by Matt Barr

Does it do any good to e-mail no-traffic bloggers?

The research described in this post and this followup obviously only tells part of the story: how to get a link from a high-traffic blogger. And even it's incomplete. These techniques might also help:

• Link to the blogger's work. Agree. (The latter is important.)
• Discuss the blogger's book.
• Mention the blogger's book.
• Be named "Austin Bay."
• Include the high-traffic blogger in e-mail research on how to get a link from high-traffic bloggers.

Anecdotally, to get a quick e-mail reply from a high-traffic blogger without a link, you might try busting him for including his Amazon Associates ID in links for readers to donate for disaster relief.

(Speaking of disaster relief, besides e-mail, there are other link-generating procedures that have been broken in by the big boys, too. If you're lucky enough that a natural disaster has recently hit, you can call on no-traffic bloggers to post their recommendations for charities or somesuch, "linking back to this [your] post." As you'll see from the example, this deceptively brilliant plan even works if you ask the no-traffic bloggers to send you their links via e-mail.)

But once all that's settled, your job as a link whore isn't done. There are far, far more no-traffic blogs -- like this one! -- than there are high-traffic blogs. The tactics for getting noticed by these millions of blogs are different than for the Magniloquent Mammals or whatever they're called. Here's some advice, straight from ground level:

• Avoid a polite, sorry-to-bother-you tone in your e-mail. No-traffic bloggers get little e-mail that doesn't purport to be a Notification of Limited Account Access from Paypal, and at the first sign of weakness or uncertainty they're apt to think you're up to something. Exude confidence that you're the most important person they're hearing from this week. You probably are!
• Breathlessness and stridency help. An overall sense of urgency; a call to action. To that end, I recommend your e-mail subject be in ALL CAPS.
• Mass-distributed form e-mails are the way to go. This indicates to the no-traffic blogger that he'd better get in on the ground floor of what's sure to be a widespread blogospherical phenomenon.
• Provide your link with as little description as possible. In the rush of getting an e-mail from an actual human being who knows about their blog, they'll click on your link to find out what you're saying, unless you ruin it by telling them in advance.
• Don't thank the blogger for his or her time. Expect to be thanked. Think about it: If you're trying to get the point across that "this is extremely important; drop everything," you don't add, "if it wouldn't be too much trouble." Right?
• Try appending (UPDATED) to your post title. You don't necessarily need to update it, but this tells your correspondent that your post is so compelling people are returning to it again and again. The text "scroll down for updates" is a nice touch, too.
• Only slightly less effective: some form of "Michelle Malikin has the details." You can't be bothered with the minutae; you've got a point to make. This will come across.
• Whatever you do, Don't add the blogger's blog to your blogroll. The perceived quid pro quo may make him suspicious. You're far more likely to get your link from a no-traffic blogger if it appears you've selected him from a Technorati search for bloggers whose posts contain certain keywords. This reinforces the Army of Peons vibe you're going for.
• Be female.

E-mail isn't always the best way to get a no-traffic blogger's attention. Most who accept comments get those comments e-mailed to them, after all, and get no end of excited when someone comments on their no-traffic blog. Try leaving your request for a link as a comment to the blogger's most recent post. The comment needn't have anything to do with the post, in fact, better that it doesn't, so it's not mistaken for an actual comment on the post.

I hope this helps.

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