How to Email Busy Bloggers and Get Response

Posted: 25 Aug 2015 07:37 AM PDT

Do you know what happens after you click send an email to a busy blogger?

Well, you guessed it right. It gets ignored. Most top bloggers are busy. They're extremely busy.

At an average, every influential blogger receives anything around 150 to 200 new emails every single day. Unless and until he's a superman, he won't get enough time to read each and every email he gets.

So what busy bloggers generally do? They ignore most of their emails!

How do they decide which emails to ignore and which ones to respond? And how can you write emails that get response?

Are you curious to find out? Let's figure out what makes busy bloggers to read and respond to your emails. Before diving into the details, we'll first talk about the need of sending emails to busy bloggers.

If you're blogging for a while, you already know that, connections with top bloggers play a crucial role. If contacted correctly, influential bloggers can change your blogging career completely.

If a top/busy blogger in your niche responds to your email and does a favor, you'll get the following perks.

You'll increase your sales
You'll increase your traffic
You'll get more social shares
You'll attract more quality links
And most importantly you'll connect with the awesome people

Emailing influential bloggers and getting response is a science. Sending good emails to others will not only open the doors for you to create great relationships but you will drive more traffic and sales to your websites.

So how to approach busy bloggers through emails? Let's find out.

Using nudges to get response

Want to get a link from top blog in your niche? Instead of directly asking for a link, use nudges.

Nudge #1: Ask them for a tweet or share

Asking others for small favors can persuade people to do big favors in the long run. If you want to get something done, instead of seeking help in the first place, do favor for others first. So when you are asking for a tweet from someone, it's always better to build a connection with them. Follow the bloggers who you want to contact, connect with them and frequently share their stuff. That way you'll be able to build strong connections with them and once you have posted something awesome on your blog, ask others to tweet about your stuff.

Nudge #2: Ask them for feedback

Once you are succeeded in getting a tweet from your favorite blogger, it's time to persuade them into jumping another hoop. Ask for an honest feedback about your content.

Most bloggers won't say no and they are always happy to help others to improve their blogs. Take this step to improve your quality of your content and keep engaging with them.

Nudge #3: Ask for a link

Now that you've already built good communication with your favorite blogger, ask for a link after publishing a problem solving post on your blog. Make sure the content is top notch and is very detailed that will help their readers to gain something.

What happens when you ask for a link?

Mostly you'll end up getting a link (viola) from them because they already know you and possibly know the quality of your stuff.

It's easier to get a link from a friend rather than a stranger, right?

Refine and repeat the process until you succeed.

All the above nudging process will be done by emails. So it's advisable for you to hone your email writing skills. Let's now talk about how it can be done.

What captures the attention of busy bloggers?

It's important to know what makes a busy blogger to respond. Let's find out what are the things that will make an influential blogger read and respond to an email and include them while writing emails to busy bloggers in the future.

Short and sweet emails

Don’t waste others time by writing long and boring emails. Brevity matters when writing emails that get response. Be concise and your email response rate will be high.

Writing short emails that convey your whole ideas and message is really hard especially if you're a beginner. Just like anything, by practicing and learning few effective email writing strategies will help you write your emails like a pro.

Here are few suggestions for writing shorter emails.

Don't beat around the bush. Just come to the point. Introduce yourself in the first line and directly talk about the subject you want to discuss.
Never ever write your whole story. It is the surefire way to turn off anyone with your emails. No one is interested in reading your life story in the emails.
Proofread thrice. Sending emails without proofreading can do more harm than good. Edit before you send the emails. And make sure your emails are grammatically correct.

Interesting subject lines

The first thing that gets noticed on any email is the subject line. If you are mailing to busiest people, you need to make sure that you have compelling subject lines that immediately grab attention. Unfortunately, most people don't know how to write subject lines that will dramatically increase their email open rates.

If you're one of them, don't fret much here are few tips for writing stunning subject lines that increase your email open rates.

The best email subject lines are always short and they give clear ideas to open your emails.
Never sound like a sales guy. Don’t use cheesy words (or capital letters) to grab the attention of others. They won’t get you any attention, they often turn off the people.
Using names on the subject lines is always better. It adds personalization and originality to the emails you write.
Keeping your subject line to under 60 characters or less is one of the best email subject line writing strategies to boost your open rates.

