brands with influencers, rising from only about 200 agencies in 2015 to more than 420 in 2017.

9. More than 80% of Consumer are Highly Likely to Consider Recommendations Made by their Favourite Micro-Influencer

Roughly 82% of consumers are very likely to consider and follow through with a suggestion made by a micro-influencer because they view them as being more “genuine” when compared to endorsements made by celebrities and larger influencers.

10. Almost 10% of UK Marketers Will be Spending More Than £100,000

A survey of 600 marketing and PR firms in the UK revealed that approximately one tenth of respondents will be spending a total of more than £100K on influencer marketing during the next year, and almost 40% will be spending up to £10,000. Such spending habits indicate that these brands have been achieving desirable returns on their investments.
​

Influencer Marketing Reaching Mainstream Heights

At this point it would be silly for any online business to ignore the power of influencer marketing and the social leverage that micro-influencers provide.

With the demand tripling and the supply doubling in the span of just two years, it's likely that influencer marketing will have a significant impact on internet economics and will probably become as popular as traditional marketing methods within the next 5 years.

As usual, let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Are you surprised by any of these stats?  Do you have one of your own to add and share with our readers? 

But, how much of that is realistic, or just hype?

It’s in the best interest of the AI technology companies & their investors to create a lot of buzz and “positive sentiment” as an AI robot might say. They want companies to feel like if they don’t jump on this technology straight away they will be left behind in the dust - their competitors speeding ahead as they adopt AI into their strategies.

So, I did some research of my own.

Going into the research adamant that a robot was going to take away my job, and worse my only true passion. A writer writes because that’s what they are on this planet to do. Take away the reason to write, what has a writer got left?

However, after completing this research I feel better - and I hope after reading this you might too.

This isn’t going to be a scientific study I’m afraid. I’m a writer, not a scientist.

I’m also obviously bias because I don’t want robots to take away my job, or my passion.

But, I don’t think those things mean I shouldn’t have a voice on this matter. If anything we need more voices on the other end,

For this unscientific study of AI technology & copywriting I focused on a tool, Atomic AI, which is pitched as a tool to help marketers write better. It does this by telling you if you are writing for the right level of audience and scores you accordingly.

I wanted to look at its scoring system, relative to how many shares a piece of content got.

The premise being, if a piece of content scores higher, then it should be shared more. That’s what  the tool is helping writers with.  To write for their audience better, make a deeper connection in order for them to share or engage with the post, which is what every marketer wants as a result from their content.

For this study, I’m going to look at the same website.  Because, as we know the size of an audience has a direct impact on how many shares an article will get.

Yes, so does a million other factors.  This is not scientific, remember.

I’m also going to use the blog content of a website I admire and respect for their copywriting.

Kopywritingkourse.com

As with every single blog out there, some content does better than others.

Some content gets a higher level of engagement from the audience.

This is what we are always trying to improve on.  To identify what it is that makes our content great + try to replicate that greatness for future posts.

So, let’s see if content that got a lower level of engagement on Kopwritingkourse.com, gets a lower score on Atomicreach.com

The Pages I Chose From The Homepage Of The Blog >

1. https://kopywritingkourse.com/airbnb-listing-description/ - 73 shares

2. https://kopywritingkourse.com/create-advertising-that-sells-david-ogilvy/ - 223 shares
​
3. https://kopywritingkourse.com/billboard-advertising/ - 116 shares



Now Let’s see what each one gets as score from Atomic.

1. https://kopywritingkourse.com/airbnb-listing-description/ - 73 shares

The primary goal of a good SEO Copywriter should be to captivate and influence a targeted human audience and attract search engine rankings with content that informs and answers common queries in a unique and engaging manner.

In other words, the content has to do more than just read well – it has to be tailored around specific topics and phrases to rank highly for popular search terms and keywords.

Therefore, excellent copy consists of content that is both written well and developed with search engine optimisation (SEO) in mind.

Let's look at seven actionable copywriting techniques you can use to push your content to the top of the search engine result pages (SERPs)

1. Start with a Show-Stealing Title

When you're initially coming up with the topic and outline of the content, the very first step will be formulating an eye-catching, click-provoking title.

Fortunately, if the title is good enough to persuade people to click on it, Google's algorithms will recognise this positive organic traffic trend as an indicator that your page is a useful resource deserving of higher rankings.

Here's a step-by-step example illustrating the typical SEO-oriented title creation process:

1. Think of a basic way to describe your topic.

For example: 

Methods for Improving a Blog Post Title

Check point 6 and make sure you include your longtail keyword research at this stage.  Look for keywords which have less competition but describe the topic you want to cover in detail. 

