Content marketing with link building as a primary objective has its risks. Producing content can be expensive. Designers, copywriters, developers (in some cases), photographers, even videographers might all be involved in producing assets for link building. So if you're going to invest in a content asset or multiple assets, you need to be as sure as your possibly can be that you're going to achieve your objectives. In this talk from BrightonSEO September 2018, I talk about the steps you can take before going into production that help to secure interest before you invest in creating the content.

1. Stacey MacNaught
@staceycav
MacNaught Digital
Securing Links BEFORE You
Produce Your Content
https://www.staceymacnaught.co.uk

3. Me when I’m
launching
a new content
project.
@staceycav

4. Me when it
doesn’t get the
traction I expected.
@staceycav

5. For almost ¾ of people in outreach, hitting
targets is “hit or miss” at best.
https://www.staceymacnaught.co.uk/outreach-statistics/@staceycav #brightonseo

6. Failure can happen anywhere in the process
@staceycav #brightonseo

7. I’m going to focus here today.
@staceycav #brightonseo

8. 300+ linking domains
at its peak
4 key nationals
“secured” before
we commissioned
the survey
@staceycav

9. 89% of its links secured after active promotion
ended and based on research done before
the survey was even commissioned.
@staceycav #brightonseo

10. @staceycav #brightonseo

11. Producing content can be expensive.
So by the time you go into production,
you ideally should have…
@staceycav #brightonseo

12. 1Validated your idea
@staceycav #brightonseo

13. 2Devised a well researched
media list based
@staceycav #brightonseo

14. 3Journalists already
interested in your story
@staceycav #brightonseo

15. Understanding audience is everything.
@staceycav #brightonseo

16. I asked 1,000 people to complete the
sentence
@staceycav #brightonseo

17. I asked 1,000 people to complete the
sentence
Daily Mail readers are…..
@staceycav #brightonseo

18. @staceycav #brightonseo

19. @staceycav #brightonseo

20. Other common answers
“Tories”
“Bigots”
“Right wing”
“Gullible”
“Awesome”
@staceycav #brightonseo

21. And a special mention for…
“People who enjoy crosswords
and puzzles”
@staceycav #brightonseo

22. So, what exactly
does this have
to do with link
building?
@staceycav #brightonseo

23. @staceycav #brightonseo

24. @staceycav #brightonseo

25. @staceycav #brightonseo

27. @staceycav #brightonseo

29. Misunderstanding the audience of
your target publications is a common
reason your content doesn’t get
published.
@staceycav #brightonseo

30. (I’m not suggesting we all assume Daily
Mail readers are idiots and bigots –
extreme example!)
@staceycav #brightonseo

31. But humans make assumptions and
have subconscious biases.
@staceycav #brightonseo

32. @staceycav #brightonseo

33. Daily mail
readers are
millennials.
https://www.mailmetromedia.co.uk/wp-content/themes/mailbrands/pdf/audience/audience-mailonline.pdf

34. https://www.mailmetromedia.co.uk/wp-content/themes/mailbrands/pdf/audience/audience-mailonline.pdf
Daily mail
readers are
Mums.

35. https://www.mailmetromedia.co.uk/wp-content/themes/mailbrands/pdf/audience/audience-mailonline.pdf
Daily mail
readers are
foodies.

36. Study media kits.
@staceycav #brightonseo

37. This will confirm some things you
already know…
@staceycav #brightonseo

38. http://www.northernandshell.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/media/static-files/nsplus/Daily-Star-Media-
Pack-2015.pdf

40. But equally it can turn up
findings about their audience
you might not have considered
before.
@staceycav #brightonseo

42. Use your
findings in your
pitch emails….
@staceycav

43. Study them for each
campaign….
@staceycav #brightonseo

44. But if you’re in the content
marketing game, just study
them anyway. Become familiar
with them.
@staceycav #brightonseo

