A few years ago, the phrase “influential blogger” would have caused peals of laughter among business professionals.

“There’s no such thing!” they may have replied.

“That’s a hack profession!” others may have chimed in.

Thankfully, due at least in part to the impact created by inbound marketing, content marketing, and social media, that is no longer the case. In fact, influential bloggers are frequently sought after to help generate some buzz about a company or assist in its blogging efforts.

When it comes to blogger outreach, though, finding those bloggers who will really do wonders for your brand and message can be tricky. After all, you don’t want to go arbitrarily pitching every blogger you can find until you find someone who will simply suffice.

While there are several very good techniques for finding influential bloggers, using social commenting is a powerful strategy that is often overlooked.

3 Places to Find Influential Bloggers in the Comments

Scour the Comments on Your Blog
As it goes, we tend to miss the things that are staring us right in the face. When you’re researching bloggers, don’t forget to look at your own blog comments. Is there someone there who comments on nearly every post you publish? Does that person offer insight and have interesting things to say? Do they engage other commentators in conversation?

If someone cares enough to interact with you on your blog – especially on a regular basis – you might find everything you’re looking for without ever having to go on a mission. Chances are good that this commenter believes in your brand and message, and will be a fabulous asset.

Check the Twitter Stream and Facebook Comments
One of the things that those who are trying to build a name for themselves on Twitter frequently hear is that it’s hard to get yourself noticed sometimes.

Is there someone who always tweets out a link to your content? Even better – is there someone who always shares that content and provides some thoughtful commentary on it? If so, perhaps it’s time to start paying attention to this user. Work to build a relationship. As you get to know them a little bit better, you’ll get a feel for whether they’d be a good fit as a blogger.

Don’t forget to also take a look at your Facebook comments. Like the comments on your blog, these will likely be a bit more linear and easy to follow than the conversation on Twitter. Is there a follower who is always liking your content and sharing it with others? How about leaving thoughtful comments full of insight? If so, it’s time to work on nurturing that relationship as part of your blogger outreach.

Give Quora or LinkedIn Answers a Look
Sites like Quora and LinkedIn Answers are the perfect place for an industry professional or blogger to spread his authority. Therefore, if you’re looking for someone who is influential and authoritative, these are great sites to check out. Find some questions that have been asked about topics related to your business. See who’s responding and pay careful attention to the answers that are voted up. Are you seeing that same user replying to other questions about similar subjects? Are they also extending that authority elsewhere on the Web?

If so, I think you know what I’m going to say. Connect, connect, connect, and nurture! Build that relationship in the same way you would any other.

To wrap it up, blogger outreach might sound like a simple task, but it isn’t. It’s a lot of work and it requires a certain degree of networking to make sure you find the right fit. That’s why it’s so important that you take the time to get to know potential bloggers.

The time to practice blogger outreach techniques isn’t when you need a blogger ASAP; it’s long before you come to that point. If you spend the time researching and meeting bloggers who are already either on your radar or just in your periphery right now, you’ll have an easier time of it later when you need to reach into your arsenal. It certainly pays off, as you can see from this post on content + influencers.

Thoughts? What other techniques do you use for blogger outreach?

photo credit: mind jumpers

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