When it comes to link building, “publish and they will come” usually doesn’t work. A lot of well-researched and useful content goes unnoticed and unlinked, resulting in lower organic search rankings than it’s worth.
Links are still an important ranking factor. So how can authors, bloggers, and journalists find and link to your content?
The first step is to make sure your content is link-worthy. In my experience, the frontrunners are:
- new research,
- original stats,
- a new way of doing something,
- personal story,
- expert opinion on recent trends,
- Original visualization of data with new insights.
However, even if your content is attractive, potential linkers may not see it.The best discovery method is email outreach. And the process starts with a proper email address.
But how do you find the email addresses of writers, bloggers, and journalists?
How to find the author’s email
On-site information. Suppose you find an article or resource and think the content is of interest to the author. Spend a few minutes looking for that person’s email instead of filling out a generic form.
Follow these steps:
- Click on the person’s biography. Journalists may post her email address to get article ideas or authoritative sources.
- Search the author’s name on Google to find other publications. These sites may contain author contact details.
- Find the person on Twitter and Linkedin. Journalists often leave DMs open or add an email his address to their bio. Follow them while you’re there. Expanding your professional network is never a bad thing, it increases your chances of a response.
- Click on the site linked from the author’s byline or social media bio. The author’s personal site usually has a contact form or, even better, an email address.
- Please contact the editor of the publication. If a promising article does not contain the author’s signature,[概要]Look for the editor’s name and contact details on the page.
Create a portal. Buzzsumo can provide information about authors. Enter an article’s URL into Buzzsumo’s Content Analyzer tool to generate author details. Create an author alert and get notified when she publishes a new article.
Enter the article URL from Practical ecommerce to see the author’s biography.
Enter the article URL into Buzzsumo’s Content Analyzer tool to generate author details. Click image to enlarge.
Muck Rack is also a useful resource. Author profiles can include social media accounts, contact details, and recent articles. Especially if his Muck Rack confirms those authorships.
Muck Rack allows you to search and learn more about authors. Click image to enlarge.
Email finder. After the above steps, use the email lookup tool as a last resort. This happens in about a third of all searches.
There are quite a few solid email finders out there. Most offer a free trial or free limited search. A quick Google search will let you try out some great finder platforms.
Either way, make sure your email address is valid.
Once you have an email address, make sure it is legitimate before using it. Click image to enlarge.
further away, seek Get an email address before using. You’ll likely find a name and company associated with it to make sure the creator is relevant to your pitch.
Search email addresses to make sure the author’s focus is relevant to your pitch. Click image to enlarge.
Streamline your outreach
Finding the right email address can be time consuming, but it’s the best way to ensure authors can see your pitch. Then personalize your message based on the information you discover about the writer.
Backlinks are still an important ranking factor. Getting them is a lot of work. Start by taking a few steps to find the author’s direct contact details. This effort streamlines outreach and, importantly, enables genuine, long-term connections.
