by sbriggman » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:29 pm
I don't know as much about the comic book industry as you do, but giving you an example of how I would approach a larger business-related publication might yield some ideas for promotion.
Let's say I was going to approach TNW, Inc, or PandoMonthly and try to get them to write a story about my latest startup venture. Even though the chances are slim that they would write about me if I reached out to me directly, I would look up on LinkedIN the employees that worked at that organization and see if any were second degrees of my connections. I would then ask for an introduction and do a short pitch to that employee on my story to get feedback.
They might like it - or they might not. Either way, I've started a dialogue with one person who works there. I'd then go on to study the community surrounding these websites, the people who comment, and the different websites and smaller blogs linking in. The most important part of a blog isn't the content in the long run, it's the community (which is drawn by the content). The goal should be to get a foothold in the community of a larger blog before approaching them to show traction - because they are writing for their readers.
I'd begin contacting the smaller blogs that frequently link to the larger blog or just parrot the larger blog. This is one of the reasons in that article I included social media size to get an idea of how large the publication is. If you can persuade the smaller blogs to cover your story with a unique angle, then when the larger blogs google your story or name or project, they see that a bunch of articles have already been written about you and people are reading them - which means people will read them on their website.
When it comes down to persuading smaller blogs or anyone in that matter, perseverance and determination are the fuel and putting yourself in someone else's position is the strategy. What are ways you can incentivize a blogger to write about you? Before you can answer that question, you have to know their audience and strategy with the blog. There are people I've written about on CrowdCrux because they hit the nail on the hammer and know exactly what I'm doing with the website and phrased their pitch in a way that is inline with my mission/values.
You could also offer to guest post for these smaller blogs in return for an article, or to write your own article so they don't have to do it - but many blogs will require it be an original.
At the end of the day, these actions would not be much different than if you were to hire a marketing/PR consultant - unless they have established connections in the industry. Even if those connections don't work out, they'd still be doing the grind - knocking on doors in the internet world - getting introductions through 2nd degree connections on LinkedIn, sending emails, and persuading. If you have the money, awesome! If you don't, I'm a firm believer in the importance of a self-starter mentality where the success of your campaign hinges on actions you take.
Learn how to succeed on Kickstarter:
here.
Submit a free press release for your Kickstarter campaign
here.
Anyways, I'm a writer and I just want to put out a cool story. I'm from Michigan and I'm hoping to get some good tips about how to be successful, although the odds may be stacked not so much in my favor. Looking forward to chatting with folks!
