Kalkan, Turkey
I detest bragging.
Showing off is for douche bags who secretly do not believe in themselves and desperately pine for attention like a kindergartner wildly flailing their raised hand saying:
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!”
I decided to write this post not to steal the spotlight but to guide you.
This case study explains how and why I landed links on popular blogs from my niche to teach you how to land on popular blogs in your niche.
Many of the Blogging From Paradise links below landed on the most popular “blogging tips” blogs in the world. Some wormed their way onto iconic major media brands.
At the end of the day, I intend to help you get featured on high level blogs to:
- boost targeted traffic
- increase blogging income
- enjoy oodles of fun helping more people through the principle of leveraging
by explaining why and how these bloggers linked to my blog.
First though, sear this idea onto your mind. This is the most critical step in landing links on the top blogs in the world. Most bloggers skip it and never get featured prominently.
Shift Your Mindset from Being The Hunter to The Hunted
99.99% of the links below flowed to me organically.
Pro bloggers and contributors from billion dollar brands hunted me. Each sought me out.
Contributors and pro bloggers:
- approached me
- asked me questions
- interviewed me
- invited me to guest post
as I decided to be The Hunted, years ago.
Most bloggers are The Hunter. Most desperately, greedily and sometimes annoying hunt, chase, stalk, spam and pester bloggers into getting features on top blogs.
Shift your mind from being The Hunter to The Hunted. Build your blog into something special. Be posturing. Relax. Patiently create and connect to become attractive to high level bloggers.
Pro bloggers link to skilled bloggers and ignore desperate, unskilled bloggers.
The tips below teach you how to develop the skills to land these features.
The How
I patiently:
- practiced writing offline daily to gain blogging confidence and clarity (500-1000 daily in a Word document)
- published targeted, detailed content solving reader needs (1500 words or so; SEO-optimized to target blogging tips readers)
- engaged in genuine blogger outreach (blog commenting, promoting fellow bloggers on my blog and thru social media and via guest blogging)
to build high profile backlinks.
Being patient meant spending 1000’s of hours spanning years of my life doing these simple things.
Practical Tips
Top bloggers link only to fellow bloggers who write skillfully. Write your ass off. Open a word document. Write 500-1000 words daily. Trash the doc to detach from your writing.
Publish long-form, detailed content to solve reader problems. Popular bloggers link only to trusted blogging resources. Skilled writers who publish detailed content persistently run trusted blogging resources. Publish 1200-1500 word posts centered on a niche keyword queried by your readers. Format posts for easy scanning. Use headers, bullet point links and short paragraphs to create a sense of flow. Add one image – or more – to posts for enticing eye candy. Publish posts at least every 1-2 weeks to be current.
Engage in genuine outreach. Publish detailed, personalized blog comments spanning from 1-3 paragraphs. Comment mainly on popular blogs from your niche to expand your reach. Mention skilled bloggers from your niche on your blog and through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Ask for nothing in return. Let relationships form organically. Observe how blogging friends spread your word exponentially over the long haul.
I know it sounds nuts but I basically did these things to get featured on the top blogs in the world.
However, I did these things for 3, 5 or 7 years patiently to get the high quality backlinks.
Now that does not sound nuts, does it? Nope. That sounds challenging.
Don’t worry though; I sell an online course to help you refer to the basic but thorough practical steps again, and again and again, especially when the journey feels most challenging.
Time Element
Neil Patel featured me in 2015.
I began blogging some 6-7 years prior.
Imagine:
- writing offline – and online – daily
- publishing detailed blog posts frequently
- engaging in blogger outreach
for 6-7 years.
For me, that is what it took for Neil Patel to drop a link to my blog.
Some bloggers get high profile links in a few years. Others nail links after 5, 7 or 10 years.
For this case study, most of the links I list below originated 6 to 8 years or more after I began blogging.
Be patient. Be persistent. Relax.
Getting links on popular niche blogs takes time, practice and a deep trust in self and in the blogging process.
Genuine blog commenting established a high number of relationships opening doors for these opportunities. If I had to focus on one “how-to” strategy I’d point the finger at blog commenting.