2. The above “title” is actually more of an extremely bland and vague description, so the next step is to spice it up using buzzwords/keywords, adjectives, lists, mystery/curiosity, benefits/advantages, and other persuasive tactics.

Except in this step you'll come up with a couple of variations like:

5 Title Tweaking Techniques that Promote Higher CTR

Multi-Tiered Guide on Creating Blog Titles Like a Pro

3. Now list your prospective titles using a headline analyser (CoSchedule's is the most popular) and refine from there. These tools are very straightforward and highly insightful ways to make a good title great.

Virtually all successful SEO Copywriters use a similar process to the three steps mentioned above.

2. Keep it Simple, But Not Short and Sweet

To develop content that can accommodate the average attention span and patience of an online reader, you'll want to stick to certain formatting guidelines.

Sentences and paragraphs should be straightforward and uncomplicated.

However, the content itself should be full of useful, entertaining, and engaging information. Furthermore, the outline should be as comprehensive as possible.

By keeping the attention of readers with succinct and effective messages, yet delivering a piece that covers every aspect of a topic, you'll position the page as a go-to resource that will attract inbound links and high rankings.

Knowing that, here are a few steps you can take to make sure you're implementing this technique:

1. Pretend like you're having a conversation and use a relaxed vocabulary. There's no need to be extra fancy – just convey your point without adding extra fluff.

2. Once you're ready to write in a conversational tone, next you'll want to create an all-inclusive outline that covers every possible facet of the main topic. This is sometimes referred to as the skyscraper technique – outdoing the most comprehensive pre-existing resource.

Many brands have begun simplifying their content while aiming to provide more informative value within fewer words. Writing in this style makes your content easier to scan and digest.
​

3. Using Google's Autocomplete Suggestions to Fill a Demand

One of the best ways to propel a page straight to a #1 ranking is to find a common search query that hasn't yet been answered definitively by an authoritative source.

Questions and how to phrases are the best kinds of phrases to look for because there are a lot of them that have only been discussed on forums or user-maintained question/answer sites like Quora.

Luckily, it's easy to find these terms just by typing an incomplete phrase into Google and waiting for the Autocomplete suggestions to pop up.



Here's how:


1. Visit the home page of Google.com. Start typing a query related to your niche and pay attention to the suggestions that appear as you type each letter. If the suggestions feature isn't enabled, see Google's page on activating auto complete.


2. Another option is to use a Google suggest keyword scraper tool like the one at keywordtool.io in order to build large lists of suggested search terms.

The best part about this technique is that many marketers neglect to use it to their advantage, so it's a largely untapped source of SEO topics.

4. Compile Massive Lists to Become a Popular Resource

If you've ever seen the top 30 or top 100 lists on blogs, you know that they rank particularly well on Google.

This is because the most exhaustive resources tend to be linked to within blog posts and on social media based solely on their usefulness.

Here are a few steps you can take to build better lists than the competition:

1.       Use a content map or brainstorming session to write down a predefined number of topics or tips.

2.       Once you have your list, search for similar lists online and double check to make sure you're covering everything that they include as well.

3.       Once you have a solid list, try to condense the most important facts and sound advice on each point while keeping each one short and easy to read.

For example, we put together a list of the top places to find guest posts and included in our guide; How Do I Find Blogs Which Accept Guest Posts

5. Use Longtail Keywords

Tapping into a new set of keywords that haven't been targeted by other marketers puts your brand in a unique position to thrive in its own lane, with less competition.

Here are some steps you can take to achieve this:

1. Find longtail keywords and modify them slightly. You can use the advice in tip #3 to find commonly searched for phrases that don't have competitive search results
   
   

      2. Create content around your new keywords, then analyse and refine.
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Many brands have boosted their popularity by inventing new buzzwords that didn't previously exist, so that's another idea worth considering.

6. Utilise Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)

If your brand isn't yet taking advantage of LSI, it's time to get started as doing so will help you rank for obscure terms that you might be completely overlooking.


1.       Study this guide on LSI.
2.      Implement, rinse, and repeat.

LSI is now common practice among leading SEO agencies after becoming a hot topic following the Panda and Penguin updates that placed an emphasis on content quality.


We hope you've picked up some new techniques! Let us know in the comments below.  Do you have something to add?

We get approached on the regular by bloggers interested in working on paid opportunities with companies. Considering that’s what we do it’s not really a huge surprise!  And, I am more than happy to get these emails and approaches.     

​I love meeting new bloggers, especially bloggers who really put their heart and soul into what they do. And I am always looking to make new connections.

