Will Cannon started UpLead, a B2B data provider back in 2017 and needed to find a bootstrapped growth channel…
He decided to get some of the biggest names in online marketing to create content for him.
How?
This posts explains…
All online businesses are now media businesses.
Whether you know it or not, you are in the business of trading attention.
You are either paying a large platform for attention or are creating information that’s good enough so you don’t have too…
Now you can either develop this media property under your own brand, just like Ninja Outreach and Unbounce do.
Or you can go out and buy one… just like Outreach did.
UpLead took the first approach and are building an impressive media property through their own blog.
The strategy?
Get people with big audiences to create content for them.
Take this post for example:
Brian Dean is a legend in the SEO game:
He has significant sway in the online business world and probably does not spend that much time creating content for other people.
Until he got this email from Will:
Here’s why this works:
1. The email is clearly personalized and relevant
2. Mentions audience size, increasing incentive for them to contribute. Also “successful leaders like yourself”.
3. It’s quick and short and can be completed in the influencers own time
4. One main, simple, low commitment CTA
This email commands an 80% open rate and 62% reply rate.
What impact is this strategy having on UpLead’s media business?
Estimated traffic and number of keywords are increasing rapidly, driving the attention UpLead need to fuel growth.
They just need to find more influencers to do their work for them…
What did we learn?
1. Find the content that your audience love
2. Work out a process to consistently produce said content at low cost (e.g. get others to do it for you)
3. Repeat