How to Get Other Bloggers to Link to You

Links are the online representations of relationships between two bloggers. Those relationships can span from being peers or readers to close partners and friends. But sometimes it takes a spark to get a fire going. Which of these sparks could get you into a relationship with another blogger?

Write interesting content
The best bloggers always create interesting, high quality content to share with their audience and only want to link to the best content from other bloggers. Spending time on your blog posts will pay off as your reputation for doing great work starts to go up.

When writing, don’t forget to encourage your audience to interact with your post, especially if it’s one of your best ones. When a post is spread on Twitter or Facebook, and when it has a number of comments, the social credibility goes up and another blogger will be more likely to continue spreading it.

Write about others
Who doesn’t like to see what others are saying about them? Mention the bloggers who have influenced you in the past, and make recommendations to your own audience about other bloggers to follow. Offer congratulations on birthdays or blogging anniversaries.

You can also request an interview to really get the attention of a blogger. Many don’t have time for interviews, but many will respond graciously, especially if you have interesting or unique questions. Try using different formats, including asking for written answers, setting up a time to Skype, and sending the questions ahead of time.

Write for others
Guest posting has come into vogue in the blogosphere, and that’s because it works. Saving a fellow blogger some work in exchange for links and access to a new audience is a win-win situation. Start writing your best work, and then offer to guest post on blogs you admire or appreciate.

Remember, what’s interesting for one person or audience isn’t always interesting for another. Writing a successful guest post can be a dance – you need to be heard and understood by two different audiences, attracting new readers while staying true to your old ones. Make sure that you write about a subject that is engaging for your audience both from your own blog and the blog where you are guest posting.

Build a relationship
Every relationship starts a different way, so be prepared whenever you have the opportunity to start a relationship with another blogger. Try starting with peers or other bloggers with similar sizes of blogs. Take a moment to say “hi” on Twitter or at a conference, and keep following up and being memorable. Build both strong relationships and meaningful acquaintances, and keep in touch.

Look for chances to interact with bloggers face-to-face or in real-time. Conferences, meet-ups, and even book-signings can be a great opportunity to help you stand out from the crowd. But those events can also be overwhelming for a blogger, so get their attention in a positive, helpful way.

Make them angry
This is not a recommended way to get talked about, but bloggers will often rant about things or people who make them angry, sometimes by name. Technically, you might get a backlink out of it, but you won’t get the type of press that will keep visitors on your site.

Create something useful
Bloggers can be very outspoken about problems they have, and if they’re outspoken about the problem, they’ll usually be outspoken about the solution too. If you have created a tool or approach that would be helpful for a blogger you follow, don’t be shy. Share it with them.

Speak up
Remember, you can spend a lot of time laying the foundation, but sometimes you just need to start the conversation. Introduce yourself and a recent, great blog post. After all, the worst that anyone could say would be no! Just make sure that you’re courteous, and if you don’t get a response, take a break. Worse than being unknown is being seen as pushy or annoying.

Are there any ways that you get your blog noticed by other bloggers? When do you attract the most backlinks from other bloggers? What recommendations would you make to bloggers trying to build a relationship with you?