However, I have noticed that many bloggers don’t really know the best way to present themselves and their talents in these emails.

It’s probably quite confusing to know how to present yourself, there isn’t really much advice out there for this kind of approach.

And, it’s difficult to the get into the mind of a Marketing Manager or a PR person or an SEO manager etc etc.

Bloggers need to get their name out there and pitch to a wide number of different people so, how to know the right approach for the right person?

Well, I’m going to make it super simple for you.  Because, you might think that you need to present yourself entirely differently for each group of people, but actually that is not the case and not the most important factor in your outreach email.

The most important factor is how you position yourself in your outreach email.

Do you come across as hard working, passionate & reliable?

OR

Do you come across as someone who just wants to make a quick buck.

To highlight exactly what I’m talking about, this is the type of outreach email you should avoid!

START

Hello (name)

I am (name) and I run (name of blog)

I have (x number of traffic) and high DA of (DA) and I write about (one top level topic). I’m reaching out because I’d love to work with you on any sponsored content opportunities you have coming up.

Look forward to connecting with you!

Kind Regards
(name)

END

Unfortunately, the majority of the bloggers who have approached me place themselves into category 2 and send the above kind of outreach email.

So, if you are a blogger reading this and your outreach email does look like this, don't worry you are not alone on this.

Around 95% of the emails I get are like this.  

I’m not saying that those bloggers do just want to make a quick buck but that’s what I feel from this kind of approach.   In a second I will give you a view of my thoughts as I read the above email to help you understand what a marketing person or PR agent might think whilst reading this email.

But before that, I just want to ask for your support - lets go heart to heart, because I want you to understand why I'm writing this post & why I am so passionate about working with up and coming bloggers. 

This is important, because I don't want you to feel as if I am writing this to tell you off, or looking down on you in anyway. 

Reasons why I choose to work with up and coming bloggers

Number 1: 

Running a blog & gathering a loyal audience is not easy, making a business out of it is even harder.  I personally know that, being someone who has failed at it many, many times !!   I have a lot of respect for a single individual who has managed to form any kind of community because it takes hard work, dedication and a lot of soul journeying. 

I also love writing.

There is something very powerful about written words.

It gives more opportunity for the reader to reflect, unlike video or podcasting which tends to be more passive, words connect in a way that sound can't. 

Number one, I just respect and admire what you do.

Number 2:

As a Marketer I've always seen HUGE merit in working with grass roots communities.  Small but loyal audiences are very powerful. I've always believed that, and I have always chosen to support those bloggers.  Planetd is one example, now one of the most popular travel blogs of all time. 

I was the first person to work with them on a campaign, to continue to support them on their travels.  What's more, they remembered that, they thanked me for believing in them at that time, that really touched me. 

Because really, it was the other way around.   I was shocked by their gratitude.

Because, the audience they already had at that time was so much more valuable than they could have imagined.  We tend to lean towards bigger is better. But actually, no, that's not true.  It's about quality and connection. That's what is lacking online.

Number two, small communities still have this connection and therefore huge value.

So, here is the truth

Everytime you send an outreach email which doesn't fully represent your true passion and goals, your ambition and your tenacity, you undercut yourself and all of the other bloggers out there trying to make it happen as well.

Up until now companies have not seen the true value of what small bloggers offer, but that is starting to change. 

It would change a lot more quickly if bloggers communicated in a way which truly represented their value. I can see why you might send an email like the one above, there are so many people to connect with, you just want to monetize your blog and make a bit of money out of something you've worked so hard for.

But, as with all businesses, short term thinking rarely gets very far.

So, if you have ambition to become a full time blogger then please hear these words.  Take a moment to reflect on them and look at how you communicate your talents.

Let’s break it down line by line and I will tell you what I am thinking when I read this, hopefully this will give you an idea into the psychology of a Marketing person reading this kind of outreach email.

START

Hello (name) - no comments, can’t go wrong with this!

I am (name) and I run (name of blog)

My comment - okay, but this doesn’t tell me much.  I’m wondering, why do you run this blog, what started it, what is your why?

I have (x number of traffic) and high DA of (DA) and I write about (one top level topic).  

My comment - thanks for including your traffic figures that’s helpful but what about your engagement? What about your audience?  Who actually reads your blog?  Because I’m trying to think of the right opportunities but I have no idea, if I don’t know whether your readers are high net worth professional men with families who like golf & tennis or millennial women in their late 20’s who like yoga, meditation, health + fitness.  I also don't know what traffic means.  Does it mean pageviews or unique visits?   And, the fact you haven't given me any detail here also also makes me think you don't know you audience which means that you are unlikely to have a highly engaged one.

