This is a guest post by Ryan Biddulph. Ryan discusses the dos and don’ts of blogger networking, and we’re glad he wrote them down because we agree whole-heartedly with all of them! Ryan is a published author and blogger. See more below.
I have been online for almost 10 years.
The sheer number of blogger networking blunders baffles me.
Most bloggers have no idea how to network. Why would you know how to connect with influential bloggers if you haven’t been given a specific guide for befriending these blogging big dawgs?
Making these mistakes adds months or years to your blogging learning curve.
Address these boo boo’s today.
Own your networking errors.
Build your blogging buddy network from an intelligent, heart-centered space to grow a successful blogging business.
A1: Not Having a Plan
I read this fabulous blogger outreach guide by my friend Christopher Jan Benitez at WHSR recently:
Effective Blogger Outreach Strategy
The guy dives into blogger outreach with a clear, intelligent, focused plan in mind.
Not having a networking plan leads to ruin every time.
How can you think clearly and confidently if you have no plan to systematically follow?
Develop a fundamentally sound blueprint for befriending top bloggers in your niche.
Avoid this most common of blunders by doing a bit of mental legwork before networking in your blogging niche.
1: No Personalizing
Not personalizing is a surefire way to fail with your blogging networking campaign.
Hurried, desperate bloggers miss opportunities to connect with fellow bloggers on a deeper level.
Move away from fear-based, impersonal, generic, bland marketing. Top bloggers have a mountain of emails to sift through daily. Your generic email or social media message finds the trash queue almost every time.
Be personal. Add names to emails.
If you are like me, your name is the best sounding word in your native tongue. Make a lasting impact on bloggers and readers. Use their names to develop deeper connections with your fellow human beings.
Donna Merrill provides you with a shining example of someone who personalizes virtually every online interaction. She makes you feel special, which is why she is so dang successful.
2: Trying to Get Before Giving Can Ruin Blog Networking
The most damaging blogger networking blunder: trying to get before giving.
I routinely receive emails, social media messages and all manner of queries asking for features on my blog, guest post opportunities, retweets to my 52,000 Twitter followers and other requests from complete strangers.
Why would I help strangers when my dear friends are waiting in line for features, mentions, and retweets?
Do not bother begging an established pro blogger for a feature, for a mention, or for a guest post on their blog. You need to earn that right by patiently practicing your craft, by generously promoting influential bloggers, by commenting on their blogs and by helping them in as many ways as possible.
I had to pay my pro blogger dues by patiently helping influential bloggers for years, without looking for anything in return.
Help top bloggers. Be generous. Do not ask for anything in return.
Being persistently generous without asking a top blogger to be featured on their blog is the simplest way to befriend a blogging influencer. Your friendship can evolve into something fun and prospering – perhaps even a guest post invite – over the long haul if you patiently assist these pros without begging them for anything in return.
I worked on my writing skills for years to gain confidence in my blogging abilities. After retweeting a few blog posts and writing in-depth comments on Blogging Tips for a few weeks I received admin rights to a high profile blog.
The power of giving generously wins again!
3: Lack of Persistence in Your Blogger Networking
I had lunch with Zac Johnson a while back.
He explained how he placed 14 guest posts weekly on high profile blogs to build friendships and links for Blogging Dot Org.
Does it surprise you that his patient, persistent networking and serving regularly lands his website as the #1 search result on Google for a hyper-competitive “blogging” query?
The dude persistently networked for over a decade online. He became an online icon by helping blogging big dawgs daily for years.
Flash in the pan networkers quit connecting with bloggers after a week or month. Said bloggers throw in the towel after seeing zero financial return on their networking campaign.
Give it some time guys.
Persistent networkers succeed in the blogging game.
Impatient networkers weed themselves out of the blogging herd.
4: Hanging in all the Wrong Places
Failed bloggers tend to hang out on blogs not related to their niche.
Why network with bloggers who have little interest in your blogging niche?
Avoid this common blogger networking mistake.
Target your networking campaign by commenting predominantly on blogs aligned with your niche.
Share blog posts related to your niche.
Hang in all the right spots.
Befriend bloggers interested in what you have to offer.
If you receive invites to guest post on these blogs you will be speaking to a targeted readership.
5: Blanket Desperation within Your Blog Network
I met a blogger on Facebook recently.
The friendly individual messaged me 3 times before assaulting me with a series of video call requests.
I noted how I only chatted via video with my blogging clients. He immediately attempted to video call me 2 more times before I blocked him.
Nothing personal; I just let go desperate, needy bloggers to make room for confident, clear, loving, generous bloggers.
Do not give in to blanket desperation.
Most bloggers network from a dominant energy of fear.
Clear the fear. Network from an energy of love, generosity, service, and respect.
Move up in blogging circles by being as successful bloggers are being, even if you have yet to see successful blogging results.
Your Turn
Have you made any of these mistakes in the past?
What other blogger networking blunders have you seen recently?
About the Author
Ryan Biddulph is a blogger, author and world traveler who’s been featured on Richard Branson’s Virgin Blog, Forbes, Fox News, Entrepreneur, Positively Positive, Life Hack, John Chow Dot Com and Neil Patel Dot Com. He has written and self-published 126 bite-sized eBooks on Amazon. Ryan can help you build a successful blog at Blogging From Paradise.