Blog Promotion Game Plan
by Nancy Sackheim
The biggest challenge after writing and posting your article is getting as many readers as possible. The question is, do you have a plan to accomplish that?
As content marketing expert Andy Crestodina advises. "The best content doesn't win. The best promoted content wins." Crestodina's guide for content promotion is comprised of 76 activities broken down into three sections he calls The Content Promotion Cycle.
For those not quite up to implementing a pre-publishing promotional plan that launches two weeks before your post is published or a one to six-month post-launch ongoing promotion, here are a handful of the 48 launch-day promotional activities Crestodina recommends.
Tweet it, incorporating a question, a quote, a hashtag, contributors and/or commenters to increase engagement and click through rate.
Post it on LinkedIn and Facebook, making sure there's an image and a great headline. Mention anyone you included in the article and ask for quick feedback to increase social engagement.
Share again, tagging someone in your social post so they are likely to see the notification and tap to see the post. If they are somehow connected to the content, they're likely to share.
A few days after sharing on Twitter, check to see who shared and commented. Share the article again on LinkedIn (or other network), thanking and tagging these people for their earlier shares and comments.
Use a Twitter search tool to find relevant people with large followings who would be interested and likely to share. Mention one or two of them at the end of another tweet.
Schedule at least four tweets for the future. Time them to the highest traffic times for your audience. Schedule a few for day two, a few more in a few days, and a few more next week. To keep the posts from looking repetitive, vary them so they're all unique and can stand on their own.
Pin it on Pinterest and feature it on your LinkedIn profile. Share it in LinkedIn groups and Facebook Groups. Post it on Reddit. Spend some time pick out the right subreddit and getting to know its redditors. Share your post and start a conversation
Someone is likely talking about your topic on Quora. Find the related questions and jump in with a thoughtful, detailed answer. Don't just repost your article. Write something sincere and original, then mention and link to your article.
Add a link to your email signature. Every time you send an email is a chance to share your latest article.
Email your article directly to the people you know who are the most influential in your circles. Send a warm, personal email inviting that person to take a look and share their feedback. You may be surprised at the positive response. Not many people use this very valuable tool.
When you are ready for the next level of content promotion, Crestodina’s Content Promotion Cycle is an extremely detailed guide with 76 specific content promotion activities. Together, they can serve as a checklist for driving traffic to blog articles.