Thanks for telling me your DA it does give me a rough indication of where you blog sits but what about previous campaigns or content you’ve done before?  Has it gone well? Are you new to this kind of engagement or are you a blogger who has worked with hundreds of other companies?

Thanks for including your top level topic, yes that helps me to define roughly what niche your blog sits in but what about breaking it down.  So you are a beauty blogger, does that mean you like natural products or cheap products or you mostly focus on promoting skin products or maybe make-up. I need to know specifically what you write about so I can tie in the right companies.


I’m reaching out because I’d love to work with you on any sponsored content opportunities you have coming up.


My comment - Maybe I’m wrong but as soon as I read this I just assume all you care about is the money.  This just makes me think that you don’t actually care about which products or services you promote to your audience which makes me think that you probably don’t have a particularly high engagement or a loyal following because readers just see straight through that. 

​I want to know WHO you want to work with and WHO you enjoy promoting so I can find the RIGHT opportunities for your audience.

I feel like honesty is the best policy here.  There are a lot of complaints about SEO companies, PR Agents not treating bloggers correctly and currently the relationships are tense.

It would be really, really helpful if bloggers stopped outreaching in the above way.  

In a second I’ll give some tips about how you can approach in the right why but first; why is this so important?

The reason a blogger should not approach a Marketing Manager, PR person, SEO manager in this way...

1. The Marketing Manager will come away from reading the outreach email thinking this blogger only cares about making some money now and is not interested in a long term relationship which in the end would be more fruitful for both parties.

2. The Marketing Manager can't send over the right opportunities either, because there is limited information.

3. The Marketing Manager is inclined to think this blogger doesn't know their audience very well, and doesn't have a clear purpose, so assumes the blog is low quality. 

Those are the truth bombs.

Let’s move on to some tips about how you can approach companies in the future.

Who do you prefer to work with long term?

The person who emails you and immediately asks for something.  Or the person who just reaches out to say hello and establishes a connection?

So, that’s the first thing to tackle.

Remove any mention of paid + sponsored opportunities from your email.  If you feel you need to, state that you are open to paid collaborations.  But, there is no need to ask "do you have any campaigns for me" right in this instance. 

Think of this email as an introduction.  You are just reaching out to someone to say hello, get on their radar and make sure they know exactly what it is you write about so if future opportunities come up they can get in touch.

What to include in your outreach email?

Here is a breakdown of items to include in your outreach email:

1. Your over arching blog topic
2. The reason you choose this topic, why are you passionate about it?
3. A rough breakdown of content topics which are coming up on your blog over the next few months
4. Links to a couple of posts which had high engagement & why they worked
5. Your core metrics, unique visits, pageviews, DA, engagement rates i.e. time on site + pages per visit, average number of comments, average number of social shares
6. Details of how you promote your content
7. Details of the audience you serve, be as specific as possible
8. The types of products & services you are most passionate about promoting

We are always looking for new bloggers to connect with.  So, if you are an up and coming blogger then please get in touch with us via our Enquire form. 

Use it as practice for your new type of outreach email if you like, please include the details from the list above!

You can also sign up to our platform; Guest Bloggers Wanted for free and apply for new opportunities there.
​
I’d love to know if you have experience introducing yourself to other companies.  What has worked and not worked for you?  Tell us in the comments and let’s grow together!

Because now Marketers are recognising the huge opportunity that some small blogs represent.   And that is small but very engaged and loyal following of readers.  So, there are now two categories we talk about.

Bloggers

And

Micro Influencers

What Is A Micro Influencer?

A micro influencer is someone who has a highly engaged audience. They are everyday people with an authentic following of 3000 people or more.

What To Look For In A Micro Influencer

When looking to engage a micro influencer there are two main areas you must focus on.

1. Relevancy
   
   

You need to dig deep into the type of content they post and what they speak about on their social media channels.  This research needs to go further than categorising them into “lifestyle”, “beauty”, “fashion”.   

Just because one person writes about beauty doesn’t make them a great fit for your brand.  For instance, say you are promoting a natural skincare product like Bull Dog.

You don’t want to work with an influencer who doesn’t care about using natural / organic products.  So, it is very important to really look into who you want to work with and why.  Make sure you understand what they are about further than a top level scan of their site.

      2. Engagement

It is also vital to understand how engaged their audience is.  They cannot be categorized as a micro influencer if they don’t have anyone listening to what they have to say.  

​Remember, we are talking micro here, so it doesn’t need to be a landslide of engagement.  But a blog which doesn’t have any comments or social shares should raise alarm bells.