Personalization is key

When writing emails, use names of the people. This adds extra value to your emails. People always love when someone mentions their name.

Never send an email by pitching something like "Hi there" etc., It's always better to use names from the beginning of the email to the end. Why should anyone respond to your emails if you don't have enough time to even find out their name?

Win/win approach

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar

No one will help you by default. You have to help others before you seek out help.

Blogosphere works on win/win approach. If you help others, they will reciprocate. In the beginning, when you have no real online connection with others, offer help without wanting to get anything in return.

This strategy works like a charm if you are focusing on getting massive results in the long run. If you want a tweet from your favorite blogger, instead of asking him directly, follow him on twitter and frequently retweet their stuff. If you want to get a link from a blog make sure to frequently linking out to the blog you are targeting.

Before asking for any help, make sure to do it first from your end.

End every email with a proper call to action

Want to get the response from busy bloggers? Make sure to include a clear call to action at the end of every email you write.

If there's only one effective thing that bring you great results from your emails, it is the "effective call to action". Never end your emails without including a call to action if you want to get a response or help.

Include social proof

If you want to immediately grab the attention of other bloggers, make sure to include social proof in your emails. For instance, let's say you want to write a guest post for a top blog in your niche, instead of randomly pitching the top blogger, you can send few of your writing samples to add more value to your email pitch.

Few email samples that are proven to get response

Here I'm going to give you few email samples that got more email responses. Just observe the pattern and you can use these email samples for almost anything from asking a tweet to landing a guest post on top blog.

If you're asking for a tweet or link:

Hi [name],

Just linked to you from my blog [include the post URL]. If you like it, I'd appreciate a tweet from you. If you think the post is highly relevant to your blog readers, you can even link to it.

Cheers,

Your name

Why it works?

The above email is really short and you're not beating around the bush to get a tweet or link from the bloggers you have linked it. If they really like your post, they will tweet about it. If they really read your post and find it useful, they may even link to it.

If you're seeking help:

Hi [name],

My name is [name] and I blog at [blog url]. I'm a regular reader of your blog and I'm really inspired with your writing.

I need a feedback from you. My blog is [mention the problem, lack of traffic or sales or anything].

I hope I'll get an insightful suggestion from you to solve this.

Awaiting for your reply.

Why it works?

The above email pitch is super short and you're directly asking for the feedback. If the busy bloggers in your niche find your problem painful, they will either create a specific blog post for you or they'll email you about solving your problem. Both are good!

If you want to send a guest post pitch to a busy blogger

Hi [name],

My name is [name] who blogs at [blog name]. I know you're a busy blogger so I'll directly come to the point.

I've noticed the blog readers mostly enjoy [type of content]. And I've written a detailed guest post solving [a particular problem], I hope your readers would find it really helpful. If love the guest post idea, please see the attachment for the guest post.

Just in case if you want to see my writing abilities.

[2 to 3 writing samples]

Let me know what you think.

Why it works?

The guest post pitch shared above is short and really effective. You've introduced yourself and you also said that you're a loyal reader to the blog you're going to pitch. You're also sending your writing samples by including a detailed post on particular problem. Mostly, you'll get a yes if they think your post is unique and really helpful for their readers.

Final thoughts about emailing busy people to get response

Your online success largely depends on creating great emails. If you don’t learn compelling email writing strategies, you will suffer later. Effective email writing also helps you connect with the great people in your industry.

But the only problem with emailing busy people is that your email gets ignored most of the time (especially if you don’t know how to write emails).

It doesn’t matter whether if you want to set up a skype call or ask for an advice from an influential blogger in your niche, if used proven email scripts, you’ll definitely get a response.

As you can see, I've included a lot of interesting things that capture the attention of busy bloggers. So make sure to use most of them to get a response from the top bloggers in your niche. Also use the email samples shared in the post to your advantage. You can directly use them or make some changes to your needs.

Hopefully the tips and strategies mentioned in this detailed guide will help you approach busy bloggers.

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ProBlogger: How One Couple Drastically Changed Their Life by Blogging

How One Couple Drastically Changed Their Life by Blogging

Posted: 25 Aug 2015 07:00 AM PDT

This is a guest contribution from Gina Horkey.

Two years ago, my husband and I were just like any other American couple.

We were both working in Corporate America, had a one and a half year old and another on the way. Our work schedules and commutes weren't bad, we just weren't doing work that we were passionate about.

