There is a lot to develop when you are creating content for link building. In order to generate inbound links, you need to craft a content idea that is link-worthy. You also need to take into account how to best deliver that content, where and when the content will create the biggest impact, and how to properly execute the entire link building campaign to maximize its benefits.
When it comes to content delivery, there are many ways you can deliver a content idea in a compelling manner. Since the focus here is link building, you can start by choosing the best content format based on the idea or key messages you need to deliver. This is a big challenge to overcome, but these several content formats and tips on how to use them will get you started right away.
Infographics
Infographics are actually very popular in the world of link building, and there is a good reason for that popularity. This content format perfectly blends key messages with great visuals that attract the audience with big stopping power. In fact, many digital marketing experts now turn to infographics to deliver key messages in a format that generates a lot of inbound links.
Infographics are also perfect for reaching out to relevant websites. Other sites are more likely to post your infographics than ever before, increasing your chances of generating high-value, high-impact links in a relatively short amount of time. At the same time, the format works really well on social media.
Before you jump ahead and create your own infographics, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, the topic of the infographic needs to be relevant to the audience for it to be effective. You cannot generate attention – and links – without precision and focus. You also need to present relevant and accurate data.
Don’t forget the visuals too. Visuals are 50% of your infographic, so investing in great visuals is exactly how you boost the effectiveness of your content. Large fonts to represent key stats and illustrations that jump out of the screen are perfect for this content format.
Guest Posts
There are a lot of new content formats out there, but good old guest posts on relevant blogs remain one of the most effective today. You cannot beat getting quality links from relevant and high profile, not to mention credible, websites, even in a competitive digital marketing landscape such as today.
The format offers a wide range of benefits. For starters, you don’t need your guest post to be an instant hit for it to be effective. Guest posts will continue to be effective and relevant as long as the content is up; they will also generate more traffic for your site in the long run.
The real challenge is building good relationships with the relevant sites, but you can now use the help of link building experts to make the whole process more manageable, all while you focus on producing evergreen and engaging articles for the best long-term effects.
Similar to infographics, you also need to be specific with the topics you discuss. To top it all off, make sure the articles are in the right length based on the audience you want to reach. Choosing between long-form and short-form articles is a matter of knowing your audience well.
Press Releases
Press releases are another content format to consider. It may seem more formal at first, but press releases are known to be effective in reaching top news outlets and big websites who actively search for content to publish. Add the fact that you have more PR networks and link building services to use, and you have the perfect format indeed.
Online press releases work best when you have something new to introduce. It doesn’t always have to be a new product or service either. You can spread news about a new development in your R&D, changes in your management approach, or the fact that you will be speaking in a big event soon as the core content.
Be sure to package that key message in an interesting and engaging way. Press releases have a certain format to them, but that doesn’t mean you cannot use elements like good storytelling and summaries to make your press releases more interesting.
Think about your target audience too. With press releases, the end viewers are not your primary target. The real targets are writers, editors, and site owners. It is then up to them to repackage your press releases into articles that the viewers actually love reading.
Videos
We really cannot talk about the best content formats for link building today without talking about video. Videos are leading the way in the digital marketing landscape right now. Viewers can consume video content better – and more comfortably, I must add – and that means you end up with an engaged audience when you use videos to deliver your messages.
As for link building, videos generate the second most inbound links when used as part of a good link building campaign. The multimedia nature of videos means you can convey more messages and still make the format interesting for users.
It is worth noting that video is perhaps the most difficult format to produce. It takes a lot of effort to make a great video that viewers enjoy. Maintain a high level of production value, audio and video to stay ahead. The large stream of videos also means you have more competitors, so it is a good idea to invest in marketing your videos.
Make sure you also know your audience well when producing videos. The more you know about the viewers, the better you will be at creating video content that drives the audience, and the more engaged your viewers will be in return.
These four content formats work really well if you want to increase your link profile and build new inbound links from quality sites. Don’t forget to also focus on your audience as you turn ideas into content in these formats, because at the end of the day, the success of your content depends on how well you understand the target audience.