Want to break into a community? Are you doing outreach for your product and not gaining a foothold? Is your success batting average below the Mendoza Line? Could your mom out-pitch you?
Did you ever stop and think that perhaps, you are targeting the wrong people? Think back to your last round of outreach. Were you successful? What worked, and what didn't? In all likelihood, you were probably extremely successful with the least popular/influential bloggers and journalists. The reasons? Access and barriers to entry.
Great, you secured some prime cut-and-paste action on a few Google Adsense blogs and coverage in a few local papers. That's not going to cut it. You are going to get smoked by those people in the business who have access and ties to more upper echelon writers and reporters. They'll get the front page of Wired; you'll get in an argument with a mommy blogger over a pair of crocs.
Guess what, though? Don't you think that their are plenty of people just like you on the other side, looking for exposure? People who are just as hungry for success as you are? Well, duh. Of course there are. The key is being able to identify, meet, and engage with them before they become unreachable. (And trust me, they will eventually become unreachable.)
The same philosophy applies in every profession. Hungry people want to eat. If you have food, than they will gravitate towards you and work with you rather than against you. Those who have food don't really care about what you are offering. You can feed the starving people (bad bloggers), too...but most would agree that those publications would probably die off anyway.
How can you identify a hungry up and comer in the blogging or reporting world though? Is their some secret code that they all adhere to? Do they glow in the dark? Or are there easier ways to recognize and court them?
Here's How to Determine the Next Chris Brogan:
1. Determine frequency of content. Extrapolate volume (and be conservative). Find someone who is relatively new, but posting great content frequently? Cha-ching. Target that person as soon as possible. They could be a potential gold mine. Typically, around 3-5 months you can determine if this person is going to stay or burn out.
2.They're passionate. Like, "I'd kill you for content" passionate. You can't last if you don't have the willpower to keep creating content, reacting to comments, and engaging with your readers on their blogs. This is more than a full time job and it becomes daunting extremely quickly.
3. They engage people in other places besides their blog. Social media is built on learning from, interacting with, and sharing valuable content with others. It's essentially a feel good business that relies on promoting others in order to gain attention themselves. (Seems counter-intuitive but it actually works...usually.)
4. They predict trends effectively. Sometimes the craziest person in the world one year turns out to be the smartest the next. It's all a matter of having foresight to identify those people who are brilliant and innovative from those who are brilliant...but kind of crazy.
5. They evolve. You can separate great bloggers from good bloggers with this simple litmus test: go back and read their first few posts. Is the tone/quality the same as their current ones? If it is, you've identified a good blogger. If it sucks compared to the content that they are writing now? Engage immediately. This person is clearly learning, growing and engaging with those around them to gain influence and has all the makings of a great blogger.
The difference is in the evolution. Good bloggers could have a ceiling. Great bloggers don't.
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tagged as blogger outreach, influential blogger, pr blog, pr blogger, Public Relations, social media blog, up and coming blogger
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post, Stu. Some helpful hints for both PR people and those looking to become up-and-coming bloggers. Gives a good read into how you need to commit from the blogger side as well.
Stuart, thanks for the pep talk and the insightful tips. Woot!
@Mama_Says
Great advice! Twitter is also becoming a good indicator when looking for the most popular blogs in my industry.
Thanks…yeah these are lessons learned from lots of blogger outreach (and then taking up the pen myself).
Glad to help Lynn
It's a decent litmus test…but restrictive to the industry in which you work and who you follow.
Erica Cottrill
FrontPage Communications, Inc.
770.528.6097
770.906.7880 (cell)
ericafpc@gmail.com
Very nice post. I liked #5 a lot. To me, that's what really makes a great blogger, one that sticks with it and grows. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's essential to having a successful blog. If you're not always looking to learn and improve, you'll quickly fall. I look back on my first posts and laugh sometimes. Some of them I'm almost embarrassed about but in the end, that's what it's about.
@DavidSpinks
I have to disagree with some of this stuff. Quantity/posting schedule/continuous content has nothing to do with it. It's more about if those people are good at building relationships. That's everything.
I'm thinking from a PR stand point though…if they aren't producing content at a reasonable rate…a targeted post from them will stick out like a sore thumb (and no one will read it).
Huh?
I think if your first posts don't suck comparatively? Well you are doing it wrong.
Stuart – interesting post, thanks. I agree with all of your points, but especially number 5. If I went back and looked at my posts from when I started my blog like 2 years ago I might be horrified. Then again, it probably is worth checking out if for nothing else than a learning experience.
