Shealor Lake Trailhead Sierra Nevadas California USA
I am interested in playing for the New York Knicks.
I see a potential collaboration between myself and their organization.
I shot about 55% from three point range as a junior varsity player in high school.
I believe that I can help this NBA team on its push towards the NBA title.
Re-read those words.
These are the rantings of an insane mind.
Of course I am joking; I was a solid JV player at best. I received a scholarship to play at the junior college level.
I am nowhere skilled enough to play for an NBA organization because the Knicks – finally – boast some of the best basketball players in the world.
Do you want to hear something interesting?
Most blogger outreach specialists take a similar if not identical approach in reaching out to highly experienced bloggers who patiently built their blog into a leading niche resource.
If you reach out to a stranger offering your services it means:
- you are not generating heavy organic blog traffic
- you are not earning big-time blogging income passively
- you are not a trusted leader in your niche
Highly successful bloggers do not reach out to strangers for business *because they are already highly successful*.
Blogger outreach campaigns typically fail miserably for this reason. Strangers – who may flash some credibility – reach out to highly successful bloggers feigning an “interest” in a “potential collaboration that helps both parties”.
Of course you are interested in publishing a guest post on a blog with a large, targeted, trusting readership! Who wouldn’t be interested? The seasoned pro patiently builds a blog over 100’s if not 1000’s of posts spanning 5-10 years of their lives. The blogging leader does almost every inch of leg work, driving pure organic traffic consistently.
Now a blogger outreach specialist with no:
- trusted blog
- large following
- brand name
- granite-like credibility
arrives as a complete stranger to capitalize on the blood, sweat and tears expended by a seasoned pro over 5, 10 or 15 years of their lives?
As one would say in my native Northern New Jersey: “Get the fuck outta here!”
HA!
You Cannot Be Serious
I just replied kindly to four more blogger outreach specialists who genuinely believed the above approach is the best strategy for landing quality backlinks.
In my mind, I reply kindly.
But on the level of form I say to myself, “You cannot be serious”.
Imagine the above scenario of me wishing to play for the New York Knicks. I am pretty much ready for the puzzle factory if a JV star thinks he can add something to an NBA team. The Knicks do not need me. The Knicks draft NBA-level players. It is the freaking NBA, after all.
Even if some of these outreach specialists write truly helpful content I have no idea who they are. Why would I hand my blog to a stranger? Why would I let someone with no online presence help you with blogging tips? Who are they? What is their track record? Are they among the best blogging tips bloggers on earth? Hell no; I know this very small lot. I’ve covered the blogging tips niche since 2014 exclusively.
How the World Works
Human beings do not hand their:
- blog
- online business
- income-generating vehicle
- brand
- reputation
- good name
to a stranger interested in capitalizing on the consistent work of a trusted blogger.
The world never works that way which is why most blogger outreach strategies fail horribly.
Most specialists believe that pro bloggers are not savvy, posturing and confident people but:
- foolish
- desperate
- willing to offer a favor to a stranger
Sorry guys.
I make plenty of errors.
But I am not an idiot.
No experienced blogger is an idiot.
We’ve seen every manipulative tactic under the blogger outreach sun.
I even had someone tell me:
“I have no time to build a relationship with you; I just want to guest post on your blog.”
I am being fully transparent in saying those were his exact words.
Well at least he was honest.
Some of these people are lost souls. Others seem to be greedy or desperate.
I write posts like this to goad individuals to look at themselves and say:
“Oh crap! I’m making this mistake! How do I correct it?”
Here’s how to correct the error.
Publish Truly Helpful Content and Help Bloggers with No Strings Attached
Publish truly helpful content to gain credibility.
Help bloggers from your niche with no strings attached to earn their trust.
Trusting bloggers point quality backlinks to quality content from bloggers they deem to be credible.
Okay; this is what you do practically to land credible backlinks.
But you need to do it for thousands of hours spanning years. This is the difficult part.
Mindset is everything.
Develop posture. Be confident. Never sell out. Never chase success. Never be The Hunter. Always be The Hunted.
Create and connect your way to high quality backlinks by trusting the process through highs and lows.
Do not panic. Never bail on this proven strategy. Resist the temptation to send cold emails to strangers. Desperate, struggling bloggers may rarely respond; everyone else deletes emails from strangers interested in capitalizing on the hard work of successful bloggers.
I do not trust people who never earned my trust. Nothing personal. I feel this way online and offline.
I am as kind as possible to people who I meet. But that never means I will give them the keys to my blog.
Why would I in essence go into business with someone I know nothing about? How does that help me? How does that help you? Do you follow my blog to get my blogging tips? Or would you rather a stranger with no online presence publish blogging tips for you while peppering in their business backlinks?
My blog is almost completely pure in a world of bloggers who sell the hell out because they are terrified to lose money.
I came across a travel blog yesterday. I was almost crushed by the volume of:
- affiliate links
- dynamic ads
- calls to action
within the content.
The individual wants to make as much money through as little free, helpful, detailed content as humanly possible.
Like the thousands of travel bloggers I’ve seen come and go since beginning my blogging career in 2008, this mistake is pretty much the death knell. No travel blogger returns from making this error because your credibility gets shot to shit.
The Problem with Blogging Mainly to Make Money
Imagine reaching out to give someone a hand then shoving your hands into their pockets as a quick money grab.
The moment you try to get their money you stop being truly helpful.
The blogger outreach specialists try to get money so they stop being truly helpful. This is why most make the truly incredible mistake of actually believing a successful blogger needs the help of an utter stranger with no online presence.
Would you hand your bank account information to a stranger wearing a paper bag over their head because they are interested in helping you?