For example, the friendships I established with travel bloggers mainly through blog commenting allowed my blog and Twitter handle to pop up on the radar screen of contributors from Forbes, Entrepreneur and Virgin (who has since deleted the feature blog post due to time elements I assume). Twenty, thirty, forty then fifty travel bloggers who:
- tweeted Blogging From Paradise blog posts
- published tweets pointing to @RyanBiddulph on Twitter
caught the attention of contributors who perceived me as a digital nomad authority; their perception, not mine.
The Why
I want to explain why each blogger mentioned me on their popular blog.
Explaining why pros drop backlinks to fellow bloggers gives you an idea as to what skills to develop (see above), or traits to embody, to help you gain mentions on high level blogs.
1: Blogging Wizard
Adam featured me on Blogging Wizard:
How to Get More Comments on Your Blog
Adam noted my engaging comments via his mention.
2: Neil Patel
Neil Patel featured me on his blog:
Six Figure Consultant: 4 Proven Services Every Blogger Can Offer to Make Money Online
Neil noted my location-independent, freedom, flexible life as being sought after. He also stressed how this lifestyle takes years of work to attain as I frequently profess through my blog.
3: Matthew Woodward
Matthew Woodward published my guest post on his blog:
The Arnold Schwarzenegger Motivation Guide for Digital Marketers
He explained how one super-duper in-depth comment I published to his blog opened the door for the guest blogging invite.
4:Pro Blogger
Darren Rowse published my guest post on his blog:
The Secret Weapon that Levels the Playing Field for Every Blogger
One of his contributors asked me to guest blog for Pro Blogger in part based on detailed comments I frequently published on the blog.
5: Smart Blogger
Eli linked to BFP via Smart Blogger:
24 Crazy Opportunities Blogging Made Happen
He asked me to share one amazing opportunity blogging yielded during my early years before I became a wee bit known.
6: Bloggers Passion
Anil mentioned me on Bloggers Passion:
Blogger Outreach Strategy: The Beginners Guide
He noted how I frequently link to bloggers as a sound way to build relationships and gain backlinks indirectly.
7: Blogging Brute
Mike interviewed me on Blogging Brute:
How Ryan Biddulph Succeeds at Content Marketing from the Beach
He wanted to get inside of the mind of someone who blogs as a digital nomad.
I connected with Mike on Twitter as we are both hyper active Tweeters on the platform.
8: John Chow
Zac featured me here:
3 Ways to Improve Site Content with Online Video
He mentioned how I’d been rocking out the live video thing for a bit.
I submitted many guest posts to Zac’s blog to build our relationship.
9: Blogging Dot Org
Zac mentioned me here:
At the time, I recommended this host but have since moved on to two other hosting solutions.
Zac asked for my thoughts based on our bond.
10: Entrepreneur Dot Com
Tyler interviewed me here:
Top Tips from 5 Digital Nomads
after coming across me on Twitter. Or, after seeing a few of my many tweets.
11: Lifehack
I placed this guest post:
Is It Normal to Feel Jealous of Friends?
after pursuing this opportunity inorganically. Aka, I pitched an editor for only the 3rd time in my career as a social experiment.
12: Blog Tyrant
Ramsay mentioned me here:
7 Lessons on Receiving 20,000 Plus Blog Comments
after I behaved like a comment lounge lizard on his blog for so many eons.
13: Forbes
Kavi asked me to share my thoughts here:
Six Digital Nomads Share Tips for Tackling Loneliness on the Road
after coming across my Twitter handle.
Conclusion
Following practical blogging strategies to land mentions on popular blogs from your niche seems simple enough.
Doing simple things for 10,000 plus hours is difficult, challenging, highly uncomfortable and pretty much weeds out 99% of bloggers who have not the stomach for feeling these emotions.
I get it; been there, done that.
You can and will be seen on world famous blogs guys but need to be patient, persistent, generous and trusting in the tips I shared above.
I gave you a basic framework through this post that works successfully but you need to know your blogging reason why.
Knowing why guides you through the ups and downs on this journey.
Create detailed, targeted content.
Connect by serving top bloggers in your niche.
Patiently follow these simple steps for years.
Land features on popular blogs.