As a relatively unknown blogger come online news journalist, I have taken a lot of value out of this post by switching the emphasis, so I can see the critically important things I should be focussing on! Thanks so much
Yep, just started and consistency is a bitch
How come I've never come across your blog? 70% of the Blogroll is what I read all the time. Great content! Glad I've found you 
Sorry for the confusion… wrong message.
Erica Cottrill
FrontPage Communications
ericafpc@gmail.com
770.528.6097
770.906.7880 (cell)
Great advice, and I'd like to think that I fit the bill in most of what you've covered here. As you said, it primarily comes down to the level of engagement and proactive approach to adaptation.
Great post.. really liked this one. The willpower to create content frequently and interact across platforms is tough – as you say it is “more than a full time job”
Thanks! As a blogger this article really helps me identify where I'm at on your good-great scale.
Dina Meek
http://bigbuzzness.com
This is a great list. Although #3 may be a given, I think it's underestimated. I have a hard time with people who just blog and don't see the community or outreach as a two-way street. Some of my favorite bloggers are willing to talk to me online on Twitter, G Chat, e-mail and share links of other relevant posts they think I may like. This sharing and connectivity is not only relevant but to me, portrays a solid “great” blogger willing to give back and connect.
Great post Stu, I especially like the reference to the Mendoza Line.
#3 I think is one of the most key, and yet most discounted. As blogs as the medium start to plateau or even decline, and much of the conversation shifts elsewhere, it's the people who spread their contributions around and engage through a variety of channels that will have the most staying power and value in the long run.
Absolutely Grace. Going on other blogs and being able to deliver the same kind of insight you do on your blog is definitely a really cool thing to pull off.
I'm getting better, but I'm still not where I want to be in that department.
Exactly. Your voice becomes your “blog” and you live and die with the conversation, not the location.
It's that growth that separates us though. Being able to look back and think you sucked. I know my posts from October of 2008 probably BLOW. But they were necessary for me to get where I am today.
I don't sleep Brett. It kind of sucks.
Great views Stuart. As someone who runs a blogger outreach program for the agency I work at, I can agree 100% that too many are reaching for the wrong writers, and for the very reasons you mention here.
It's funny you mention Chris Brogan, and who can be the “next” one. Looking at your blogroll, there are some names on there I'd class in that field – Danny Brown and Jay Baer of Convince and Convert spring to mind. You're also doing an excellent job here, and I think social media, marketing and PR blogging is in good hands for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for your comment Amy
. I'll add three others to Danny and Jay (who kick ass): Amy Mengel, Ryan Stephens, and David Spinks. Oh and Lauren Fernandez.
I'd love to hear if you knew about anymore? Always looking.
Fantastic post. It's true, as the publisher of a blog, that some of our best relationships are from those who engaged with us before we had readership in the six figures. We were grateful to those who “got” our brand early on and continued to serve as a valuable (and not annoying) resource for relevant content.
You also just made me feel a whole lot better about how painfully bad some of our early posts are!
Great comment Stuart.
Everyone looking to get engaged in social media needs a place to start. If they're planning on getting their message heard, then passing it to someone that has the credible microphone is the golden key.
Alecia
dna13
Haha, go look at mine. Some of them are terrible! But those posts made me the professional I am today. Everything has value…even if you don't realize it at the time.
Good post. Those who are up and coming are usually the ones that are the most willing to take on new friendships…like me. I'm up and coming. Pretty soon I'll be passing up Darren Rowse and John Chow. You'd better make friends with me now before it's too late and I won't have time for you! LOL. Just kidding. I'll still make time for you.
On a more serious note, great article here. It's really a true principle.
Good post. Those who are up and coming are usually the ones that are the most willing to take on new friendships…like me. I'm up and coming. Pretty soon I'll be passing up Darren Rowse and John Chow. You'd better make friends with me now before it's too late and I won't have time for you! LOL. Just kidding. I'll still make time for you.
On a more serious note, great article here. It's really a true principle.
Good post. Those who are up and coming are usually the ones that are the most willing to take on new friendships…like me. I'm up and coming. Pretty soon I'll be passing up Darren Rowse and John Chow. You'd better make friends with me now before it's too late and I won't have time for you! LOL. Just kidding. I'll still make time for you.
On a more serious note, great article here. It's really a true principle.
Good post. Those who are up and coming are usually the ones that are the most willing to take on new friendships…like me. I'm up and coming. Pretty soon I'll be passing up Darren Rowse and John Chow. You'd better make friends with me now before it's too late and I won't have time for you! LOL. Just kidding. I'll still make time for you.
On a more serious note, great article here. It's really a true principle.
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