How to build valuable online relationships and links through strategic content partnerships.
Content partnerships are often an extremely effective way to get links. With SEO becoming a critical component to a successful online marketing mix, blogs are getting more requests than ever for content partnerships. There is a certain link building etiquette we must keep in mind when seeking out content partners, the better your initial e-mail, the better a relationship you can build with the blog editor throughout the process
(And the more likely they will be to want to work with you again).
1) Explore the Site
Before you send out the initial e-mail asking to partner up, you should go over the desired content partner site it great detail. This doesn’t mean a quick glance over. You should go through past content, see what content the site could use and what content is relevant. Also, note the style of writing the other posts are in. If the site uses a very straight laced tone, you don’t want to bring much humor or personality to your posts. If the style used is snarky, you’ll want to give your post some color (and it’s okay to use color in your pitch).
Also get a handle on what the posts look like physically, for example if all the posts have three photos you would want to include three photos in your own. You will also want to follow the heading and paragraph format of the blog.
2) Partnership E-mail
Once you have thoroughly read through the site you are interested in building a content partnership with, you should write a thoughtful e-mail to the site’s editor. You are very likely to be ignored if your e-mail is not thoughtful. Many sites receive e-mails that have been clearly copy and pasted from one content partner possibility to another. To show that you take a serious interest, be sure to include what you like about the blog and a few post ideas. Also, let the site know when you could have the post ready (and don’t miss your deadline!).
3) Following Up
After the post has been written and sent, following up is the most important part of the process. If the editor doesn’t get back to you within a day or two after you have sent the finished article, follow up to make sure everything is up to the standards of the site. If they haven’t gotten back to you, it is a good idea to send a simple response saying “Just making sure you received my finished article, please let me know if you have any edits for me and I will get the completed piece to you ASAP.”
I say following up is the most important part in the process because, if you had content accepted but it is never published, you don’t have much to show your clients. Staying on top of the editor and completing articles in a timely fashion insures you will get your quality links up on the site.
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In a time where SEO continues to be a growing field, it is important to stay ahead of the crowd in order to get your quality links published. The key is personalizing and building relationships. If you created a relevant post in a timely manner, a site would be more likely to use more of your content on a slow month because in SEO, it is about quality as well as quantity.