On Getting Noticed
Photography: Standing out by fabbio [modified]
I recently read an excellent article by Ankesh Kothari on getting others to talk about you. His key points are as follows: do something worthy of talking about, make more friends by self-disclosing, provide tools to help others talk about you, and reward people when they promote you.
I’d like to take this opportunity to add another point to the list, and it’s one I believe to be as important as all the others combined.
If you want to get noticed, if you want others to talk about you, you need to start by talking about them.
Using curiosity in your favor
We’ve all heard our name uttered somewhere across a room and looked up to investigate.
If you’re a blogger or webmaster you would have followed-up inbound links to see how and why you or your work had been mentioned. Even bloggers on the “A-list” haven’t been able to resist this temptation.
It’s why celebrities get so miffed by what’s written about them in gossip magazines and tabloids. It’s why Robert Scoble took a break from blogging. We create web content for others: naturally, we care what others think of it.
By talking about others you increase your chances of getting noticed by them. Of course, if you’re talking about someone who gets talked about by a lot of people it’s easy to get lost in the noise. The less someone is talked about the more likely the are to trace everything said about them to its source. On the other hand, if you do manage to get heard by a high-profile figure the possible rewards could be far greater.
The difference between talk and gossip
In web terms, talking about someone is a flexible term. You could write about something that person said, link to their website in your blogroll, link to something they’ve written inside one of your own articles (as I’ve done several times already in this post), and so on. Every time you mention another location on the web you are participating in this ‘talk’.
A cheap method of getting noticed is to gossip or insult. We’ve all read content solely dedicated to the purpose of attacking another person, whether they’re a controversial figure or someone you can’t imagine upsetting anybody.
Sure, this kind of ‘talk’ will get others to notice you but they’ll either ignore you or simply return the favor, talking about you in negative terms that will damage your reputation. This kind of practice is one of the worst things about the web.
Talking more
Next time you create content take a step back and consider how you could use it to talk about others.
An easy and fluid way to do this is to weave links under words, sentences and fragments when you are aware of others talking about the same things. This not only adds depth to what you are saying but ensures you are actively ‘talking’ about others. With each outbound link you are making a connection with other writers and, in turn, inviting them to talk about you.
See it: [Jeff Atwood of Coding Horror does this really well]
Wordpress automatically sends out your ‘talk’ in the form of trackbacks. If your blogging software doesn’t support automatic trackbacks then you should learn how to do this manually. Webmasters will have to rely on analytics programs to pick up inbound links.
Talking loudly
The more you talk about someone or their ideas the more likely you are to be noticed by them or other people who are interested in what they do. The first commenter on this blog (if I remember correctly) was Collis Ta’eed, who writes at Freelance Switch and is a co-founder of Blog Action Day.
Collis’ curiosity was obviously piqued by a post I wrote examining what makes Freelance Switch a great blog. If I’d simply included one of his articles in a link round-up he probably wouldn’t have noticed, but because I discussed his work in such depth it was hard for him to ignore.
The louder you ‘talk’, the more likely you are to get noticed.
You can also see the circular nature of this strategy in practice in the paragraph above. First, I talked about Collis, then Collis noticed me, now I’m talking about Collis again!
Something you can do today
Next time you create content try to weave several links into your words. You might have previously bookmarked some interesting articles which would be relevant to what you’re writing, and you can draw on these for your links. If not, you could try searching for what others have said on the points raised in your article. Do others agree with you? Do others disagree?
At first the process will seem awkward but with practice it will begin to feel natural, to the point where your mind recalls possible links you could use as you write.
It’s a great habit to get into as it both helps you get noticed while also adding another layer of depth to your content. If you’re someone who hasn’t done much of this and you decide to give it a try, I’d be interested to see a link to your efforts in the comments section.
A great article. I suppose I should put my thinking cap on and see how effective this is.
Mike Filsaime wrote a free report on the same subject. he states that he used this very thing to build his businesses.
Hi Will — I’m interested to see what you come up with.
I’m not familiar with Mike Filsaime. If you have the link handy I’d be interested in seeing the report (but no need to search around for it if you don’t).
Okay, I’m starting to understand more how this works. I always assumed that this was a no-no for newbs (like me) and that high profile sites would feel like you were piggybacking off their fame. The closest I’ve gotten to this is linking to articles already online and then adding my own line or two. You and Dosh Dosh are my two favorite blogging sites.
Thanks Skellie for another excellent post. I’m glad I found your blog. Am reading your previous posts and find it fascinating!
You’ll love this post by chartreuse.
Hey Ankesh, glad you’re enjoying the blog :)
Thanks for sharing that post — it really links in directly to what I was talking about here. No pun intended ;)
The old cliche of linking out to get links or attention….this works because you appeal to someone’s vanity or self-interest but linking out isn’t entirely necessary to get noticed.
Chartreuse’s analysis of Paris Hilton is in itself reductionist, like much of his other articles, although they do make for succinct marketing principles.
There are many other more useful ways to attract attention then simply linking out… which is far too overrated by many meta-blogger types who only think in terms of link-traffic-link.
Hmmm.. maybe I will write something about this after all. :)
I’ve always loved linking out to great sites out there - especially those with say - less than 1000 subscribers. It is easier to be noticed that way. But the real motivation for linking out is more selfless in nature as I believe that good articles should be shared with others. It is also a form of encouraging the other blogger that you value and find their articles of some worth.
@ Maki: I agree with you — it’s not enough on its own (if it was, all those horrible aggregate link directories would be the most popular sites on the web…). On the other hand, I do think it’s a good habit for content creators to get into, not necessarily to attract attention by appealing to vanity but because people are interested in the conversation that occurs about them and their work. Situating yourself in the wider context of what you’re writing about is never a bad thing.
But yes, linking out is not enough on its own. Once you do get noticed, people are only going to talk about you if you give them something to talk about. I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)
@ Pablo: I see what you mean. Probably the best thing about linking out (if the link is quality) is that you’re creating content with greater depth and pointing the reader to great stuff elsewhere. I think that’s a great way to think about it.
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Great post. Interesting tips. When I started my blog some months ago I was worried about whether I’d be read or “noticed” as you say. I was wondering whether it was good to link with others.
Just found your blog and still exploring it. Thanks for your useful tips.
@ Alfa: I know what you mean. When you’re just starting out it can be difficult just to retain the traffic you have. Linking out seems counter-intuitive, but it really isn’t.
I was into Ankesh’s article when he posted it, but you’ve added some excellent additional points. Thanks for digging into it a bit more!
Excellent advice, which we will heed. Also, so well demonstrated in your own piece.
Thanks sincerely,
JLF
I started doing this on my site by highlighting 5 Blogs of the Week — I figured my blogroll was getting long and unweildy, as well as I wanted to introduce readers of my niche blog to some of my other interests — it definitely brings some notice to my small blog, but the key is that I’m not just repeating what others say, I’m making recommendations about who’s a good read — everyone loves a compliment!
@ Chris: Ankesh’s article is certainly a necessary preface to this one. Glad you felt it added something :)
@ JL: Thanks! I look forward to seeing the results.
@ Rete: I agree — compliments are certainly a way to attract attention because, as much as people appreciate you talking about them in general terms, they appreciate compliments just that bit more ;)
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