RSS
Archives
Link Exchanges Are Dead! Long Live Relationship Building!
Remember hit-counters, animated .gif banners and AllAdvantage paying you to surf the interweb? Well all those e-dinosaurs have a new fossil joining them - the link exchange!
In these days of sponsored posts, paid reviews and link sales, asking a popular blogger for a link exchange is a pointless exercise that will have you labeled a newbie (and even a spammer) before you’ve even received your first PayPal deposit!
How to make friends and influence links in 2007
Instead of writing a one-line email after your very first post that says “Hi! I’ve got a blog. Can we do a link exchange?” you should aim for building a relationship that will see you get lots of free link love in the future! How? Easy.
Your initial email template to a blogger who you want a link from:
“Hi <insert popular blogger’s name>. I’ve been reading <blog name> since it started and I really enjoy all your posts. I have particularly enjoyed <blogger’s longest post> as I learned a lot from it. I wanted to write to you and tell you that you inspired me to start a blog of my own about <your blog’s topic>. I’m hoping to build it into something special and I’m really excited about it’s potential. I’m looking forward to your next post. Regards, <your name>”
What??? No request? No questions? No link to your site?? That’s right! Bring offline politeness into your emails - you wouldn’t invite someone in to your house that you’ve just met would you? The same everyday rules make you look very professional online as 99% of other bloggers are asking for link exchanges and doing the equivalent of standing on their balcony screaming:
“I’m lonely! Come visit me! Someone please!”
And nobody visits.
The first date
The above template may get you a reply and it may not. If you do get a reply, it’s pretty certain that the blogger will ask for the address of your site. After you’ve made sure that there is a SUPER AWESOME AMAZING post on your front page, your response is easy:
“Hi <popular blogger’s name> Here’s the address of my new site: http://……. It’s quite new but I’d love to hear your opinion on it. Regards, <your name>”
Notice how you’re always using names? For the popular blogger, you’re giving them a sense of personalization that sites like Amazon have built a lot of their success on. For you, it’s making sure the popular blogger remembers your name!
The super awesome post is essential. If you’re going to invite someone over to dinner, give them a great meal - not something out of a can. The same applies online - you’ve put in the hard work getting them there so make sure that you’ve got something to show them!
The kiss goodnight
Now that you’re communicating with the blogger all it takes is a little push in the right direction:
“Hi <blogger’s name>. Thanks for your thoughts on my site. I really appreciate it. I’ve just written a post about <your post’s topic> that extends on what you discussed in <any post of popular blogger>. You may find it interesting. Regards, <your name>”
No request. No asking for a backlink. Just bringing it to the blogger’s attention.
And being noticed is all that you need.
If the post is good enough, you’re probably going to get it linked to. If it’s not good enough, it was never going to get linked to anyway.
Call me in the morning
It’s all about politeness and about being noticed in a world with millions of other sites writing about exactly what you do. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at some random emails from my inbox and tell me which one that you’d respond to:
“hey. link to me.”
“I really like your site. Can we do a link exchange?”
“Why the pink? Can you add me to your blogroll?”
“u r cute. write a review about my site and i’ll write one about yours”
“Hi webmaster. I’ve been reading Cash Quests since it started and I really enjoy all your posts. I particularly enjoyed How To Make Money Uploading Videos as I learned a lot from it. I wanted to write to you and tell you that you inspired me to start a blog of my own about affiliate marketing. I’m hoping to build it into something special and I’m really excited about it’s potential. I’m looking forward to your next post. Regards, G..”
“if you write about credit cards please link to me with the anchor text ‘free credit’ ok”
“please link to me in a post and i will add you to my technorati favorites”
Start building a relationship today
Of course, this is all a little tongue-in-cheek as there’s no standard way to communicate with others. The point is that politeness isn’t that hard and can really give you a competitive edge. So instead of dreaming about that backlink from your favorite PR8 blog, get started building a relationship with the blogger today and enjoy the benefits that it brings! You may just find link love!
Rich people subscribe to Cash Quests
Let me be the first to say this does work and has helped me increase traffic personally! Thanks for the tips kumiko - invaluable as always
by Abdalla
Kumiko,
Maybe Im also one among the bloggers who is going to hit your inbox today. 
But yes this type of mails work well. I have got a link back from a great blogger in the same way as you mentioned. Good Post Kumiko.
You are sure to get a hell lot of emails today. Make sure you fix a time, maybe 1 hour, for just reading emails.
by Ramkarthik
Thank you. I’ve managed to receive quite a few ongoing links myself from this technique yet my intentions usually been for something different!
by Kumiko
good morning kumiko:
thought i’d let u know i’m still reading your posts. no reply necessary. keep up the good work.
by johnny card
Kumiko-
This is off topic, but I am looking for a post you did no moving from blogger to wordpress. Help, if you can.
Thanks
by digitalnomad
Yeah, I totally agree with this technique. The post is upmost the most important though….not the messages really. I surely do hate those MyBlogLog messages that only say “Link Exchange??”. Those are the worst.
by Jennifer
Great post, Kumiko! I agree with this 100%. You’ve also reminded me I need to stop being so lazy and spend more time developing relationships besides just commenting on posts. I usually don’t email other bloggers, but I should work on that. I’m really looking forward to reading your next posts!
by Tay
Great advice! *=)
by Terra Andersen
Anyone else think this is a bit evil?
by Carl Pei
It is! But if we don’t do it, other people will!
by Kumiko
Hey..
This is so funny, because this is my first time writing a comment. I’ve never really asked bloggers (unbeknown to me) to blatantly exchange links. I always thought it was just plain RUDE! I just normally subscribe to their feeds and get to know the blogger first.
Guess that’s just me!
by mott
Awesome post, something that everyone should read.
I personally don’t mind if people ask for a link request, as long as they do it nicely. I never ask, but if someone else does, and they do it nicely then I’ll pretty much link them. (And as long as it’s a ‘real’ site, not some spam site)
But if they sent me a few nice emails, I’d probably link them without them even asking.
(by the way, I really like the color scheme. Pink for the win!)
by MK
Good advice. I wonder if you should provide a link to your blog in the first email? In case the email reader is interested, but too busy to reply and just wants to visit the blog? Or is that too much like kissing on the first date? (Personally, I’d wait for the reply).
BTW, the pink theme is looking nice. I’m using a red theme on my blog — and I gotta say, I’ve been pretty inspired by your pink
by Ruby @AdviceandRants
You’re cute. Can I have a link?
Thanks,
Jerry
–
Road to Mega Millions
by Brilliances
Good advice in this one, Kumiko. In particular I hope some people read the sentence where you mentioned uisng a person’s name. It’s important when making contact to use their name, giving them the honor of being a real person too. I get link requests all the time addressed to ‘Hey’. If they don’t bother to read far enough to know my name. let alone why our blogs may (oe may not) have somehting in common, then why bother? The number one way to build a relationship … treat the person as a fellow human being.
Som day, perhaps in another blog, who knows, you should write about the culture shock involved in changing your environment from California to Japan. I lived in Tokyo 3 years and loved it. Why? There are things, like the crowds and the traffic that would curl the average American’s hair … but people go out of their way, with a word or a smile or a bow to excuse themselves and help make it better for both … it’s contagious, and it works.
by Dave Starr - ROI Guy
I think viral links are much more effective…will definately get much more link love that way
by blackyard.net
[...] are now investing time and effort in building relationship - be it with other blogger or their [...]
by 3 Trends that Shaped up the Blogosphere this Year
[...] for anything. Make sure you give to them, link to them in your posts. Before you do anything, read Kumiko
by 75 Ways to Increase Your Site