Someone else was also raising our child. It could have been much worse – our son was maybe in daycare for 30 hours per week. And the provider was great! It just wasn't what we wanted. Plus, with another on the way, daycare was about to get real expensive!

Since I'm not one to sit back and accept less-than-ideal circumstances, we decided to make some changes. Here's our story of going from a dual income, Corporate America household, to a single earning one dependent on just my freelancing income. Buckle up!

Finding a Better Solution

Even though I was a financial advisor, we never thought it'd be possible for one of us to quit work and stay at home with our growing family. After a couple failed nanny attempts and the end of my pregnancy looming, we got desperate and finally entertained the idea.

My husband had always expressed interest in becoming a SAHD and my career was more promising at the time, so we set out to see if it was possible for him, the carrier of all benefits to quit.

By significantly cutting our expenses (cutting cable, reducing our dining out, raising our insurance deductibles, stopping our retirement savings, etc) we were just able to make it work!

Thank goodness we had the good sense to pay-off most of our debt the year or two before.

Fast Forward a Year

Our second child was going on a year old and Wade was enjoying staying at home. All should be well then, right?

Wrong. It should have been.

But I couldn't help to acknowledge the growing discontent I was experiencing with my work. My clients were great and so were my colleagues. I just didn't really enjoy talking and reading about investing, tax law or compliance all day long.

I tried to throw myself further into my career by enrolling in an accredited program and pitching a plan to buy into the larger practice. I began studying and we began talks to make it happen.

But then I realized it wasn't what I really wanted. And I actually listened to myself for once.

Starting a Freelance Writing Side Hustle

So, I did what any other "normal" person did and turned to the world wide internet!

I explored my passions, my available options and started freelance writing on the side a little over a year ago. I secured an unpaid contributorship with The Huffington Post, got some samples by guest posting elsewhere and started my own blog.

I would get up every weekday morning at 4:30 and write for an hour or two before my family woke up and I had to get ready for work. I also had a four-day workweek at the time, so I used Fridays to work on my writing business as well.

I even hired a babysitter from time to time on the weekend to give Wade a break and get some time-sensitive client work done. It was fun, I saw the potential and I was committed to taking charge of my own career future.

All of my hard work and perseverance started to pay off. My income grew month-over-month and I figured out I really enjoyed this world of freelance. I had blogged socially for years, but this was the first time I was treating blogging like a business and reaping the financial rewards.

Putting In My Notice

Eventually things came to a head at work. I opened up about my freelance success and that I had changed my mind about what I wanted for my career future.

I was super nervous about it, but the conversation went better than I had expected. I had been an advisor for almost a decade at this point and with this particular practice for six years. We had a great relationship and I considered them almost like family. But it was hard to disappoint a father-figure!

Due to our great mutual respect, we worked out a plan for them to buy my small practice, for us to find my replacement (for the support duties I performed for the office) and that I'd have a long transition schedule to both train in said replacement and continue to build up my freelance career into a viable business that would support my family.

Becoming a Full-time Freelancer

Right around Christmas, 2014 I had my last day of work. I was now officially a full-time freelancer!

It was exhilarating and a bit frightening all at once. But now, six months later, I can happily say that I made the right decision.

I may work more than ever, but it's work that I'm passionate about (I write, am a virtual assistant, coach newbie freelance writers and have a course to help aspiring writers for the web launch their own business in as little as 30 days). We also own our schedule, our time and choose how we get to spend it.

Better yet, we choose WHO we get to spend it with.

In Conclusion

Blogging changed our life.

We now decide our schedule, rather than our Corporate America jobs dictating it.

For us, it’s not about being rich or continuing to earn more money – it’s about defining and living out our own priorities, which just so happens to include spending as much time as we can raising our own children.

Want to know my favorite part of each workday now? Coming in for lunch with my family and laying my two toddlers down for their naps. I never would have been able to do that a year ago!

How would your life look different if you felt empowered to make big changes?
Gina Horkey is a writer for hire, with a background in personal finance. She also offers coaching services and really enjoys helping other freelancers gear up to quit their day jobs and take their side hustles full-time. Please stop by Horkey HandBook and say hello and download a free copy of 8 Tips to Start Your Freelance Career off on the Right Foot!

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger

How One Couple Drastically Changed Their Life by Blogging

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