How To Promote Your Services on Large Publications

You're getting there.

You've  had your content published on a few well-known websites. Your tech  company and its services are creeping closer and closer to big-scale  notoriety.

But you're not quite there yet.

Getting over the  hump of large publication recognition can be tough for a tech business  for a number of reasons. But it's certainly not an unattainable feat.

Taking  the opportunity to promote your tech services on a large publication  will bring positive brand recognition, brand reinforcement in the minds  of a high number of consumers, and exposure to a market that you might  not have been able to reach otherwise.

The secret sauce to getting on a large publication? A mixture of republishing content and utilizing industry influencers. Let's dive in.

Republishing Content

When it comes to getting your services featured, a large publication such as the Huffington Post or New York Times might seem like the holy grail of promotion. But it's okay to not think so big.

As  strange as that may sound, you will probably have an easier time  promoting your services on an industry-related publication than on a  media giant like the ones listed above.

After all, a publication  does not have to own a massive chunk of a market or be an enormous  national media outlet to be considered "large." Think a bit "smaller"  and make a mental list of some publications within your industry that  your demographic market would likely come across.

Here's where content comes into play.

It  might make sense to think that content is just like food–the fresher,  the better. While this may seem true because fresh content is more  easily distributed to consumers upon initial release (via social media,  digital media, etc.) good content is more like a plant–it needs to be  tended to (and not forgotten about).

You're doing your company a  disservice by producing solid content and then letting it decay in the  archive files of your website.

Don't let your content rot. Keep it growing.

What's the best way to do this?

Republish.

This essentially takes place in a three-step process.

Step one: Dig  up some well-known publications in your industry. Once again, these do  not need to be globally-recognized publications. Even something with  10,000 social media followers can be considered large. Once you have a  few targets identified, do the necessary research and find a piece of your company's content that would fit in well with something released by the publication.

Step two: Now's  the time to make your spiel. Pitch a piece of your content that would  fit in well with the publication you're pitching to. Make sure whatever  you're pitching is highly related and relevant to the publication's  brand voice and overall brand message.

Step three: Once  your content pitch is approved, it's time to polish. Edit your content  for maximum relevancy, make sure it is error-free, send it in, and watch  the site traffic roll in. As your services are promoted through  republishing, you'll be able to enjoy increased traffic from the comfort  of your chair without even lifting a finger.

Well...not exactly.  Once you've taken the necessary republishing steps, you need to prepare  your website for increased traffic (a.k.a., increased potential leads).

This means optimizing.  Draw in your new site visitors by updating your site content and your  calls-to-action. This means revisiting links on your older content to  ensure link relevancy, tweaking and editing to fit what your site  visitors are looking for, and updating your calls-to-action to be as  pertinent as possible.

If you're feeling fancy, you're even able to create custom calls-to-action to increase your chances of a conversion.

The Republishing Mentality

Republishing  is also another classic case of quality reigning over quantity: you  don't need to republish your content on every possible large publication  you can get your hands on.

Identify and conquer. It's a  much more worthwhile exercise to republish your hyper-relevant content  on a few strong publications than it is to rampage through your archives  and republish everything so that nothing goes to waste.

Your tech services will be much better promoted when you maintain a quality-driven approach rather than playing a numbers game.

Here's  the kicker, though. The tech industry has an asterisk. A caveat. It's  noisy. There are thousands upon thousands of tech companies on the world  wide web looking to promote their services and use larger publications  to reach audiences that they would otherwise not have access to.  Understandable.

That's why it's important to stand out. If your  brand blends in with your competitors, even having your brand promoted  on a larger publication might turn out to be an exercise in futility.  You need some backup.

Enter industry influencers.

Industry Influencers

Here's the finishing ingredient to the secret sauce of tech PR.

Interacting  and engaging with industry influencers lends a semblance of credibility  that money can't buy and companies can't earn.

There are a few ways to engage influencers.

Social media. Influencers  live across a number of mediums, and social media is a big one. With  the amount of noise online, it can be hard to stand out amongst an  influx of inquiries. Industry influencers are contacted often by tech  companies like yours. So why should they promote your services or  publish your content?

This is why getting your brand to stand out is  a make-or-break deal. When you pitch an influencer on social media, you  might only have 140 characters to work with, and you certainly don't  want to write an essay in a Facebook or Instagram direct message.

Be creative, be engaging, and be direct with what you're pitching. Think through the following: What causes my services to stand out in the tech industry? Why do I deserve to be promoted? Most importantly, ask what value am I providing this influencer that would cause him/her to want to promote me in the first place?

Once you've nailed down the what and why behind your proposal, dial it in. Pitch your brand's services on social media. You might be delighted to get a response.

Email.  No, this isn't spectacularly creative. It's not even really  outside-the-box thinking. But it is a proven effective measure when done  well.

Remember, industry influencers likely receive hundreds of  guest blog and paid promotion inquiries during any given month. Your  email needs to be straightforward and compelling. Here's how.

Step One: Killer subject line. Don't write "Proposal" or "Marketing Inquiry" or "Guest Blog Opportunity" in your subject line. Make it interesting and captivating. Instead,  try something like "Since You Know More Than We Do" or "We're Your New  Favorite Partner." You might find that more out-there, creatively  written subject lines are the squeaky wheels when it comes to attracting  industry influencers. And the squeaky wheels get the grease.

Step Two: Write  your email. Then read it. Then have a co-worker read it. Then read it  again. If you find yourself reading the same line twice, bored, or  unengaged with your own email, chances are high that the influencer  you're pitching to will likely find themselves unengaged as well.  Writing email pitches that work isn't a walk in the park, but an art  that needs to be practiced. When you do get a positive response back  from a key industry influencer, however, it will have been well worth  the trial-and-error.

Since having your services broadcasted on a  big scale (with even just one large tech publication) can be a huge  growth opportunity for your brand, it's certainly worth pursuing.

At  the day's end, don't let your content rot and don't become lazy with  influencer pitches. Doing these the right way will pay off for your  brand in both the short and long terms.

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