Lessons on Injecting Yourself into the Online Conversation

During the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing World Virtual Conference on Sept. 17, Tina Brown, author and founder of TheDailyBeast.com, gave the keynote address, “Engaging with Customers Where they Are, with Content they Value.” In addition to discussing her transition from the print to the blog world, she talked about what makes one blog’s content more valued than another’s. Here are highlights from her session.

• Have a “sticky” focus for your blog.
• Social media is supposed to be fun. You cannot inject yourself into the conversation with forced dialogue. Whether you are writing a blog or commenting on another, your words need to be genuine. Sales pitches are not welcome.
• Forget about whether or not you have been scooped or you have seen your story somewhere else. The difference between the print and online world is that online, you share. Readers are always looking for a different point of view on a topic.
• Try hiring branded writers for your initial blog posts. They bring with them a built-in reputation that will help you get readers. If you can’t get them to write you a blog post, see if they would be willing to post comments on your site.
• Look for 25 other websites that relate to your content. See if they would be interested in posting a blurb, linking, tweeting, or commenting on your blog.

Finally, Ms. Brown listed the five main lessons she learned from creating TheDailyBeast.com.

1. If you don’t have a budget, get yourself a point of view. A clear point of view will get you more readers than anything else.
2. Study the intersection of news and culture. Be ready to talk about topics when your readers are ready. Exploit the moment.
3. Even if you have said something before, if the topic is relevant and your readers are hungry for it, find a new way to explain your message. (There is always a new way.)
4. Always bring emotion to your message.
5. “Linked Love” is what it’s all about in social media. If you are not linking to other sites, they will not link to you.