45. Here’s a list of some of them I compiled:
@staceycav #brightonseo
http://bit.ly/media-kits-uk

46. (They also sometimes tell you
the best topics to be pitching at
certain times)
@staceycav #brightonseo

48. It’s also important to
understand the different desks
within any publication
@staceycav #brightonseo

49. Pitch the most relevant one.

50. Know your snowball sources
@staceycav #brightonseo

51. Mail Online never links these
days. But I go after it every
single time.
@staceycav #brightonseo

52. Because, not only do a load of
smaller regional and local
papers run their stories, but so
too do other Nationals.
@staceycav #brightonseo

53. Sun did not respond to emails
about a recent piece, then…
@staceycav #brightonseo

55. I find the Mail lands other Nationals
regularly.
So too does the Sun and the
Standard. But do your research
around your niche.
@staceycav #brightonseo

56. That will give you great insight
about which publications
should be top priority.
@staceycav #brightonseo

57. I contact 3 to 5 journalists
before producing any content
or commissioning any research
because I want to…
@staceycav #brightonseo

58. 1Validate my idea
@staceycav #brightonseo

59. 3Get journalists interested in
my story
@staceycav #brightonseo

60. This helps to improve your ideas and
secure interest.
@staceycav #brightonseo

61. @staceycav #brightonseo

62. @staceycav #brightonseo

63. @staceycav #brightonseo

64. @staceycav #brightonseo

65. @staceycav #brightonseo

66. And can also save you some
expensive mistakes.
@staceycav #brightonseo

69. @staceycav #brightonseo

71. So how do we
make that
approach?
@staceycav #brightonseo

72. The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

73. The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

74. The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

75. The practicalities & contact details:
@staceycav #brightonseo

76. How do you ask a stranger for a
favour?
@staceycav #brightonseo

77. You don’t have to.
There should be mutual benefits.
@staceycav #brightonseo

78. My Bible.
(Or 400 pages on
getting your own way)
@staceycav

79. “Reciprocity”
Humans naturally
return favours.
@staceycav

80. ”I’ve a couple of questions
still to add. Is there anything
you’d want me to ask for
you?”
@staceycav #brightonseo

81. “Commitment and
Consistency”
Contact journalists
whose work suggests
an alignment with
your planned content.

82. Is there demand for
what you want to
produce?
(Not essential, but definitely
useful!)
@staceycav #brightonseo

83. Remember this….
@staceycav #brightonseo

84. 89% of its links secured after active promotion
ended and based on research done before
the survey was even commissioned.
@staceycav #brightonseo

85. @staceycav #brightonseo

86. Idea was finalised based
on this…
@staceycav #brightonseo

87. This is why it builds links passively.
@staceycav #brightonseo

88. And it’s not just stats queries people
search to find content of the sort we
often produce…
@staceycav #brightonseo

90. So, you’ve got demand.
You’ve got journalists interested.
Your idea is awesome (and
validated).

91. Do you need to produce content
to land the links and coverage you
want?
@staceycav

92. IMHO: Often, but not always.
@staceycav #brightonseo

93. Little “stuff” without a big asset at
the centre of it can also land links
from top tier sites.
@staceycav #brightonseo

94. Daft little puzzles STILL work:

95. Circa 15 inbound links….
@staceycav #brightonseo

96. Distributing images under Creative
Commons still works…

97. Founder Interview Pitches and
Profiles work…
@staceycav #brightonseo

98. Side note: Here’s a list of publications
that regularly run founder interviews
https://bit.ly/founder-opps@staceycav #brightonseo

99. And here’s a book by Paddy Moogan
packed full of ways to build links.
http://www.linkbuildingbook.com/@staceycav #brightonseo

101. @staceycav #brightonseo

102. Just don’t make content
marketing the only way you
build links.
@staceycav #brightonseo

103. And before you produce a
thing, make sure it’s the right
thing and the best way to
achieve your objectives.
@staceycav #brightonseo

104. stacey@macnaughtdigital.co.uk